🇦🇹 Same-country drive · Austria
Driving from Graz to Vienna
Drive Graz to Vienna via A2 and A23. Essential tips on Austrian roads, speed limits, and what to expect on this 200km journey.
- Drive time
- 2h 16m
- Distance
- 200 km
- Same day?
- Yes, half day
- under 4 h
- Fuel cost
- ≈ €27
- petrol · diesel ≈ €23
- Tolls
- ≈ €10
- vignette
- EV charging
- Unknown
- not yet surveyed
On this page
Route map
Route options
Other paths OSRM found between the two cities — handy when traffic, tolls, or scenery matter more than raw speed.
Alternative
+10m- Distance:
- 202 km (+2 km)
- Duration:
- 2h 26m
Via: S6 · A2 · S35 · A9
How else can you make this trip?
Driving is the focus of this guide; here's how cycling, coach, and (soon) train and plane stack up for the same pair.
What the drive is like
Drafted from the route's computed data on April 24, 2026 and reviewed against the route summary card. Read our methodology.
The autobahn number A2 greets you almost immediately as you depart Graz, a direct artery leading north towards the capital. This is a straightforward, efficient drive, largely uneventful in terms of dramatic landscape changes, but entirely typical of Austrian motorways: well-maintained, clear signage, and efficient traffic flow.
As you continue north on the A2, the landscape gradually shifts from rolling Styrian hills towards flatter terrain as you approach Lower Austria. Keep an eye on your speed; while the general speed limit on Austrian autobahns is 130 km/h, there are numerous variable speed zones and sections with reduced limits, especially approaching built-up areas or for road works. Unlike drives crossing national borders, there are no immediate changes to road rules or currency, keeping the driving experience consistent.
Around the 140 km mark from Graz, you'll merge onto the A23 briefly as it connects with the A2. This section is generally well-signposted, guiding you seamlessly towards Vienna. The A23 is a shorter spur that integrates back into the main A2 carriageway. As you get closer to Vienna, traffic density will naturally increase, particularly if you're arriving during peak hours. Be aware of potential environmental zones within Vienna itself, though these typically apply to city driving and not the approach autobahns unless specifically signed. Fuel stops are plentiful along the A2, and prices are fairly consistent across this national route, though they will generally be higher than in neighbouring countries.
Route highlights
- Leaving Graz on the direct A2 North
- Well-maintained Austrian autobahn surfaces
- Variable speed limit zones approaching cities
- Seamless merge onto the A23 spur
- Increasing traffic density near Vienna
Trip plan
How to think about the drive: one day, split, or overnight.
Easy one-day drive
Comfortable as a single day for one driver. Leave after breakfast, arrive with time to settle in.
- Distance:
- 200 km
- Duration:
- 2h 16m (free-flow, no traffic)
Where to stop
Places along the route that make natural breaks for coffee, lunch, or a night.
-
Pöllau 🇦🇹 at
≈67 km≈ 19.2 km detour from the main route
-
Neunkirchen 🇦🇹 at
≈133 km≈ 9.5 km detour from the main route
Key moves
Things to know before you set off — borders, sides of the road, tolls.
Vignette required in AT
Austria, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Bulgaria, and Romania require a sticker or e-vignette for motorway use. Buy at the border — missing one is a heavy on-the-spot fine.
Must-know before you go
The things a driver from another country wouldn't think to ask about — fines, stickers, payment cards, opening hours.
City access & emission zones
Whole-city paid parking — no free street spaces inside the Gürtel
Must knowVienna
Vienna extended its short-term parking zone (Kurzparkzone) to all 23 districts in 2022. Foreign plates pay via Handyparken app or paper "Parkschein" tickets at trafiks (newsagents). Daytime parking is €2.50/hour, max 2 hours per ticket — meaning practically you need a private parking garage for any stay over 2 hours. Garages average €4–6/hour or €25/day.
Tolls, vignettes & road payment
Digital vignette before crossing the border
Must knowAustrian motorways need a vignette — €10.10 for 10 days, €30.40 for 2 months, or €103.80 annual. The digital version (linked to your plate) is bought online at asfinag.at and activates from a chosen date — if you buy on the Austrian side of the border, it's only valid 18 days later under consumer-protection rules. Buy ahead.
