Vienna to Salzburg by car on the A1: what to know before you go

From Vienna's main station to Salzburg's, you leave Vienna heading west, stay on the A1 past St. Pölten and Linz, and exit at one of the Salzburg junctions. By OpenStreetMap routing it is about 295 km. The A1 part alone is a little over two hours at the 130 km/h limit (about 280 km ÷ 130 km/h), before city driving, roadworks and traffic.

The route: two ways out of Vienna, then one motorway

• Through the city along the Wien river. The most direct line runs west on the B1 (Linke Wienzeile, then Hadikgasse) to Auhof, where the A1 begins at about kilometre 9. That is roughly 11 km of city driving.
• Round the south on motorways. Head south to the Vösendorf junction, where the A2, S1 and A21 meet, and take the A21 Wiener Außenring Autobahn for 38 km through the Vienna Woods. It joins the A1 at the Steinhäusl junction (A1 km 30.7). By OpenStreetMap routing this is roughly 10–15 km longer, but almost all motorway.

From Steinhäusl both options share the A1 via St. Pölten, Amstetten, Linz and the Voralpenkreuz junction, then past the Attersee and the Mondsee to Salzburg.

Checking today's traffic on this route

Because almost the whole trip is one motorway, the apps' main choice is the way out of Vienna. Other differences in arrival time come from how each service handles traffic, roadworks and variable limits, which change hour by hour.

When two apps disagree, first check whether one has taken the A21 and the other the B1 to Auhof. You can compare this route with today's live traffic on Mapssy; How Mapssy works says which figures on the site are measured and which are estimated.

Speed limits: 130, with three things to know

Flexible 100 km/h near Linz (IG-L)

Upper Austria runs an air-quality limit on the A1 between Enns and the Linz area, roughly km 156 to 168, in both directions. When measured nitrogen dioxide passes a threshold, overhead signs switch from 130 to 100 km/h with an IG-L panel, and back again when levels fall. Battery-electric and hydrogen fuel-cell cars with Austrian green-lettered number plates are exempt where signs say so; plug-in hybrids and electric cars registered abroad are not.

100 km/h through Salzburg

Between Salzburg Nord and Wals-Siezenheim (roughly 10 km), the limit went back to 100 km/h when a flexible 80 km/h air-quality limit was lifted in November 2022. Follow the signs on the day.

No night-time 110 on the A1

Austria's 110 km/h night limit (22:00–05:00) is set by a federal regulation for the A10, A12, A13 and A14, not the A1. Roadworks and overhead gantries can still set lower limits at any hour.

Roadworks on the A1 in autumn 2026

ASFINAG, the motorway operator, has its two largest A1 projects this autumn in Lower Austria. Dates can move, so check ASFINAG's roadworks map on the day.

ASFINAG's spring outlook also listed night-time repairs on the whole A1 and A21 until October, sometimes several times a week between 20:00 and 05:00, and narrowed lanes between Mondsee and Oberwang on the Vienna-bound side until about 30 October.

Vignette: needed as far as Salzburg Nord

For a one-off trip, the 2026 digital 1-day vignette costs €9.60 and the 10-day vignette €12.80 (ASFINAG, checked 26 September 2026). The 1-day vignette runs midnight to midnight, so it covers a same-day return but not one the next morning. The short A1 stretch west of the Salzburg Nord junction (towards Messezentrum, Salzburg Mitte and the German border at Walserberg) is vignette-free, but everything east of it is not.

A 2-month or annual digital vignette bought online from ASFINAG is valid only from the 18th day after purchase. 1-day and 10-day vignettes from the ASFINAG shop can start immediately, as can digital vignettes bought at a sales outlet. Motorcycle rates, the annual vignette and the neighbouring countries' prices are in our vignette guide.

Stops and conditions along the way

Between Regau and Seewalchen, near the Attersee, the A1 is known for sudden fog on autumn and winter mornings.

Arriving in Salzburg

The A1 exits nearest the city are Salzburg Nord (exit 288), Messezentrum (291) and Salzburg Mitte (292). The main station is on Südtiroler Platz, north of the old town.

Neutor closed until about March 2027

Since 14 September 2026 the Neutor tunnel through the Mönchsberg has been closed to all motor traffic, buses included, for cavern works linked to the Festspielbezirk 2030 festival-house project. The city expects this first construction phase to last until about the end of March 2027, followed by single-lane operation until August 2030. The old-town garages stay reachable from the Maxglan side. Through traffic at Müllner Hügel and Ferdinand-Hanusch-Platz is restricted to public transport, deliveries and residents.

Park & Ride and parking

For a day visit, P+R Messe at the Messezentrum exit has 3,000 spaces, with trolleybus lines 1 and 8 into town (both on diversions until 30 April 2027 because of the Neutor closure). Its combined ticket, sold only at the machine, costs €15.00 per car and covers parking plus travel in fare zone S until midnight for up to five people (Salzburg AG, shown on 26 September 2026; the page gives no year). P+R Airport and P+R Designer Outlet are off the Flughafen exit (296).

For the old town, the main public garage is the Altstadtgarage inside the Mönchsberg. Short-stay street parking costs €2.20 per hour, Monday to Friday 9:00–19:00, for up to three hours (city prices shown on 26 September 2026). On Saturdays it is free, but between 9:00 and 16:00 only for up to three hours with a parking disc. In July and August 2026 the city also closed several inner-city streets to cars registered outside Salzburg and the neighbouring districts (hotel guests excepted), so check its summer rules before a summer visit.

The train alternative

ÖBB runs direct trains from Wien Hauptbahnhof to Salzburg Hauptbahnhof twice an hour; the fastest, the Railjet Xpress, is timetabled at about 2 hours 25 minutes (ÖBB timetable for a late-September 2026 weekday). WESTbahn leaves Wien Westbahnhof (also stopping at Hütteldorf) every 30 minutes for most of the day and takes about 2 hours 30 minutes to Salzburg Hbf. In its timetable valid from 7 September to 12 December 2026, the 12:08, 13:08 and 14:08 departures end at Linz or Wels, and on most Mondays to Thursdays so does the 18:38.

Checklist for the A1 to Salzburg

• Buy a vignette valid on your travel day (online 2-month and annual ones start on the 18th day).
• Check ASFINAG's roadworks map for Haag – St. Valentin and St. Pölten Süd.
• Plug-in hybrid, or an electric car registered outside Austria? IG-L 100 signs near Linz apply to you.
• Choose your Salzburg arrival: P+R Messe, or the old-town garages via Maxglan while the Neutor is closed.
• From 1 November to 15 April, winter tyres are required whenever roads are wintry; see the winter driving rules.
• Just before leaving, compare this route on Mapssy and see which way out of Vienna your app picked: the B1 to Auhof or the A21.