Europe Trains Guide Forum

General discussion => Travel plans, routes and timetables => Topic started by: Kiwiline on January 09, 2014, 03:13:04 pm

Title: Overnight train from Vienna to Krakow
Post by: Kiwiline on January 09, 2014, 03:13:04 pm
I wish to book a sleeper for my family of four (2 adults, 2 kids ages 10 &13) Wien - Krakow for this coming April.  I have been to the OBB online ticket site and found such a train departing Vienna at 22:31 and arriving Krakow at 6:23.  However, no matter what date I input, this train is always listed as Not Available.  Can anyone help me here?  Is online ticketing not an option for an overnight train?  Many thanks!
Title: Re: Overnight train from Vienna to Krakow
Post by: tUt on January 09, 2014, 08:14:03 pm
Kiwiline, there is an old problem with such connections when booking anything else than seats (e.g. sleepers or couchettes). The case is that OeBB website in Austria-Poland routes sells tickets only for seating carriages, while in case of Vienna-Krakow overnight connection there are actually just two carriages (one sleeper and one couchette) attached to Vienna-Warsaw #406 train, thus OeBB website can't sell you anything for 10pm departure. Solutions for you might be as follows:
a) simply contact OeBB directly via contact form (https://www.oebb.at/en/Services/Contact/index.jsp) and order you tickets using other booking channel. OeBB can either mail it to you by regular mail (extra +5 euro) or you can pick up ticket once already in Austria. Also possible to contact OeBB by phone (http://www.oebb.at/en/Services/OeBB_Customer_Service/index.jsp)
b) go with daytime trains. There are no direct ones to Krakow during the day, but a few connections go via nearby Katowice (tickets, including discounted, can be bought online for connection Vienna-Krakow, thus you will need just make an easy change and nothing else)

p.s. also bringing your attention that according to OeBB (http://www.oebb.at/en/Travelling_abroad/SparSchiene_Europa/Poland/Timetable_Vienna-Krakow/index.jsp) with Austria-Poland connections "Children up to their 15th birthday travel free of charge, if they are accompanied by their parents/grandparents"