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Night train from Vienna to Venice?

Posted by (Kansas City) on

i had planned to take the night train from vienna to venice but now i'm not so sure. can you help me decide?

  • arriving in vienna probably around 5pm on 10/18

  • the night train departs vienna on 10/19 @ 20:40 and arrives in venice @ 8:45am (12:05 hour trip).

  • if i didn't take a night train i would depart vienna on 10/20 @ 12:57pm and arrive in venice @ 21:00pm (8 hour trip)

if i take the night train this really doesn't give me much time in vienna. the cost for the 4 or 6 person couchette would be equal to or more than the price i would pay for the night in a hostel in vienna.

if i didn't take the night train i will arrive in venice around 9pm and leave for rome on 10/22.

i suppose i could also take the night train out of vienna on 10/20, arriving in venice the morning of 10/21, which would give me a day and a half there.

any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Posted by
552 posts

Either way you have very little time in each city. I guess I would opt for as much time as possible in Venice, but that's because I love it.

Posted by
98 posts

i'm going on the advice of RS and others who have said that two nights in venice is plenty of time to see the city.

Posted by
8700 posts

Since I haven't been to either Vienna or Venice, I can't advise you on which city merits more of your time. However, I definitely recommend that you take the night train so you'll have more daylight hours for sightseeing in either city. If you phone the Austrian Rail call center ASAP, you may be able to get a cheap SparSchiene fare for a bunk in either a six-person or four-person couchette. See here.

Posted by
98 posts

thanks for the tip tim - i just tried to call and talk to them about it but he didn't understand me and i didn't really understand him. before i couldn't go through to the online purchase, but now i can. it's in italian, but i think i can make it out.

Posted by
13 posts

Lisa: it all depends on whether you can sleep on a train. If you travel during the day and arrive @ 9PM you may be worn out by the trip and only want to go to your bed and sleep. On the other hand, if you sleep on the train and arrive refreshed ready to explore the city, so be it. I was stationed in Berlin during the cold war and my family and I were always taking the US duty train, overnight to Frankfurt. We slept just fine and arrived the next morning in Frankfurt ready for a full day of exploring. I knew fellow service people that hated it and tossed and turned all night long because their bed was always moving. Can you sleep in a Car? If so, sleeping on a train is close to the same experience. Hope this helps.

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