el13207

I need help determining the smartest route to take by train (and/or possibly by air) between Venice, Salzburg, Vienna, Budapest and Prague. It seems most logical (at this preliminary stage) to take the overnight train from Venice to Salzburg or Vienna (both seem relatively close to one another so it doesn't matter to us which we spend time in first), and then potentially to proceed from Vienna to Budapest and then on to Prague.
Experienced Central European travelers, what route makes the most sense in your experience? We are arriving (next October) in Venice and departing 3 weeks later from Paris (we'll fly between Prague and Paris). Any suggestions welcome! Thanks.

BigRuss

Skipping Venice, your four other destinations are in a backwards Y (or sideways, perhaps) such that there will be one outlier. If you go Budapest-Vienna-Salzburg, then you have a 6.25 hour ride to Prague (train). If you go Salzburg-Vienna-Budapest then you have a 7.5 hour ride to Prague.

Going Vienna-Salzburg-Budapest or reverse is stupid because Vienna is between Salzburg and Budapest.

el13207

Yes, I know that Vienna is between Salzburg and Budapest BUT the night train from Venice drops you off REALLY early in Salzburg, and we don't mind staying and sleeping on the train all the way to Vienna and then doubling back to Salzburg in order to get in at a more reasonable time.
It sounds like you think it more sensible to go directly from Venice to Budapest and then back track to Vienna, Salzburg and ultimately end up in Prague. Yes? Or does it ultimately not matter? (It seems like we'll have a couple of long legs on the train no matter which routing we go for). I appreciate your help.

ashwinb

I took the Salzburg-PRague WestBus train + bus ticket, and Prague to Vienna was with Student Agency bus, really cheap tickets, Student Agency has Vienna to Budapest tickets too,but note that extra luggage is charged.

Man_in_seat_61

How about using the sleeper train (or 15:59 direct daytime train) Venice to Vienna, from €29 at www.italiarail.com

Then do Salzburg as a day trip from Vienna, €25 each way paid on the day with www.westbahn.at

Then Vienna to Budapest by smart modern Railjet train from €19 www.oebb.at

Then Budapest to Prague by EuroCity train from €19 at www.mav-start.hu (Hungarian Railways)

trumps

Bookmarking thanks

PalenQ

How about using the sleeper train (or 15:59 direct daytime train) Venice to Vienna, from €29 at www.italiarail.com>

29 euros is for a couchette I think - multi-person compartment where folks of both sex are mixed - some may have 6 berths - 3 stacked on each side of an aisle or 4 - two on each side. I think if you want what many seem to want, a private compartment that may cost much much more or maybe they have those discounted too?

I've taken the 4-person compartments and the other folks, on three occasions, were all nice folks who were a delight to talk to but it's a crap shoot as you never know who will be in the compartment - that ubiquitous loud snorer - folks who go out to the loo at night and don't lock the door on return, etc.

For lots of info on trains in general and overnight trains be sure to check out Man in Seat 61 who posts above his commercial site (and increasingly commercial!) www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com. There is also an Eastern European railpass valid in Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia - a good deal if you want fully flexible tickets you can just hop on any train with - discounted tickets usually are non-refundable non-changeable and are sold in limited numbers, necessitating booking weeks in advance to guarantee but the savings can be huge.

PalenQ

Man in Seat 61 - can you tell me more about Westbahn - the site you gave for Vienna to Salzburg - is it connected to the Austrian Railways or is it a private competitor - looks like a great deal for promised first-class style travel.

el13207

Man in Seat 61, thanks for your tips, which I'd actually also picked up when I visited your website separately. We are thinking we will take the sleeper from Venice all the way to Vienna given the arrival times of Vienna vs Salzburg. The only thing that I think I would change from your proposal is not just making a day trip to Salzburg from Vienna, but actually staying there for a couple of nights before moving on to Budapest (understanding that yes,we are backtracking here).
Are tickets for most of these rail connections available 60 or 90 days in advance? I am having trouble accessing all the necessary schedules and payment options. Also, is there a decent night train between Budapest and Prague (I am being lazy here as I know I should and will get on to that website to access the particulars of that night train option..but I know that you have this info at your fingertips!)
Many thanks for all your help.

Bamaman

I was thinking the train from Venice to Vienna or vice versa takes two trains and a bus ride. And it's about 350 miles. Those Austrian Alps are difficult to bypass.

I would suggest you go from Salzburg to Prague to Vienna to Budapest--all trains. You can catch a cheap Ryanair flight from Budapest into Treviso, which is just north of Venice. You can catch a bus into Venice from there.

robhnl

We have done this several different ways. By rail, a lovely route is Venice to Verona (with a stop in Padova if time allows) and then direct to Innsbruck, where you can stop or connect to Salzburg and points east. Vienna to Budapest is a spur, but rail works well and then you might fly on up to Prague from there.