Brenner, Tauern and Karawanken tunnels are extra
UsefulEight Austrian routes charge separate tolls on top of the vignette: Brenner (A13, ~€11.50), Pyhrn (A9, ~€6.50), Tauern (A10, ~€14), Karawanken (A11, ~€8.50) and others. Pay at the booth — no vignette discount. If you're heading south to Italy via the A13, budget for it.
Driving rules & habits
Bicycles on the right — turn right with extreme care
TipVienna
Vienna built out a Copenhagen-style bike network from 2020–2024. Most major streets now have a separated bike lane on the right. Right-turning cars must yield to a bike going straight in the bike lane — the rule that catches most foreigners. Look over your right shoulder before turning.
Fuel stations
Contactless cards work at virtually every motorway pump
TipMajor brand stations (Shell, Total, BP, Repsol, Cepsa, OMV, Eni, Esso) take Visa and Mastercard contactless without an issue. American Express and Diners are spotty south of the Alps. A €100 pre-authorisation hold is normal — it releases within 5 days. Carry €50 cash for the rare independent station.
Money & connectivity
EU roaming covers calls, texts and data at no extra cost
TipYour home EU SIM works at home rates across every EU member, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. The "fair use" cap on data only applies if you're abroad more than four months. For a 2-week road trip, just use your phone normally — but switch off "data roaming" if you're leaving the EU into UK / CH for any segment.
Emergency & breakdown
112 works everywhere in the EU and continental neighbours
TipSingle number for police, ambulance, fire — works from any phone, any network, any country. On motorways, the orange SOS pillars every 2km connect direct to the regional traffic control centre and pinpoint your location. Use them over your phone if you can — it speeds the response.
Rules, fees, and thresholds change. Always verify against the official source the day before you drive — this page is a checklist, not a legal reference.
Main roads
The highways this route spends the most kilometres on.
-
A2 Autobahnzubringer Graz Ost180 km
-
A23 Südosttangente8 km
-
B227 Schüttelstraße3 km
Route character
How much of the drive is motorway vs. secondary vs. rural.
Motorway drive — fast, predictable, uneventful.
- Motorway
- 94%
- Secondary
- 2%
- Other / rural
- 4%
Drive difficulty
At-a-glance feel: how demanding is this drive for one driver?
Overall
Easy
Straightforward drive. One driver, one day, little to worry about beyond fuel and a toilet stop.
- No major complicating factors — motorway-heavy, single country, comfortable length.
Fuel & tolls
Rough cost expectation for a typical EU passenger car. Treat as an estimate — pump prices change weekly.
Petrol (RON 95)
≈ €27
15 L × €1.80 / L · 7.5 L/100 km
Diesel
≈ €23
12 L × €1.91 / L · 6 L/100 km
Electric (DC fast)
≈ €21
35 kWh × €0.61 / kWh · 17.5 kWh/100 km
Public DC fast charging — slower AC charging at home or hotels typically costs about half.
Motorway tolls & vignettes
≈ €10
- AT — Vignette (motorway sticker / e-vignette) — €10.10 for 10 days Annual vignette is €103.80 if you drive often
Prices last refreshed 2026-05-11.
Weather by month
Average daytime high / overnight low and typical monthly rainfall, over the past five years.
🇦🇹 Graz
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
6°
-3°
|
8°
-1°
|
12°
2°
|
16°
5°
|
19°
9°
|
25°
14°
|
26°
16°
|
26°
16°
|
21°
12°
|
16°
7°
|
9°
0°
|
5°
-2°
|
| 44mm | 18mm | 67mm | 71mm | 134mm | 91mm | 133mm | 91mm | 177mm | 80mm | 42mm | 43mm |
hot mild cold
🇦🇹 Vienna
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
5°
-1°
|
8°
1°
|
13°
4°
|
16°
7°
|
20°
10°
|
26°
16°
|
28°
18°
|
28°
17°
|
23°
13°
|
17°
9°
|
9°
3°
|
5°
1°
|
| 37mm | 28mm | 49mm | 76mm | 74mm | 62mm | 62mm | 47mm | 130mm | 53mm | 50mm | 46mm |
hot mild cold
Next 5 days at Vienna
Live forecast — refreshes every few hours.
