Europe Trip 2025 - Austria

As seen through the windows of a train from Vienna to Villach and then to Ljubljana. I had a bit of a scare in Vienna when I boarded a train to Lienz and started questioning myself if I got on the correct one, because I was reading it as Linz in my head, the on-train display showing stops was not showing Villach and Linz as I checked on a map, was definitely not where I needed to go. I started wondering if it was possible that the train was doing a bit of a loop around Austria to get to Linz via Villach. I got my suitcase and almost got off - one of the passengers I asked said it was not going to Villach, but another  said it was. I was checking the progress of the train on google maps and only when it veered south, not north, I sighed with relief :-)

Perhaps people would get confused with Lubin and Lublin in Poland if you could take a train from the same train station to both... hmm, you can, from Wrocław.

Starting the trip at Vienna main station:

Tram tracks, trees, pigeons and bikes.

Underground repairs that destroy the surface.

The main hall.

And we are off...

Vienna

Still Vienna

Pörtschach am Wörthersee. The stone monument on the right, with a cross, commemorates "Carinthian struggle for freedom 1918-1919" - a small border war between Yugoslavia and Austria. This region became part of Austria by plebiscite on 10 October 1920 - a public holiday in the State of Carinthia.

Knittelfeld

Covered bike stands and bike storage boxes.

Petersberg castle in Friesach

Bruck an der Mur

The old Felten & Guilleaume (F&G) building in Kapfenberg. This city is known for steel works and has an interesting history - there is a data centre in underground chambers built during the war.

Mürzzuschlag

Mürzzuschlag

Semmering-Kurort

Frauenburg castle at the top.

Bike storage boxes on the platform in Villach.

Lake Faak

Shortly before entering the 8km long Karawanks tunnel to Slovenia.