Train Vienna to Ghent - 11 hours - what do people think?

[Mrs Miggins]

I'm going to Vienna for a couple of days in March and there is an exhibition on in Ghent that I'd like to see so I'm thinking of taking a train from Vienna to Ghent then to Bruges and then back to London. The Vienna to Ghent leg is 11 hours. I think it could be quite nice but 11 hours is an awfully long train ride. I don't want to break it up as I have to get straight to Ghent in 1 day to make my plan work.

Anyone done this? Will it be tedious or is there a lot of nice scenery? I dunno. I quite like the idea of getting the train back to London rather than flying both ways and the Ghent exhibition finishes in April so it's the only way I'm going to get to it realistically.

 

[Reno]

It's a bit on the long side, but I regularly used to fly to California, which takes as long and a train journey is a lot nicer than being on a plane. Take a good book, you'll be fine. There should be some lovely scenery along the way, especially once you get to Bavaria and Austria.

I've only taken the train from Munich to Vienna, which is only four hours, but I enjoyed that a lot.

 

[planetgeli]

I've driven that. I reckon you've got 3-4 hours of nice scenery and 7 hours of reading.

Austria is stunning, full stop. Bavaria mostly too. Not sure the rest of Germany keeps you entertained. I love trains though. I'd do it.

 

[marty21]

I got trains to Bonn a few years ago , Eurostar to Brussels then another train to Cologne , and a final one to Bonn. I think the outward leg was about 11 hours-ish due to connections, quicker back for the same reason. I enjoyed it .

 

[editor]

I got the train to Prague once (pre Eurostar) and it took an agr, but there was some wonderful scenery on the way so the ten hours or whatever flew by. It's a long journey but I'd have no qualms about that length of time on a train.

 

[8115]

Night train?

 

[tim]

Don't get the night train take some books and take in the scenery

 

[Riklet]

I'd consider get the night train cos it could be more time efficient. Vienna to Brussels then morning train to Ghent. That's the new Austrian route, it runs Wednesdays but check on bahn.de because the Austrian website is an absolute piece of SHIT which I totally failed at getting anything useful from. edit: just seen it's 14 hours to Brusssls South.. jesus!

If you get the early 06.50 train you can do it in the day and be there by evening, going via Frankfurt. Are you on a budget?

 

[StoneRoad]

I enjoy taking the train, went to Bialystok and back (with elderly father) a few years ago. [and he went on the trans-siberian at least once, which took a week !]

Do it !
Take a book or something for when you're not looking out the window ...

 

[Mrs Miggins]

Thanks guys. I think I needed a few "do it - it'll be great" comments because the friend I mentioned it too thinks it's a bit mad.

I'm not on a budget so I might even treat myself to first class. It's my birthday - a big number birthday - so I fancy doing it in style and the cost is nowhere near what it would be in the UK. I suspect German trains will be a lot nicer as well. I wonder if you get free food...?

I'm not going to do a night train because that won't really work with my plans and unless you have a couchette, sitting in a seat all night is not my idea of fun. Been there - done that - bloody awful.

 

[Mrs Miggins]

I'm looking into this a bit more and the journey will be on DB ICE trains which go nearly 200mph! Choo choo! I'm excited now

 

[Santino]

 

[Mrs Miggins]

 

[Steel Icarus]

I could deffo look out of a train window for that long as long as I had music. No matter what scenery.

 

[Mrs Miggins]

Yep! that's the little fella I'm going to visit in Ghent

 

[davesgcr]

Do it - did (for example) Milan - Verona - Saltzburg in a day) and it was an excellent run. You are using 2 good operators - OBB and DB.

Decent enough catering on board , and superlative (DB) coffee.

 

[BassJunkie]

This is literally the kind of thing I choose to do on holiday. It's my idea of a great time, it's how I choose to spend my free time. Reading, gawping, drinking, sleeping, I've yet to have been on a train journey that was too long.

Although after 2 and half days from Delhi to Thiruvananthapuram I wasn't that unhappy to get off the train.

 

[[62]]

I do this sort of thing regularly (Osnabrück to Exeter last week). As S☼I says, with some music it's generally a real pleasure (as long as DB Fernverkehr play ball). If the routing is what I think it will be (Vienna > Passau > Frankfurt am Main > Aachen > Brussels), then it's definitely scenic enough too.

 

[Mrs Miggins]

I do this sort of thing regularly (Osnabrück to Exeter last week). As S☼I says, with some music it's generally a real pleasure (as long as DB Fernverkehr play ball). If the routing is what I think it will be (Vienna > Passau > Frankfurt am Main > Aachen > Brussels), then it's definitely scenic enough too.

I think that is the route yes - I know I have to change trains in Frankfurt and Brussels.

 

[Mrs Miggins]

Now then....I am looking at buying tickets on TheTrainLine and it is quoting me £153 for a first class seat - that's a supersaver price
The price for the same trains on DBs own website is a whopping £328!

What's that about then?

Where do you usually buy European rail tickets?

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Now then....I am looking at buying tickets on TheTrainLine and it is quoting me £153 for a first class seat - that's a supersaver price
The price for the same trains on DBs own website is a whopping £328!

What's that about then?

Where do you usually buy European rail tickets?

I've never done it, but that £153 1st class sounds like a decent price (by our standards). It's 1,000 km, so £15 per 100 km. You'd be doing well to get that in the UK for standard class.

ETA: Thetrainline doesn't always give the best prices, btw, and iirc they charge a small fee. But that there sounds very good.

 

[Mrs Miggins]

I've never done it, but that £153 1st class sounds like a decent price (by our standards). It's 1,000 km, so £15 per 100 km. You'd be doing well to get that in the UK for standard class.

It's a bloody great price and means I can do it. £328 I cannot do. It just such a huge price difference it's making me nervous about the ticket being valid.
I'm just nervous about buying international rail tickets from theTrainLine but really, I'm just being daft as there is no reason it wouldn't be OK is there?

 

[planetgeli]

I just randomly put in some date (April 7) and got offered first class for £100. Dunno what that 328 is about.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

It's a bloody great price and means I can do it. £328 I cannot do. It just such a huge price difference it's making me nervous about the ticket being valid.
I'm just nervous about buying international rail tickets from theTrainLine but really, I'm just being daft as there is no reason it wouldn't be OK is there?

Yep, you'll be fine.

 

[Mrs Miggins]

I just randomly put in some date (April 7) and got offered first class for £100. Dunno what that 328 is about.

The £328 is for first class. they just don't to offer any supersaver fares on the DB website which is odd.

 

[Mrs Miggins]

I just randomly put in some date (April 7) and got offered first class for £100. Dunno what that 328 is about.

If you put 7 April into theTrainLine, you get standard class £70 for the 9:15 train and £52 for the 10:15!

 

[planetgeli]

Sorry I meant I got £100 offered on trainline. Do it Mrs.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Raileurope.co.uk

 

[Mrs Miggins]

Raileurope.co.uk

Thanks

Same prices as TheTrainline which gave me a bit more confidence!

 

[Idaho]

I'm not on a budget so I might even treat myself to first class.

Well worth it in Europe. Usually it's only a little more, and you often get full catering, WiFi, more space etc. We did Paris to Amsterdam a few years back and it was a really nice 5 hours.