Author Topic: Brussels to Vienna on overnight train  (Read 4104 times)

Wowbagger

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quixoticgeek

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FifeingEejit

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Re: Brussels to Vienna on overnight train
« Reply #2 on: 13 January, 2020, 07:52:05 pm »
OBB are still redeveloping the network, expect various new routes to appear over the next few years if flight shaming continues to be a thing.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Brussels to Vienna on overnight train
« Reply #3 on: 13 January, 2020, 08:10:14 pm »
It's a long time since I took a sleeper anywhere. I'm not sure it's something I'd do again, at least not in (most of) Europe. You get woken up too often crossing all those borders! OTOH several days in a Russian sleeper was great for several reasons, but one of them was probably that I was only 19. Also, their carriages are bigger!

OTOH Gloucestershire-London-Brussels-Cologne in a day was good, as was more recently and much shorter Prague-Vienna. And just to bust a tourist cliche, I actually preferred Vienna.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

FifeingEejit

  • Not Small
Re: Brussels to Vienna on overnight train
« Reply #4 on: 13 January, 2020, 08:22:05 pm »
It's a long time since I took a sleeper anywhere. I'm not sure it's something I'd do again, at least not in (most of) Europe. You get woken up too often crossing all those borders! OTOH several days in a Russian sleeper was great for several reasons, but one of them was probably that I was only 19. Also, their carriages are bigger!

OTOH Gloucestershire-London-Brussels-Cologne in a day was good, as was more recently and much shorter Prague-Vienna. And just to bust a tourist cliche, I actually preferred Vienna.

Unless you're leaving Schengen most of the borders are interruption free.

Best sleeper I've been on was the Swedish one, loads of room in the top bunk of a 3 berth and the supplement on top of my interrail was something like €30 for Malmo to Stockholm.
The carriage itself would have given the british press a fit as it was built late 1950s IIRC.

quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: Brussels to Vienna on overnight train
« Reply #5 on: 13 January, 2020, 08:27:54 pm »
Unless you're leaving Schengen most of the borders are interruption free.

Best sleeper I've been on was the Swedish one, loads of room in the top bunk of a 3 berth and the supplement on top of my interrail was something like €30 for Malmo to Stockholm.
The carriage itself would have given the british press a fit as it was built late 1950s IIRC.

I've done a lot of night trains and have never been woken up for a passport check. But then they have all been done within the EU.

J
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Cudzoziemiec

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Re: Brussels to Vienna on overnight train
« Reply #6 on: 13 January, 2020, 08:50:32 pm »
I didn't even enter Schengen! Slovakia-Czech-Poland back in ~2000. Two checks at each border, SK/CZ was followed pretty swiftly by CZ/PL, the line just cuts through a corner.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Wowbagger

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Re: Brussels to Vienna on overnight train
« Reply #7 on: 14 January, 2020, 12:17:00 am »
These days, if you take the Highland Sleeper, you get woken up to move your bike into the correct bit of train before they go their separate ways to Ft. Bill, Furryboottoon and Inverness.
Quote from: Dez
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FifeingEejit

  • Not Small
Re: Brussels to Vienna on overnight train
« Reply #8 on: 14 January, 2020, 10:46:52 am »
These days, if you take the Highland Sleeper, you get woken up to move your bike into the correct bit of train before they go their separate ways to Ft. Bill, Furryboottoon and Inverness.

Should only be a Fort William problem.
The combined train is too long so the seated/guards carriage and lounge carriage for Fort Bill get left at Waverly on the way south and added on the way north.
Been happening for as long as the current highland service pattern has existed (I first used it 2003ish and it was done then)



I've done a lot of night trains and have never been woken up for a passport check. But then they have all been done within the EU.

J

I've had a random Czech passport check at the German/Czech border but that was around 8am.
A non-EU person answered a question to the dissatisfaction of the Czech border guard; (Glasgow is not Liverpool so if you haven't updated your passport with a new address remember you live at the one on the passport, nor is it in Schengen so you can't enter the area there, etc.)

Also had checks on day trains between Germany and Denmark, and at Malmo on entering Sweden from Denmark.
The later I knew would happen, the former was random.

I also got a few extra questions when I confused the border guard asking me where I'm from with asking where I got on the train.
While he didn't ask me whar ah bide or stay, his question structure was closer to Scottish English than Standard English for what he was asking.

Wowbagger

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Re: Brussels to Vienna on overnight train
« Reply #9 on: 14 January, 2020, 10:48:56 am »
It's been happening, but train staff used to shift the bikes up until fairly recently.
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

FifeingEejit

  • Not Small
Re: Brussels to Vienna on overnight train
« Reply #10 on: 14 January, 2020, 10:50:58 am »
It's been happening, but train staff used to shift the bikes up until fairly recently.

Ah! Serco...

