Europe on a Budget by Train: 20 Cheapest Routes

The short version

€9: the lowest starting fare on the list, Vienna to Budapest and Madrid to Barcelona.
Almost 7 times: how much more Frankfurt to Berlin costs on a flexible ticket bought on the day (over €125) than at its €17.99 advance fare.
€0: the penalty for buying late from Trieste to Ljubljana, where fares are fixed.

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Two people board the same railjet from Vienna to Budapest. One booked weeks ahead on the Hungarian railway's website and paid €13. The other bought a flexible ticket that morning for €52.70. Same train, same 2h37, four times the price.

That gap is the whole game of cheap train travel in Europe. Below are 20 popular routes ranked by the lowest one-way, 2nd class advance fare we could confirm in October 2026, each with the fare for a flexible ticket bought on the day where one is published. Most figures come from Seat61's route pages, checked against operator announcements.

The 20 cheapest routes, ranked

• Cheapest advance fare
• Flexible fare bought on the day
• Fixed fare, same price any day

€0€25€50€75€100€125

1. 1Vienna to Budapest€9 advance, to €52.70 on the day

   RegioJet Low cost. The railjet advance fare is €13 from MÁV, €19.90 from ÖBB.

2. 2Madrid to Barcelonafrom €9

   OUIGO sale fare, travel 3 August to 12 December 2026. Renfe AVE from €17.05; no walk-up fare published.

3. 3Lisbon to Porto€9.50 advance, to €34 on the day

   CP Promo fare, 5 to 60 days ahead. Standard Alfa Pendular fare about €34, 2h58.

4. 4Paris to Lyonfrom €10

   OUIGO, some trains from Marne-la-Vallée Chessy. Trenitalia from €23.

5. 5Bratislava to Budapest€10.50 advance, to €25 on the day

   Advance railjet or EuroCity fare; even the flexible ticket is €25.

6. 6Trieste to Ljubljana€11.90 fixed

   Fixed fares: €3.90 to Villa Opicina, then €8 with Slovenian Railways. From Venice, €28.35 in all.

7. 7Vienna to Salzburg€13.99 advance, to €65 on the day

   WESTbahn WESTsuperpreis. ÖBB Sparschiene from €19.90; flexible fares about €65 on both.

8. 8Prague to Vienna€14.90 advance, to €59 on the day

   RegioJet Low cost or ČD advance. Flexible: €59 from Czech Railways, €88.40 from ÖBB.

9. 9Prague to Bratislava€15 advance, to €45 on the day

   Advance railjet or EuroCity fare, tied to one train.

10. 10Munich to Prague€16 advance, to €65 on the day

    ČD First Minute fare, 5h38. Leo Express takes over on 13 December 2026.

11. 11Munich to Salzburg€17.99 advance, to €46 on the day

    Advance railjet fare, about 1h30. Regional trains: Bayern Ticket, €34 a day.

12. 12Frankfurt to Berlin€17.99 advance, to over €125 on the day

    Deutsche Bahn Sparpreis; Flexpreis on the day over €125.

13. 13Berlin to Prague€18.99 advance, to €80 on the day

    Deutsche Bahn Sparpreis on the EuroCity. Flexpreis runs about €80 to €95.

14. 14Prague to Budapest€19.90 advance, to €70 on the day

    RegioJet via Vienna. ČD and MÁV First Minute fares start at €21.

15. 15Rome to Florence€19.90 advance, to €55 on the day

    Trenitalia Economy or Super Economy; Base fare €50 to €55.

16. 16Florence to Venice€19.90 advance, to €57 on the day

    Trenitalia Economy or Super Economy; Base fare €57.

17. 17Amsterdam to Brussels€25 advance, to €65.80 on the day

    Eurocity Direct or Eurostar. On the day: €65.80 and over €90.

18. 18Madrid to Seville€28 advance, to €75 on the day

    Renfe advance fare. OUIGO and iryo run the route too.

19. 19Vienna to Venice€28.30 advance, to €124 on the day

    ÖBB Sparschiene on the direct railjet, about 7h15.

20. 20Hamburg to Copenhagen€28.99 advance, to €110 on the day

    Deutsche Bahn Sparpreis, about 4h40.

How much does buying late cost?

On most routes, waiting until the day of travel multiplies the price by 2.5 to 4. The worst cases are long-distance trains run by big national operators: Frankfurt to Berlin (almost 7 times), Vienna to Budapest (about 6 times) and Vienna to Salzburg or Vienna to Venice (more than 4 times).

The flattest routes are short regional hops. Bratislava to Budapest goes from €10.50 to €25, and Trieste to Ljubljana does not change at all. The hotel usually costs more: see our daily budgets.

Two prices move on 13 December 2026, when the new timetable starts. ÖBB raises standard fares by 3.5% on average but keeps Sparschiene starting prices unchanged, and Leo Express takes over Munich to Prague from Czech Railways.

