It was a hard goodbye to Venice, and we vowed to return, but our tight itinerary required immediate execution. (Catch up on the chaos of our arrival in the floating city in Part 2: Milan to Venice.) We were facing the longest single leg of the Inaugural European Rail Odyssey: the eight-hour, 270-mile (435 km) push from the Adriatic coast of Italy to Vienna, Austria. (For details on how we planned this ambitious itinerary, see The Planning Blueprint (Part 1 of the Odyssey).) Our journey was scheduled for the afternoon, departing at 15:55 (3:55 PM). There were three options for this route: a mid-morning departure, an afternoon departure, or an evening departure traveling on the Nighttrain. We wanted to maximize our sightseeing time, and since the journey itself was part of the experience, we opted to trade a sunset in Venice for a night arrival in Vienna.
After leaving our hotel in the morning and making our way through the streets to reach Venezia Santa Lucia (this time, thankfully, we used the Vaporetto!), we boarded the afternoon train. Venice's train station is busy, but with 16 tracks versus the 24 of Milan, it is slightly more manageable. Our ticket identified the train as Eurocity 30 (EC 30), operated jointly by the Italian and Austrian railways. While we would have loved to have more time exploring Venice's canals, we were excited to be moving on to more of the world we had never been to before.
The Eurocity train for this international route felt significantly different from the sleek Frecciarossa. EC trains are the robust workhorses of cross-border travel, often running with comfortable, though slightly more classic, compartment-style carriages. While still fast (up to 124 mph), they focus on dependability over pure speed.
Once again, we had no trouble locating our carriage and seats. We quickly established ourselves into the spacious, quiet compartment, securing our carry-ons and preparing for the hours ahead. The pace on these long-distance trains is slower. While we thankfully didn't have to change trains, the route we took had 17 stops before reaching Vienna! The passengers are typically more relaxed for the long haul. Our first task was to secure drinks and snacks. Once settled in, the compartment felt less like transport and more like a cozy, fast-moving lounge with a perpetually changing view. Then we had our first taste of Ottakringer Helles (brewed in Vienna) and a toast to the journey ahead.
For train travel in Europe, in general, if a seat is open you are free to take it, even if you reserved a different one, as long as it's in the same carriage class. You will often hear that there is no reason to book a seat because you can always find one open on these trains, where they are not strictly required. We quickly learned the unwritten rules of reserved seats and their importance. Early in the journey, when the car was fairly empty, a young woman boarded and immediately insisted a young man move, as he was sitting with his companion in her reserved window seat. Initially, I found her action rude, as the train still had dozens of free seats. However, as more people boarded at subsequent stops, it became clear: by insisting on her reserved seat, she secured her peace. Had she given it up, she likely would have had to move several times, constantly interrupting her journey. It was a valuable lesson to learn on our inaugural rail trip: on long international hauls, paying a small fee for a guaranteed seat is a wise investment. I was certainly glad we did.
The first two hours were a spectacular visual reward for choosing the afternoon departure versus the evening. We watched the last of the Italian plains transition into the dramatic, rocky foothills of the Austrian Alps. The views were breathtaking—imposing mountains, deep ravines, and glimpses of classic Alpine villages nestled below. The train was efficient and direct, stopping briefly in cities like Udine before climbing sharply toward the border. At these far-flung stops, passengers are swift and efficient boarding and deboarding, indicating that they use this mode of transport regularly.
The grand climax of the scenery came abruptly as we approached the border station of Tarvisio Boscoverde. Just past the station, where the Alps close in tight, we felt the pressure change in our ears as the EC 30 plunged into a long mountain tunnel. When we emerged on the other side, the last vestige of daylight was gone. Just like that, the majestic panorama was replaced by inky blackness. Instead of staring out into the twilight, our reflections were staring back at us. The transition was so immediate and dramatic that it signaled the true shift from Italy to a much different world: the quiet, dark heart of Austria. The stops at Villach Hbf, Velden am Wörthersee, and Klagenfurt that followed were experienced entirely in the smooth, still darkness of the night.
