 To check train times & fares in Austria, see the official Austrian Railways website www.oebb.at. |
This page explains how to travel by train from Vienna to other European cities and how to buy the cheapest tickets, usually online direct from the operators with print-at-home or collect-at-station tickets & no booking fees. It doesn't matter where you live, in Europe, Asia, the USA or Australia, you can buy train tickets as shown below and save money over expensive railpasses or travel agent mark-ups. On the other hand, if you'd rather someone sorted out your whole trip for you, see here.
Information about Vienna Hbf & ΦBB first class lounge
Before you buy your
tickets...
Take a moment to read these important tips for buying European train tickets. They answer all the usual questions, such as "Do I need to book in advance or can I just buy at the station?", "Can I stop off?", "Are there Senior fares?" and that old favourite, "Should I buy an $800 railpass or just go online & buy a 35 point-to-point ticket?". And most important, click here to understand how far ahead you can buy train tickets.
European train travel
FAQ...
Which station in Vienna?
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Don't get caught out! The new Vienna Hauptbahnhof (= Vienna Hbf) opened partially on 14 December 2014, and fully on 13 December 2015.
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From 13 December 2015 onwards, all long-distance & international trains will arrive and depart from Vienna Hauptbahnhof, some also calling at Vienna Meidling. Vienna Westbahnhof will only be served by regional trains, it will no longer be served by international or long-distance trains, other than the Westbahn trains to and from Salzburg.
Vienna to Salzburg: See the Vienna to Salzburg page...
Vienna to Hallstatt...
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The fastest & most direct route...
You can easily travel from Vienna Hbf to Hallstatt in as little as 3h18 with one easy change at Attnang-Puchheim. There's a departure at least every hour, fares start at just 19 if you pre-book - that's a cheap sparschiene fare, specified train only, no refunds, no changes.
If you buy at the station on the day a full-flex ticket costs around 53 if you use ΦBB trains or around 36.50 if you use a Westbahn train between Vienna & Attnang Puchheim - full-flex tickets are good for any train that day and cannot sell out. Indeed, that 36.50 flexible Westbahn + ΦBB regional train combo is probably the option I'd choose to stay flexible, unless tempted by a 19 all-ΦBB sparschiene fare and I was confident I could commit to a specified train.
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I recommend www.trainline.eu to buy tickets because it's quick, easy, international credit cards accepted, there's no booking fee and it can book both ΦBB and Westbahn trains over the Vienna-Attnang Puchheim section. You print your own tickets.
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Top tip: Take the scenic route to Hallstatt via the UNESCO-listed Semmering Railway...
There's an alternative route between Vienna & Hallstatt that's worth the slight detour. ΦBB charges exactly the same price - from 19 in advance, around 53 on the day - for both routes but the scenic option takes a bit longer - 4h06 rather than 3h18 - and it involves two changes of train not one, at Leoben Hbf & Stainach Irdning - although both changes of train are easy. To book this route, use www.trainline.eu, simply click the green via button at lower right and add Leoben Hbf as a via station. It'll then route you over the lovely UNESCO-listed Semmering Railway (see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semmering_railway) and it's pretty much scenic all the way from Semmering to Hallstatt. Well worth the extra time!
Vienna to Innsbruck, Hallstatt, Graz & other destinations within Austria...
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The ΦBB (Austrian Federal Railways) website is www.oebb.at - for ticket sales use https://tickets.oebb.at and switch it to English by clicking Menu then changing Deutsch to English.
You can now also book ΦBB tickets at www.trainline.eu which is quick, easy, international credit cards accepted, there's no booking fee and it has the advantage over oebb.at that it book both ΦBB and Westbahn trains on the Vienna - Linz - Salzburg route.
You print your own ticket or can show it on your smartphone screen.
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Seat reservation is optional on most Austrian internal trains, you can always just turn up, buy a standard price ticket at the station, hop on the next train and sit where you like. Trains cannot 'sell out'. But just to be 100% sure of a reserved seat on a specific train you can make an optional seat reservation on InterCity, EuroCity and railjet trains for a small additional charge, around 3. And for cheaper tickets, book in advance...
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Advance-purchase Sparschiene fares...
Until a few years ago there was no price advantage in pre-booking, Austrian Railways had just one standard price for a given journey. But in 2011 ΦBB introduced yield-managed dynamic pricing which means you can now save money if you book a Sparschiene (saver) fare in advance and commit to a specific train on a limited-or-no-refunds, no-changes-to-travel-plans basis. ΦBB's Sparschiene fares between Austrian cities start from just 9 upwards and vary with demand and according to how far ahead you book.
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You can book online at https://tickets.oebb.at - it has an English version - and you simply print your own tickets.
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RailJet trains... Railjets are ΦBB's premier trains, running on the Vienna-Salzburg-Innsbruck and Vienna-Graz axes. More railjet info. |
Business class costs 15 more than normal 1st class... |
Economy class on railjet, comfortable open saloons with large picture windows. Some seats are around tables, some unidirectional. |
Vienna to London...
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See the London to Austria page for details of times, fares & how to buy tickets, it's all explained there for travel in either direction.
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For example, you can use www.bahn.de or www.oebb.at to book the Nightjet sleeper train from Vienna to Cologne, fares from 39 in a seat, 59 with a couchette or 99 in a 2-bed sleeper or 139 in a single-bed sleeper (check both sites - the Austrian site may be cheaper!). Then use either www.bahn.de or www.eurostar.com to book a Cologne to London ticket by ICE + Eurostar from 59.90.
Vienna to Paris from 59...
Option 1, Vienna to Paris in a single day by high-speed trains - the high-speed daytime option...
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You can go from Vienna to Paris in a single chill-out day with one easy change in Frankfurt-am-Main's magnificent Hauptbahnhof. It's a day relaxing on a luxurious German ICE high-speed train with bistro-restaurant car & free WiFi then a typically French TGV Duplex with cafe-bar through the countryside of 3 different countries with a good book and glass of wine or a beer.
You can usually leave Vienna Hbf at 09:15, change at Frankfurt Main) Hbf (arrive 15:36, depart 16:58), arriving Paris Gare de l'Est at 20:41.
The Vienna-Frankfurt trains are luxurious German ICE-T trains with restaurant car, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi. The direct trains from Frankfurt to Paris are equally luxurious German ICE3 trains also with bistro-restaurant & free WiFi, or on a few departures, French 200mph double-deck TGV Duplex trains - book an upstairs seat on those for the best views, any seat number >60 is upper deck.
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Vienna-Frankfurt starts at 29.90 in 2nd class or 59.90 in 1st class.
Frankfurt-Paris starts at 39.90 in 2nd class or 69.90 in 1st class.
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The easiest and recommended way to book this journey is to use www.loco2.com as you can then book from Vienna to Paris as one transaction, just make sure you click 'More options' and enter 'Regensburg'.
In the search results, look for a journey with 1 change, if you then click on the down arrow for details you'll see one change at Frankfurt. Don't be fooled by the ticket split at Regensburg - if you look closely you'll see it says stay on train, not interchange which is exactly what you do, Regensburg is just where your tickets change over. You print your own tickets. Simples!
Why do you need to split the ticket at Regensburg? The German Railways ticketing system only sells tickets for journeys where the origin or destination is in Germany. So for a journey across Germany and out the other side you must split the booking somewhere in Germany. Loco2 connects to the German Railways ticketing system and sells the same tickets at the same prices as the German Railways website bahn.de, but unlike bahn.de it can automatically split the ticket if you tell it where to do this.
Why split at Regensburg, not Frankfurt where you change trains? Because in the unlikely event of a delay and missed connection in Frankfurt, as you are then travelling on a through ticket from Regensburg to Paris you'd have a cast-iron 100% legal entitlement to onward travel on later trains at no extra charge - or even an overnight hotel - under the CIV conditions of carriage as explained here. I do put some thought into this, you know!
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You may prefer to book directly with German Railways, but you now need to split the ticket manually, paying for each ticket separately.
Step 1, book a morning train from Vienna to Frankfurt at www.bahn.de and pay for that ticket as bahn.de has no 'add to basket' facility. Allow at least 40 minutes to change trains in Frankfurt in case of delay.
Step 2, then book Frankfurt to Paris as a second transaction at www.bahn.de and pay for that. You can split in Regensburg this way too, but it's more fiddly to make sure you buy tickets on the same train.
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Leaving Vienna by ICE... |
Breakfast on board... |
First class seats on the Vienna to Frankfurt ICE train... |
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You'll glimpse the Inn and Danube rivers from the Vienna-Frankfurt ICE... |
Option 2, by Nightjet sleeper train & TGV-Lyria - the civilised & time-effective option...
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Step 1, travel from Vienna to Zurich on the excellent Austrian Nightjet sleeper train Wiener Walzer, leaving Vienna Hbf every night at 21:25 arriving Zurich HB at 08:20 next morning.
The sleeper train has modern Austrian double-deck sleeping-cars with 1, 2 & 3-bed sleepers with washbasin, 1 & 2 berth deluxe sleepers with en suite shower & toilet (highly recommended) and smart Austrian 4- & 6-berth couchettes. The sleeper & couchette fare includes a light breakfast, served in your compartment, see the Nightjet information page. You've time for a more extensive breakfast in one of the many restaurants around Zurich HB.
Fares start at 59 with a couchette in a 6-berth compartment, 69 with a couchette in a 4-berth compartment, 99 with a bed in a 2-bed sleeper or 139 with a single-bed sleeper all to yourself.
Buy tickets for this train at the Austrian Railways website www.oebb.at and print your own ticket.
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Step 2, travel from Zurich to Paris in just 4h03 by 200 mph TGV-Lyria. You can usually leave Zurich HB around 09:34 arriving Paris Gare de Lyon at 13:37. Trains run from Zurich to Paris every couple of hours, so by all means have some time in Zurich and book a later train. TGV-Lyrias have 3 classes, a cafe-bar and all seats have power sockets, see the TGV-Lyria information page.
Buy tickets for this train from just 29 in 2nd class or 59 in 1st class at either www.loco2.com (residents of any country, in , £ or $ with print-at-home tickets) or www.trainline.eu (residents of any country, in 2, also with print-at-home tickets).
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2-berth sleeper. |
4-berth couchettes. |
1. By sleeper train from Vienna to Zurich... |
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2. By TGV-Lyria from Zurich to Paris. There's no check-in, you just walk up to it & get on.. |
The cafe-bar, serving tea, coffee, beer, wine, hot & cold snacks & microwaved hot dishes.... |
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2nd class with a mix or unidirectional seats & tables for 4. Seats are 2+2 across car width. Panorama photo. |
1st class with a mix of unidirectional seats, solo seats, tables for 2 & for 4. Seats 2+1 across car width. Panorama photo. |
Option 4, Vienna to Paris with overnight stop in Zurich, via the Arlberg Pass - the leisurely scenic route, watch the video!
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There's a leisurely scenic route from Vienna to Paris via the lovely Arlberg Pass between Austria & Switzerland, see the video here. This route takes longer, so is best done in 2 stages with an overnight stop in Zurich.
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Step 1, go to www.oebb.at and book from Vienna to Zurich on a smart Austrian railjet train. You print your own ticket.
Fares start at just 29 in 2nd class, 44 in 1st class or 59 in deluxe Business class.
You'll find several direct railjet departures a day from Vienna Hbf between 05:30 and 15:30, journey time 7h50. Take any one you like, but remember that if you take the 13:30 or 15:30 departures from Vienna it may not be daylight when you reach the Arlberg Pass, an earlier one is better unless you need the extra time in Vienna. All railjet trains have a bistro-restaurant car, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.
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Stay overnight in Zurich... For somewhere special, look no further than the superb five-star Hotel Schweizerhof just across the road from Zurich HB. One of my favourite hotels, they'll even send a uniformed commissionaire to meet you at the station and carry your bags from the train. For something cheaper but also near the station, try the Hotel du Thιatre or Hotel St Gotthard. If you're on a budget you can book budget private rooms in a one-star hotel or backpacker hostel near the station using www.hostelworld.com.
