Please sign in to post.

Vienna to Venice by train

My sister and I are spending about 4-5 weeks in Europe. We went to London, Paris, Rome and Florence last spring and are planning on renting an apartment in Florence this April/May. I thought we could fly into Vienna, spend maybe 2-3 days there then take a train to Venice and spend maybe a day or 2 there and then another train to Florence. We will use Florence as a base to visit Lucca and Sienna and explore Florence. We only got to spend 3 days in Paris so I thought if we flew out of Paris then we could spend a few days there first.

Is it possible to take a train from Vienna to Venice to Florence and the florence to Paris? Are there certain routes that are more scenic or stops we should make along the way? What are some things I should take into account before trying to plan this trip?

Thanks.

Posted by
8141 posts

It's farther than most realized from Vienna to Venice--about 350 miles. It takes a train ride to a bus ride to a train ride to get to Venice. And the air options are limited. It's a difficult trip.

There are other great tourist cities from Vienna via train--i.e. Prague, Budapest and Munich. If you check any of the above cities' airports @ Wikipedia, you can spot if there are any budget air carriers that can get you to Venice for a reasonable price.

We flew into Budapest earlier this year, and went to Bratislava, Vienna and Prague by train. They're more complimentary to each other.

I would prefer to fly into Venice and later take a train down to Florence and Rome. Siena is a great day trip by bus from Florence. We were there 2 years ago. Italy has so much culture, art, history and food that it's a trip to its own.

Posted by
54 posts

I'm beginning to think that Vienna won't be a good idea. The meat of our trip will be in Tuscany but I wanted to add a few days in Paris and a few days in Austria, Switzerland or Germany on each end.

Any ideas? Is it better to fly into Paris and work our way down to Florence by train and the fly home out of Florence or Rome? I've been trying to figure out train routes without taking any buses.

Posted by
20085 posts

There is a direct EC leaving Vienna at 6:30 am, getting into Venice at 2:05 pm.

Posted by
500 posts

Florence to Paris would take a full day by train. There are a lot of flights from Florence or Pisa, in most cases even cheaper than train.

Posted by
8141 posts

EasyJet.com Paris-Venice would be the way to go. Then head south via fast train (with reservations.)

Posted by
7279 posts

Hi Abbey, check out rome2rio.com to try out different cities to find out in one click how much time and which transportation is available between locations. Sometimes cities with longer distances have better connections, especially fast-train connections.

Posted by
54 posts

Thank you for all the great replies. I am glad to find out there is a direct train from Vienna to Venice. I will also check out Rome2rio.

Posted by
14507 posts

Hi,

Vienna to Venice day on the EC is doable, arr. after 1400. I'd choose that one. It requires some planning making sure you get to the station by 0600 or so, ie, rush hour.