🇦🇹 Same-country drive · Austria
Driving from Vienna to Linz
Driving Vienna to Linz? Get essential tips on the A1 motorway, tolls, speed limits, and what to see.
- Drive time
- 2h 9m
- Distance
- 185 km
- Same day?
- Yes, half day
- under 4 h
- Fuel cost
- ≈ €25
- petrol · diesel ≈ €21
- 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.
Avoids motorways
+1h 20m- Distance:
- 191 km (+7 km)
- Duration:
- 3h 29m
Via: B3 · B1 · L120
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.
Your drive from Vienna to Linz begins by joining the West Autobahn, the A1, just outside the city limits, heading west. For most of this relatively short 185km journey, you'll be on this well-maintained motorway, which is the backbone of east-west travel in Austria. Keep an eye on your speed; Austrian speed limits are strictly enforced, with the standard limit on autobahns being 130 km/h unless otherwise posted.
As you drive, the landscape begins to subtly shift. The flat Pannonian Basin around Vienna gives way to more rolling hills as you approach Upper Austria. While the A1 is direct, remember that Austrian motorways require a vignette, a toll sticker, which you must purchase before entering or immediately upon joining the autobahn. These are available at border crossings, petrol stations, and online. Without one, you face hefty fines.
While the A1 is efficient, consider occasional detours if time permits. Small towns and scenic routes branch off the main highway, offering glimpses into Austrian rural life. However, for the direct journey to Linz, sticking to the A1 is the quickest and most straightforward option. The final stretch into Linz will see you following signs for the city centre, merging into local traffic after exiting the autobahn.
Route highlights
- Joining the A1 West Autobahn
- Vignette purchase points
- Austrian speed limit enforcement
- Rolling hills of Upper Austria
- Raststationen (service areas)
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:
- 185 km
- Duration:
- 2h 9m (free-flow, no traffic)
Where to stop
Places along the route that make natural breaks for coffee, lunch, or a night.
-
Sankt Pölten 🇦🇹 at
≈62 km≈ 3.7 km detour from the main route
-
Amstetten 🇦🇹 at
≈123 km≈ 3.7 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.
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.
-
A1 West Autobahn160 km
-
B1 Linke Wienzeile10 km
-
A7 Mühlkreis Autobahn5 km
Route character
How much of the drive is motorway vs. secondary vs. rural.
Motorway drive — fast, predictable, uneventful.
- Motorway
- 90%
- Secondary
- 8%
- Other / rural
- 2%
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)
≈ €25
13.8 L × €1.81 / L · 7.5 L/100 km
Diesel
≈ €21
11.1 L × €1.91 / L · 6 L/100 km
Electric (DC fast)
≈ €20
32 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 2026-05-25.
Weather by month
Average daytime high / overnight low and typical monthly rainfall, over the past five years.
🇦🇹 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
🇦🇹 Linz
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
5°
-2°
|
8°
1°
|
13°
3°
|
16°
6°
|
20°
10°
|
26°
15°
|
27°
17°
|
27°
16°
|
23°
13°
|
16°
8°
|
8°
2°
|
5°
-0°
|
| 46mm | 43mm | 62mm | 77mm | 92mm | 58mm | 83mm | 80mm | 105mm | 52mm | 75mm | 67mm |
hot mild cold
Next 5 days at Linz
Live forecast — refreshes every few hours.
-
Sun 7
☀️
23° / 14°
2.5mm
-
Mon 8
⛅
27° / 12°
—
-
Tue 9
🌧️
24° / 17°
6.5mm
-
Wed 10
🌧️
15° / 13°
18.4mm
-
Thu 11
🌧️
15° / 10°
6.1mm
Forecast: MET Norway
Directions
Turn-by-turn summary of the main manoeuvres, generated by OSRM.
Show all 9 manoeuvres
- Jasomirgottstraße
- Friedrichstraße 0.2 km
- Linke Wienzeile (B1) 5 km
- Hadikgasse (B1) 5 km
- West Autobahn (A1) 22 km
- West Autobahn (A1) 138 km
- Mühlkreis Autobahn (A7) 5 km
- — 0.2 km
- Hauptplatz
Cycling from Vienna to Linz
Touring-pace bicycle route generated by BRouter, with elevation gain and matched against the EuroVelo cycle network.
- Distance
- 196 km
- vs 185 km driving
- Riding time
- 9h 42m
- Touring pace; experienced riders cut this 20–30%.
- Total climb
- ↑ 540 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:
- EV6 Atlantic – Black Sea · 79.5 km
- EV7 Sun Route · 11 km
- EV9 Baltic – Adriatic · 1 km
Total: 80,5 km on EuroVelo (41% of the route).
Show route on map
By coach from Vienna to Linz
Indicative duration of the fastest direct long-distance coach found in the FlixBus and BlaBlaCar Bus EU schedules.
- Travel time
- 2h 10m
- Direct
- Operator
- FlixBus-eu
- Departures / day
- ~1
- 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 Vienna to Linz
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
- 1h 39m
- 2 changes
- Lead operator
- OEBB Personenverkehr AG Kundenservice
- + 1 more
- Alternatives
- 5
- Itineraries returned by the planner.
Trains on the fastest itinerary
- RJX 766
All operators across alternatives
- OEBB Personenverkehr AG Kundenservice
- WESTbahn Management GmbH
Includes a high-speed rail leg (TGV, ICE, AVE, Frecciarossa-class).
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
Do I need a vignette for the A1 motorway?
Yes, a vignette is mandatory for using Austrian autobahns like the A1. You can purchase digital or sticker vignettes online, at border crossings, or at petrol stations.
What is the speed limit on the A1?
The general speed limit on Austrian autobahns is 130 km/h, but always check for variable signs that might indicate lower limits, especially near construction zones or specific sections.
Are there tolls on this route besides the vignette?
No, the A1 autobahn itself is covered by the vignette. Some specific tunnels or mountain passes in Austria have separate tolls, but these are not typically on the direct Vienna to Linz A1 route.
Can I buy fuel along the A1?
Yes, there are numerous service areas (Raststationen) along the A1 offering fuel, rest facilities, and food options.
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.