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Day 2, travel from Zurich to Paris by 200mph TGV-Lyria high-speed train in just 4 hours 3 minutes from 29 in 2nd class or 59 in 1st class, booked at either www.loco2.com or www.trainline.eu with print-at-home tickets.
TGV-Lyria trains have 3 classes, a cafe-bar, and power sockets at all seats, see the TGV-Lyria page for photos & information.
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Railjets are ΦBB's (Austrian Railways) premier trains... More photos, video & information about railjets. |
Economy class on railjet, in open saloons with picture windows. Some seats around tables, most unidirectional. |
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Railjet first class, with black leather seats... |
Business class... |
Bistro-restaurant car... |
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The mountains of Austria... |
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In the Arlberg pass itself, the railway hugs the valley side, past fir forests and meadows... |
In railjet first & business class, the stewardess takes your order & serves lunch at your seat... |
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The railjet clips a corner of Lichtenstein, passing non-stop through the little station of Schaan-Lichtenstein. Once in Switzerland, the railjet runs alongside the Zόrichsee, then along the Walensee... |
Vienna to Nice, Cannes, Monaco, Marseille...
Option 1, by sleeper from Vienna to Milan then a scenic coastal ride...
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Step 1, travel from Vienna to Milan by Nightjet sleeper train leaving Vienna Hbf at 19:23 every day, arriving Milan Centrale 09:10.
Fares start at 59 with couchette in 6-berth, 69 with a couchette in 4-berth, 99 with a bed in a 2-bed sleeper, 139 in a single-bed sleeper. Deluxe sleepers with shower & toilet are also available. There's a shower at the end of the corridor for passengers in the standard sleepers. A light breakfast is included in the fare in sleepers & couchettes, served in your compartment.
Book at Austrian Railways www.oebb.at and print your own ticket. More information about Nightjet sleeper trains.
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Step 2, travel from Milan to Monte Carlo & Nice by comfortable air-conditioned Thello train, leaving Milan Centrale at 11:10 arriving Nice 15:57.
Buy tickets from just 15 at www.trenitalia.com. It's ticketless, you just quite the booking reference on board. Note that on Trenitalia, Monte Carlo is listed as Monaco-Monte Carlo. Plain Monaco is Italian for Munich! It's a lovely scenic ride along the Italian Riviera between Genoa and Nice.
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Change in Nice for Antibes or Cannes. Local trains link Nice with Antibes & Cannes every 30 minutes or so, just buy at the station in Nice and hop on the next train.
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Change in Nice for Marseille, Avignon, Montpellier, Perpignan. Allow at least 45 minutes between trains in Nice book an onward ticket at www.trainline.eu.
Option 2, by day trains with overnight stop in Verona - the scenic route, mountains & coastline...
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Day 1, travel from Vienna Hbf to Verona from 39 in 2nd class or 69 in 1st class booked at www.oebb.at. You print your own ticket.
You can leave around 12:30 by railjet train, changing at Innsbruck onto a comfortable EuroCity train through the wonderful Brenner Pass to Verona, arriving around Verona Porta Nuova at 20:56 - see the Brenner Pass scenery video here. All these trains have an elegant waiter-service restaurant car, so treat yourself to dinner as the mountains roll by! By all means take an earlier train for an afternoon or evening in Verona, they leave every couple of hours through the day.
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Stay overnight in Verona. Hotels near the station with good or great reviews include the Corte Merighi Rooms & Breakfast, Novo Hotel Rossi, Guesthouse Verona or (a little closer to the centre but with fab reviews) the Relais Empire.
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Day 2, travel from Verona to Monte Carlo & Nice leaving Verona Porta Nuova at 09:32, one easy change in Milan's magnificent Centrale station onto a comfortable air-conditioned Thello train, arriving Monte Carlo late afternoon and Nice at 15:57. Book this from 34.90 at www.trenitalia.com. It's ticketless, you just quote the reference on board. It's a lovely scenic ride along the Italian Riviera between Genoa and Nice, through Savona and San Remo.
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Change in Nice for Antibes or Cannes. Local trains link Nice with Antibes & Cannes every 30 minutes or so, just buy at the station in Nice and hop on the next train.
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Change in Nice for Marseille, Avignon, Montpellier, Perpignan. Allowing at least 45 minutes between trains in Nice book an onward ticket at www.trainline.eu.
Option 3, by day trains with afternoon & overnight stop in Venice...
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Day 1, take the 06:25 railjet train from Vienna Hbf arriving Venice Santa Lucia at 14:05. Fares start at 29 in 2nd class, 44 in 1st class or 59 in business class (= premium 1st class, a real treat) booked at www.oebb.at. You print your own ticket. This train takes the lovely UNESCO-listed Semmering route through the mountains between Vienna & Villach. There's a bistro-restaurant car, all seats have power sockets and there's free WiFi.
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Spend the afternoon in Venice and stay overnight.
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Day 2, take the 07:50 train from Venice Santa Lucia to Milan Centrale & the 11:10 Thello train train from Milan Centrale to Nice Ville arriving 15:57, or the 11:50 from Venice to Milan & afternoon train to Nice arriving 20:01.
Check times & fares from 34.90 at either www.italiarail.com (easy to use, recognises English place names, the small booking fee will be refunded if you email them at seat61@italiarail.com with your PNR) or Italian Railways own website www.trenitalia.com (more fiddly to use, uses Italian language place names, no booking fee, read this advice on using it). It's ticketless, you just quote the reference on board.
Option 4, by direct Russian sleeper train every Friday...
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The Moscow-Nice express enables you to leave Vienna Hbf every Friday around 22:44 arriving Nice Ville 18:30 next day. Clean and modern 2 & 4 berth sleepers with washbasin, shower at the end of the corridor, 1 & 2 bed deluxe sleepers with toilet and shower, restaurant car, it's identical to the excellent Paris-Moscow train shown here. Book online at Russian Railways www.rzd.ru - see advice on using it. Use the German word Wien for Vienna.
Vienna to Brussels & Bruges from 59...
Option 1, Vienna to Brussels in a single day - the high-speed daytime option...
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You can travel from Vienna to Brussels in one chill-out day with one easy change at Frankfurt, on luxurious German ICE trains. The ICE trains have a bistro-restaurant car, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi, see the ICE information page. For example...
Leave Vienna Hbf at 06:50 by ICE, change at Frankfurt (Main) Hbf onto another ICE, arrive Brussels Midi at 17:35,
Leave Vienna Hbf at 09:15 by ICE, change at Frankfurt (Main) Hbf onto another ICE, arrive Brussels Midi at 19:35.
Leave Vienna Hbf at 11:15 by ICE, change at Frankfurt (Main) Hbf onto another ICE, arrive Brussels Midi at 21:35.
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Fares start at 29.90 in 2nd class or 59.90 in 1st class for the Vienna-Frankfurt sector and the same again for Frankfurt-Brussels.
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The easiest way to book this journey is using www.loco2.com as you can then book from Vienna to Brussels as one simple transaction.
Just make sure you click More options and enter Regensburg in the via box, leaving duration as zero.
In the search results, look for a journey with 1 change, if you then click on the down arrow for details you'll see one change at Frankfurt. Don't be fooled by the ticket split at Regensburg - if you look closely you'll see it says 'stay on train', not 'interchange' which is exactly what you do, Regensburg is just where your tickets change over. You print your own tickets. Simples!
Why do you need to split the ticket at Regensburg? The German Railways ticketing system only sells tickets for journeys where the origin or destination is in Germany. So for a journey across Germany and out the other side you must split the booking somewhere in Germany. Loco2 connects to the German Railways ticketing system and sells the same tickets at the same prices as the German Railways website bahn.de, but unlike bahn.de it can automatically split the ticket if you tell it where to do this.
Why split at Regensburg, not Frankfurt where you change trains? Because in the unlikely event of a delay and missed connection in Frankfurt, as you are then travelling on a through ticket from Regensburg to Brussels you'd have a cast-iron 100% legal entitlement to onward travel on later trains at no extra charge - or even an overnight hotel - under the CIV conditions of carriage as explained here.
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You can also check prices from Vienna to Brussels or anywhere in Belgium at the German Railways www.bahn.de, also with print-your-own tickets. Look for journeys with just 1 change. It can also be worth checking prices from Vienna to Brussels at the Austrian Railways www.oebb.at.
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If you're still not seeing sufficiently cheap prices, try splitting the booking. Step 1, go to www.bahn.de or www.oebb.at and book a morning ICE train from Vienna to Frankfurt from 29.90. Step 2, now use www.bahn.de again to book an ICE train from Frankfurt to Brussels also from 29.90.
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Leaving Vienna by ICE... |
Breakfast on board... |
First class seats on the Vienna to Frankfurt ICE train... |
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You'll glimpse the Inn and Danube rivers from the Vienna-Frankfurt ICE... |
Option 2, Vienna to Brussels using the Vienna-Cologne Nightjet sleeper train - the comfortable time-effective option...
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Step 1, take the excellent Nightjet sleeper train from Vienna to Cologne, leaving Vienna Hbf at 20:41 and arriving Cologne Hbf at 08:15. Book this using the German Railways website www.bahn.de and print out your own tickets.
Between Mainz & Koblenz (06:04-07:05) the sleeper train runs along the scenic Rhine Valley past the legendary Lorelei Rock and many castles, mountains, vineyards & river boats. A real treat! The river will be on the right hand side.
Fares start at 59 with a couchette in 6-berth, 69 with a couchette in 4-berth, 99 in a 2-bed sleeper or 139 in a single-bed sleeper. There are also several deluxe sleepers with en suite toilet and shower. There's a shower at the end of the corridor for passengers in the regular sleepers. A light breakfast is included in sleepers & couchettes, served in your compartment. See the Nightjet information page for more photos & info.
Book this train at the Austrian Railways website www.oebb.at also with print-at-home tickets.
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Step 2, then book a connecting ICE train from Cologne to Brussels from just 19.90 in 2nd class or 49.90 in 1st class at www.bahn.de. You'll usually find an 09:43 from Cologne Hbf arriving Brussels Midi at 11:35. You can book through to Bruges & other Belgian stations using www.bahn.de if you like, for one inclusive price.
If you want to stop off in Cologne - the lovely cathedral is right next to the station - there are also Thalys trains between Cologne & Brussels - you can book all the trains, Thalys and ICE, using the Belgian Railways site www.b-europe.com.
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2-berth regular sleeper with washstand. Larger photo. |
The toilet & shower in a deluxe sleeper... |
A Comfortline sleeping-car, as used on the Austrian Nightjet train from Vienna to Cologne. More information about Nightjets. |
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Austrian couchette car or liegewagen... |
6-berth couchettes... |
4-berth couchettes... |
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A Cologne-Brussels ICE3 at Brussels Midi. |
ICE3 2nd class seats. Larger photo. |
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ICE3 1st class, with leather seats. Larger photo. |
ICE3 bistro car. See sample menu. |
Vienna to Amsterdam from 49.90...
Option 1, Vienna to Amsterdam in a single day - the high-speed daytime option...
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You can travel from Vienna to Amsterdam in one leisurely chill-out day, with one easy change at Frankfurt, on comfortable (even luxurious) German ICE trains across 3 different countries. The ICE trains have a bistro-restaurant car, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi, see the ICE information page. For example...
Leave Vienna Hbf at 06:50 by ICE, change at Wurzburg & Hannover onto an IC, arrive Amsterdam Centraal at 19:00.
Leave Vienna Hbf at 09:15 by ICE, change at Frankfurt (Main) Hbf onto another ICE, arrive Amsterdam Centraal at 20:26.
Leave Vienna Hbf at 11:15 by ICE, change at Frankfurt (Main) Hbf onto another ICE, arrive Amsterdam Centraal at 21:56.
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Fares start at 49.90 in 2nd class or 79.90 in 1st class.
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You can easily check times and buy tickets from Vienna to Amsterdam at either www.loco2.com (in , £ or $) or the German Railways website www.bahn.de (in ). You print your own ticket. It's worth also checking prices at the Austrian Railways website www.oebb.at as they sometimes have cheaper prices for exactly the same trains, you also print your own ticket.
