Train from Vienna to Greece
 

Already have Eurail passes. We hope to travel by train from Vienna to Athens. We have not been able to get reservations through our travel agent. Nelles Guide to Greece says that train travel was discontinued in 1994! Dertravel Services, where we bought Flexipass, claim it is overnight trip, did not give us any way to make reservations. Say we must do so in Europe. Nelles says trip is 50 hours, and that train is frequently attacked along the way. Good Grief! Who do we believe, and why can we not get reservations for mid October? Any advice will be appreciated.

Try this website using wien and athenes. http://bahn.hafas.de/bin/db.s98/dete...8/query.exe/e? <BR>The only trains showing are via Budapest/Keleti pu. and travle through Serbia and Macedonia. If you do go be sure to check whether you need a visa to transit Serbia and travel first class with every precaution you can think of. [moneybelts and locking luggage to the rack] <BR>

A little more information. <BR>First your eurail passes will not cover the trip between the Hungarian and Greek borders. <BR>Second: the trip takes 34 hrs according to the Deutschebahn website. <BR>Third: this train tends to run very late.[1-2 hours is fairly normal -- although the last time I was in Keleti pu it left on time.] With only a 1 hour scheduled layover in Thessaloniki you are likely to miss your connection. The DB site doesn't show any other trains to Athens, but there may be more local trains that aren't showing. [The site doesn't show, for example, the trains that serve Pecs, Hungary from Delipu.] <BR>Fourth: the good news. The train transits Serbia via Nis and goes nowhere near Kosovo! <BR>Hope this helps! <BR>

<BR>I have a suggesion, Charles. From Vienna you can go to Trieste (by train) and then take a boat to Greece. I don't have any information regarding the boats leaving from Trieste, but I'm sure they exist! <BR>I can tell you that Trieste is a very nice town, (Vienna's architecture and mediterranean light!) and it's worth a short visit. The main square is beautiful, as is located on the front of the sea. Wonderful sunset from there! <BR>Anna

Charles-- If you can't go by land, Anna's suggestion of taking a ferry is very good. I'm not sure about Trieste, but there are ferries to Greece from Venice, Ancona, Bari, and Brindisi, Italy. I think all of the trips are overnights. Certainly, all the ones from Venice and Ancona are. You can buy a deck pass, and rough it, or take a cabin with beds, and private shower, WC. If you get good weather, it can be a lovely trip. (If the weather really turns-- which it isn't likely to do in Oct.-- the Greek lines are extremely conservative, and pull into a safe port until the storm blows over.) <BR>Good luck with this adventure. Martha

Dear Mr Laurel, <BR> <BR>The reference library of a city near you may have the Thomas Cook European Timetable. Table 61 gives the trains you seek. <BR> <BR>The direct route needs a Yugoslav visa, which you have to get in advance: it's not sold on the frontier. The line skirts Kosovo, and lies some fifty miles east of it, so is safe. The Kalman Imre Express leaves Vienna Hutteldorf at 0424 and Vienna Meidling at 0435, and reaches Budapest Keleti at 0723.. It has couchettes and sleepers. Couchettes cost a supplement of 20 US dollars a bed, and give you six berths in a cabin, mixed sexes, with wash basins in rooms at the ends of the corridor. Second class cleepers cost 50 US dollars (or less) per bed, and give you 3 beds to a cabin, with your own washbasin. If you choose you can separate into male and female cabins, which allows you to change into night clothes. The Hellas Express leaves Budapest Keleti station at 0925. It has couchettes and sleepers, but no catering, so you need packed food. There's an exception. If you run on time you arrive at Belgrade at 1714 and leave at 1845, so if you leave your luggage safe with the sleeping car conductor and move fast you can have an early supper at the Astoria Hotel, across the main square in front of the station. You can pay there in German marks. There's no decent food at the station. <BR> <BR>You can avoid so uncomfortable a departure time at Vienna by boarding the Belgrade Express at Vienna West about 2230. It leaves at 2335 and has couchettes and sleepers. You arrive in Belgrade at 0916, book your night berth, spend the day there, and leave by Hellas Excopress at 1845. A transit visa allows time for this stopover, and Belgrade has much to see. <BR> <BR>You arrive at Thessaloniki by Helas Express at 0956, change, and at 1010 take the InterCity non-stop express, with buffet car, to arrive at Athens at 1651. But if you miss it, or if it's full, a buffet car train leaves at 1235 and arrives in Athens at 1916. <BR> <BR>If problems develop over Yugoslavia, you can avoid them by going through Romania and Bulgsaria. For Romania and I think for Bulgaria you can get visas on the train. The route includes a day in Bucharest-- not unpleasant, but a nuisance if you're in a hurry. <BR> <BR>The Dacia Express leaves Vienna West at 2007 and arrives at Bucharest North at 1330. It has restaurant and buffet cars for dinner and breakfast, and offers couchetes and sleepers. Hotels on the right hand side of the square in front of the station offer a decent dinner. <BR>The Sofia Express, with couchettes and sleepers but no catering, leaves Bucharest Nord at 1935 and arrives at Sofia at 0544. There's a left luggage office in Sofia station, or you can throw your bags into a traxi. The French-run Novotel is 300 metres from the station, and has a good breakfast: they might make you a packed lunch. <BR>A train with no catering leaves Sofia at 0800 and arrives at Thessaloniki at 1807. A restaurant car express leaves Thessaloniki at 1827 and arrives in Athens at 0140, but I prefer the sleeper that leaves at 2340 and arrives at 0651: you can board about an hour before departure. <BR> <BR>You should look for consular notices on http://www.dfat.gov.au, and in hyperlinked pages from America, Britsain and Canada, for comments upon safety of travellers. By night in Yugloslavia, Romania and Bulgaria I use only sleepers, not couchettes, and ensure that my fellow-passengers and I learn from the conductor how to lock and chain doors. At stations I look out for pickpockets and luggage theives. I have never heard of a Balkan train being attacked (I am told that this used to happen in Eastern Turkey and Baluchistan, but not now that they have armed soldiers on guard). <BR> <BR>You may get some figures for fares on http://www.eurail.com, under "point to point". <BR> <BR>Please write again if I can help further. <BR> <BR>Ben Haines, London <BR>