Re: Brussels to Vienna on overnight train
« Reply #11 on: 14 January, 2020, 11:05:22 am »
I've been woken a long time ago for a passport check on an overnight train from Prague to Budapest and, even longer ago, Rome to Paris. 

I love the idea of sleeper trains but I have to say I hardly sleep on them because it is so bumpy.  Especially when they join / split the trains and you get a good shunting!

Wowbagger

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Re: Brussels to Vienna on overnight train
« Reply #12 on: 14 January, 2020, 11:30:41 am »
I've been woken a long time ago for a passport check on an overnight train from Prague to Budapest and, even longer ago, Rome to Paris. 

I love the idea of sleeper trains but I have to say I hardly sleep on them because it is so bumpy.  Especially when they join / split the trains and you get a good shunting!

This.
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

FifeingEejit

  • Not Small
Re: Brussels to Vienna on overnight train
« Reply #13 on: 14 January, 2020, 11:41:09 am »
I've found my sleep quality on them to be variable

Cally sleeper North to South, the ride quality isn't great down to track and speed limit changing and the Carstairs/Waverly shunts, but heading north I can be asleep on the smooth running of the WCML before Watford.

Cologne to Prague, took a while to get to sleep, but never felt the shunt at Lichtenberg.
On the return I went to Amsterdam and only woke up a bit past the border because we were over an hour late, the loco had already been changed.

I'll wake up between sleep phases on boats.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Brussels to Vienna on overnight train
« Reply #14 on: 14 January, 2020, 12:06:03 pm »
Especially when they join / split the trains and you get a good shunting!
Ooh, you can't beat a good shunting!  ;)
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

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Re: Brussels to Vienna on overnight train
« Reply #16 on: 14 January, 2020, 09:26:16 pm »
These days, if you take the Highland Sleeper, you get woken up to move your bike into the correct bit of train before they go their separate ways to Ft. Bill, Furryboottoon and Inverness.

You actually managed to sleep? I'm impressed. Easily one of the worst train journeys I've been on.

Wowbagger

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Re: Brussels to Vienna on overnight train
« Reply #17 on: 14 January, 2020, 10:39:39 pm »
These days, if you take the Highland Sleeper, you get woken up to move your bike into the correct bit of train before they go their separate ways to Ft. Bill, Furryboottoon and Inverness.

You actually managed to sleep? I'm impressed. Easily one of the worst train journeys I've been on.

The last couple of times I went, which was in July, yes, I did get some sleep. Not enough, but it was about the best couple of nights I've had on a sleeper. It was on the new rolling stock.
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

Kim

  • Timelord
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Re: Brussels to Vienna on overnight train
« Reply #18 on: 14 January, 2020, 10:44:22 pm »
That Nice Mr Paulley seems to be having weekly excursions on the Highland Sleeper funded mainly by the compensation for the access cockups on his previous Highland Sleeper excursions.  From this I conclude that it's Type 2 Fun for all but the most determined wheelchair-using track-bashers, and probably only marginally better if you've got a bike.

Wowbagger

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Re: Brussels to Vienna on overnight train
« Reply #19 on: 14 January, 2020, 10:48:47 pm »
I got a big refund from my outward journey in July, as it arrived 2 hours late. That wasn't down to the rolling stock though: there was some sort of major signal failure in the Kilburn area and the train is kept in sidings at Wembley, so it was delayed arriving in Euston until at least an hour after it was scheduled to leave.
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

rr

Re: Brussels to Vienna on overnight train
« Reply #20 on: 15 January, 2020, 12:52:28 am »
On my 80s interrail trip I did Munich-Athens, 1full night and then Athens at midnight and then Athens-Venice which was two nights, slept well.
Late 80s I did a Paris - Chamonix sleeper, again a decent sleep.

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Re: Brussels to Vienna on overnight train
« Reply #21 on: 15 January, 2020, 08:38:18 am »
Mrs M and have had sleeper journeys with great success over the years. Highlights included New York - Chicago., Chicago - Seatle, Vancouver - Toronto. And, all being well this summer we'll be embarking on a Senior Interrail trip that will include the Vienna - Brussels run. Plan A was the Russian sleeper between Warsaw - Paris, but we'd like to see Budapest and Vienna.
Watch this (or another) space.
Too many angry people - breathe & relax.

Re: Brussels to Vienna on overnight train
« Reply #22 on: 15 January, 2020, 10:17:05 am »
I highly recommend Vienna.
I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.

Re: Brussels to Vienna on overnight train
« Reply #23 on: 15 January, 2020, 11:33:06 am »
I highly recommend Vienna.
good - we're off there in a few weeks time, hope its open in Feb?

sadly we're flying, we did consider the train but it was going to be stupid money (>£1200)

Re: Brussels to Vienna on overnight train
« Reply #24 on: 15 January, 2020, 01:10:47 pm »
If you get the train from the airport to the centre and back (fast and reasonably priced) you can check you luggage in at the train station on the way back rather than at the airport.
I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.