Tip: It's often cheaper to split the booking, especially if you only see expensive prices when you try booking as one journey: Use www.bahn.de or www.oebb.at to book Vienna to Frankfurt then use www.bahn.de again to book Frankfurt to Amsterdam.
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How about a stopover in Nuremberg or Cologne?
Both cities are worth a stop, in Cologne the cathedral is right next to the station, and in Nuremberg there's a pleasant old town, a railway museum and the historic Party Rally Grounds. You can stop for 3 hours and still do the journey in a day, or stop overnight and have a more leisurely look round. To programme in a stopover, use www.bahn.de to book Vienna to Amsterdam, but click Add intermediate stops, enter Cologne or Nuremberg, enter desired number of hours stopover and off you go. You can have up to 2 stopovers each of up to 48 hours and still get an end-to-end sparpreis fare.
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Leaving Vienna by ICE... |
Breakfast on board... |
First class seats on the Vienna to Frankfurt ICE train... |
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You'll glimpse the Inn and Danube rivers from the Vienna-Frankfurt ICE... |
Option 2, using the Nightjet sleeper train from Vienna to Cologne then luxurious ICE train to Amsterdam - the time-effective option.
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Step 1, take the excellent Nightjet sleeper train from Vienna to Cologne, leaving Vienna Hbf at 20:41 and arriving Cologne Hbf at 08:15.
Between Mainz & Koblenz (06:04-07:05) the sleeper train runs along the scenic Rhine Valley past the legendary Lorelei Rock and many castles, mountains, vineyards & river boats. A real treat! The river will be on the right hand side.
Fares start at 59 with a couchette in 6-berth, 69 with couchette in 4-berth, 99 in a 2-bed sleeper or 139 in a single-bed sleeper. Deluxe sleepers with shower & toilet also available. There's a shower at the end of the corridor for passengers in the regular sleepers. A light breakfast is included in sleepers & couchettes, served in your compartment.
Book this using the German Railways website www.bahn.de and print your own ticket. You can also book this train at the Austrian Railways website www.oebb.at. Check both sites as one may be cheaper than the other!
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Step 2, then take a luxurious ICE train with bistro-restaurant & free WiFi from Cologne to Amsterdam, leaving Cologne Hbf at 08:44 arriving Amsterdam Centraal at 11:28, with fares from 19.90 in 2nd class or 49.90 in 1st class booked at www.bahn.de. You print your own ticket.
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2-berth regular sleeper with washstand. Larger photo. |
The toilet & shower in a deluxe sleeper... |
Step 1, take a Nightjet sleeper from Vienna to Cologne. This is a Comfortline sleeping-car as now used on the Nightjet train from Vienna to Cologne... |
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Austrian couchette car or liegewagen... |
6-berth couchettes... |
4-berth couchettes... |
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Step 2, ICE3 from Cologne to Amsterdam... |
ICE3 2nd class seats. Larger photo. |
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ICE3 1st class, with leather seats. Larger photo. |
ICE3 bistro car. See sample menu. |
Vienna to Luxembourg...
Option 1, using Vienna-Koblenz sleeper train - the time-effective option...
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Step 1, travel from Vienna to Koblenz by Austrian Nightjet sleeper train, leaving Vienna Hbf at 20:41 and arriving in Koblenz at 07:05 next morning.
This train has modern Austrian couchettes and a sleeping-car, see the Nightjet sleeper train page. You can book this train at the Austrian railways website www.oebb.at from 59 with a couchette in 6-berth, 69 with a couchette in 4-berth, 99 with a bed in a 2-bed sleeper or 139 in a single-bed sleeper. You print your own ticket.
Enjoy the run along the Rhine Valley between Mainz & Koblenz (06:04-07:05), past the legendary Lorelei Rock and many castle, vineyards & river boats as a light breakfast is served in your sleeper compartment, included in the fare.
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Step 2, now book a ticket from Koblenz to Luxembourg at the German railways website www.bahn.de or you can just buy at the station when you get to Koblenz. The standard price for Koblenz to Luxembourg by regional train is around 41, but you can do this with a Rhineland-Pfalz+Luxembourg day ticket for 30, as is shown when you look up the journey on www.bahn.de.
Option 2, by daytime trains...
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Alternatively, you can travel from Vienna to Luxembourg by daytime trains in a single day with as few as one change at Koblenz.
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For the best price, split the booking like this: Go to www.bahn.de and book from Vienna to Trier from 49.90. Now add a regional train ticket from Trier to Luxembourg for a fixed-price 17 or so, also at www.bahn.de. The reason you split the booking is that Trier is in Germany, and cheap sparpreis fares are only available for journeys to or from Germany.
Vienna to Zurich, Basel, Geneva & Switzerland from 29...
Option 1, by daytime railjet train - the scenic option, through the wonderful Arlberg Pass...
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There are four or five daily railjet trains from Vienna Hbf to Zurich HB in Switzerland between 05:30 and 15:30, journey time 7h50, with restaurant car, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi. The scenery through the Tirol via the Arlberg pass is superb, watch the Arlberg Pass video to see for yourself.
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Fares from Vienna to Zurich and other Swiss cities start at 29 in 2nd class, 44 in 1st class or 59 in business class (= premium 1st class, a real treat). Book ahead for the cheapest prices, on the day, the full-flex standard price from Vienna to Zurich is over 119.
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You can buy tickets from Vienna to almost any Swiss station at the Austrian Railways website www.oebb.at and print your own ticket.
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Going beyond Zurich, for example to Geneva, Zermatt, Lucerne, Lauterbrunnen or anywhere else in Switzerland?
www.oebb.at can sell you a through ticket between Vienna and almost any town or city in Switzerland (in either direction) from 29 upwards, one inclusive price covering both the railjet to Zurich and onward Swiss trains. Indeed, you'll often find that Vienna to Interlaken, Chur, St Moritz, Geneva, Lucerne or wherever costs the same as a ticket to Zurich!
Incidentally, I get a lot of people who think they will save money by using their Swiss Pass for the Swiss part of the journey. But if (let's say) oebb.at gives you a price of 39 from Vienna to Zurich and exactly the same price from Vienna to Lucerne, 39, (as budget train fares are no more related to distance than budget air fares are), then using up an expensive day on a Swiss Pass to cover the Zurich-Lucerne part of the trip is potentially saving you a big fat zero! So check prices before wasting a Swiss Pass day!
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Railjets are ΦBB's (Austrian Railways) premier trains... More photos, video & information about railjets. |
Economy class on railjet, in open saloons with picture windows. Some seats around tables, most unidirectional. |
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Railjet first class, with black leather seats... |
Business class... |
Bistro-restaurant car... |
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The mountains of Austria... |
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In the Arlberg pass itself, the railway hugs the valley side, past fir forests and meadows... |
In railjet first & business class, the stewardess takes your order & serves lunch at your seat... |
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The railjet clips a corner of Lichtenstein, passing non-stop through the little station of Schaan-Lichtenstein. Once in Switzerland, the railjet runs alongside the Zόrichsee, then along the Walensee... |
Option 2, by Nightjet sleeper train - the time-effective option...
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An excellent comfortable Nightjet sleeper train called the Wiener Walzer leaves Vienna Hbf at 21:27 arriving Zurich HB at 08:20, featuring double deck sleeping-cars with 1 or 2 bed deluxe compartments with en suite shower & toilet, 1, 2 & 3 bed standard compartments with washbasin, and (single-deck) 4 or 6 berth couchettes. A light breakfast is included in sleepers & couchettes, served in your compartment. See the Nightjet information page.
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Book this sleeper train at www.oebb.at with fares from 59 with a couchette in a 6-berth compartment, 69 with a couchette in a 4-berth compartment, 99 with a bed in a 2-bed sleeper or 139 in a single-bed sleeper. You print your own ticket.
Tip: In the search results you may see a second sleeper train leaving Vienna around 23:25 and also arriving 08:20. This is the Hungarian EuroNight (EN) sleeper train from Budapest to Zurich, which gets combined with the Vienna-Zurich Nightjet (NJ) at Salzburg. By all means take this if you really need to be in Vienna until late, but otherwise I'd stick with the Austrian Nightjet leaving 21:27.
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Going beyond Zurich? www.oebb.at can sell you a through ticket to almost any town or city in Switzerland (in either direction) for one inclusive price covering both the sleeper train to Zurich and onward Swiss trains. It's usually much cheaper than buying a separate onward ticket!
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2-berth standard sleeper with washbasin. |
4-berth couchettes, ideal for families. |
Double-deck sleeping-car on the Vienna-Zurich Nightjet, at Zurich. Courtesy of DiscoverbyRail.com. |
Vienna to Venice, Milan, Florence, Rome & Italy from 29...
Option 1, by excellent Nightjet sleeper train - the safe, comfortable & time-effective option. Saves a hotel bill too...
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A Nightjet sleeper train leaves Vienna Hbf every day at 19:23 for Florence SMN (arriving 06:19) & Rome Termini (09:22) with another portion going to Milan Centrale (arriving 09:10).
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A Nightjet sleeper train called the Vienna-Venice Express leaves Vienna Hbf at 21:27 every day arriving at Venice Santa Lucia on the banks of the Grand Canal at 08:24.
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These trains have Austrian couchette cars with 4 & 6 berth compartments and modern sleeping-cars with 1, 2 & 3 bed compartments with washbasin plus several deluxe compartments with en suite toilet & shower, see pictures & information about these Nightjet trains. There's a shower at the end of the sleeping-car corridor for passengers in the regular sleepers. The sleeper fare includes a complimentary sparkling wine on departure and breakfast served in your compartment. The couchette fare includes a light breakfast.
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Fares start at 59 with a couchette in 6-berth, 69 with a couchette in 4-berth, 99 with a bed in a 2-bed sleeper, or 139 with a bed in a single-bed sleeper.
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Buy tickets direct from Austrian Railways at www.oebb.at, add the type of couchette or sleeper you want and print out your own ticket. If it won't let you select the couchette or sleeper you want, try choosing a different fare. Booking usually opens up to 180 days ahead.
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Do not use Trenitalia.com to book these trains if your journey starts in Austria, as tickets have to be collected at a Trenitalia station in Italy.
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2-berth regular sleeper with washstand. Larger photo. |
The toilet & shower in a deluxe sleeper... |
A Comfortline sleeping-car, as used on the Austrian Nightjet trains from Vienna to Italy. More pictures & information about Nightjets. |
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Austrian couchette car or liegewagen. Couchettes are the economical option, flat bunks with rug & pillow. |
6-berth couchettes, the cheapest option... |
4-berth couchettes, ideal for families. Larger photo. |
Option 2, by direct daytime railjet train from 29 - cheapest & most scenic option, via the wonderful Semmering railway...
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Two smart Austrian railjet trains link Vienna with Venice every day, city centre to city centre over the absolutely beautiful UNESCO-listed Semmering railway through the mountains. The journey is a real treat.
The morning railjet train leaves Vienna Hbf at 06:25 and arrives Venice Santa Lucia at 14:05.
The afternoon railjet train leaves Vienna Hbf at 12:25 and arrives Venice Santa Lucia at 20:05.
These smart modern railjet trains have a bistro-restaurant car serving snacks, meals, beer and wine, there are power sockets at all seats, free WiFi and the option of business class (= premium 1st class, a real treat), see the railjet information page for details.
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Fares start at 29 in 2nd class, 44 in 1st class or 59 in business class if you book in advance. Booking opens up to 180 days ahead.
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Buy tickets direct from Austrian Railways at www.oebb.at and print your own ticket.
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Onward tickets from Venice to Florence, Rome, Naples and other Italian destinations should be booked separately at either www.italiarail.com (easy to use, recognises English place names, the small booking fee will be refunded if you email them at seat61@italiarail.com with your PNR) or Italian Railways own website www.trenitalia.com (much more fiddly to use, requires Italian language place names, no booking fee, read this advice on using it first). High-speed trains in Italy are ticketless, you simply quote your booking reference on board the train. I'd allow at least 45 minutes in Venice to make a connection, in case of any delay.
