The only direct train to Rome / Roma from Vienna / Wien is the overnight Nightjet service
Though the optimum daytime journey involves making only one connection between trains and also inevitably allows travellers to 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.
13hr 47min
Nightly
1 x train per night
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.
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.
The train is usually scheduled to depart Wien Hbf at 19:18 and arrive in Roma Termini station at 09:10; this train does not call at Roma Tiburtina.
The train also departs from:** [Wien-Meidling](https://goo.gl/maps/XN7YxZLjSCLJ9sNG7 and St Polten and arrives into Bologna Centrale (at 05:19)
Final Destination: Roma
Connect in Roma for: Bari, Lecce, and Napoli.
This is the only direct train between Wien/Vienna and Roma/Rome.
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open: 6 months ahead of the travel date
The train conveys:
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).
Making the rail pass reservation online a minimum of a couple of weeks ahead of the travel date, is particularly recommended if you will be traveling between June and September.
If you wait until arriving in Wien/Vienna to reserve, your first choice of accommodation may have sold out.
12 hours
Daily
1 x optimum connection per day.
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.
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
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.
The connecting time between trains at Venezia Mestre station is typically scheduled to be around 45 mins, so allows for more than 30 mins contingency time in the unlikely event of the journey from Vienna being delayed.
Though if need be, the subsequent fast Frecce train on to Roma / Rome will be departing only an hour later.
The binari (platforms / tracks) at Venezia Mestre are linked by passages under the railway tracks, one of which is served by lifts / elevators, so making the transfer should be step-free.
Final Destination: Venedig \ Venezia St Lucia
The trains also call at: Wien-Meidling, Udine
Departing from Wien / Vienna
You will need to take the train which is usually scheduled to depart from Wien Hbf at around 06:25.
Venedig is the German spelling of Venezia/Venice, so if you see Venedig on the departure screens at Wien Hbf then the info will be for the train heading to Venezia/Venice.
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.
One of the most spectacular parts of the journey is the passage on the The Semmeringbahn Railway, between Payerbach-Reichanau and Murzzuschlag.
So wonderful that it's a U.N.E.S.C.O. World Heritage Site - though that's partially due to the construction methods and not just because of the scenery.
Though as the train travels over the Semmering Pass, the trackside vegetation tends to block the views, except when the trains are crossing the multiple viaducts
The best views can be seen from the left of the train (when facing the direction of travel) between Wiener Neustadt and Murzzuschlag.
This video gives a sense of the journey experience, on a grey day, it was filmed travelling in the opposite direction, towards Wien/Vienna.
This Semmering part of the route has led to this part of the journey being included on Far And Wide's list of the Most Remarkable Train Journeys in Europe.
However, its easier to appreciate the stunning landscape when the train travels between Leoben and Klagenfurt.
This is our favourite part of this train ride, there are sweeping vistas across valleys - some of which can be seen on the right....
...while other fabulous views are over on the left.
Other scenic highlights back over on the left of the train include the lake, the view of the beautiful Worthersee between Klagenfurt and Villach.
Then at journey's end comes the final flourish - the crossing of the lagoon into historic the heart of Venice.
If you will be travelling south of Villach by daylight there are also spectacular views of the jagged peaks of the Carnic Alps - though the light was fading by the time we came this way, hence the lack of images of this part of the route.
This is a journey when being in 1st class can pay off.
The views from the left of the train (when facing the direction of travel) are much better than those on the right.
But if your 1st class reserved seat is on the right, you'll have more chance of moving over to see the views on the left.
**Final Destination:**Napoli
The train also calls at: Firenze S.M.N. and Roma Tiburtina
Heading to Roma Tiburtina can be a good option if the location of your final destination in the city has convenient access from a station served by Line B of the Roma Metro.
The Venice to Roma journey by high speed trains has four distinct phases:
(1) It's not a scenic journey, but it starts with a flourish as the trains head out over the lagoon from the heart of historical Venice/Venezia.
The best of the views are from the right of the train (when facing the direction of travel).
(2) Between Padova and Bologna the train will travel across a flat landscape, with nothing of note to see
There is no high speed line between and Venezia/Venice and Bologna.
(3) Then from Bologna to Firenze the train will travel at more than 275 km/h on a high speed line, but virtually all of this part of the route is contained within a series of tunnels
(4) The high speed line between Florence and Rome is more scenic than most, it's not a beautiful journey, but there is a wow factor of travelling across the rolling landscape at more than 240 km/h*.
*The direttissima between Florence and Rome was the first high speed railway line to be built in Italy, so it has a slower maximum speed than the other Italian high speed lines.
These videos showcase the journey experience on this part of the trip.
Note that trains will reverse direction when departing from Firenze S.M.Novella station.
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.
Though it will be typically cheaper to make separate bookings for the journeys from Vienna and from Venice.
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 Rome.
Seat reservations:
Seat reservations are optional on the train from Wien / Vienna to Venezia / Venice, 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 Venice to Rome, 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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