Over night train to Innsbruck?

47steve

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Hi all,

Anyone used the overnight train from Dussledorf to Innsbruck?

Looked at a few websites but wanted peoples thoughts, recommendations on transporting bikes down?

We are in the process of planning a 10 day trip next year and wanted to see if it would be more feasible to use this as a way of getting further into our trip.

costs, links, pitfalls etc would be appreciated.

TA:okay
 
Not used the train, but last year we went down to Albania, and had the bikes shipped to Venice by chas Mortimer.

Next year we are going to Romania and getting the bikes shipped to Vienna.

We just book a cheap flight and hotel for the first night.
 
As I said we are limited to how many days we have. Trying to save a bit of time so we have more time to play. Don't get me wrong as I have ridden through a few times in the past.
 
Used it three times, brilliant on line with a Dutch operator. Pm your email and I will Emil the last invoice.

PRINT your tickets

The loading area is not near the main station.

Take grub and drinks, which you can buy in the main station accessed through the subway.

If you have a big screen, consider taking it off and carrying onto the train, simpler than you think.

Pretend your making an overtake on your AP50/FS1E when loading, listen carefully to the loadies.

When you get off the train, follow the people with helmets, it’s a walk of a few hundred metres.

Get your Austrian vignette at the first petrol station, rather than inside Innsbruck station.
 
Used it three times, brilliant on line with a Dutch operator. Pm your email and I will Emil the last invoice.

PRINT your tickets

The loading area is not near the main station.

Take grub and drinks, which you can buy in the main station accessed through the subway.

If you have a big screen, consider taking it off and carrying onto the train, simpler than you think.

Pretend your making an overtake on your AP50/FS1E when loading, listen carefully to the loadies.

When you get off the train, follow the people with helmets, it’s a walk of a few hundred metres.

Get your Austrian vignette at the first petrol station, rather than inside Innsbruck station.

Thanks for that. PM'D
 
The train is run by Austrian railways (OBB) although as has been said, tickets can be had through the Dutch based shop.

We used it from Innsbruck to Dusseldorf this year and it compares very well with the previous German run (DB) service.

My only grumble was that the bloke doing the loading hs no customer service skills and I had to have words with his supervisor.

The bikes are very well held down, the sleep is what you would expect for a train and the breakfast is continental and filling.

The trains heading from Dusseldorf tend to book up quickly but the return leg less so.

Personally, I’d rather take the train and spend more time in Austria / Italy than slog down boring Dutch motorways.

Pricey but recommended :thumb
 
PRINT your tickets

The loading area is not near the main station.

Take grub and drinks, which you can buy in the main station accessed through the subway.

If you have a big screen, consider taking it off and carrying onto the train, simpler than you think.

Pretend your making an overtake on your AP50/FS1E when loading, listen carefully to the loadies.

When you get off the train, follow the people with helmets, it’s a walk of a few hundred metres.

Get your Austrian vignette at the first petrol station, rather than inside Innsbruck station.

I've done it from Vienna to Dusseldorf when we finished our tour in Slovenia a couple of years ago, good advice from ymfb above :thumby:

Loading is the worst part (for me at least)
the train carriage decks are very slippery when wet,
there is very little headroom your bike will fit with the screen in place but you have to ride on with your head behind the screen or you will whack your head or lid :comfort

The bikes appear well strapped down with multiple ratchet straps

IMG_2145-XL.jpg


IMG_2138-XL.jpg


The overnight couchette for 3 is compact and bijou top bunk was not for those with a fear of heights, if I went again I would book a 4 berth

IMG_2142-XL.jpg


We found a supermarket within easy walk of Vienna station and stocked up for the journey.

IMG_2141-XL.jpg


The train stops several times during the night, the smokers used this opportunity to risk a smoke on the platform, often the carriages were uncoupled and rearranged during these stops so your bike carriage may not be in the same order as when you started, this was a full carriage when we set off the previous evening.

IMG_2143-XL.jpg


If time is an issue and you want to maximise quality riding time and not spend it on transit routes we found this a useful time saver in which we covered 600 miles towards home whilst being in relative comfort and/or asleep, I would use it again :thumby:
 
Used the train this summer. I can get home from Dusseldorf to North London in a day, but I do find it tiring (boredom, old age and lack of fitness). I prefer to make an overnight stop on the outbound journey.

Dusseldorf is interesting. The tourist office runs a guided walk - in English - of the town in the afternoon or if you're car-mad then there is this museum.

Do take drinking water with you, though the guard might bring one round if the temperatures are high.

Don't be unsettled by the thought of sharing a cabin with complete strangers. Anne and I shared with a lovely father and daughter team doing Austria on a pair of Vespas - and they let us have the bottom bunks.

I'd rather think that this is a case of "use them or lose them".
 
Share a cabin with complete strangers ? Sod that !!
It’s bad enough sharing with mates, so much so that I won’t do it anymore as prefer to pay extra and have my own room/cabin whatever.

I’d rather ride down or stay at home !!
 
My main argument against it is that I can use the overnight ferry from Harwich then be in Passau the same evening which though tedious is an easy ride through Germany. From there I’ve got multiple choices including a steady day on the bike to get me to Sebes in Romania if I want to act the idiot on high passes.

I’m lucky because if I go on my own I’ve no time constraints and can just ride around doing whatever I want with the biggest bonus being that I’m not fixed in where I end up any day of the holiday so if the weather looks a bit crap I just go somewhere else.
 
I used the Calais to Narbonne service one year (small capacity trail bikes... it's a long way at 55mph).

As has been said, make sure you know where they do the loading as it may not be obvious or near the usual station. Our bikes were anchored incredibly well... to the point I was worried it might damage the rear shock.
 
I've done it from Vienna to Dusseldorf when we finished our tour in Slovenia a couple of years ago, good advice from ymfb above :thumby:

Loading is the worst part (for me at least)
the train carriage decks are very slippery when wet,
there is very little headroom your bike will fit with the screen in place but you have to ride on with your head behind the screen or you will whack your head or lid :comfort

The bikes appear well strapped down with multiple ratchet straps

IMG_2145-XL.jpg


IMG_2138-XL.jpg


The overnight couchette for 3 is compact and bijou top bunk was not for those with a fear of heights, if I went again I would book a 4 berth

IMG_2142-XL.jpg


We found a supermarket within easy walk of Vienna station and stocked up for the journey.

IMG_2141-XL.jpg


The train stops several times during the night, the smokers used this opportunity to risk a smoke on the platform, often the carriages were uncoupled and rearranged during these stops so your bike carriage may not be in the same order as when you started, this was a full carriage when we set off the previous evening.

IMG_2143-XL.jpg


If time is an issue and you want to maximise quality riding time and not spend it on transit routes we found this a useful time saver in which we covered 600 miles towards home whilst being in relative comfort and/or asleep, I would use it again :thumby:

Some right reprobates there Steve!:D
 
We rode from Salisbury to French/Belgium border enjoyed a leisurely dinner, breakfast in the hotel, lunch in Holland and rolled up to the loading bay about 1730, well before loading started. The first time we walked to a square and ate Pizza, this year we walked through the subway to the main station and bought some booze and grub.

It’s not the cheap option, but it takes the iron butt issue out of the equation. We will definitely do it again.
 


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