Vienna to Naples: Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Part 2: All Aboard the Night Train from Vienna to Venice
There’s something magical about the idea of a sleeper service. Falling asleep to the rhythmic sound of the train on the rails and waking up transported to another land. The reality can feel more Gatwick Express than Hogwarts Express. But don’t let that put you off…
Where we went: Vienna, Venice, Adriatic Coast, Rome, Amalfi Coast, Pompei, Naples
When we went: July/August
Part 2: All Aboard the Night Train from Vienna to Venice
Where: Vienna (Wien HBF) to Venice (Venezia Santa Lucia)
How: ÖBB Nightjet Sleeper Train (Compartment with 4 beds)
Price: £52 pp
Duration: 11 hours
After a few wonderful days in Vienna, the second leg of our European escapade involved a totally new mode of transport for us… the sleeper train.
While we’d both done some standard student travel, neither of us had opted for the popular Interrailing option. I’d taken my weekend job wages to STA travel in Victoria and booked the bargain basement, the hop-on-hop-off ‘Eurobus’, while my husband had spent a summer crossing the States by Greyhound.
The discovery of a Vienna to Venice night train was a huge jumping off point for our trip. It was the way that we could combine the culture of Vienna with the pasta of Italy and we were on board, literally.
Booking
I discovered the route the good old fashioned way, by Googling “trains from Vienna to Italy” and that ÖBB (aka The Austrian Federal Railways) were responsible for the route.
While a follow-up search revealed an ÖBB Venice destination page, to find a train and book, you have to click on the website’s dedicated ÖBB Nightjet tab. Here you can enter your travel dates and explore pricing.
For the sleeper service from Vienna (HBF) to Venice (Santa Lucia) you’ll then be given three seating/cabin options to pick from:
Seating Carriage
From €42 per adult, €10 per child
Seats in a 6 seat shared 2nd class compartment
Shared washrooms
Couchette Carriage
From €87 per adult, €30 per child
Seating that folds flat for sleeping, with bedding provided
2nd class lockable compartments, which can be booked exclusively for 4 or 6
Shared washrooms
Breakfast (hot drink, roll, butter, jam) with mineral water included
Sleeper Cabin
From €107 per adult, €50 per child
Private cabins, sleeping 1, 2 or 3
Structured individual seats and freshly made beds
Private bathroom
Á la carte breakfast
Traveling both on a budget and as a four, we opted for the Couchette.
(Other ÖBB Nightjet destinations to or from Vienna including Berlin, Paris, Split and Amsterdam can also be booked following the above process).
The Station - Vienna HBF
The ÖBB Nightjet leaves from Vienna’s new central station, Hauptbahnhof (HBF), which is easily accessible by the city’s excellent tram system.
There are coin-operated luggage lockers on the first floor of the station, which is handy if, like us, you have checked out of your accommodation in the morning, but don’t leave until the evening.
There’s also a great selection of shops at the station selling everything from souvenirs to essential snacks and drinks for your journey.
Our train didn’t depart until 21:27, but keen to be there in plenty of time and take advantage of the various food and drink options, we arrived back at the station a couple of hours early. We collected our bags, then ate in the food court (which has all sorts of fast food including German fish and chip chain Nordsee and sausages from Würstel Boutique), before heading up to make use of the ÖBB Lounge, open to all sleeper train and first class ticket holders.
The lounge has free soft drinks as well as a great view of the station’s information screens. I was especially excited to find they had Almdudler, an Austrian fizzy drink made using herbal extracts and a central part of all of my school ski trip memories.
Excitement over the free drinks was quite possibly a factor in us ultimately having to run to find our train. It’s worthy of note that the ÖBB Nightjet platform is about a ten minute walk from the lounge and the ticket states you need to be on board 15 minutes before departure.
Boarding
While there are no barriers to navigate, the trains are long and so it can take some time to find your carriage and not all of the staff speak English. I’d advise getting to the platform around 30 minutes before departure if the train has arrived - I wish we had.
The Couchette Carriage
The couchette cabins are functional, furnished with sofa seating that switches flat for sleeping and with bedding provided.
Each cabin has its own lighting and temperature controls and the small shared washrooms are close by. Bag storage is limited, tucked away at the end of the top bunks and there’s only a very small half table under the window. Definitely not large enough to hold much more than the two beers we’d brought with us.
There’s no buffet car, so you’ll need to bring provisions.
While it was all perfectly acceptable, the kids were disappointed having turned up expecting free slippers and ensuite facilities, like the influencer content they’d seen touring the first class cabins on YouTube.
We saw no sign of such luxury (or influencers), presumably they were in another section entirely.
The journey.
The total journey duration is 11 hours, with numerous stops of varying duration.
While there was undeniable noise from the train itself and the other guests (a group of laughing ladies one side and a family with excited but tired young children on the other), no-one else in our group seemed to find it stopped them from sleeping.
The last to drop, I finally fell asleep around Salzburg and woke up as we passed by the Dolomites, not far from our destination, having had about five hours sleep. Not ideal, but just about passable.
A basic complimentary continental breakfast is served in your cabin. Its appearance with a knock on the door was the most exciting part of it, but it was exciting all the same.
Despite some heavy rain as we arrived, the final leg into Venice is a sight to behold, as the city appears before you and you cross the water to meet it.
The Station - Venice Santa Lucia
The Nightjet service takes you straight into Venice’s central Santa Lucia station. After disembarking you exit right onto the Grand Canal, making this one of the world’s most well-positioned stations.
As the train arrives at 8.34 am, just as the city is getting ready for the day, there are lockers in the station (taking cards or coins), but we’d asked our airbnb host if we could drop ours off early.
We left our bags in the hall of our apartment just minutes from the station and sat sheltered from the rain at a cafe by one of the endless pretty bridges, enjoying our first Italian coffee and pastries of the trip.
As the only one who’d visited Venice before, it was fun to see everyone’s faces as the coffee and cakes kicked in. Even in the rain, Venice is arguably the most beautiful city in the world.
Part 3: 48 Hours in Venice is next!
Planes, Trains and Automobiles: Part 3: 48 Hours in Venice will be with you next week, followed by Part 4: 48 Hours in Rome and finally Part 5: The Amalfi Coast, Pompeii & Naples. Then, it’s on to The Japan Plan, a booking and planning tips special ahead of our big Japan trip (did I mention we were going to Japan?!).
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