🇦🇹 Same-country drive · Austria
Driving from Vienna to Zell am See
Essential road trip advice for driving from Vienna to the Alpine hub of Zell am See, covering motorway etiquette, vignettes, and mountain driving tips.
- Drive time
- 4h 28m
- Distance
- 377 km
- Same day?
- Yes, doable
- under 8 h
- Fuel cost
- ≈ €55
- petrol · diesel ≈ €51
- Tolls
- ≈ €10
- vignette
- EV charging
- Plenty fast
- 15 of 61 ≥50 kW
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
+16m- Distance:
- 379 km (+2 km)
- Duration:
- 4h 44m
Via: S6 · B320 · A9 · A2
Avoids motorways
+1h 36m- Distance:
- 367 km (−10 km)
- Duration:
- 6h 4m
Via: B320 · B25 · B146 · B311
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.
4h 28m
377 km · €55 fuel
See details ↓
21h 41m
416 km · Climb 1.858 m
73.5 km on EV6 Atlantic – Black Sea
See details ↓
No direct service
Our coach data (FlixBus + BlaBlaCar) doesn't list a direct service for this pair. National operators (e.g., National Express in the UK, Eurolines feeders) may still cover it — check their site directly.
4h 32m
WESTbahn Management GmbH · OEBB Personenverkehr AG Kundenservice
See details ↓
What the drive is like
Drafted from the route's computed data on September 19, 2026 and reviewed against the route summary card. Read our methodology.
You leave the Vienna city limits on the A1, keeping a steady pace as the suburban sprawl of the capital rapidly yields to the rolling foothills of the Lower Austrian countryside. The transition to the A1 is straightforward, but remember that the Austrian motorway vignette is strictly required; ensure yours is affixed to the windscreen before leaving the metropolitan ring. As you peel off onto the B21 and B20, the landscape shifts from agricultural plains to the rugged, forested slopes characteristic of the Northern Limestone Alps. Navigating the secondary roads requires a shift in mindset as you trade the wide, high-speed motorway lanes for tighter curves and frequent transitions through small mountain villages. While the route through the B305 and B311 involves climbing to over 700 meters, you avoid the most extreme high-altitude passes, though the elevation gain makes for sharp temperature drops. If you are traveling between November and mid-April, be aware that winter tyre mandates are strictly enforced in these mountainous regions, and fresh snowfall can quickly turn these mountain-adjacent roads into tricky terrain. Fuel management is simple within Austria, though prices are generally lower away from the motorway service stations, so topping off in a smaller town before the final climb into the Pinzgau region is a smart move. Keep a close watch on your speed through the valley towns on the final approach to Zell am See; local authorities are vigilant, and the transition zones from eighty to fifty kilometers per hour are enforced with precision. The drive concludes as the road flattens out against the backdrop of Lake Zell and the imposing Kitzsteinhorn glacier, marking your arrival into the heart of the Alps.
Route highlights
- The transition from the fast-paced A1 motorway to the winding B311 Alpine approach
- The panoramic view of the Kitzsteinhorn glacier upon entering the Pinzgau valley
- Navigating the sharp but manageable elevation changes through Lower Austrian mountain passes
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:
- 377 km
- Duration:
- 4h 28m (free-flow, no traffic)
Where to stop
Places along the route that make natural breaks for coffee, lunch, or a night.
-
Wilhelmsburg 🇦🇹 at
≈94 km≈ 41.3 km detour from the main route
-
Marchtrenk 🇦🇹 at
≈188 km≈ 6.6 km detour from the main route
-
Salzburg 🇦🇹 at
≈283 km≈ 16.2 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.
Long rural stretch on B311
Plan for about 23 km of two-lane country roads. Slower than motorway, but often the pretty part — fewer overtakes after dark.
Long rural stretch on B 20; B 21 Loferer Straße
Plan for about 13 km of two-lane country roads. Slower than motorway, but often the pretty part — fewer overtakes after dark.
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 Autobahn287 km
-
B311 Zeller Bundesstraße36 km
-
B1 Linke Wienzeile13 km
-
B 20; B 21 Loferer Straße13 km
-
B178 —9 km
-
B 21 Reichenhaller Straße5 km
-
B 21; B 305 —5 km
Route character
How much of the drive is motorway vs. secondary vs. rural.
Motorway drive — fast, predictable, uneventful.
- Motorway
- 76%
- Secondary
- 22%
- 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.
Elevation profile
Highs, lows, and the total climb / descent along the route.
- Lowest point
- 189 m
- Highest point
- 764 m
- Total ascent
- ↑ 1,061 m
- Total descent
- ↓ 486 m
Fuel & tolls
Rough cost expectation for a typical EU passenger car. Treat as an estimate — pump prices change weekly.
