Train from Venice to Vienna....Day or Nght

The Alps get in the way of trains from Venice to Vienna. You take a train, then get on a bus and then you get back on a train. Other option is go go west to Verona, north to Innsbruck, north again and east to Vienna. It's way out of your way. You'd do best to fly.

I disagree with the previous answer. If you want to do a night train, and there are plenty of folk here including me who may try to paint a realistic picture of what a night train is really like, there certainly is one - a perfectly good one. It leaves Venezia Santa Lucia on Sunday, 17.03.13 at 20:57. It is called EN 236 and is a EuroNight which is subject to compulsory reservation, 2nd class only has seated accommodation, Global price, Sleeping-car, Couchettes, space for wheelchairs. It does make several stops - one of the things that people here will point out because of the noise and bumping and moving around outside the train and in the corridor. It calls at (and departure time from): Venezia Mestre 21:09 Treviso Centrale 21:29 Conegliano 21:50 Pordenone 22:12 Udine 22:47 Tarvisio Boscoverde 00:20 Villach Hbf 01:46 Spittal-Millstättersee 02:09 Schwarzach-St.Veit 03:20 Salzburg Hbf 05:02 Vöcklabruck 05:46 Attnang-Puchheim 05:52 Wels Hbf 06:11 Linz Hbf 06:28 St. Valentin 06:44 Amstetten NÖ 07:05 St.Pölten Hbf 07:35
Wien Hütteldorf and arrives at Wien Westbahnhof on Monday, 18.03.13 at 08:08. The ride takes 11:11. If you want to go during the day, there is an excellent double decker coach (fancy bus) with second class upstairs with the better views and first class downstairs, a hostess, refreshments and toilets which goes from Venice providing great views of the scenery, up to Villach where you change onto a RailJet into Vienna. The whole journey only takes 8:37, it is operated throughout - including the coach - by Oebb, the Austrian national railway. Best departures from Venice at 8:50 and 10:50 for arrival at 17:40 and 19:27. ... con't ...

... more ... If you take the advise from the first poster you need the best part of an hour to the airport, 90 minutes at the airport, 75 minutes for your flight and at least 90 minutes to reclaim baggage and get into central Vienna. So 5:15 to 5:30 to fly over the scenery at howevermany thousands of feet, 8:40 to train through the scenery city centre to city centre. Is flying that much better? Dunno. Up to you.

Thank you both for your honest replies. We are probably more likely to do the bus/train day trip but we appreciate the flying advise as well.

Nigel,
I found the double-decker bus/RailJet trip from Venice to Vienna. It looks pretty cheap. Am I overlooking something??? Also, is the station it comes into in Vienna pretty central to downtown? I put in Vienna City when I chose from the options but I've never been there so am not familiar with the stations. Thanks.