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How to travel on the new direct overnight train from the Austrian capital to the capital of France
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From Wien/Vienna to Paris by train
After a gap of fifteen years Wien/Vienna and Paris are once again being connected (usually) by a direct rail service!
Though the direct train is only available for overnight travel and it doesn't depart on every day of the week.
The daytime option is available daily and it requires an easily timed connection between two top tier express trains.
Routes you can take to go from Wien / Vienna to Paris
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.
Choose one of the following options:
Looking for connections?
Route Information
Option 1: travelling direct on an overnight train
Station Guides
Travel Time (approx)
13hr 57min
Frequency
Not Every Day
Travel Info
Monday, Wednesday and Friday
Purchase Tickets
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.
Nightjet Guide
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.
OBB Guide
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.
Travel Information
Due to extensive construction work in Germany and France this Nightjet service will not be available on these dates:
- March 27th
- April 1st
- April 6th - April 8th
- April 24th - May 8th
- May 20th - 22nd
The train will be departing on Monday, Thursday and Saturday evenings only and will be typically be scheduled to leave Wien/Vienna at around 19:40.
The train will also call at: St Polten (depart 20:22); Linz (depart 21:12); Salzburg (depart 22:24) and Strasbourg (arrive 05:03)
Final Destination: Paris
It will be typically scheduled to arrive into the Gare De l'Est at 09:43.
Usual onward connections:
To London from Gare Du Nord at 11:13
To Bordeaux and Toulouse from Paris Montparnasse at 11:11
To Marseille from Gare De Lyon at 11:36
This is a direct journey
You will be travelling on one of these trains...
Journey Features
Good to Know
In the other direction from Paris, the train will be departing on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday evenings.
Tickets
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 details below for 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 this step-by-step guide.
OR reservations can be arranged and paid for at the ÖBB Reisebüro desk in Wien Hbf - (ideally do this when you first arrive at Wien Hbf on the preceding train on your itinerary) or by calling OBB Customer Service (+43 5 1717).
Route Information
Via stations: Frankfurt (Main) Hbf
Option 2: making a connection to travel by day
Station Guides
Travel Time (approx)
11hr 30min - 11hr 40min (approx)
Frequency
Daily
Travel Info
2 x optimum connections per day
Is this journey from Wien / Vienna to Paris direct?
No a connections is required in [Frankfurt (Main) Hbf]
What other tourist locations are along this route from Wien / Vienna to Paris?
Linz and Regensburg and Nurnberg and Frankfurt (Main)) and Strasbourg.
How easy is it to travel on from the station in Paris?
The Gare de l'Est is served by three Metro lines including line 4 which provides a direct link toGare Montparnasse and line 5 which is direct to Gare Austerlitz.
See the Station Guide above for more info, plus easy access to multiple options for booking somewhere to stay in the neighbourhood.
How easy is it to get to the station in Vienna?
The heart of the city, the area around St Stephens cathedral is linked to Wien Hbf by line 1 of the U-bahn.
The eastern areas of the city centre are linked to Wien Hbf by Lines S1, S2 and S3 of the city’s commuter train (S-Bahn network).
See the Station Guide for more information, plus easy access to booking accommodation in its neighbourhood..
Are tickets cheaper if booked in advance for this journey?
Yes, and they can be purchased from a choice of booking agents - see below.
Click on the 'Good to know info' buttons to access additional info including guides to ticketing policies on routes which involve connections between trains.
How soon ahead of travel are tickets typically placed on sale?
Typically up to 6 months ahead; see the Ticket Information
What are the child ticket terms for this journey option?
- For the part of the journey to Frankfurt = An adult (a person aged 15 and over) can take up to four children aged 6 - 14 with them at no additional charge.
- For the part of the journey on to Paris = Children aged 14 and under travel at a discounted rate.
The price is equivalent to a 50% reduction on the 'Leisure' rate for the part of the journey within France and free travel within Germany
Does the ticket on this journey option include assigned seats?
- On the train from Vienna - They are included for travel between June 1st and September 1st.
At other times of year the discounted 'Sparschiene' tickets do not include seat reservations, but they can be added to a booking for an additional cost - Yes, on the train from Frankfurt to Paris
Do rail pass users need to book reservations for this journey option?
- On the train from Vienna, reservations are required for travel in June to September, but are optional at other times of year
Though due to the length of the journey, ShowMeTheJourney recommends making the reservations regardless. - They are mandatory on the train from Frankfurt to London
See the rail pass reservation guide for the options on how to book.
Is catering available on this journey option?
A bar / bistro service will be available on all trains.
A restaurant service is also available on the ICE train from Vienna.
Find out more on the Train Guides which can be found within the Journey Information.
What else is good to know about Austrian rail travel?
Check out the guide to travelling by train in Austria.