Railjets are ΦBB's (Austrian Railways) premier trains... More photos, video & information about railjets.
Economy class on railjet, in open saloons with picture windows. Some seats around tables, most unidirectional.
Railjet first class, with black leather seats...
Business class...
Bistro-restaurant car...
Option 3, via the Brenner Pass from 39 - another scenic daytime option...
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You can also travel to Italy via Innsbruck & the scenic Brenner Pass, see the Brenner Pass video, although it's a significantly longer way round than the direct route via Semmering.
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You take a fast railjet train west to Innsbruck and change for one of the comfortable Austrian EuroCity trains running south through the Brenner Pass to Verona, with one a day continuing to Bologna, one of two per day continuing to Venice.
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To buy tickets, first use www.oebb.at to book from Vienna to your Italian destination (Venice, Rome, Florence and so on) but click via to the right of the origin/destination box and enter Innsbruck.
It will give you times & prices, but it may say Ticket for section only. That's because the fare shown covers the Austrian train from Vienna to Innsbruck and the Austrian EuroCity from Innsbruck to Verona, Bologna or Venice (depending on the service), but does not cover any Italian domestic train, which will be greyed out. The Austrian Railways website cannot sell tickets for Italian domestic journeys.
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So you now just need to book this Italian domestic section separately at www.italiarail.com (easy to use, recognises English place names, the small booking fee will be refunded if you email them at seat61@italiarail.com with your PNR) or Italian Railways own website www.trenitalia.com (much more fiddly to use, requires Italian language place names, no booking fee, read this advice on using it first). High-speed trains in Italy are ticketless, you simply quote your booking reference on board the train. I'd allow at least 40 minutes in Verona or Bologna between trains.
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For example the 07:30 from Vienna, change at Innsbruck, will get you to Venice Santa Lucia at 18:10.
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Or take the 09:30 from Vienna, changing at Innsbruck and Verona, getting to Venice Santa Lucia at 21:40.
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Like I said, it's a longer way round then the direct route via Semmering! But the scenery is just as good,,,
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Austrian EuroCity coaches. |
2nd class seats, either in 6-seat compartments or open-plan seating. |
1st class, open-plan. Sometimes in 6-seat compartments. |
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Mountain scenery on the Brenner route... |
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Vineyards, mountains and castles south of Brenner as the train heads for Trento & Verona... |
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Watch out for hilltop fortresses... See the Brenner Pass scenery video here. |
Vienna to Barcelona, Madrid & Spain from 98...
By daytime trains with overnight stop in Geneva...
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Step 1, take a smart Austrian railjet train from Vienna to Zurich HB through the wonderfully scenic Arlberg Pass, with restaurant car available, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi. Change in Zurich onto a comfortable Swiss domestic train to Geneva. There are several departures to choose from, but the best is arguably the 09:30 from Vienna Hbf, change at Zurich arriving Geneva at 20:18. Put your feet up and enjoy the ride, have dinner in the restaurant car, watch this video to see what the scenery is like in the Arlberg Pass.
Book from Vienna to Geneva as one transaction at the Austrian Railways website www.oebb.at from 39 in 2nd class, 54 in 1st class or 69 in business class (= premium 1st class, a treat). You print your own ticket.
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Stay overnight in Geneva. Hotels with good reviews near the station include Hotel Cornavin Geneve, Hotel Les Arcades, ibis Styles Geneva Gare.
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Step 2, travel by train from Geneva to Barcelona. Usually you'll find a TER regional train leaving Geneva at 11:22, change trains at Lyon Part Dieu (arrive 13:22, depart 14:24) onto a direct AVE-S100 high-speed train arriving Barcelona Sants at 19:31. Fares start at around 69 in 2nd class.
Book this at www.loco2.com (can be used by anyone from any country, no booking fee, recommended), www.raileurope.com (US & Canadian residents), www.raileurope-world.com (residents of Australia, Canada, Asia, Africa, South America) or www.trainline.eu (anyone from any country, no booking fees, with seating options). You usually print your own ticket.
What's the journey like? Between Lyon & Barcelona you'll follow the same interesting route taken by the Paris-Barcelona TGVs, see the photos & video on the Paris to Barcelona page. You'll pass the Chateau de Montfaucon, Bιziers cathedral, flamingos on the lakes in the South of France between Montpelier and Perpignan, the historic Catalan-built Fort de Salses right by the tracks, and get great views of the massive Mt Canigou in the Pyrenees, visible all the way from Perpignan to Girona.
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Step 3, stay overnight in Barcelona (see suggested hotels near the station) and book onward high-speed trains from Barcelona to Madrid, Seville, Malaga, Alicante etc, using www.loco2.com (easy to use, in , £ or $, no fee) or www.petrabax.com (easy to use, in $, small mark-up) or Spanish Railways own website www.renfe.com (in , can be fiddly, see this advice).
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Mt Canigou & the Pyrenees... Seen from the train and one of the highest peaks in the mighty Pyrenees, the 2,784m (9,137 feet) high Mt Canigou dominates the skyline all the way from Girona to Perpignan... |
Vienna to Lisbon & Portugal...
It's perfectly possible to travel from Vienna to Lisbon or Porto or Faro by train, in great comfort. The whole journey takes 3 nights.
Option 1, via Geneva & Barcelona...
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You'll need to overnight in Barcelona, see suggested hotels near the station.
Option 1, via Paris...
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You'll need to overnight in Paris, see suggested hotels near the Gare du Nord & Gare de Lyon.
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The Sud Express, about to leave Irun on the Franco-Spanish frontier, bound for Lisbon... Courtesy of Ron Baker. See panorama photo... |
Gran Clase sleeper, in evening mode with the seats folded out... |
....return from the bar to find the attendant has made up the beds... |
Gran Clase private toilet & shower... |
Vienna to Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt & Germany from 29...
Option 1, by day trains to anywhere in Germany - the fast daytime option...
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Luxurious German ICE-T trains link Vienna Hbf with Nuremberg (4h12) & Frankfurt (6h21) from 29.90 in 2nd class or 59.90 in 1st class.
Smart Austrian railjet trains link Vienna Hbf with Munich Hbf in 3h55 with fares from 29.90 in 2nd class or 59.90 in 1st class - for Munich, also consider option 3 below.
ICE & railjet trains have a bistro-restaurant car, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.
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Buy tickets & check train times at the German Railways website www.bahn.de. You print your own ticket or can simply show it on your smartphone or laptop screen.
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You can buy a ticket from Vienna to anywhere in Germany using www.bahn.de. I recommend registering when prompted, so you can always log in and check or re-print all your bookings. It's also worth checking prices on the Austrian Railways site www.oebb.at as I have often found them cheaper for exactly the same train.
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Leaving Vienna... |
Breakfast on board... |
First class seats on the Vienna to Frankfurt ICE-T train. |
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You'll glimpse the Inn and Danube rivers from the Vienna-Frankfurt ICE... |
Option 2, by Nightjet sleeper train - the comfortable time-effective option...
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There are excellent direct Nightjet sleeper trains from Vienna to Munich, Frankfurt Flughafen, Cologne, Dusseldorf & Hamburg.
Vienna Hbf depart 20:41, Frankfurt Sud arrive 05:24, Frankfurt Flughafen 05:36, Koblenz 07:05, Cologne Hbf 08:15, Dόsseldorf 08:42.
Vienna Hbf depart 20:41, Hamburg Hbf arrive 08:44.
Vienna Hbf depart 23:25, Munich Hbf arrive 06:10 - this is a Hungarian sleeper train, not a Nightjet.
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These sleepers have 4 & 6-berth couchettes and a sleeping-car with 1, 2 & 3 bed compartments with washbasin, breakfast included, plus a limited number of deluxe sleepers with 1, 2 & 3 beds with en suite toilet & shower. A light breakfast is included in sleepers & couchettes on Nightjets, served in your compartment. See the Nightjet information page.
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Fares start at 59 with a couchette in 6-berth, 69 with a couchette in 4-berth, 99 with a bed in a 2-bed sleeper, or 139 with a bed in a single-bed sleeper.
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You can book these online at www.bahn.de or www.oebb.at - check both sites as one can be cheaper than the other. You print your own ticket.
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2-berth regular sleeper with washstand. Larger photo. |
The toilet & shower in a deluxe sleeper... |
A Comfortline sleeping-car, as now used on the Austrian Nightjet train from Cologne to Vienna... More pictures & information about Nightjets. |
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Austrian couchette car or liegewagen... |
6-berth couchettes... |
4-berth couchettes... |
Option 3, Vienna to Munich by Westbahn + Meridian - slower but more flexible & cheaper at short notice...
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The excellent fast railjet trains link Vienna to Munich in just 3h55 from just 29.90 if you book in advance and commit to a specific train on a limited-refunds, no changes to travel plans basis. But what if you don't want to commit to a specific departure way in advance? What if you have left it too late to get a cheap ticket? Full-price on the day costs around 100. Ouch!
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The solution? Simply use the hourly double-decker Westbahn trains from Vienna Hbf or Vienna Westbahnhof to Salzburg connecting with the regional Meridian trains every hour from Salzburg to Munich.
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The journey is slower at 4h28 overall but you pay just 27.50 for the Westbahn train and 25 for the Meridian using a Bayern Ticket valid any time weekends or anytime after 09:00 weekdays. You can pay the Westbahn fare to the conductor on board the train, no reservation necessary, although it's 1 cheaper if you buy from the Westbahn ticket machines or buy online at www.trainline.eu or www.westbahn.at. Buy the Bayern Ticket at the station in Salzburg on the day or online as shown here. More info on Bayern Tickets.
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You can check Westbahn prices & times at www.trainline.eu or www.westbahn.at. You can check Meridian times and prices at www.bahn.de, the Meridians are the ones marked as M. All these tickets have unlimited availability at these prices - they cannot sell out!
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Westbahn double-deck train on the Salzburg-Vienna route. |
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Vienna to Berlin from 39.90...
Option 1, Vienna to Berlin by daytime trains from 39.90...
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The German Railways website www.bahn.de sells train tickets from Vienna to Berlin from just 39.90 in 2nd class or 69.90 in 1st class. You print your own ticket or can simply show it on your smartphone or laptop screen. In the search results, look for an easy journey with just 1 change.
Some journeys (usually the ones marked RJ, EC) take you via Prague, just 3h57 from Vienna Hbf to Prague Hlavni by smart modern railjet train then 4h20 from Prague Hlavni to Berlin Hbf by EuroCity train with restaurant car. Other journeys (usually marked ICE) take you through Germany with a change in Nuremberg, .
The route via Prague is the nicest, taking you along the scenic Elbe river valley between Prague and Dresden, see the Prague to Berlin page for scenery photos, a video & more information. Make sure you sit on the right hand side of the train going north from Prague towards Dresden.
On the other hand, students of more recent history may prefer a stop in Nuremberg. It's just 4h10 by train from Vienna to Nuremberg, then 3h20 from Nuremberg to Berlin. On this route both trains will be high-speed ICE trains with bistro-restaurant, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi, see the ICE information page.
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Tip 1: Consider a stopover in Prague...
Prague's historic old town square is only 15 minutes walk from Prague Hlavni station. For lunch in Prague, consider a 6 minute 550m walk from the station to the Restaurant Zvonice (www.restaurantzvonice.cz) which gets great reviews, see walking map.
At www.bahn.de, simply click Add intermediate stops, enter Prague and a duration of up to 48 hours (the maximum stopover possible with a cheap sparpreis fare) or up to 7 hours (the maximum you can stop off and still get from Vienna to Berlin in a day, if you catch the first train from Vienna and last train from Prague to Berlin). You'll now get a cheap fare from 39 upwards from Vienna to Berlin, but with a stopover in Prague included. Bargain! A stopover in Dresden is also possible, instead of or in addition to Prague, booked in the same way.
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Tip 2: Consider a stopover in Nuremberg...
In Nuremberg there's a pleasant old town, a railway museum and of course the infamous but thought-provoking Party Rally Grounds (take tram 9 from outside Nuremberg Hbf, it's well worth the trip).