-
Fri 22
⛅
23° / 16°
—
-
Sat 23
⛅
26° / 14°
—
-
Sun 24
⛅
31° / 16°
—
-
Mon 25
⛅
29° / 19°
—
-
Tue 26
☀️
31° / 20°
—
Forecast: MET Norway
Directions
Turn-by-turn summary of the main manoeuvres, generated by OSRM.
Show all 15 manoeuvres
- Jakominiplatz
- Dietrichsteinplatz
- Münzgrabenstraße 2 km
- Autobahnzubringer Graz Ost (A2) 3 km
- — 0.9 km
- Süd Autobahn (A2) 43 km
- Süd Autobahn (A2) 132 km
- Süd Autobahn (A2) 2 km
- Südosttangente (A23) 5 km
- Hochstraße St. Marx (A23) 3 km
- — 0.4 km
- Ost Autobahn (A4) 0.2 km
- Schüttelstraße (B227) 3 km
- Marc-Aurel-Straße
- Jasomirgottstraße
Cycling from Graz to Vienna
Touring-pace bicycle route generated by BRouter, with elevation gain and matched against the EuroVelo cycle network.
- Distance
- 216 km
- vs 200 km driving
- Riding time
- 11h 9m
- Touring pace; experienced riders cut this 20–30%.
- Total climb
- ↑ 1.078 m
Routed on the BRouter trekking profile — balanced for paved leisure tourers; gravel and fast-bike profiles produce different lines.
On the EuroVelo network
Sections of this route follow signed EuroVelo cycle routes — well-maintained, signposted, and bike-friendly:
- EV14 Waters of Central Europe · 37 km
- EV9 Baltic – Adriatic · 23.5 km
Total: 60,5 km on EuroVelo (28% of the route).
Show route on map
By coach from Graz to Vienna
Indicative duration of the fastest direct long-distance coach found in the FlixBus and BlaBlaCar Bus EU schedules.
- Travel time
- 2h
- Direct
- Operator
- FlixBus-eu
- Departures / day
- ~6
- Approximate based on the published schedule.
Show coach corridor on map
Schedules sourced from the FlixBus and BlaBlaCar Bus GTFS feeds via transport.data.gouv.fr. Times are indicative; verify on the operator's site before booking.
Booking link coming soon.
By train from Graz to Vienna
Fastest cross-border rail itinerary from the public Transitous planner. Times reflect a typical Monday-morning departure on the next available service-day.
- Fastest journey
- 2h 34m
- 2 changes
- Lead operator
- OEBB Personenverkehr AG Kundenservice
- + 1 more
- Alternatives
- 4
- Itineraries returned by the planner.
Trains on the fastest itinerary
- REX 2240
All operators across alternatives
- OEBB Personenverkehr AG Kundenservice
- WESTbahn Management GmbH
Show route on map
Routing via the public Transitous OTP planner (community-run MOTIS instance). Cached 24 hours; verify on the operator's site before booking.
Frequently asked
Are there tolls on the A2 and A23 in Austria?
Yes, Austrian motorways (Autobahnen) require a vignette for use. You can purchase a digital or sticker vignette for various durations (10-day, 2-month, annual).
What is the speed limit on the A2 and A23?
The general speed limit on Austrian autobahns is 130 km/h. However, always pay attention to variable speed limits and signs indicating lower limits due to traffic, road conditions, or environmental regulations.
Do I need special tires for this drive?
Winter tires are mandatory in Austria between November 1st and April 15th if weather conditions (snow, ice, slush) prevail. All-season tires marked with 'M+S' are generally acceptable, but proper winter tires are recommended.
Where can I buy an Austrian vignette?
Vignettes can be bought online in advance, at border crossings (though less common for Austria), at petrol stations near the border, or at automobile club offices.
Is the A23 a difficult road to navigate?
No, the A23 is a relatively short section that connects seamlessly with the A2. Signage is clear and it's designed for efficient traffic flow towards Vienna.
How this page is built
Compiled by COD Solutions Oy from open European data — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for the route geometry, BRouter for the bicycle route, EuroVelo GPX (ODbL) by the European Cyclists' Federation for the cycle-network overlay, Open-Meteo for monthly climate normals, and Google Gemini drafts the narrative and FAQ from the computed route data. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.