The only direct train from Firenze /Florence to Vienna / Wien is the overnight Nightjet service
Though the optimum daytime journey involves making only one connection between trains - and if you set off early in the morning from the Italian capital, you can enjoy the stunning scenery on the Austrian part of the route!
When travelling between most cities by train there is only one logical option, though on other journeys there is a choice between different trains or alternative routes. If different options are available you can use the info to decide which is best for you.
10hr 21min
Nightly
1 x train per night
OBB is the national rail operator and its booking service offers journeys by express trains within Austria, as well as international journeys which don't involve making a connection outside of Austria.
It pays off to book online, as the discounted 'Sparscheine' tickets are only ever made available on the website, and when making international journeys to and from Austria, these Sparscheine tickets tend to be cheaper.
OBB can offer particularly good value for money when travelling with children on international rail journeys, but something to watch out for when travelling between Austria and Germany on daytime trains, is that reservations are an optional extra; but if you book 1st class tickets with the Germany railways website DB, the reservations are complimentary.
OBB often takes a unique approach to its booking path, but a key thing to keep in mind is that the first price you will see for any journey is that of a Second Class seat.
The costs of upgrading to first class, a reservation, or a sleeping cabin etc, is then added to this price.
OBB operates the Nightjet trains and it's bespoke booking path for these trains is particularly easy to follow, with detailed explanations of the accommodation options.
Booking places in the sleeping cabins
When entering 2 travellers as 1 male and 1 female, you will automatically be given the option to book a 3-bed cabin for the sole use of the two of you - the 'double' cabin option.
So you will be in the cabin together with no other travellers.
3 men + 2 women or 3 women + 2 men = three beds in a triple cabin + two beds in a double cabin is what you will be offered, though the cabins will then be male and female only.
So if the combination of travellers is 1 male/female couple + 1 male/female couple and a child, you will need to make two separate bookings so that the two couples can each share a cabin.
When 4 Adults are travelling together you will be given the option of booking double or triple cabins.
If you select 'Double' you will automatically be assigned 4 beds in two double cabins.
Because the Triple cabins are segregated into male and female, when two women + two men are in the travel party, the two men will be sharing a triple compartment with another traveller, as will the two women
When 3 men + 1 woman or 3 women + 1 man are the travel party, the fourth person will then be sharing a three bed cabin with two other people.
The train is usually scheduled to depart from Firenze S.M.N. station at 22:31 and arrive in Wien/Vienna's main station at 08:52.
Final Destination: Wien Hbf
The train also calls at: Bruck an der Mur; Wiener Neuststadt and Wien-Meidling
Travel during the day
This overnight service is the only direct train from Firenze to Wien/Vienna, so if you opt to travel by day, you'll have to make connection, though the scenery is fabulous north of Udine
The optimum connection involves taking this daily combination of trains.
1: Depart Firenze S.M.N at 07:20 for Venezia Mestre
2: Depart Venezia Mestre at 10:08 (43 min connedction) arrive Wien Hbf at 17:35.
If you awake before 06:45 open the blinds (as at any time outside the depth of winter) this train travels over the most spectacular part of the route - The Semmering Pass between Buck am der Mur and Weiner-Neustadt in daylight.
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open: 6 months ahead of the travel date
The train conveys:
- Compartment Seats (Sitzwagen)
- Couchettes (Liegewagen); 4 berths AND 6 berths
- Standard sleeping cars (Schlafwagen) with 3 bed, 2 bed and 1 cabins
- Deluxe sleeping cars with showers (Schlafwagen) with 3 bed, 2 bed and 1 cabins
The first price you will see on the OBB ticketing site will be for the compartment seats.
Click the train button details or more info including the rail pass reservation fees:
Rail pass users must reserve before boarding these trains.
You can now book rail pass reservations without paying booking fees on the OBB website (OBB operates these trains).
Though the process for doing so isn't particularly obvious, hence a step-by-step guide.
Alternatively reservations can be arranged and paid for at Firenze S.M. Novella station, or at the reservation desks at major Italian stations; ideally do this when you first arrive in Italy your itinerary.
Making the rail pass reservation in advance is particularly recommended if you will be traveling between June and September.
If you wait until arriving in Italy to reserve, your first choice of accommodation may have sold out.