At www.bahn.de, simply click Add intermediate stops, enter Nuremberg and a duration of up to 48 hours (the maximum stopover possible with a cheap sparpreis fare) or up to 8 hours (the maximum you can stop off and still get from Vienna to Berlin in a day, if you catch an early train from Vienna then a late train from Nuremberg to Berlin). You'll now get a cheap fare from 39.90 upwards from Vienna to Berlin with a stopover in Nuremberg. There are left luggage lockers in Nuremberg for your bags.
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Tip 3: Check Austrian Railways www.oebb.at as well, as although fares also start from 39 I've often seen significantly cheaper fares on oebb.at than bahn.de on a given date & train. You also print your own ticket.
Option 2, Vienna to Berlin by day trains with overnight stop in Prague from 39.90...
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This is the same as option 1, but with an overnight stop in Prague, so it's time-effective and you can spend an evening in Prague.
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Day 1, take any railjet train you like from Vienna to Prague in 3h57. For example the 17:10 from Vienna Hbf arrives Prague Hlavni 21:07, or the 19:10 arrives Prague Hlavni at 23:14. But by all means take an earlier train and have an evening or an afternoon in Prague.
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Stay overnight in Prague. Hotels near the station with good reviews include the Esplanade Hotel (5-star), Falkensteiner Hotel Maria (4-star), Chopin Hotel (3-star). To stay in the old town, try the Ventana Hotel or Old Town Square Hotel (both 5-star), Grand Hotel Prague, Hotel Rott (both 4-star), Zlatύ kůň Golden Horse (3-star). For dinner in Prague, consider a 6 minute 550m walk to the Restaurant Zvonice (www.restaurantzvonice.cz) which gets great reviews, see walking map. It's usually open until midnight, ideal if you're catching a sleeper. Feedback appreciated.
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Day 2, take any EuroCity train you like from Prague to Berlin in 4h20. The 06:21 from Prague Hlavni arrives Berlin Hbf at 10:41 with a restaurant car for breakfast, but by all means take a later train, they leave every 2 hours. The Elbe river scenery between Prague & Dresden is lovely, see the Prague to Berlin page for scenery photos, video & more information.
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It's cheapest to book this as one journey from Vienna to Berlin at www.bahn.de. Simply click Add intermediate stops, enter Prague and a duration of around 9 hours - I have set up this link to do that for you. Vary the departure time and increase the stopover duration to get the trains you want - a little trial & error is required until you see direct trains that suit you for both legs.
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So civilised! A meal in the Czech restaurant car as the Berlin-Prague express snakes along the beautiful Elbe river south of Dresden. Photo courtesy of Philip Dyer-Perry. |
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Option 3, Vienna to Berlin by direct EuroNight sleeper train.
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In spite of being popular with passengers, the Vienna-Berlin 'Metropol' was discontinued as from the timetable change on 10 December 2017, the usual railway politics and mishandling. A great shame. You can still take the sleeper from Vienna to Prague then take a daytime train from Prague on to Berlin, like this:
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Step 1, take the sleeper train from Vienna to Prague, leaving Vienna Hbf at 22:10 and arriving Prague Hlavni at 06:04 next morning. This train has a modern air-conditioned sleeping-car with 1, 2 & 3 bed sleepers with washbasin, and a couchette car with 4 & 6 berth compartments. Morning tea or coffee is included in the fare in the sleepers. Have a full breakfast in Prague.
Book this train from 35 with couchette, 46 with a bed in a 2-bed sleeper or 71 with a single-bed sleeper all to yourself at Czech Railways www.cd.cz and print your own ticket. You can also book it at Austrian Railways www.oebb.at - just use whichever site gives you the cheapest price.
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Step 2, travel from Prague to Berlin by EuroCity train, leaving Prague Hlavni at 08:21 and arriving at Berlin Hbf at 12:41.
This is a lovely scenic journey along the Elbe River valley between Prague and Dresden. A restaurant car is available with draught beer on tap, see the Berlin to Prague information page for a timetable, photos & video. By all means spend a pleasant morning in Prague and book a later train to Berlin, trains leave every 2 hours. Left luggage is available.
Book this train from 19.90 in 2nd class or 39.90 in 1st class at www.bahn.de or www.cd.cz, whichever is cheaper. You print your own ticket.
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Good news, a direct Vienna-Berlin sleeper train now looks set to resume from the timetable change on 9 December 2018, leaving Vienna at 22:10 and arriving Berlin at 09:15. Details will appear here nearer the time. It will run via Poland rather than through Prague.
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A Czech sleeping-car of the type used on this train. Photo courtesy of Shaiq Ali Khan |
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Standard sleeper set up as a 2-berth, with blind down & washstand open. Each room can be used with 1, 2 or 3 beds. |
The same sleeper with berths folded away & seats folded out, washstand closed. Very similar to a deluxe, but without the shower & toilet. |
Deluxe sleepers are similar to standard ones, but with a bit more floorspace & compact shower & toilet instead of washstand. |
Just like a hotel, the corridor in a Comfortline sleeping-car. There's a shower at end of the corridor for standard sleeper passengers. |
Vienna to Copenhagen, Stockholm & Scandinavia...
Option 1, Vienna to Copenhagen, Stockholm, Gothenburg or Oslo with an overnight stop in Hamburg..
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Day 1, travel from Vienna to Hamburg by luxurious ICE train from 39.90 in 2nd class or 69.90 in 1st class booked at the German Railways website www.bahn.de. There are various departures throughout the day with just 1 change, usually at Wurzburg, but there's one ideal direct ICE train with bistro-restaurant car & free WiFi leaving Vienna Hbf at 12:50 and arriving Hamburg Hbf at 21:53. But by all means take an earlier train if you like for a leisurely evening in Hamburg.
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Stay overnight in Hamburg. Suggested hotels next to Hamburg Hbf with good reviews include (starting with the cheapest) the Hotel Continental Novum, Hotel Furst Bismarck, Hotel Europaischer Hof, Hotel Atlantic Kempinski.
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Day 2, travel from Hamburg to Copenhagen by comfortable Danish EuroCity train leaving Hamburg Hbf at 09:28 arriving Copenhagen at 14:26.
If you're only going as far as Copenhagen, book from Hamburg to Copenhagen from 29.90 in 2nd class or 59.90 in 1st class at www.bahn.de and print your own ticket.
The Hamburg to Copenhagen EuroCity trains go onto a ferry between Puttgarden & Rψdby, one of the few places in Europe where trains still get shunted onto ferries, a fascinating experience in its own right - you must leave the train and go upstairs into the ship's passenger accommodation during the 50-minute crossing, although you can leave your luggage on the train.
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If you're going to Stockholm...
Travel from Copenhagen to Stockholm by X2000 train. If you take the 09:28 from Hamburg you'll make the 16:20 X2000 arriving Stockholm Central at 21:40, with time for lunch in Copenhagen.
You should book from Hamburg to Stockholm as one transaction from 39.90 at www.bahn.de, looking for suitable departures with 1 change marked either 'ICE, X2' or 'EC, X2' (X2000s are shown as X2 on bahn.de for some reason).
If you want the 09:28, book Hamburg to Stockholm departing 09:28 using this special link which I have set up with the necessary parameters.
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If you're going to Malmφ or Gothenburg...
Travel from Copenhagen to Malmφ or Gothenburg by Φresund Link train, these run several times each hour to Malmφ, journey time 52 minutes, and once an hour to Gothenburg, journey time 4h05. Book from Hamburg to Malmφ or Gothenburg as one transaction at www.bahn.de (Gothenburg is listed as Gφteborg Central).
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If you're going to Oslo...
Travel from Copenhagen to Gothenburg as shown above. Trains then run every few hours from Gothenburg to Oslo, you can check times at www.bahn.de and buy at the station or at www.sj.se or (if you have any problems) www.acprail.com or www.snalltaget.se.
Alternatively, sail overnight from Copenhagen to Oslo by direct cruise ferry with bars, restaurants and en suite cabins, booked at www.dfds.co.uk. the ship sails around 16:30, don't risk any tight connections in Copenhagen.
Option 2, Vienna to Copenhagen from 69 by comfortable daytime trains with an overnight stop in Munich...
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Day 1, travel from Vienna to Munich by railjet train with restaurant car, leaving Vienna Hbf at 18:30 and arriving Munich Hbf at 22:31. These railjets run every couple of hours, so by all means book an earlier one to have a leisurely evening in Munich.
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Stay overnight in Munich... Try the Sofitel Munich Beyerpost, Eden Hotel Wolff, InterCity Hotel or (budget) the Pension Locarno, all right next to the station with great reviews.
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Day 2, travel from Munich to Copenhagen by EuroCity train with 1 easy change in Hamburg. There are several possible departures, for example leaving Munich Hbf at 06:17 arriving Copenhagen 18:26, or at 10:48 arriving Copenhagen 22:26.
The Hamburg to Copenhagen EuroCity train goes onto a ferry between Puttgarden & Rψdby, one of the few places in Europe where trains still get shunted onto ferries. It's an interesting experience in its own right - you must leave the train and go upstairs into the ship's passenger accommodation during the 50-minute crossing, although you can leave your luggage on the train.
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How much does it cost? Fares work like air fares, book early for the cheapest prices...
Vienna to Munich starts at 29.90 in 2nd class, 59.90 in 1st class.
Munich to Copenhagen starts at 39.90 in 2nd class, 69.90 in 1st class.
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How to buy tickets... Step 1, book from Vienna to Munich at www.bahn.de looking for the direct EC train with 0 changes leaving at or around 13:35. Step 2, book from Munich to Copenhagen at www.bahn.de looking for a convenient option with just 1 change. You print out your own tickets.
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All Hamburg-Copenhagen trains are now Danish IC3 trains like this... |
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A 125 mph X2000 train from Copenhagen to Stockholm. |
2nd class seating on the X2000. All seats have power sockets for laptops & mobiles... |
Self-service buffet car on the X2000 to Stockholm. |
Option 3, using the Vienna-Hamburg sleeper train. The most time-effective way!
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Step 1, take the Austrian Nightjet sleeper train from Vienna to Hamburg, Vienna Hbf depart 20:41, Hamburg Hbf arrive 08:44. This train has 1, 2 & 3 bed sleepers and 4 & 6 bunk couchettes. Fares from 59 with a couchette in 6-berth, 69 with a couchette in 4-berth, 99 with bed in a cosy 2-bed sleeper or 139 in a single-bed sleeper. A light breakfast is included in sleepers & couchettes. Book this at German Railways www.bahn.de or Austrian Railways www.oebb.at and print your own ticket.
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Step 2, now take the 09:28 EuroCity train from Hamburg Hbf to Copenhagen arriving 14:26. Fares from 29.90 in 2nd class or 59.90 in 1st class at www.bahn.de. You print your own ticket.
This train goes onto a ferry between Puttgarden & Rψdby, one of the few places in Europe where trains still get shunted onto ferries. It's an interesting experience in its own right - you must leave the train and go upstairs into the ship's passenger accommodation during the 50-minute crossing, although you can leave your luggage on the train.
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If you're going to Stockholm, travel onwards from Copenhagen to Stockholm by X2000 train. If you take the 09:28 from Hamburg you'll make the 16:20 X2000 arriving Stockholm Central at 21:40, with time for lunch in Copenhagen. You should book from Hamburg to Stockholm as one transaction from 39.90 at www.bahn.de, looking for suitable departures with 1 change marked either 'ICE, X2' or 'EC, X2' (X2000s are shown as X2 on bahn.de for some reason). Book Hamburg to Stockholm departing 09:28 using this special link which I have set up with the necessary parameters.
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If you're going to Malmφ or Gothenburg, travel from Copenhagen to Malmφ or Gothenburg by Φresund Link train, these run several times each hour to Malmφ, journey time 35 minutes, and once an hour to Gothenburg, journey time 3h48. Book from Hamburg to Malmφ or Gothenburg as one transaction at www.bahn.de (Gothenburg is listed as Gφteborg Central).
