Vienna to Paris

Vienna to Salzburg to Munich are best by train, they're too close to fly, the train is faster because you go from city center to city center. Go here to look at train schedules and fares: http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en * * * However, Munich to Paris: A rule of thumb used by some travelers is to take the train if the train trip is less than 6 hours but to consider flying when the train trip is more than 6 hours. At roughly 7 hours on the fastest trains, Munich to Paris is in a gray area where you want to compare fares, times, and convenience of both train and air. See what airfares you can get here: http://www.flylc.com/directall-en.asp, and also here: http://www.skyscanner.com/

According to the Bahn website, there are a number of 6h 14m TGV/ICE connections per day from Munich to Paris with a change of trains in Stuttgart. And remember, Munich Hbf to MUC takes 40 min. Air Berlin doesn't fly non-stop from Munich to Paris (Orly); plan on changing planes in Düsseldorf for a flight time of about 4 hrs (plus check in time, security, boarding time, about 2 hours)

And when you land in Paris, there's passport control, waiting for luggage, then a long trip from the airport to the city.

That's all within Schengen. There shouldn't be any passport control.

Vienna to Paris by train during the day is a 12-hour ride with multiple connections. If you take a CNL night train for the Munich-Paris leg, the trip will take over 16 hours. In either case the total for all legs will be more than flying direct on a budget airline. As much as I love trains, in this case I suggest that you fly Air Berlin. If you book well in advance, you can get very cheap fares.

If I'm reading Nicole's post correctly, she plans to travel from Vienna to Paris, not Munich to Paris. (She will have begun her trip in Munich.) That's why I gave train travel times of 12 and 16 hours. Air Berlin flies directly from Vienna to CDG in just under two hours.

Maybe Nicole will clarify that. I think Kent and I both interpreted that as Vienna to Salzburg to Munich to Paris. That would be the logical order, but only Nicole knows.

Thanks for all of the helpful advice. To clarify we are flying into Munich and from there taking the train to Salzburg to Vienna and then from there heading to Paris for a wedding. I think that we will fly from Vienna but try to take trains the rest of the time. Thanks!

Nicole, I know and envy your route going from Munich to Salzburg and then to Vienna, from which you'll go to Paris. It's pity that you are under a time contraint where taking the plane to Paris is your option. Otherwise, I would have suggested taking the 10:40 ICE train from Vienna-Paris, transfering once in Frankfurt. You see some very lovely country side in Austria and Germany. I took this route in the opposite direction from Paris Est to Vienna via Frankfurt back in May the last time by night train.