With the entertainment shifting from the scenery to the quiet solitude of the carriage, the only remaining diversion was the bar car. Knowing we needed supplies for the rest of the night, we headed that way. However, we found the bar car's adjacent sitting area completely filled with a group of rowdy male 20-somethings. I had not seen them at the platform in Venice, so they had to have boarded somewhere along the route. They had music playing, were loudly playing cards, and were standing in the aisle. Now when I think back on it, it could have been a stag party—the European version of a bachelor party—a tradition I became very familiar with in our later travels. To get to the actual bar, you had to physically squeeze through the group. After Mauricio took note of the situation, he immediately told me to stay put and went through the melee himself to grab our snacks and drinks. Had I been traveling alone, it's nice to know ÖBB offers a female-only carriage, so female passengers feel safe on the long haul and night trains. I wasn't alone, however, and he was absolutely right—it was a small moment of chivalry that saved me a stressful encounter and ensured the rest of our journey remained peaceful.
The Grand Imperial Arrival
We glided into Wien Hauptbahnhof (Vienna Hbf) at half-past eleven. The station was quiet at that hour, and stepping onto the solid platform felt jarring after eight hours in motion. Rain was falling lightly and we could see our breath as we walked out into the night. We procured a driver through Uber, and after some confusion over where the pick-up point was, we were secure inside his back seat and out of the rain.
Fortunately, because the name and address of the hotel were already entered in the app, we didn't have to worry about communication failures. This was a good thing because I'm not sure what language our driver spoke, but there was certainly no English nor German, and neither of us could speak German anyway. This small victory highlighted a major lesson in European travel: when in doubt, let technology solve the language barrier.
Stepping onto the sidewalk, the grandeur of the Hotel Bristol Vienna was apparent. It is a majestic building that faces Kärntner Ring, right beside the iconic Vienna Opera House. Having left the Italian Renaissance behind, we were now immersed in an imperial world of elegance and opulence. Upon entering the hotel, our bags were gratefully taken by a bellhop, who escorted us to the front desk.
The first thing I heard was, "Welcome Mr. and Mrs. Feijo, we have champagne waiting for you in the lounge." If their goal was to impress, they certainly hit the mark! The concierge escorted us to a cozy wood-paneled room with a nice fire going, jazz music playing lightly on the speakers overhead, and low lighting throughout. He assured us that we were provided one of the very best rooms, but first encouraged us to make ourselves comfortable so that they could get our bags safely to our quarters. We settled into comfortable tufted chairs and savored the first moments in this enchanting land.
Vienna: An Elegant Interlude
After a full travel day, we were glad to be taking two days in the imperial elegance of the City of Music. Our base at the Hotel Bristol, in the city center, allowed us to spend our time diving into Vienna's musical and architectural history. We moved from the grandeur of Schönbrunn Palace to the quiet corners of historic coffee houses, trading the speed of the Frecciarossa and the chaos of Venice for the ordered, refined pace of the Austrian capital. The city quickly became a new favorite, offering a stark contrast to the Italian cities we had just visited.
→ Read More: Our Vienna stay was so packed, it deserves its own guide. Look for our upcoming post, Vienna: Our Imperial Itinerary, for a full breakdown of our sightseeing, dining, and cultural experiences. For a sneak peek, check out the original Vienna post on our first blog, ReviewSteak.
Next Stop: The Great German Rail Chase
Our long, dramatic train journey from Venice successfully delivered us to the historical heart of Austria. The Eurocity 30 proved to be a reliable and comfortable method for crossing the Alps, giving us a perfect taste of the challenges and rewards of international rail travel. We learned that reserved seats are sanity, and you never know when a stag party might pop up.
Vienna is a city that demands deep immersion into culture, history, and coffee houses. Now, we finally had two full days to explore the capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire before embarking on the final stretch of our odyssey.
→ Read Post 4: The Inaugural European Rail Odyssey: Part 4 - Vienna to Cologne
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