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2-berth regular sleeper with washstand. Larger photo. |
The toilet & shower in a deluxe sleeper... |
A Comfortline sleeping-car, as now used on the Austrian Nightjet train from Vienna to Hamburg... |
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All Hamburg-Copenhagen trains are now Danish IC3 trains like this... |
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Vienna to Oslo & Norway...
Option 1, via Hamburg & Copenhagen - by train all the way...
Option 2, Vienna to Oslo via the Kiel-Oslo Color Line cruise ferry - the most comfortable way to Oslo...
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Step 1, travel from Vienna to Kiel on any suitable train. Check times & buy tickets at the German Railways site www.bahn.de. You can catch a daytime train and stay overnight, or use the Vienna-Hamburg sleeper and connection to Kiel.
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In Kiel it's just a 5-6 minute walk from Kiel Hbf to the Color Line ferry terminal, but allow several hours between trains and ferry for the ferry check-in and in case of any delay.
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Step 2, sail from Kiel to Oslo by luxurious overnight Color Line ferry, with a full range of en suite cabins, suites, bars, restaurants and lounges. The m/v Magic or m/v Fantasy normally sails at 14:00 arriving Oslo at 10:00 next morning.
Check times & buy tickets online at the seat61 Ferry Shop or www.colorline.com.
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This photo is taken from the exit of Kiel station, so you can see how close the ferry is. It's a 5-6 minute walk across the harbour, with a street lift up to a connecting walkway which takes you to the ferry terminal. If you have reserved one of what Color Line call their "5 star suites", check in at the desk rather than the machines and you'll be directed to a special lounge to wait with free tea, coffee, juice, snacks & WiFi. You'll also have priority boarding of the ship. Photos courtesy of Andrew Leo. |
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Boarding the Color Line ferry to Oslo in Kiel... |
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A 5 Star Suite on the ferry... |
More cruise liner than ferry! The restaurant. |
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Wake up to this.... |
Vienna to Helsinki...
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Although you can travel to Stockholm then take a ferry to Helsinki, you'll probably find it easier to take a direct ferry from Germany to Helsinki.
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First, check for Finnlines ferries from Travemόnde to Helsinki at www.finnlines.com.
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Then use www.bahn.de to find connecting trains from Vienna to Travemόnde. Allow plenty of time for a transfer to the ferry terminal and the ferry check-in.
Vienna to Prague from 19...
Option 1, by daytime railjet trains in just 3h58...
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The train is definitely the way to go, see the Vienna to Prague page for full details...
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Smart new railjet trains with power sockets, free WiFi & bistro-restaurant car link Vienna Hbf and Prague Hlavni every two hours, journey time just 3h57 from city centre to city centre and fares from just 19, or 29 in first class or 44 in business class, see the Vienna to Prague page for details.
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From 10 December 2017 these railjets are joined by up to four daily trains run by open-access competitor Regiojet with fares from just 15, see the Vienna to Prague page for details.
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A blue Czech railjet train from Prague to Vienna, seen at Prague Hlavni... |
Option 2, by sleeper train...
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With daytime trains now taking only 3h57 it's hardly worth taking the sleeper. But for those who want to save a hotel bill, there's also a sleeper train leaving Vienna Hbf at 22:50, arriving Prague Hlavni at 06:04 with a sleeping-car with 1, 2 & 3 bed compartments and couchettes with 4 & 6 bunk compartments.
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You can book it at either Austrian Railways www.oebb.at or Czech Railways www.cd.cz and print your own ticket.
Vienna to Českύ Krumlov for 43...
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You can travel from Vienna Franz-Josefs-Bahnhof to Českύ Krumlov in 4h26 with two simple changes of train, at Ceske Velenice and Ceske Budejovice.
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Departures are roughly every couple of hours, you can check times at either the Austrian Railways website www.oebb.at or Czech Railways site www.cd.cz. Just avoid any departure shown with 'bus' or a bus symbol.
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The full-price unlimited-availability one-way fare is around 43 bought online from CD or 51 bought online from ΦBB - so it's a no-brainer to buy from www.cd.cz and print out your own ticket any time before departure.
Vienna to Bratislava for 10.50...
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Regional Express trains link Vienna Hbf with Bratislava Hlavna every hour through the day, journey time 1h06. They usually leave Vienna Hbf at xx:16 minutes past each hour, it's the easiest way to travel between these cities.
By the way, Hlavna is often abbreviated to hl.st and simply means main station.
Incidentally, there's also an hourly train from Vienna Hbf to Bratislava Petrzalka station, but Bratislava Petrzalka is a secondary station further from the city centre and the trains to Bratislava Petrzalka cost a few euros more. So I'd stick with the trains to Bratislava Hlavna!
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How much does it cost?
The one-way fare is 10.50, no reservation is necessary or even possible. Just turn up, buy a ticket at the station & hop on. These tickets have unlimited availability so cannot sell out.
For a round trip, a Bratislava Ticket (also known as a EuRegio Slovakia ticket) costs 16. You can travel outward on any train on the first day of validity and can travel back on any train on any day within 16 days. These tickets have unlimited availability so cannot sell out, just buy at the station on the day. With a Bratislava Ticket you also get free use of buses & trams in Bratislava city all day on the first day of validity, a bargain.
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Buy online...
If you want to save time buying a ticket, you can buy a 10.50 one-way ticket online at Austrian Railways www.oebb.at and print it out. It's valid on any train that day. However, you cannot buy a Bratislava Ticket online, so if you're planning a round trip, buy at the station.
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Seating tip: You sit anywhere you like. As you can see in the photo below, there's usually one smart Slovakian air-conditioned intercity coach, whilst the rest of the train consists of more basic non-air-con Austrian City Shuttle regional carriages, with interiors as shown in the photo below right. Grab a seat in the more comfortable Slovakian car!
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River trip? Also consider a river trip along the Danube, Vienna-Bratislava fast ferries and hydrofoils runs at least once a day in winter, up to 5 times a day in summer, 80 minutes. At least two companies operate, see www.twincityliner.com (but only hand luggage is carried) or www.lod.sk (excess fee charged for bags over 15Kg)
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The hourly regional express train from Vienna to Bratislava Hlavna, about to leave from Vienna Hauptbahnhof. Tip: Behind the locomotive there's usually a smart Slovakian air-conditioned intercity coach, whilst the rest of the train consists of more basic non-air-con Austrian City Shuttle carriages, with interiors as shown in the photo above right. Find a seat in the more comfortable Slovakian car if you can! |
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Vienna to Budapest from 19...
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Every hour or two, a smart Austrian railjet train or air-conditioned EuroCity train links Vienna Hbf with Budapest Keleti in only 2h40. Advance-purchase sparschiene fares start at 19 in 2nd class, 29 in 1st class or 44 in luxurious Business class.
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See the Budapest to Vienna by train page for timetable, fares, how to buy tickets & travel tips
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Railjet first class, with black leather seats... |
Business class... |
Bistro-restaurant car... |
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Economy class on railjet, in open saloons with picture windows. Some seats around tables, most unidirectional. |
A railjet from Vienna, arrived at Budapest Keleti spot on time. More photos & information about railjet trains. |
Vienna to Brasov & Bucharest from 58...
Option 1, by sleeper train Dacia Express from Vienna to Bucharest - the easy direct option...
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A direct train called the Dacia Express leaves Vienna Hbf every day at 19:39 arriving next day at Brasov at 13:16 and Bucharest Gara de Nord at 16:00. It has a modern air-conditioned Romanian sleeping-car with 1, 2 & 3 berth compartments with washbasin, plus several deluxe compartments with en suite shower & toilet. It has a couchette car with 4 & 6 berth compartments. A bar-bistro is attached in the morning between Arad & Bucharest, serving drinks, snacks and breakfast, but take your own picnic and bottle of wine along for the evening. There's wonderful almost Alpine scenery through the Carpathian mountains between Brasov and Bucharest, a real treat...
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You can book this train at the Austrian Railways website www.oebb.at which can sell cheap sparschiene fares from Vienna to Bucharest for as little as 39 plus 10 for a couchette in a 6-berth compartment or 30 for a bed in a 3-berth sleeper.
In the search results, look for the direct train marked D with no changes. If it says not available you can't book it, but if a sparschiene fare is shown you can. You collect tickets from an ΦBB ticket machine in Vienna.
Tip: It only became possible to book this train online with cheap advance-purchase tickets in January 2018. As I write this it only seems possible to book a couchette in 6-berth or beds in a 3-bed sleeper with washbasin, not double or single sleepers, or deluxe sleepers with shower. This may change (and if it does, let me know), but in the meantime if you want dual or sole occupancy of a sleeper, I suggest buying 3 tickets for a 3-bed sleeper so you get the whole compartment and can fold away one of the beds. It'll still be cheaper than buying at full whack via other channels!
Option 2, by railjet to Budapest then sleeper train to Bucharest - easily booked online and usually the cheapest option...
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Step 1, travel from Vienna to Budapest by EuroCity train, leaving Vienna Hbf at 14:42 and arriving Budapest Keleti at 17:19. By all means take an earlier train and spend a day or an afternoon exploring Budapest.
Fares start at 19 each way in 2nd class, 29 in 1st class, 44 in business class.
To check times and buy tickets use the Austrian Railways website www.oebb.at. You print your own ticket.
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Step 2, take the EuroNight sleeper train Ister leaving Budapest Keleti at 19:10 and arriving next day at Brasov at 09:26 & Bucharest Nord at 12:05.
This comfortable train has 4 & 6 berth couchettes and a modern air-conditioned sleeping-car with 1, 2 & 3 bed compartments with washbasin, also deluxe sleepers with 1 or 2 beds and shower/toilet. Ister is the historic name for the river Danube. There's no restaurant car so take a picnic and bottle of wine. Enjoy the alpine scenery through the Carpathian mountains between Brasov & Bucharest.
Fares from Budapest to Bucharest start at 39 with a couchette or 59 with a bed in a sleeper. There's wonderful scenery in the morning over breakfast in Transylvania and through the Carpathian mountains between Brasov and Bucharest.
To book the Budapest to Bucharest train, use the Hungarian Railways website www.mavcsoport.hu, see advice on how to use mavcsoport.hu & how you collect your tickets. For Bucharest, enter Bucuresti .
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En suite toilet & shower in a deluxe sleeper. |
A sleeper set up as a single-berth... |
Modern air-conditioned Romanian sleeping-car as used on both the Ister & Dacia Express. Photos courtesy Andy Brabin. |
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Romanian vagon cuseta (couchette car)... |
6-berth couchettes. |
4-berth couchettes. |
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Enjoy breakfast in the bar-bistro eastbound, or an evening beer westbound, as a bar-bistro is attached in Romania to both the Ister & Dacia Express. Bar-bistro photos courtesy of Philip Dyer-Perry. |
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Option 3, using daytime trains with overnight stop - if you prefer day trains & hotels to sleepers...
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Day 1, take an air-conditioned railjet train from Vienna to Budapest, leaving Vienna Hbf at 18:42 and arriving Budapest Keleti at 21:19. By all means take an earlier train if you'd like an evening or even a whole afternoon in Budapest.
Book this train from just 19 in 2nd class or 29 in 1st class at the Austrian Railways website www.oebb.at and print your own ticket.
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Stay overnight in Budapest. For an inexpensive hotel with great reviews right next to Keleti Station, try the Royal Park Boutique Hotel. More hotels in Budapest.
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Day 2, take a daytime train from Budapest to Transylvania & Bucharest. A comfortable air-conditioned InterCity train leaves Budapest Keleti at 09:10 via Simeria & Sibiu arriving Brasov 22:45.
Book these trains from 29 (but no equivalent 1st class offer, so my advice is to stick with 2nd) at the Hungarian Railways website www.mavcsoport.hu, clicking EN for English top left. You collect your tickets from the yellow ticket machines at Budapest Keleti station.
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Air-conditioned 2nd class used on the Traianus from Budapest to Bucharest. |
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Vienna to Ljubljana & Slovenia...
