bakedog

I would really like to take a night train from Vienna to Venice. Only problem is that I will arrive in vienna late morning of the day I want to night train outta there.

Couldn't the train already be sold out if I wait till 7 or 8 hours before to buy?

I could obviously by online here in the states for a rather large margin.

Any ideas or suggestions for this transportation dilema.

hopscotch

I have taken the overnight train from Milan to Vienna. I had an excellent bunk in first class, alone in a T3. It cost €35 with my Eurailpass and I bought it at the last minute.

Whether you get a last minute bunk depends on when you are traveling. When are you going?

bakedog

it will be in early may, thanks

ira

Hi B,

>I could obviously by online here in the states for a rather large margin.<

If you buy your tickets from www.trenitalia.com or www.oebb.at you will pay the same price as in Vienna.

johnnydread1

Why take the train when you can fly much, much, much cheaper and get there in a fraction of the time? Check out carriers like AirBerlin, etc. Trains are sooooo expensive.

Dukey

The only direct "budget" flights are probably those on Skyeurope and in May they only fly on certain days.

www.skyscanner.net

Larryincolorado

>> you can fly much, much, much cheaper.

Not really. For €29 you can ride a day train from Vienna to Venice. If you include taxes and fees, which you must, SkyEurope charges €20 for a flight to Venice. Add to that the cost of getting to and from the airports (Treviso is remote), and it will cost you at least €28 for the slowest conveyances. Timewise, flying takes a lot more time than you think (5 hours, minimum, for getting to the airport, check in and security, flight time, getting of in Treviso and getting to Venice) and would be a lot more hassle than just getting on a train and relaxing for 7 hours, downtown to downtown.

Better yet, take a night train. One leaves Vienna at 8:30 PM and gets into Venice at 8:45 AM, after breakfast, which is included. You can get a bunk in a couchette 6 for as low as €49. That is not much more than flying and you save the cost of a hotel room. With flying, you use time right out of the middle of your day, time you could use for sightseeing, but with the night train, you are using what would otherwise be idle time. You can also get a bed in a private double for €99. That might be more than the cost of flying plus overnight hotel, but, as I said, you are saving valuable day time.

Online Trenitalia tickets have to be picked up in Italy, but you can purchase the Austrian Rail tickets online or call 011-43-5-1717.

ira

ttt

Dukey

Larry, I agree with the advantages of rail over flying in many instances but in this case even with flying taking your proposed five hours the train trip taking TWELVE is a lot more time to spend, especially if the passenger is interested in simply getting there.

GeoffHamer

Larry explained very well, in my opinion, how the night train will actually save time. If the flight takes a total of five hours (city centre to city centre), that is a long morning, afternoon or evening, and takes a big chunk out of a day's sightseeing. A night train might take twelve hours, but you'll be in bed for most of the time and will actually have more of the daylight hours free to do more interesting things.

suze

The decision isn't only based on savings of money or time (for me about night trains)...

I find the train experience easier and more interesting. You simply get onto and off a train that most always is right in the center of town. You have time to relax, have dinner, go to bed (I have always sprung for a private double cabin).

Airports necessarily involve getting to them, getting from them, checking in some time in advance, yadda yadda... In my opinion much more disruptive to the atmosphere of traveling around Europe.

That said, I wouldn't take more than one overnight train per week of the trip, because, to be fair, I don't sleep all that well.

Larryincolorado

>>even with flying taking your proposed five hours.

As I said, flying takes longer than you think.

There are several ways to get from downtown Vienne to the airport. You can go by bus, but if you are already cutting into the 2 hour preboard, it might not be a good idea to risk your ticket on the possibility of a traffic jam.

The S-bahn leaves downtown at 9:02 and gets to the airport at 9:32. You've already cut into the 2 hours by 12 minutes, and you're not at the checkin desk, which appears to be some distance from the S-bahn station. However, assume you are willing to take this much risk.

The flight gets into Treviso at 12:30. The next bus to Venice is a Ryanair ATVO bus at 13:00, getting into Venice at 14:10 (1 hr 10 minutes, Treviso is remote). That is 5 hrs 8 minutes after you leave downtown Vienne and assumes
1) you are willing to cut into the 2 hour preboard,
2) the flight arrives on time, and
3) you can get off the airplane and find the Ryanair bus by 13:00. If you miss the 1300 bus, the next one on Mo & We leaves at 14:40; on Fr it's at 15:40. There is a shuttle bus to the Treviso station at 13:25, arriving at 13:40. The next train leaves Treviso station at 14:08 and arrives in Venice at 14:43. That's 5 hr 41 min.