It will take 7 days just to see Vienna and the Salzburg area. Try to see the abbey at Melk as you travel between. Include Croatia when you have 2 more weeks.

Sounds like you will really only have 6 days. Vienna needs at least 3 full days. Salzburg needs 2 and including the travel to Salzburg and back to Vienna equals 6 days.

You will not have time to do Austria and Croatia. Train transportation between Croatia and Austria is not the best.

Stick with just Austria, Vienna is a great large city and they have plenty of small towns and nature you can see also.

At a stretch, you could squeeze in Ljubljana, but 6/7 hours each way, takes far too much from your time.

Agree with others. You can't do that much in the time you have. Everything would just be a blur and you'd spend all your time getting from place to place.

Stick with Vienna and the Salzburg area. You can take a bus from Salzburg to the lovely little town of St. Gilgen on Wolfgangsee in less than an hour. The entire town will be decorated in lights for the Christmas season. They also have a Christmas market.

http://www.wolfgangsee.at/en/5-08-0-100556481/advent/ihr_tag_am_wolfgangseer_advent.html

HI All thanks much for your advice, I have decided to not go to Croatia or Slovenia and will ask for my refund of my pass. Two questions.

1. In addition to Vienna, any other spots folks would recommend, I was thinking Innsbruck and Salzburg but really open to anything including even Munich or Prage instead of Innsbruck/Salzburg?

2. re: buying train tickets is it worth doing Rail Europe country pass or just as easy/cheap to buy in Austria/locally?

Thanks

Shriram

I would spend 4 days (17th - 20th) in Vienna and the remaining time in Salzburg, returning to Vienna in time for your flight on the 23rd. You don't really have time for anything else IMO.

I'd suggest Vienna with a stop in Melk on your way to Salzburg.