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A comfortable air-conditioned EuroCity train called the Emona links Vienna with Ljubljana every day, leaving Vienna Hbf at 07:58 and arriving in Ljubljana at 14:06.
The Emona has a Slovenian restaurant car serving inexpensive waiter-service meals, beer & wine. Enjoy the fabulous scenery along the beautiful UNESCO-listed Semmering route through the mountains between Vienna & Graz.
The Emona uses a mix of comfortable & spacious air-conditioned Austrian & Slovenian carriages with a choice of sitting in an open-plan saloon car (my own preference) or in classic 6-seater compartments with side corridor. The Austrian cars have power sockets at seats, although the Slovenian ones don't.
If you like you can check the train formation & see what the carriages are like at www.vagonweb.cz - click the UK flag for English, click composition then look for Austria and click EC then look for the Emona.
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Other departures are available leaving Vienna Hbf around 12:25, changing at Villach to arrive Ljubljana around 18:32, and leaving Vienna around 15:58, changing at Maribor onto a train to Ljubljana arriving around 21:53.
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Fares start at 24 in 2nd class or 34 in 1st class booked online at the Austrian Railways website www.oebb.at. You print your own ticket.
Vienna to Zagreb, Split, Dubrovnik & Croatia...
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A comfortable air-conditioned EuroCity train called the Croatia links Vienna with Zagreb every day, leaving Vienna Hbf at 15:58 and arriving in Zagreb at 22:41.
The Croatia has an Austrian restaurant car, so treat yourself to dinner, and at least in summer enjoy the fabulous scenery along the beautiful UNESCO-listed Semmering route through the mountains between Vienna & Graz.
The Croatia uses comfortable and spacious air-conditioned Austrian carriages, with power sockets at all seats with a choice of sitting in an open-plan saloon car (my own preference) or in classic 6-seater compartments with side corridor.
If you like you can check the train formation & see what the carriages are like at www.vagonweb.cz - click the UK flag for English, click composition then look for Austria and click EC then look for the Croatia.
Another departure is available leaving Vienna Hbf around 08:25 by railjet train, changing at Villach onto a Croatian train to Zagreb arriving around 17:10. And at 12:25, change at Villach, arriving 20:51. This train also takes the UNESCO-listed Semmering route.
Fares start at just 29 in 2nd class or 39 in 1st class.
Buy tickets at the Austrian Railways website www.oebb.at and print your own ticket.
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For Split, either stay overnight in Zagreb and take a daytime train from Zagreb to Split next day (a great idea as it's a lovely scenic route well worth seeing by day) or take the overnight sleeper from Zagreb to Split. The fare by daytime train is only around 20 in 2nd class. See the Trains from Zagreb page for photos & full details.
You can check times & buy tickets online at the Croatian Railways website www.hzpp.hr - though it's not usually a problem to get places on the day.
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For Dubrovnik, take a bus from Split to Dubrovnik. Buses leave every hour or even every half hour from Split bus station and take between 3h45 and 4h35 to Dubrovnik bus station. There are various operators, the fare is between 13 and 17. Buy at the bus station on the day, it's easy.
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Vienna to Zagreb on the Croatia: This is an elegant Austrian restaurant car of the type used on the Croatia, a very civilised & comfortable train... |
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1st class open-plan seating as used on the Croatia. 1st class seats in classic 6-seat compartments are also available... |
2nd class compartment seating as used on the Croatia. Seats in open plan saloon cars also available |
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Zagreb to Split by train: These fast, tilting, air-conditioned ICN trains link Zagreb & Split once or twice a day through great scenery. Above right, first class seats. You can now buy tickets online at www.hzpp.hr. |
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Scenery between Zagreb and Split seen from the train... Photo courtesy of Pαraic Maguire. |
Vienna to Belgrade from 34. Vienna to Sofia from 59...
Option 1, by daytime trains to Belgrade then overnight sleeper to Sofia...
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An excellent direct daily air-conditioned EuroCity train called the Avala leaves Vienna Hbf at 08:42 and arrives at Belgrade main station at 20:26. It uses smart air-conditioned Hungarian carriages.
If you like you can check the train formation & see photos of what the carriages are like at www.vagonweb.cz - click the UK flag for English, click composition then look for Hungary and click EC then look for the Avala.
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To buy tickets the easy way, go to Austrian Railways www.oebb.at and book from Vienna to Belgrade. As from January 2018 you can book this train online with cheap sparschiene advance-purchase fares from 42 in 2nd class or 52 in 1st class.
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To save a few euros, or if no sparschiene fare shows up from Vienna to Belgrade at oebb.at, you can split the booking like this:
Step 1, use www.oebb.at to pre-book a cheap advance-purchase sparschiene ticket from 19 from Vienna to Budapest on this 08:39 departure, train EC345. You print your own ticket.
Step 2, now use the Hungarian Railways website www.mavcsoport.hu (see this advice on using it & collecting tickets) to book a cheap 15 ticket from Budapest to Belgrade on the same train, the 11:57 EuroCity train EC345 from Budapest Keleti to Belgrade arriving 20:22.
Tickets booked at mavcsoport.hu have to be collected from the yellow ticket machines installed at all main Hungarian stations including Budapest Keleti, they cannot be printed at home. But don't worry, this train arrives at Budapest Keleti at 11:19 and doesn't leave again until 12:05 - it's a terminus, so the train changes direction and they have to attach another locomotive at the other end. So you have plenty of time to nip to one of the yellow ticket machines located around the station just feet away from your train.
Incidentally, there is no 1st class equivalent of the 15 fare between Budapest and Belgrade therefore the Hungarian Railways site won't sell you anything in 1st class as it only sells special fares not regular fares. So if booking using this method, stick with 2nd class, it's simply not worth buying a 70 1st class ticket at the station on the day to get 2" more legroom when you can buy a 15 ticket for 2nd class in advance online.
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If you're heading to Sofia, spend the night in Belgrade - I recommend the excellent and historic Hotel Moskva 10 minutes walk from the station - then take the daytime train from Belgrade to Sofia. From June to September there is a direct train called the Balkan, leaving Belgrade main station at 08:55 and arriving Sofia Central Station at 20:12. 2nd class only, bring your own picnic and bottle of wine as there's no catering. At other times of year you leave Belgrade Centar station at 04:00, change at Nis & Plovdiv arriving Sofia at 18:50. Buy this ticket at the station for 20.60, there are always places available, even on the day. It cannot be booked online, and there's no need.
Option 2, Vienna to Belgrade with overnight stop in Budapest:
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Day 1, take any train you like from Vienna Hbf to Budapest Keleti in 2h40 from 19 in 2nd class or 29 in 1st class booked at www.oebb.at with print-at-home tickets.
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Stay overnight in Budapest. For an inexpensive hotel with great reviews right next to Keleti Station, try the Royal Park Boutique Hotel. More hotels in Budapest.
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Day 2, take the EuroCity train Ivo Andric on day 2, leaving Budapest Keleti at 07:57 and arriving Belgrade station at 16:22. Book this for 15 at Hungarian Railways www.mavcsoport.hu. This is an unlimited-availability special offer, it is available at that price even at the station on the day, although seat reservations are required on both the 08:05 & 12:05 trains from Budapest Keleti to Belgrade. The 08:05 Ivo Andric uses Serbian air-conditioned cars (comfortable enough if the air-con works) but there's no catering car so bring your own provisions and a beer or two - the later 11:57 Hungarian Avala. Don't bother with 1st class on this route, as there is no 1st class equivalent of the 15 2nd class special fare. A 1st class ticket would have to be bought at the station on the day for perhaps 70, a lot extra to pay for a mere 2" more legroom!
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The morning Serbian train from Budapest to Belgrade, seen at Budapest Keleti. Just 15! |
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Option 3, using the Budapest-Belgrade sleeper...
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Step 1, travel from Vienna to Budapest by smart Austrian railjet train leaving Vienna Hbf at 17:42 arriving Budapest Keleti around 20:19. Have dinner in Budapest, perhaps at the Baross restaurant on platform 6. Fares start at 19 booked at the Austrian Railways website www.oebb.at, you print your own ticket.
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Step 2, travel from Budapest to Belgrade on the sleeper train Beograd, leaving Budapest Keleti at 22:15 & arriving Belgrade station at 06:17
The fare from Budapest to Belgrade is just 15 if you book at the Hungarian railways website www.mavcsoport.hu, clicking EN for English top left. A couchette is an extra 8 in 6-berth or 10 in 4-berth. A bunk in a 4-berth is recommended as it gives you a lot more space per person. You collect your tickets from the yellow ticket machines at Budapest Keleti station. There's usually no sleeper on this train these days.
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Step 3, travel from Belgrade to Sofia. From June to September there is a direct train called the Balkan, leaving Belgrade main station at 08:55 and arriving Sofia Central Station at 20:12. 2nd class only, bring your own picnic and bottle of wine as there's no catering. At other times of year you leave Belgrade Centar station at 04:00, change at Nis & Plovdiv arriving Sofia at 18:50. Buy this ticket at Belgrade station for 20.60, there are always places available, even on the day. It cannot be booked online, and there's no need.
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The Belgrade to Budapest couchette car, arrived at Belgrade... |
Elderly Serbian 6-berth couchettes... |
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Belgrade to Sofia by train... |
Old-school but comfortable compartment. |
If you're heading for Montenegro...
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Travel to Belgrade as shown above.
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Then take either the daytime train Tara or the sleeper train Lovcen from Belgrade to Podgorica & Bar in Montenegro. It's one of the most scenic lines in Europe, for times, fares & photos see the Belgrade to Montenegro page.
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Change at Podgorica for regular buses to Budva or Kotor.
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If you need to spend the night in Belgrade, I recommend the historic Hotel Moskva.
Vienna to Warsaw & Krakow from 39...
Option 1, to Warsaw by comfortable daytime train...
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Two air-conditioned EuroCity trains with restaurant car link Vienna with Warsaw every day, city centre to city centre:
The EuroCity Sobieski leaves Vienna Hbf at 08:10 and arrives Warsaw Centralna at 15:05.
The EuroCity Polonia leaves Vienna Hbf at 14:10 and arrives Warsaw Centralna at 21:20.
Take a good book and treat yourself to an inexpensive meal in the restaurant car with beer or wine.
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Sparschiene fares start at 39 in 2nd class or from 49 in 1st class if booked in advance.
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Book online at the Austrian Railways website www.oebb.at and collect tickets from an ΦBB ticket machine in Vienna.
Option 2, to Krakow by comfortable daytime trains...
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Check times and buy tickets at Austrian Railways www.oebb.at. You collect tickets from an ΦBB ticket machine in Vienna.
Leave Vienna Hbf at 08:10, change trains at Katowice, arrive Krakow 16:05.
Leave Vienna Hbf at 09:10, change trains at Ceska Trebova, arrive Krakow 17:02.
Leave Vienna Hbf at 14:10, change trains at Katowice, arrive Krakow 21:12.
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Sparschiene fares start at 39 in 2nd class or from 49 in 1st class if booked in advance.
Option 3, to Krakow or Warsaw by EuroNight sleeper train - the time-effective option...
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A safe & comfortable EuroNight sleeper train called the Chopin leaves Vienna Hbf at 22:10 arriving Krakow Glowny at 06:18 & Warsaw Centralna at 09:01.
This train has a comfortable and secure sleeping-car with 1, 2 or 3 beds per compartment. It's air-conditioned and also has a couple of 1 or 2 bed deluxe compartments with shower & toilet, see the photos below. The train also has economical couchettes in 4 & 6-bunk compartments.
Vienna to Krakow starts at 39 plus 26 supplement for a bed in a 3-bed sleeper or 39 for a bed in a 2-bed sleeper (per person, as berths are sold individually).
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Book this train online at the Austrian Railways website www.oebb.at, you collect tickets from an ΦBB ticket machine in Vienna.
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Modern Polish sleeping-car of the type used Vienna-Warsaw. Photo courtesy of WieselFahrer... |
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Standard sleeper in evening/morning mode with seats folded out. |
Standard sleeper set up as a 3-berth. It can also be sold as a single or double. |
Deluxe sleeper, set up as a 2-berth, showing TV & wardrobe. |
Deluxe sleeper: En suite shower & toilet... |
Vienna to Kiev & Ukraine...
