 All aboard for Vienna! The sleeper train to Austria about to leave Cologne. You can travel from London, Brussels or Amsterdam to Vienna using this train...
The author, travelling from Vienna to London in a 1-bed sleeper on this train. Rest assured that a glass of wine is sitting on the washbasin top. |
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The Cologne to Vienna sleeper train is a comfortable modern EuroNight train run by Austrian Railways (ÖBB). You can use it to travel from London, Brussels or Amsterdam to Vienna, without flying, simply by taking a connecting train to Cologne, a safe and comfortable flight-free way to reach Austria! Similar Austrian EuroNight trains link Vienna with Venice, Hamburg & Rome. For travel between London & Vienna, see the London to Austria page.
Amsterdam, Brussels, Cologne ► Vienna
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Coming from Amsterdam, leave Amsterdam Centraal by superb ICE train at 16:34 arriving at Cologne at 19:12. By all means take an earlier train and have dinner in Cologne.
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Coming from Brussels, leave Brussels Midi at 17:28 by Thalys train arriving at Cologne at 19:15. Or take an earlier train and have dinner in Cologne.
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The EuroNight sleeper train leaves Cologne at 20:05 and Frankfurt (Main) Hbf at 23:00 every day, arriving Linz at 06:48 and Vienna at 08:56 next morning.
Vienna ► Cologne, Brussels, Amsterdam
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The EuroNight sleeper train leaves Vienna Westbahnhof at 20:00 & Linz at 21:58 every day, arriving next morning at Frankfurt (Main) Hbf at 06:00 and Cologne at 08:42.
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For Amsterdam, change at Frankfurt, leaving Frankfurt at 07:27 by ICE train arriving Amsterdam Centraal at 11:26.
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For Brussels, change at Cologne, leaving at 11:43 by ICE train arriving Brussels Midi at 13:35.
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to buy tickets to Vienna from €39
Book from Cologne to Vienna at www.oebb.at with fares starting at just €39 with a couchette or €69 with a bed in a 2-bed sleeper. Then buy separate tickets from Amsterdam to Cologne at www.bahn.de or Brussels to Cologne at www.b-europe.com, from €19.
On board the Cologne to Vienna EuroNight train...
The train has 3 types of accommodation: The sleeping-car (schlafwagen) is the most civilised, comfortable & romantic way to travel. The sleeping-cars used on this train have 13 very compact compartments with 1 or 2 beds with washbasin plus two deluxe compartments with 1, 2 or 3 beds and private toilet & shower. Couchettes are the economy option, padded bunks with rug & pillow in shared 6-berth or 4-berth compartments. The train also has ordinary seats in 6-seat compartments, but although it's the cheapest option, a couchette or sleeper is recommended as there's neither comfort nor security in a sit-up-all-night seat. Read these travel tips.
1 or 2-berth standard sleepers with washbasin...
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| Standard sleeper, set up as a 2-berth compartment. | Standard sleeper, set up as a single-berth. | Standard sleeper in daytime mode, beds folded away. |
1, 2 or 3 berth deluxe sleeper with shower & toilet...
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Deluxe sleeper set up as a 2-berth. Each deluxe room can be used as either a 1, 2 or 3 berth room. |
Deluxe sleepers have an en suite toilet and shower. There are two deluxe compartments in the sleeping-car. |
Breakfast: All sleeper & couchette passengers get a complimentary light breakfast with tea or coffee. |
Travelling by sleeper...
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The sleeping-car attendant greets you at the door to the sleeper, checks your reservation and directs you to your room. He or she will come round shortly afterwards to take your rail tickets & passport, so you will not be disturbed by ticket inspections or any passport spot checks. Your tickets & passport will be handed back to you at the end of your journey.
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Each compartment is very compact, just big enough for a bed and space to stand next to it, so leave your table tennis gear at home as you won't have space to play that. There are 13 very narrow compartments in each 26-metre long sleeping-car, so don't expect your room to take up half the car. The photos above are taken from the doorway and accurately show the size of the compartment, what you see is what you get.
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Each bed has fresh clean sheets, a fluffy pillow, snug duvet, and its own individual reading light.
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Soap, towels, mineral water, and a small evening 'welcome drink' and chocolate are provided.
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There is no restaurant or buffet car, but the sleeper attendant can provide 'room service' of tea, coffee, wine, beer & soft drinks. Or feel free to take your own bottle of wine or picnic on board.
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Breakfast is included in the fare, served in your compartment. You can choose which items you get from a simple menu.
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There's room for luggage under the bottom berth, on the racks above the window and in the recess above the door projecting over the corridor ceiling.
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All compartments have 220V power sockets for shavers, which might be used to recharge a phone.
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For the evening & morning parts of a journey, the attendant can fold the beds away and convert the compartment into a private sitting room with sofa and small table.
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Each compartment can be booked for single or double occupancy, or (in the case of the two deluxe compartments) triple occupancy. Berths can also be booked individually: Passengers travelling alone do not have to pay the fare for a single-berth sleeper (which can be expensive), but can pay for a bed in a 2-berth sleeper and share with another civilised sleeper passenger of the same sex. Once snug in your berth you cannot see the person above or below you, giving you all the privacy you need.
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If there's a small group of you, ask to book a pair of adjacent sleeper compartments with an inter-connecting door, which opens to make a suite for 2 to 4 persons.
