Semmeringbahn, Austria 🇦🇹 2022

Date: 22nd August 2022

Travelled: 150 kms from Vienna to Graz via Semmering, Austria  

Visited:  Semmeringbahn Rail Line    

Stayed: Graz Sosta, €25, N47.02430, E15.39660  

Budget: 89 days @ €108 per day

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It drizzles most of the night and the sosta in Vienna looks particularly damp this morning. Remember the Lynn Anderson hit song, Rose Garden from 1974, ’you have to expect a bit of rain sometime’. Once a week we have country and western Wednesday (doh), if I hear rain the lyrics just pop into my head once again. Sad isn’t it.

We were a bit awestruck by Vienna and could easily spend a couple more days here, but we should keep moving as Austria has lots more to offer. We have no real plan for the day but our guide book recommends the Semmeringbach and it’s something different.

There’s a Lidl up the road so we do a quick shop on our way to the autobahn, the GPS set for Semmering.

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Eventually the GPS turns us off the autobahn up to Semmering. From all appearances it’s a winter snow village. But being summer it’s very quiet today. We make straight for the station and find a spot in the carpark.

The Semmeringbahn was considered a feat of engineering marvel when completed in 1854. It has 15 tunnels and 16 viaducts in a 42 kms rail line. Designed and built by Karl Ritter von Ghega there are information panels and a memorial commemorating his work.

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Standing on the platform looking a little confused which I must admit is becoming more of a regular occurrence I ask a young woman about the train. She guides me through uploading the QBB app and getting me started. Still chatting she tells me she’s Ukrainian and currently a refugee living in Austria. Anyway I wish her the best of luck and place a silent curse on Putin..

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As you can see other than Pam myself and Pat Malone, the train was empty. The scenery was beautiful considering a quarter of our trip was in tunnels. We get to the end of the line, which isn’t really the end because an interurban train called the weasel continues on to Vienna apparently.

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The trouble was our lovely new train had fixed windows so you could only look out the double laminated tinted glass, which means we couldn’t get a half decent photo. Such is life.

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After a 15 minute layover we get back abourd the same train going back through the same tunnel and bridges back to Simmering and the Hymer. We had no real plan to go on to Graz today but it’s an easy drive through some long tunnels and we find ourselves in the Sosta Graz.

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That was our day so lets make Graz, Austria’s second largest city tomorrows adventure.

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Michael + Pam