Petrol (RON 95)
≈ €55
28.3 L × €1.96 / L · 7.5 L/100 km
Diesel
≈ €51
22.6 L × €2.26 / L · 6 L/100 km
Electric (DC fast)
≈ €40
66 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 2026-09-28.
Fuel and EV charging along the route
Stations within a few kilometres of the road, sampled at evenly-spaced waypoints.
EV charging
15 at 50 kW or above (fast / ultra-fast).
Fastest first
- IONITY St. Valentin — St. Valentin 350 kW
- IONITY Mondsee — Innerschwand am Mondsee 350 kW
- Böheimkirchen - Hotel Smart Liv'in — Gemeinde Böheimkirchen 150 kW
- Shell Hypercharger — Kaprun 150 kW
- Asten Supercharger — Asten 120 kW
- Tesla Supercharger St Valentin — Gemeinde Sankt Valentin 120 kW
- Wipark Garage Beethovenplatz — Wien 50 kW
- A1 Raststation Ybbs - ENI — Gemeinde Bergland 50 kW
- Lidl Wieselburg - Zeiselgraben — Gemeinde Wieselburg 50 kW
- Asten - OMV — Asten 50 kW
- ÖAMTC - St. Valentin — St. Valentin 50 kW
- OMV Tankstelle — St. Valentin 50 kW
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
🇦🇹 Zell am See
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
5°
-4°
|
8°
-2°
|
12°
2°
|
14°
3°
|
18°
7°
|
24°
12°
|
24°
14°
|
25°
15°
|
21°
11°
|
17°
7°
|
9°
0°
|
6°
-2°
|
| 61mm | 70mm | 97mm | 101mm | 140mm | 103mm | 134mm | 130mm | 132mm | 90mm | 96mm | 93mm |
hot mild cold
Next 5 days at Zell am See
Live forecast — refreshes every few hours.
-
Sun 11
🌧️
9° / 9°
3.2mm
-
Mon 12
☀️
13° / 5°
5.4mm
-
Tue 13
⛅
17° / 4°
14.5mm
-
Wed 14
⛅
17° / 11°
5.4mm
-
Thu 15
☀️
20° / 10°
—
Forecast: MET Norway
Directions
Turn-by-turn summary of the main manoeuvres, generated by OSRM.
Show all 22 manoeuvres
- Jasomirgottstraße
- Friedrichstraße 0.2 km
- Linke Wienzeile (B1) 5 km
- Hadikgasse (B1) 5 km
- West Autobahn (A1) 22 km
- West Autobahn (A1) 261 km
- West Autobahn (A1) 4 km
- Bundesstraße (B1)
- Bundesstraße (B1) 3 km
- Reichenhaller Straße (B 21) 5 km
- Loferer Straße (B 20; B 21) 13 km
- (B 21; B 305) 5 km
- (B178) 9 km
- (B311) 2 km
- (B311)
- (B311) 23 km
- Zeller Bundesstraße (B311; B164)
- Zeller Bundesstraße (B311)
- Zeller Bundesstraße (B311)
- Zeller Bundesstraße (B311) 10 km
- Loferer Bundesstraße 2 km
- Seehofgasse
Cycling from Vienna to Zell am See
Touring-pace bicycle route generated by BRouter, with elevation gain and matched against the EuroVelo cycle network.
- Distance
- 416 km
- vs 377 km driving
- Riding time
- 21h 41m
- Touring pace; experienced riders cut this 20–30%.
- Total climb
- ↑ 1.858 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 · 73.5 km
- EV7 Sun Route · 4.5 km
- EV9 Baltic – Adriatic · 1 km
- EV14 Waters of Central Europe · 1 km
Total: 76,5 km on EuroVelo (18% of the route).
Show route on map
By train from Vienna to Zell am See
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
- 4h 32m
- 1 change
- Lead operator
- WESTbahn Management GmbH
- + 1 more
- Alternatives
- 6
- Itineraries returned by the planner.
Trains on the fastest itinerary
- WB 912
All operators across alternatives
- WESTbahn Management GmbH
- OEBB Personenverkehr AG Kundenservice
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 this trip?
Yes, a motorway vignette is mandatory for using the A1 and other motorways in Austria. Ensure it is purchased and valid before you join the motorway.
Are there severe mountain passes on this route?
The route reaches an elevation of over 700 meters, which requires cautious driving in adverse weather, but you will not be crossing the major high-altitude Alpine passes that often close during the winter.
What should I know about winter driving?
Winter tyres are mandatory in Austria during winter conditions. Even on lower routes like this, expect rapid temperature drops and potential ice near the mountain sections leading into Zell am See.
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, OpenTopoData SRTM 30m for elevation, Open Charge Map for EV charging stations, and Google Gemini drafts the narrative and FAQ from the computed route data. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.