Vienna to Venice

I wouldn't necessarily agree that 5 days are too many for Venice, but I'd like to point out that there are two great destinations for day-trips form Venice: Padua and Verona. You could plan your 5 days in Venice and, if you get antsy on Day 4 or Day 5, hop on the train to another, quite different, city for the day. If you decide on Padua and are interested in the Scrovegni Chapel, be aware that entry must be reserved in advance and is not guaranteed if you just stop by the tourist office upon your arrival--although that might work out for you. Online photos of Treviso also look nice.

As for stop-overs, I see that the normal train route goes through Udine. I've never visited that city, but I plan to see it the next time I'm in northern Italy. It seems to have a sizable medieval center.

Many other people will tell you that 5 nights in Venice is not too long. It partly depends on the context of how much time you have for the whole trip and what else you have seen or want to see in Europe. Padova, Ravenna, and Verona are all pretty easy daytrips by train if you decide to leave the city.

The fastest train on the route is the direct daytime train departing at 6:25 a.m. The 7:55 departure has one connection at Innsbruck and takes longer. Both routes include a good portion of mountain scenery. There's also a direct overnight train, which misses the scenery. How to Look Up Train Schedules and Routes Online gives you the DB train schedule link and tips for using it. Tickets are sold at the similar Austrian site. For flights between the two cities, see www.skyscanner.com.

Thought of another good day-trip if you are interested in architecture, especially Palladian architecture: Vicenza. Less than an hour from Venice by train. Very nice and walkable old town.

Bologna's a great city with a huge medieval district. But it's a large city, pretty time-consuming to wander through, and I wouldn't recommend it as a day-trip from Venice. Now, if you were flying out of Pisa after your stay in Venice...

Venice is endlessly fascinating! We are about to make our 8th trip there and I am so excited to go back! There are sights and sites, but mostly my love is just taking walks and discovering new corners and calle and observing how this crazy, ancient, beautiful city operates. Spend one day going to Muran, Burano and Torcello. As others have mentioned, you can daytrip to Padova if you get antsy after a few days. Check out Rick Steves' guide to Venice for many great itinerary ideas, but do not feel you need to overload on museums.

FYI, we took the night train from Venice (actually started in Rome) to Vienna last month. We had a cabin to ourselves and really enjoyed the trip.