isinginmyjeep

My friend and I will be arriving in Salzburg on Thrs morning, June 23 (6:00 AM) and flying out of Vienna 6AM on Tuesday, June 28th. We are torn between how many days to spend in each city. Originally we had planned to stay in Salz Thrs-early Sunday, leave Sunday morning to do Mauthausen concentration camp on Sunday...arrive in Vienna Sunday night and fly out of Vienna Tuesday morning.

My friend is now second guessing her decision to go to the concentration camp. She is not sure she wants to see it. If we do not do that, we will do Hallstatt on the way to Vienna instead (is that feasible?). Between those 2 things, which one is the must see? I know you can see concentration camps at other places IF we get to come back to Europe sometime, but I feel like Hallstatt is out of the way somewhat and if we don't do it this trip, we might not get to go again.

The only MUST DO is the Sound of Music tour. I have seen 2 major companies advertised. Is one better than the other? My friend is thinking we should spend equal time in Salz. and Vienna. The more we research Vienna, the more we seem to want to go there a day early. So if we arrive in Salzburg early Thrs and leave Sat morning....arrive in Vienna Sat night and fly out Tuesday, what would you suggest as must do's? I am interesting in Eagle's Nest but it's not on the top of my list. I really feel like Hallstatt would be wonderful, but know that would take up a day. We also want to experience some kind of musical performance in Vienna. Any suggestions for both locations? If we could only do the concentration camp or Hallstatt, which one would you suggest?
Thanks!

lindy27

I would spend at least 3 days in Vienna. I would train from Salzburg to Vienna late Friday night to allow 3 full days in Vienna and almost 2 in Salzburg.

I personally wouldn't add another stop in between the two. If you really want to see another area there are several good daytrips from Salzburg or Vienna.

greg

Visitors to these memorials, such as Mauthausen, need to internalize what these sites mean to them. There is no one answer. Each one has different relationship to the events that took place at these sites. The latest one I visited was Yad Vashem. It was another sobering experience. I do not go to these sites because of usual tourist attraction reasons. I think it is only when one is ready to contemplate the meanings of these events should one benefit from visiting these sites.

nz101

There is so much to see in Vienna. I've been there three times and only touched on the major sites. It is an impressive city and one I want to return to time and time again.

In my opinion, one day in Salzburg is enough, its compact and easy to get around. I would do what lindy suggests and train it to Vienna on Friday evening. That leaves you Thursday and Friday in Salzburg and its surrounding areas - such as doing the Sound of Music tour and Hallstatt and/or other surrounding lakeside villages. Hallstatt is simply gorgeous and well worth a visit - it isn't far from Salzburg - I think about an hour, and you don't need to spend a whole day there either - IMO a couple of hours is plenty. See if you can combine it with one of the Sound of Music tours (there must be something like this available) or rent a car for an afternoon and drive yourselves there for a dinner and then back to Salzburg again for sleeping. Or catch the bus there and back!

AisleSeat

Because of the size you should budget more time in Vienna. You can "do" Salzburg in a day or a day and half. Enjoy a meal at St Peters Shriftskeller, near the Sound of Music graveyard. Different menus upstairs and downstairs and we like the less expensive one downstairs. FYI Hallstatt is not between Salzburg and Vienna.

jgg

I have not been to Mauthausen, but have been to both Terezin and Dachau. IMHO seeing an actual concentration or death camp is someone everyone should do at sometime in their life. And they are different then the Holocaust Memorials such as the one in DC and Yad Vashem (I've been to both).

Eagles Nest is interesting, but honestly not much there to see - most interesting is the spectacular views from the top. It doesn't have to take you that long. Unfortunately, they've turned the building into a restaurant and that just kind of ruined it for me.

Halstatt is a beautiful town, but definitely not a whole day affair. We were staying just outside of Salzburg, and in one day we did a big loop - started at the Salt Mines in Berchtesgaden, then drove to Hallstatt, walked around and enjoyed a nice lunch and then drove to St. Gilgee and rode the summer toboggan. Not the most efficient route but we enjoyed the drive through the salzkammergut. We did have our own car.

In Salzburg, not sure if you would be interested, but we did a Sound of Music bike tour with http://www.mariasbicycletours.com/welcome.htm. It was a fun way to do it!!

isinginmyjeep

How long does it take to get to Hallstatt from Salzburg and did you said you drove in a car? We would be doing train or bus. I've seen on internet some say it's like an hour away, but when I look it up, it looks longer than an hour away. We are looking at maybe only spending 2 days in Salzburg now instead of 3 and using that extra day in Vienna. So if we do side trip to Hallstat it may be on the way to Vienna???? not sure....trying to work out details

jgg

I don't have in my notes how long the drive took. Yahoo maps says it is 50 miles - about 1hr. 18 min. Not sure about logistics if taking bus or train.

nytraveler

While Salzburg is very cute Vienna has about 5 times as many things to see and do - you are definitely short-changing it. Two full days in Salzburg is planty - I would want 3 or 4 for Vienna at a minimum.

lindy27

Salzburg to Hallstatt by train takes 2 hours 15 minutes. I am not sure the logistics of taking a bus.

Personally, without a car, I wouldn't do Hallstatt as a daytrip from Salzburg. If you are okay with 2.5 hours of transit each way then you could consider it.

For train schedules bahn.de is a great website, and can be changed to english.

nz101

From memory, Halstatt is an hour by car and an easy drive. I would definitely hire a car for it if you choose to go rather than train or bus with your limited time. The suggestion of another poster here to do a loop would be ideal.

Like I said earlier, one day in Salzburg itself is plenty of time. Then how about a day driving around the area, lakes, etc, then train to Vienna on Friday night, leaving you with three full days in Vienna - which you will need every bit of.