downtown

Hi everyone,

You input is needed help and very much appreciated.Today for my wife and myself I booked Newark NJ Thurs(Sept 7 departure) to Milan and Vienna Fri (Sept 15 Departure) to Newark. I was hoping to spend a 2-3 nights of nights in the lake region in Italy (Como) then head to 1-2 nights in Salzburg then to Vienna 2 nights.I am flexible with spending only 2 nights if needed in Como .We are meeting a long time friend who lives in Vienna but will be staying in a small hotel there. We do prefer boutique/smaller places to stay and can find that out with the help of Trip Advisory.But in general am looking to build an itinerary around these flights.Looks like my choice of ground travel will be train and a couple of taxis.One must see is the Sound of Music tour in Salzburg for my wife.I am partial to checking out Como.Any suggestions based on this info would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.

frencharmoire

From Milan Malpensa there are several ways to reach Lago di Como with public transportation (train, bus, ferry) but a car transfer is the easiest (although obviously the most expensive). If you stay on the eastern shore of Lago di Como you can easily reach Lugano by public transportation, and from Lugano you can take the train to Salzburg. The lakeshore town of Menaggio is lively & has lots of accommodations. The town of Argegno is smaller & with fewer tourists.

Or, if you simply want to see the highlights of Lago di Como for a day, you can take a bus from Milan's airport directly to Lugano, and then visit Lago di Como as a day trip by public transportation.

frencharmoire

Sorry -- I meant to say the WESTERN shore of Lago di Como!

downtown

French

Thank you!

fourfortravel

Downtown, it might be more useful to keep your itinerary questions in one place. http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...hts-vienna.cfm

So...you want to spend 3 nights somewhere in near Lake Como, either "Menaggio,Bellagio or Varenna."

From there, the next question is whether to split Salzburg/Vienna with 2 days each, or stay 4 in Vienna and day trip to Salzburg for the SOM tour...followed by, "...but if I stop in Salzburg I need the most direct route by train to get there from Como."

Unless I am not understanding something, based on your two posts the calendar for your holiday looks like this:
Sept 7. Depart US
Sept 8. Arrive Milan, head to Lake Como (via Salzburg)?
(I would not recommend attempting a SOM tour fresh off a transatlantic flight.)
Sept 8, 9,10 Lake Como?
Sept 11, 12, 13, 14 Some combination of Salzburg/Vienna?
Sept 15. Depart Vienna

A logical order would be Milan-Lake Como-Salzburg-Vienna. While it is possible to day trip from Vienna for a SOM Tour, the day is terribly rushed. We did that once, and I would not recommend it for diehard SOM fans (myself included).

I hope this is helpful.

downtown

FourFor,

Thank you,this is very helpful most of what you have ascertained from my post is correct.I will land Milan 9/8 and head to Como for 3 nights then on to Salzburg and lastly Vienna.So now I know to spend 2 nights Salzburg and 2 nights Vienna so as not to be rushed.Given this,can you recommend any sights to see in Salzburg besides SOM tour and also Vienna? We perefr to take things at aslower pace as to not feel rushed.Thank you for the tip to keep my posts in one place.Can you tell me how to locate my post after it has been buried in the forum? Thank you again!

Don

fourfortravel

downtown, you are welcome.

You can click on your forum name and a list of your posts, those posts you have commented on, and any trip reports you have written will be listed.

Sept 8, 9,10 Lake Como
Sept 11. The time between Como and Salzburg is 6+ hours, meaning you will have little sightseeing time in Salzburg on this day.
Sept 12 SOM Tour and whatever sightseeing time remains, depending on the tour you take. Some tours are 4 hours; some are most of the day.
Sept 13 Take Westbahn to Vienna (~2.5hours); if you catch a morning train you'll have much of the afternoon to enjoy in Vienna
Sept 14 Vienna
Sept 15 Depart

The "day" spent in transit from Como to Salzburg shortchanges the sightseeing time in Salzburg and reduces the time you think you might have in Vienna. With 1.5+ days in Vienna, I would just pick a couple of activities of interest rather than trying to knock out any, "Must Do" list.

Again, I hope this is helpful.

mnag

From Salzburg I would check to see if you can find a tour that covers Wolfgangsee and Hallstatt.

To save on time consider taking a late night/overnight train to Salzburg if available.

bvlenci

I would suggest two nights on Lake Como and three in Salzburg, where there is a lot more to see and do than just a Sound of Music tour.

We once visited Hallstatt (a beautiful town) by train from Salzburg without taking a tour. The train arrives across the lake from Salzburg and a little boat takes you to the town. On the way back, we hiked to the next train station, using the maps provided by the tourist office, and caught a train back to Salzburg from there. It was a lovely day.

downtown

Some great suggestions here.It is all becoming clear and coming together well.I thank you all!