Expert-Tested This Overnight Train From Vienna To Venice Is Affordable And Charming — Here’S My Full Review

The skies be cloudy and the air was cool as my husband, II daughters, and I arrived in Vienna. after outlay several days inch Austria and the Czech Republic, we were astir to board aNightjetsleeper train that would whisk us away to our next destination: Venice.

When Austrian railway company ÖBB launched Nightjet in 2016, it look the like a last-ditch attempt to resuscitate the popularity ofsleeper trains.Since then, ÖBB has see a upsurge in long-distance passengers. inch 2022, the companyannouncedIT would spend €4.1 billion to modernise IT current Nightjets and produce33 brand-new one.

Looking at Nightjet’s internet site earlier our trip, I was eager to experience the sleeper train’s cosy elegance. I envision becharm towns and pristine landscapes rolling by As the train’s rhythmic clickety-clacks lulled Pine Tree State into A peaceable slumber. But arsenic the hours ticked down feather to our scheduled 9:27 p.m. departure, my excitement morphed into wariness. Would the sleeper train be as pleasant atomic number 33 advertised? And would we actually sleep?

Knowing that food option on the train were limited, we stopped for dinner atMezzaluna, an unfussy pizza shop draw close Vienna’s central Train Station. astatine A tabular array nearby, two people sip wine while their Boston terrier quietly sniffed around for bits of crust.

Although passengers can buy tickets on the train in some instances, Nightjet requires reserve for railroad train to Italy and Germany. From least to most expensive, option include seating inch A regular compartment, feed bunk bed-style couchette that can sleep up to six people, and sleeper cabin for one, two, OR three passengers. With angstrom unit sleeper cabin reservation, travelers wealthy person access to ÖBB’s railroad train station couch on the days of their journey. All sleeper cabins include A sink; sumptuous single also have a john and shower. We wanted privacy — plus, testing out the shower sounded interest — so we book two deluxe sleeper cabins.

On the platform, we join A stream of passengers boarding the train. Our segment was helpfully labelSchlafwagen(“sleeper car” inch German). Inside, we found our cabins, each equipped with a bathroom and twin-sized bunk beds. My 12-year-old, who was my roommate for the night, chose the top bunk and began investigation the Wi-Fi situation. on our beds were breakfast order forms, along with amenity kits that include slippers, angstrom washcloth, bottled water, and snacks. The dark chocolate-covered roasted chickpea were A surprising hit.

After going away Vienna’s main station, the train stopped for More passengers. unity family’s cabin was inexplicably locked from the outside, prompting a quick response from the conductor. Then, A woman pushing a toddler in a saunterer angle the wheel into our cabin to Army of the Righteous people by, apologizing in German for the intrusion.Alles gut!(“All good!”) I assured her, as my daughter wave from her perch above. Our young visitor wore teal footie pajama and looked At us with drowsy eyes. I smile astatine the woman, and we interchange hopeful wishes that the kids would get some sleep.

Soon, the music director stop by to check tickets and collect breakfast orders. He also offer the adults mini bottle of Champagne, an elegant touch. After saying goodnight to my husband and older daughter down the hall, I double-locked our door, and my youngest and I settle into our possess private cocoon for the next several hours.

While the cabin Washington as clean and cozy arsenic atomic number 53 expected, in some areas, Nightjet fell short. The pillow Evergreen State thin and small, and much to my kids’ chagrin, there was no Wi-Fi. The solitary “towels” provided were the flannel from our amenity kits, which make the thought of angstrom shower unappealing. My daughter took one glimpse at the bath apparatus and opt to shower another day, but I determine to Be adventurous.

The shower and sink share angstrom single faucet, adjustable in height and operated with a button. I discovered that the H2O stopped astir every twenty seconds, so soap up and rinsing off hold to be quick and methodical. Some H2O pooled on the floor, and I have got a few moments of mild panic earlier realizing the water Washington draining, just slowly. while the shower wasn’t luxurious, the water force per unit area and temperature be good and the include body wash was plentiful.

Our menage got change sum of sleep on the nighttime train. My aged daughter reported that she catch some Z’s great. merely my younger girl and iodin are night owls, and information technology was past one a.m. when we finally be adrift bump off to angstrom soundtrack of mechanical creaking and clangour mingled with tone down Austrian dialect in the next cabin. My husband’s experience hide somewhere in the middle. Ultimately, we all ended up better-rested than after our red-eye flight to Europe.

Roughly AN 60 minutes earlier our scheduled 8:24 a.m. arrival in Venice, the music director strike hard on our door to deliver breakfast: soft rolls with butter and Nutella, fruit and muesli yogurt, hot chocolate and coffee. arsenic we glide over the causeway toward Santa Lucia railroad train Station, sunlight scintillate across the water and I sipped my coffee. In that moment I understood the sleeper train’s appeal: I’d closed my eyes inch Oesterreich and wake up in Italy, without having to deal with hair-raising traffic or the hassles of airplane travel.

after disembarking, we wandered outside into the warm, saltwater-tinged air toward thevaporetto(water bus) docks. eventide early on angstrom Sunday morning, the city bustled with activity. Across the G Canal, tourer snapped photograph of theChristian church of San Simeon Piccolo. local linger over coffee cappuccino atomic number 85 sidewalk cafes. I felt my body rock slightly, mime the train’s gentle rocking. A good night’s rest later, the sense impression had dissipated.

Would we ride the Nightjet again? While IT won’t be Associate in Nursing annual household tradition, we all agreed we would try IT again. However, my immature girl did have this caveat: “Only if they wealthy person Wi-Fi and the shower doesn’t stop every 20 seconds.”

Nightjet tickets from Vienna to Venice start at €52, and you tin can book your triphere.