What else is good to know about rail travel in France?
Check out the guide to travelling by train in France
Purchase Tickets
ShowMeTheJourney earns a small commission on Trainline ticket sales. It can be a particularly good option for: Comparing different train services; Booking international journeys with connections; Travelling between the UK to destinations beyond Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris - and for international travellers who don't reside in western Europe.
Trainline Guide
ShowMeTheJourney earns a small commission on Rail Europe ticket sales. It can be a particularly good option when booking international journeys with connections and for travellers who don't reside in western Europe. Use the easy options on its home page if you will be booking tickets with a railcard: Or purchasing rail pass reservations.
Exclusive for New Customers: Receive a 10% discount by using the code 24NOV on any purchase with a maximum total price of £100, until 28 November 2024 (11:59 pm CET). Limit one coupon per qualifying booking. Cannot be combined, transferred or exchanged.
Omio Guide
Omio is an online ticket agency which offers tickets for rail journeys in France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy and Spain.
The three key advantages of using Omio are
- it offers prices in multiple currencies
- it usually offers price comparison with other modes of travel including flights and buses
- when visiting Europe, you can book journeys in multiple countries in one transaction.
The disadvantage of booking with Omio is that it often adds a booking fee to the final price; therefore when it does so without offering a price advantage, SMTJ doesn't tend to offer Omio as a booking option.
Travel Information
There are no direct daytime trains between the Austrian and French capitals, but the optimum route both in terms of journey time and ease of the transfer, is to make a connection between trains in Frankfurt (Main) Hbf.
This routing only requires making one connection, but what makes it the optimum route is that the transfer is close to being guaranteed, as the time between trains will typically be 1hr 20mins.
Frankfurt (Main) Hbf is one of Europe's largest rail stations, but is an easy location in which to make a transfer as the connection will simply involve walking from one train to another.
If the train from Wien arrives on time, there are numerous food / drink outlets in which to relax before the departure on to Paris - and in the unlikely event of the train from Wien arriving more than an hour late, the connection can still be made.
Though due to major construction work on the German rail network from July 15tth until December 8th, the trains on to Paris will be departing around an hour later, due to this period of time.
This journey is made up of 1 change.
Train 1
Between Wien Hbf/Hauptbahnhof and Frankfurt (Main) HbfYou will be travelling on one of these trains...
Journey Features
Good to Know
Final Destination: Frankfurt (Main) or Dortmund
**These trains also call at ** [Linz](/train-travel-info/countries/austria/cities/linz/rail-stations/linz-hbf-linz-donau-hbf/ and Wels
Departing from Wien/Vienna:
If your journey in Vienna is commencing in 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 join 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.
Though we particularly recommend opting to make reservations for this journey if you want to join these trains at Wien-Meidling as they become busy on departure from Wien Hbf.
The connecting trains typically depart at around 09:15 and 11:15
Journey description:
From Wien/Vienna until Wels the train will travel at up to 230 km/h (close to the high speed threshold) on the main Western Railway which crosses Austria.
On departure from Wells the train will head towards the border with Germany and to the south of Passau, the railway takes a charming route on the east bank of The River Inn, which can be seen on left.
Then between Passau and Regensburg the River Danube is on the right.
Between Regensburg and Nurnberg the train rushes across a delightful rolling landscape and then until Wurzburg the train remains on the conventional railway.
On departure from Wurzburg comes a part of the journey with a wow factor, the train will be on the high speed line for less than 15 minutes, but there are some nice views as the train crosses some long viaducts; in particular look out for when the train will burst out of a tunnel and then immediately cross the River Main.
Between this river bridge and Aschaffenburg comes another scenic part of the trip when the railway winds through some valleys.
As the train will spend less than 3% of its journey on the high speed line, it didn't see right to put this journey in the high speed (partial) category.
Train 2
Between Frankfurt (Main) Hbf and Paris Gare de l'Est / Paris EstYou will be travelling on one of these trains...
Journey Features
Good to Know
Depart from Vienna at around 09:15 and you will be taking a TGV train on from Frankfurt (Main), but depart at around 11:15 and you will be taking an ICE train on to Paris - and this will be the final departure of the day from Frankfurt to the French capital.
Final Destination: Paris Gare de l'Est
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open: up to 6 months ahead of the travel date
It can be cheaper to make separate bookings for the journeys from Vienna and from Frankfurt.
However, if you do so and the train from Vienna arrives too late to make the booked connection, you may then have to re-book for the train on to Paris,
Seat reservations:
Seat reservations are optional on the train from Wien / Vienna to Frankfurt, 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 Frankfurt to Paris, so seats will automatically be assigned for the journey on this train.
So if you will be travelling with a Eurail or InterRail pass you will need to have made a reservation prior to boarding this train.
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