4-berth & 6-berth couchettes...
Couchettes are basic, inexpensive sleeping accommodation, ideal for families or economy travel. And on Austrian EuroNight trains couchette passengers get a light breakfast with tea or coffee included in the fare. 6-berth couchettes have six padded bunks per compartment (upper, middle & lower each side of the compartment), 4-berth couchettes have four bunks (upper and lower each side). A pillow, sheet and blanket are supplied, and each berth has its own reading light. Washrooms & toilets are available at the end of the corridor. The extra space and privacy in a 4-berth is well worth the extra cost over travelling in a 6-berth. By day, a couchette compartment is an ordinary seating compartment, with two bench seats facing each other. At night, the attendant converts the compartment into a sleeping berths by folding bunks out from the wall. The sexes aren't normally segregated in couchettes as you don't normally fully undress, but women travelling alone can book a berth in a ladies-only compartment if they like. All couchette compartments have a normal lock and a security lock on the door which cannot be opened from outside, even with a staff key, so you'll be safe and snug. There's plenty of space for luggage under the bottom bunks, on the racks and in the big recess above the door which projects out over the corridor ceiling. There is no restaurant or buffet car, but the couchette attendant may be able to sell you tea, coffee, wine, beer & soft drinks. The attendant will take your passport & ticket so you are not disturbed during the night, and will return them next morning. Check out these travel tips.
 A couchette car on the Vienna to Cologne EuroNight train, about to leave Vienna... |
 4-berth couchettes, ideal for families. |
 6-berth couchettes... |
How to buy tickets...
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If you book in advance and pick your date, you can find airline-beating cheap deals for this train, from as little as €39 including a couchette or €69 including a bed in a 2-bed sleeper. Cheaper than a taxi to the airport!
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Book the sleeper train at www.bahn.de: You can buy tickets for this EuroNight train, all City Night Line sleeper trains, German domestic trains and many daytime German international trains online using the journey planner on the German Railways (DB) website, www.bahn.de. You print out your own ticket.
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...or book it at www.oebb.at: You can also book tickets for this train at the Austrian Railways website. The prices shown on www.oebb.at are in euros, and are the total cost for all passengers selected, not per person. On numerous occasions, I've seen lower prices on oebb.at than bahn.de for the same date!
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To book tickets from London to Vienna using this train, see the London to Austria page.
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To book tickets from Amsterdam to Vienna by train, first book this EuroNight train from Cologne to Vienna at either www.oebb.at or www.bahn.de, then book a connecting ticket from Amsterdam to Cologne also at www.bahn.de. I recommend registering on bahn.de when prompted, so you can log in later at any time and check or reprint tickets.
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To book tikcets from Brussels to Vienna by train, first book this EuroNight train from Cologne to Vienna at either www.oebb.at or www.bahn.de, then book a connecting ticket between Brussels & Cologne also using www.b-europe.com. I recommend registering on bahn.de when prompted, so you can log in later at any time and check or reprint tickets.
Travel tips...
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Take a picnic & bottle of wine! There's no restaurant or buffet car on the Cologne-Vienna sleeper train, so take a picnic and perhaps bottle of wine with you into your sleeper or couchette...
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...or have dinner in Cologne before you board. In Cologne, try the Brauhaus Sion (www.brauhaus-sion.de) 5 minutes walk from Cologne hauptbahnhof, or the Malzmuehle restaurant (www.muehlenkoelsch.de) 10-15 minutes walk away, or the Schweinske (www.schweinske.de) inside Cologne Hauptbahnhof itself.
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DB lounge at Cologne: Single sleeper & deluxe sleeper passengers (but not double sleeper or couchette passengers) can use the DB lounge to wait for the train at Cologne Hauptbahnhof. Complimentary tea, coffee, juice, wine and beer are provided. You can also use the lounge if you have a first class ticket for connecting trains to or from Amsterdam or Brussels.
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Why not climb Cologne Cathedral's tower? If you're feeling energetic and have 30 minutes to spare between arriving from Vienna on the sleeper and taking a connecting train to London, Brussels or Amsterdam, you can climb the cathedral's south (right-hand) tower for a fantastic view over Cologne & the Rhine, 475 feet high, 533 steps, no lift. The tower is open 09:00-16:00 in winter, 09:00-17:00 or 18:00 in summer, entrance €3, see www.koelner-dom.de. Left luggage is available at Cologne station.
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Where to stand on the platform: There's usually a train composition poster in a display case on the platform. This shows the formation of all trains calling at that platform and where the train's various cars will stop along the platform when the train arrives. This saves running up and down looking for your car.
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Enjoy the Rhine Valley! The train runs right along the famous Rhine Valley between Koblenz & Mainz. Look out for castles perched on hilltops, vineyards, Rhine villages and the legendary Lorelei Rock. The Rhine will be on the left hand side of the train southbound, on the right hand side northbound (but northbound, the train reverses at Frankfurt around 6am, so it's the left hand side on departure from Vienna).
ÖBB lounge at Vienna: Sleeper passengers can use the ÖBB lounge to wait for the train at Vienna Westbahnhof. Complimentary tea, coffee, juice, wine and beer are provided.
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| The legendary Lorelei Rock on the Rhine Valley, seen from the train... | The view from the top of Cologne cathedral's south tower. | Cologne cathedral... |