What does a €9 ticket leave out?

• Flexibility. ÖBB Sparschiene, Deutsche Bahn Super Sparpreis and Trenitalia Super Economy fares are valid only on the train you booked, with no refund. RegioJet is the exception: Seat61 reports that its tickets can be changed or cancelled in the app up to 15 minutes before departure.
• Luggage, on OUIGO. In France an extra bag costs €5. In Spain the roomier XL seats cost €9 more and include one suitcase or backpack.
• A central station, sometimes. Some cheap OUIGO trains to Lyon leave from Marne-la-Vallée Chessy, east of the city, instead of a central Paris station.
• Availability. Starting fares cover only some seats on some trains. In 2026 Deutsche Bahn sold tickets from €6.99 and OUIGO Spain from €5, but only for a few days or a few thousand seats.

Which website sells the same seat for less?

International trains are sold by every railway they run through, and each charges its own price. As of October 2026:

• Prague to Vienna: the flexible ticket is €59 from Czech Railways (cd.cz) and €88.40 from ÖBB.
• Vienna to Budapest: the advance railjet ticket is €13 from MÁV and €19.90 from ÖBB.
• Munich to Salzburg: on regional trains, a Bayern Ticket at €34 for a whole day beats the €43.80 single fare, and each extra traveller adds only about €10.

Then check the low-cost operator on the same line. RegioJet (Prague, Vienna, Budapest), WESTbahn (Vienna to Salzburg) and OUIGO (France and Spain) are behind five of the ten cheapest fares on the list. To compare several operators at once, a reseller such as Klook's train ticket search saves tabs, but buy from the operator when its own site is cheaper.

Train, coach or rail pass: which is cheapest from Vienna to Budapest?

Who should pick what: if your dates are fixed, book RegioJet or the MÁV advance fare. If they are not, RegioJet's free changes make it the safer cheap choice than any non-refundable fare. Take the coach only when the trains are sold out. A pass makes sense for long trips with pricey legs, which our guide to rail passes versus single tickets works through.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest train route in Europe?

Of the 20 popular routes we checked in October 2026, Vienna to Budapest (RegioJet) and Madrid to Barcelona (OUIGO) start lowest, at €9 one way. Short sale fares can go lower, but they appear and vanish within days.

Are cheap advance train tickets refundable?

Usually not. ÖBB Sparschiene, Deutsche Bahn Super Sparpreis and Trenitalia Super Economy fares are valid only on the train you booked and cannot be refunded. RegioJet is the exception on this list: its tickets can be changed or cancelled in the app up to 15 minutes before departure.

Is an Interrail Pass cheaper for these routes?

Rarely. An adult 2nd class Global Pass for 4 travel days in a month costs €283, about €71 per travel day, while every route on this list starts below €30. A pass pays off when you cannot book ahead or ride long, expensive legs.

How far ahead should I book to get these fares?

As soon as the operator's booking window opens. Deutsche Bahn sells up to 6 months ahead, CP Promo fares in Portugal run from 60 days to 5 days before travel, and fares for trains after the 13 December 2026 timetable change open later than usual.

Where the figures come from

Checked on 24 and 25 October 2026. Fares are the examples these pages give and change daily; secondary sources are labelled.

1. Seat61: Vienna to Budapest
2. Seat61: Prague to Vienna
3. Seat61: Prague to Budapest, Prague to Bratislava, Bratislava to Budapest
4. Seat61: Vienna to Salzburg
5. Seat61: Munich to Prague
6. Seat61: Munich to Salzburg
7. Seat61: Berlin to Prague
8. Seat61: train travel in Germany (Frankfurt to Berlin, fare rules)
9. Seat61: Hamburg to Copenhagen
10. Seat61: Vienna to Venice
11. Seat61: Venice and Trieste to Ljubljana
12. Seat61: train travel in Italy (Rome to Florence, Florence to Venice)
13. Seat61: train travel in Spain (Madrid to Seville)
14. Seat61: Barcelona to Madrid
15. Seat61: Lisbon to Porto
16. Seat61: Amsterdam to Brussels
17. Euro Weekly News: OUIGO €9 fares in Spain, travel 3 August to 12 December 2026 (secondary)
18. Dealabs: OUIGO Paris to Lyon from €10, autumn 2026 (secondary)
19. Ulysse: OUIGO prices, extra bag fee and Trenitalia Paris to Lyon from €23, February 2026 (secondary)
20. Salzburg24: ÖBB fare changes from 13 December 2026 (secondary)
21. Diari Més: OUIGO Spain €5 anniversary fares, 5,000 tickets, May 2026 (secondary)
22. TÜnews: Deutsche Bahn tickets from €6.99, 2026 (secondary)
23. FlixBus: Vienna to Budapest
24. CP: Interrail Global Pass conditions and prices