10hr 15min (approx)
Daily
Trenitlalia is the national rail operator in Italy and in addition to its cheaper types of ticket; it also typically offers other discounts available to non-Italians, which include:
There are no direct daytime trains from Firenze / Florence to Wien / Vienna and the only route which enables only one transfer between trains to be required is by connecting at Venezia Mestre.
Making a connection at Venezia Mestre is the optimum daytime route by both simplicity and time.
However, there are only two direct trains of the day from Venezia Mestre to Wien Hbf.
Though a plus is is that the time between trains in Venezia Mestre station is an easily managed 40 - 45 mins and each binaro (platform) at the station is equipped with elevators to enable a step-free connection.
And the reward for rising early to take an early morning train to Venezia Mestre, will be the opportunity to experience the lovely Austrian landscape by daylight.
Final Destination: Venezia S. Lucia
The first connecting train of the day is typically scheduled to depart from Firenze S.M. Novella at 07:20 and this should be a Frecciarossa 1000 train - depart at this time and you should be arriving into Wien Hbf before 17:45.
The second connection of the day typically requires a departure at 15:20, depart at this time and you will arrive into the Austrian capital after 23:30.
These trains use the high speed line between Firenze and Bologna and this part of the route is mainly in tunnels.
There is no high speed line between Bologna and Venezia/Venice ,so these trains spend most of this journey on a 'classic' railway.
These trains are usually scheduled to depart from Venezia Mestre station daily at around 10:05 and 16:05.
Final Destination: Wien Hbf
These trains also call at: Villach (connect trains to Salzburg and buses to Ljubljana), Klagenfurt, Leoben, Bruck an der Mur (connect for Graz), Wiener Neustadt and Wien Meidling.
Check the location of your final destination in Wien/Vienna.
If you're heading to the south west corner of the city, or the area on the ring road around the Opera House - then it's likely that you'll have a faster and more convenient journey if you leave the train at Wien-Meidling station.
Wien Meidling is connected to line U6 of the Vienna Metro, which serves the western side of the city centre.
(all of the videos were taken from a train travelling in the opposite direction)
The first highlight of the trip from Venezia Mestre comes as the train leaves Udine behind and threads through the jagged peaks of the Dolomites on its way to Tarviso - though much of this part of the route is in tunnels.
Between Villach and Klagenfurt, from the right, there are some beautiful views over the lake named the Worthersee.
Then between Klagenfurt and Leoben comes arguably the most pleasing part of the journey with frequent
sweeping vistas over valleys to be enjoyed from both sides of the train.
After Bruck an der Mur the train heads towards the star attraction of the journey - the passage over the The Semmering Railway
The best of the views between Bruck and Wiener Neustadt are on back the right, but keep your eyes peeled for when the train crosses the viaducts - between the frequent tunnels.
And in summer the foliage obscures many of the most spectacular views on this part of the train ride.
This journey, in the opposite direction, is featured on the The Daily Telegraph's list of Best Rail Journeys to take in 2018.
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open: up to 6 months ahead of the travel date
When booking more than 5 months ahead, if you only see 1st class tickets available for sale on OBB check back a few days later to see if the 'Sparscheine' 2nd class tickets have been added to the booking service.
Seat reservations:
Seat reservations are optional on the train from Venezia / Venice to Wien / Vienna, so they must be proactively added when booking if you want to travel in an assigned seat(s) on this train.
In contrast they are mandatory on the train from Rome to Venice, so seats will automatically be assigned for the journey on this train.
Using Rail Passes:
The rules are different when using a rail pass to travel to Italy by these Railjets compared to travelling by Railjet to other destinations.
Rail pass users must pay a supplement of €15 in 1st class and €10 in 2nd class.
However, there are two elements to the rail pass supplement; the seat reservation and the rail pass surcharge for travelling on an express train in Italy.
You can pay a single charge, which covers both elements, by using the Eurail reservation service or the InterRail reservation service - though you will be charged a €2 booking fee per reservation, per person.
If you pay the supplement at a Reisezentrum travel desk at a major Austrian station, you won't pay the booking fee, but a seat reservation won't be included; and will cost an additional €3.50, as per the info on this page.
OR if you book the 'Tarvisioverkehr Pass1' supplement on the OBB website, the instructions are here, you will need to also select the seat reservation and pay the additional €3.50 cost.
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