Option 1, by new direct sleeping-car from Vienna to Lviv & Kiev. See Ukrainian news report showing the new Vienna-Kiev sleeping-car service.
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A direct sleeping-car leaves Vienna Hbf at 16:42 every day, travels via Budapest & Chop and arrives next day at Lviv at 09:10 & Kiev at 16:11.
Introduced in December 2017, this train has a Ukrainian sleeping-car with comfortable 1, 2 & 3 berth compartments with washbasin, see the photos below. There's an air-conditioned Slovakian restaurant car for dinner, it runs from Vienna as far as Zahony on the border with Ukraine reached around midnight. At Chop on the other side of the border the through sleeping-car is jacked up to have its wheelsets changed from European standard gauge (4'8½") to Russian gauge used in Ukraine (5').
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The best way to buy tickets for this train is via reliable agency www.polrail.com, with tickets posted or couriered to you for a small fee. Polrail are based in Poland so charge in zlotys, but as they have access to Ukrainian ticketing system they are good for booking this train. You cannot currently book online with ΦBB although you could try emailing or calling their telesales via their website www.oebb.at. Feedback would be appreciated
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Booked through Polrail:
Vienna to Kiev costs around 138 in a 3-berth sleeper 149 in a 2-berth sleeper, or 241 in a single-berth sleeper.
Vienna to Lviv costs around 120 in a 3-berth sleeper 129 in a 2-berth sleeper, or 207 in a single-berth sleeper.
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Booked at the station in Ukraine, Kiev to Vienna costs around 80, Lviv to Vienna around 60, in both cases with a bed in a 3-bed sleeper.
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Boarding the Vienna to Kiev sleeping-car at Vienna Hbf. Photo courtesy of Helmut Uttenthaler. |
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The Vienna-Kiev sleeper about to leave Vienna Hbf... Courtesy of Helmut Uttenthaler. |
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The sleeper corridor. Courtesy Helmut Uttenthaler. |
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A comfortable 1, 2 or 3 bed sleeper. |
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The Vienna-Kiev sleeper is jacked up to have its bogies changed at Chop on the Ukrainian border. Photo Helmut Uttenthaler. |
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The Vienna-Kiev sleeping-car arrived Kiev Pass. Photos courtesy of Helmut Uttenthaler. |
Option 2, using the Budapest-Lviv daytime train Latorca...
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Step 1, take any train you like from Vienna Hbf to Budapest Keleti booked online at www.oebb.at from 19 in 2nd class or 29 in 1st class. Trains leave every hour or two, journey 2h45.
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Stay overnight in Budapest. For an inexpensive hotel with great reviews next to Budapest Keleti, try the Royal Park Boutique Hotel. More hotels in Budapest.
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Step 2, take the direct train Latorca leaving Budapest Nyugati at 07:23 every day and arriving Lviv at 22:20 that same day. This train is composed of Ukrainian sleeping-cars with 3 berth compartments, used in daytime mode. See the Latorca photos on the Trains from Budapest page.
The fare is around 60 if you buy at the station in Budapest and use the convenient through carriages, or around 87 if you order in advance from reliable Polish agency www.polrail.com with tickets posted to you for an additional fee. However, you travel for half that price if you don't mind switching cars at the border like this:
Step 1, pre-book Budapest to Zahony on the 07:23 from Budapest Nyugati for around 17.50 at www.mavcsoport.hu. You get an e-ticket.
Step 2, Zahony to Chop costs 2.50, you buy this at the station at Zahony. There's plenty of time to do this.
Step 3, pre-book Chop to Lviv for around 6 in a 4 bed sleeper or 12 in a 1st class 2-berth at the Ukrainian Railways website www.uz.gov.ua on train 81 leaving Chop at 17:00.
In this way, you travel on exactly the same train, but in the Hungarian domestic cars Budapest-Zahony and the Ukrainian domestic cars Chop-Lviv, for half the price of travelling direct in the through cars.
Vienna to Moscow, St Petersburg & Russia...
Option 1, via Kiev - runs daily & avoids Belarus, the route I'd recommend.
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Step 1, take the direct sleeper train from Vienna to Kiev, leaving Vienna Hbf at 16:42 and arriving Kiev at 16:11 the next day. To book this, contact agency www.polrail.com or try contacting ΦBB (Austrian Railways) telesales via www.oebb.at - it seems tickets aren't being sold online. See the photos & journey details in the section above.
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Step 2, take one of the various Kiev to Moscow sleeper trains, for example one leaves at 19:33 arriving Moscow Kievskaya station at 10:01 the next morning.
The fare is around 92 with a bed in 4-berth kupι or 180 with a bed in a 2-berth spalny vagon.
You can ask www.polrail.com to book this for you too, or you can book tickets from Kiev to Moscow at the Ukrainian Railways site https://booking.uz.gov.ua/en/ booking from Kyiv to Moskva Kievskaya. You collect tickets at the station in Kiev. Feedback appreciated!
Option 2, by direct train, aboard the weekly Nice-Moscow Express...
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The direct weekly Russian sleeping-car from Vienna to Moscow was discontinued in December 2017. But you can travel from Vienna to Moscow on the weekly Nice-Moscow Express run by RZD Russian Railways. This leaves Vienna Hbf around 16:41 on Sundays arriving Moscow around 22:00 on Monday. It's identical to the Paris-Moscow train shown here. You can book it online at the Russian Railways website www.rzd.ru and print your own ticket - see my advice for using rzd.ru.
Option 3, with a day in Warsaw, 3 times a week...
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Step 1, take the daily EuroNight sleeper train Chopin from Vienna to Warsaw as shown in detail above, booking this train online at www.oebb.at.
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Spend the morning and much of the afternoon exploring Warsaw.
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Step 2, then take the sleeper train Polonez leaving Warsaw Centralna at 16:25 on Tuesdays, Thursdays & Saturdays and arriving Moscow Belorussky station next day at 12:11 (late March to late October) or 13:11 (late October to late March).
The Polonez uses modern air-conditioned Russian sleepers, with 1st class 2-berth or 2nd class 4-berth compartments with washbasin, toilets & shower at the end of the corridor. This train passes through Belarus, so you'll need a Belarus transit visa. Fare around 111 in a 2-berth sleeper. See panorama photo inside one of these new Russian sleepers.
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You can try booking the Polonez online at en.oui.sncf, this may or may not work for this train, it has in the past. Alternatively, anyone can contact highly-recommended Polish train ticketing agency www.polrail.com (their booking system is at http://booking.polrail.com), who can arrange train tickets for international trains starting in Poland with tickets collected in Warsaw or (at extra charge) shipped to any address worldwide.
Vienna to Athens & Greece...
Option 1, overland by train through the Balkans, an adventure...
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Day 1, travel from Vienna to Belgrade by comfortable air-conditioned EuroCity train Avala with restaurant car as shown above from 34, booked as shown in that section.
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Spend a night & day in Belgrade. I recommend the excellent and well-located Hotel Moskva 10 minutes walk from the station
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Day 2, take the direct overnight train leaving Belgrade station at 18:10 for Thessaloniki in Northern Greece as shown on the trains from Belgrade page for 42 including couchette. You can buy at this price at the station on the day if you like, there are almost always places available and it's not expensive.
Note that engineering work in Serbia means this train won't run in winter 2016/17 from September until Spring 2017, though you can still go to Vienna-Sofia and then Sofia to Thessaloniki.
TRAIN CANCELLED 1 APRIL TO 1 JUNE 2018... It's just been announced by Serbian Railways that this train is cancelled from 1 April until 1 June 2018. This is due to engineering work according to some sources, or 'small interest of passengers' according to one response from Serbian Railways. No alternative has been laid on. It will run in the summer.
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Day 3, take a very scenic 5h train ride from Thessaloniki to Athens, either bought at the station or booked online in advance from as little as 9 at www.trainose.gr with the advice shown here.
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The Belgrade to Thessaloniki couchette car... Below, scenery between Thessaloniki & Athens... |
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After leaving Thessaloniki, the InterCity train runs along the Aegean coast and past Mount Olympus (seen above, from the train), mythical home to the Greek gods... |
Between Larissa & Athens, the train snakes through the mountains, over the famous Gorgopotamos viaduct, blown up by the British S.O.E. in WW2... |
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Emerging from the mountains, the train descends a spectacular escarpment (above left), with the Greek plain laid out hundreds of feet below... |
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Option 2, by train to Italy then ferry...
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Day 1, take the comfortable Nightjet sleeper train from Vienna to Venice as shown above from 59 with couchette or from 99 with a bed in a cosy 2-bed sleeper or 139 in a single-bed sleeper, light breakfast included. You could also take the earlier 19:23 sleeper from Vienna to Bologna instead, this works just as well. Book this at www.oebb.at and print your own ticket.
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Day 2, take a train from Venice (or Bologna) to Bari, booked at either www.italiarail.com or www.trenitalia.com from just 29.90 in 2nd class or 39.90 in 1st class. I'd allow at least 60 minutes between trains in Venice.
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Day 2, sail from Bari to Patras in Greece by cruise ferry. The ferry usually sails daily except Sundays at 19:30, arrives Patras around 13:00 next day (day 3 from Vienna). Fares from around 60 with a deck place, rising to over 120 or so if you want a cabin - check times, prices and buy tickets at www.superfast.com. It's a wonderful journey, past Ithaca & Kefalonia on a ship with cabins, sun decks, bars & restaurants. Then catch a bus from Patras to Athens. You'll find more details about both the ferry and onward transport from Patras to Athens on the London to Greece page, just ignore the London to Bari part!
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2 or 4-berth cabin with private toilet & shower. |
Relaxing on deck... |
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At sea, passing Cephalonia & Ithaca. This is what travel to Greece should be like! |
Vienna to Istanbul & Turkey...
Option 1, via Budapest & Bucharest...
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Take an afternoon railjet train from Vienna to Budapest in 2h41 from 19 bought at www.oebb.at.
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Then pick up the overnight sleeper train Ister from Budapest to Bucharest and the onward train from Bucharest to Istanbul as explained in detail in this section on the London to Turkey page, buying tickets as shown on that page. It's a 2-night journey.
Option 2, via Belgrade & Sofia...
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Take a train from Vienna to Belgrade as explained above.
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Then take the daytime train to Sofia, spend a day exploring Sofia and then take the overnight couchette train to Istanbul, explained in detail in this section on the London to Turkey page, buying tickets as shown on that page. This is also a 2-night journey.
Railbookers
custom-made tours
If you just want to buy train tickets at the cheapest price, book online as shown on this page. However, if you want someone to sort out your whole trip for you, arranging all your trains, hotels and transfers, and to look after you if anything affects your arrangements, the people to talk to are Railbookers. Railbookers can tailor-make a train trip around Europe to your own specification. Just tell them what you want and they'll advise you on the best trains, routes & hotels. They get good reports and a lot of repeat business! They now have offices in the UK, North America and Australia.
UK call 020 3327 0761,
www.railbookers.co.uk.
US call free 1-888-829-4775,
see
website.
Canada call free 1-855-882-2910,
see website.
Australia call toll-free 1300 971 526,
see website.
New Zealand call toll-free 0800 000 554 or
see
website.
Hotels in Vienna & other cities
Other hotel sites worth trying...
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www.tripadvisor.com is the place to find independent travellers' reviews of all the main hotels.
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www.booking.com is my own preferred hotel booking system (Hotels Combined being a search/comparison system). It has a simple interface, a good selection in most countries worldwide, useful online customer reviews of each hotel, and decent prices, usually shown inclusive of unavoidable extras such as taxes (a pet hate of mine is systems that show one price, then charge you another!).
Backpacker hostels...
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www.hostelworld.com: If you're on a tight budget, don't forget about backpacker hostels. Hostelworld offers online booking of cheap private rooms or dorm beds in backpacker hostels in most cities at rock-bottom prices.
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