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Trip Report
Vienna to Venice train trip
To do something different and more ethical than the city trips I usually do by plane, two friends and I decided to take a Vienna to Venice train.
EuropeAustria, Italy4 days / July 2022
Highs & Lows
Travelling by train in these two amazing important cities
Since they are important cities (Vienna is the capital — Venice is extremely touristic), they are also expensive and crowded
Itinerary Overview
Traveling by train is, in my opinion, the best way to travel because you go on roads taken by no one else, which allows you to feel totally out of place and admire dream landscapes in peace, lulled by the gentle regular movement of wagons sliding on the rails. To do this, we opted for the Interrail pass. It allows young people under the age of 27 residing in Europe to travel at a lower cost in Europe for a certain period of time.
We started from Brussels South Railway Station in a train to Germany. It stops in Köln instead of Frankfurt, but we still end up arriving at our first destination: the city of Klimt, Vienna. It is super pretty because all the buildings are bright white and preserved in perfect condition. We stay only three days before taking a night train to the City of the Doges, the city on the water, Venice. It's so amazing to wake up the next morning in this city straight out of a romantic movie. We are only staying two days here so we have to make the most of it!
The main attraction of Vienna is to stroll through the streets as beautiful as they are impressive, especially in the historic center, without forgetting to take a walk in the Volkgarten, a public park full of roses. On site, you absolutely have to taste the Wurst mit Sauerkraut (sausage with sauerkraut) and the pork or chicken schnitzel. In the evening it is also very pleasant to walk along the Danube which crosses the city. It's a completely different atmosphere here, rather urban and industrial. As far as museums are concerned, I highly recommend the Sisi Museum which is in the Hofburg Palace, as well as the Belvedere Palace, which houses a huge collection of paintings, including the Klimt's famous kiss. I also loved the Schmetterling Haus (house of butterflies) which allows you to enjoy a little bit of calm nature in the middle of the city.
In Venice, the main attraction is to admire the streets, or should I say the canals, the boats of all kinds that sail there and the bridges that connect the beautiful buildings to each other. The first day we walk in this way, drink an Aperol in the famous Piazza San Marco, among pigeons and musicians, go to the cutest library callas « Acqua Alta », and admire a magnificent sunset next to the Doge's Palace. The next morning, we wake up at 4:30 a.m. to take the first vaporetto to Burano, a small island full of pastel-colored houses near Venice. Despite the short night, we have absolutely no regrets because the place is deserted whereas it is normally almost more crowded than Venice itself. It is so early that the inhabitants are still sleeping so we are wait for the shops to open and have a good coffee in the gentle morning sun. Then we take another vaporetto in the direction of Murano, another island specialized in the manufacture of glass. Back in Venice, we have just enough time to visit the Basilica San Marco before taking our next train to Ljubliana.
Q & A
What would you have changed?
More days in Venice even if too crowded and expensive, it's also so beautiful.Restaurant recommendations?
Vienna : Café Central and its amazing architecture.Transportation Tips?
Absolutely try the vaporettos, the public transportation in Venice which is obviously on the water (boats). They navigate in Venice itself and to the other islands nearby.