I am thinking of traveling Switzerland and Austria in late April/early May for about a week. This will be my only 2nd time to Europe, so I could use some advice.

I would most likely fly into either Zurich or Vienna and out of the other (open jaw) and travel between them by train.

Currently my basic itinerary looks something like this:
- 1 day in Zurich
- 2 days in Lucerne
- 2 days in Salzburg
- 2 days in Vienna

Also, I'd love to spend some time in French Switzerland (around Lake Loman), but I don't know how I can fit everything in the schedule.

Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks!

It is crowded, and you will lose time to travel. Luzern to Salzburg will take most of a day.

Your best travel time between the two cities is 6 hours, 54 minutes via Zürich. You have two choices for that travel time: Leave Luzern at 8:35 or 12:35.

The Transalpin leavese Zürich at 9:40 and the Maria Theresia leaves at 12:40.
They are Austrian trains.

Both trains make frequent stops between Sargans and Kufstein. Then there is a continuous run of over an hour to Salzburg.

The trip from Salzburg to Vienna West takes about 3 hours, depending on the connection. Time varies from less than 3 hours to about 3 hours 20 minutes. The difference is in the number of stops.

With such a hurried schedule, I don't think you have time to do Vienna justice.

As nice as Luzern is, Switzerland does have more attractive mountains, such as the Berner Oberland.

As the previous poster said, two days is absolutely not enough for Vienna. You could spend the entire week there and still want much more of that beautiful city. The cafes and heuriger are not to be missed during early May in Vienna and the surrounding villages. I would either committ at least 4 days to Vienna, or cut it entirely.

As much as you probably don't want to hear this, I honestly think you would have a better time if you concentrated your vacation on only one country, not both. Splitting your time between Salzburg and Vienna, with a daytrip or two out of each, would make for a very nice weeklong vacation. Likewise, a trip that includes maybe the Bernese Oberland and the lake in Switzerland would also make for a very nice vacation. I think picking one would allow you time to actually see the country without spending countless hours in a train.

Good luck!

Tracy

The rule of thumb I've used for a one-week trip is to stay in two places. This has the advantage of not losing so much time to packing/unpacking and travel. Plus, as indicated above, a two night stay after a long train or plane ride really only gives you one day in that city.

Luzern and Salzburg are two of my favorites. So, if they are compelling for you, consider going to Luzern upon arrival in Switzerland and staying 3 nights (with one day-trip from that base), then go to Salzburg for 3 nights, with one day trip from that base, then fly home from Munich (2+ hours from Salzburg).

Alternatives: 1. fly into Munich and do the Salzburg-Vienna thing,flying home from Vienna or
2. Fly into/out of Zurich and pick Luzern and one other Swiss base

It's difficult to do justice to 2 countries in only a week. You could spend a month in either country and still not see all it has to offer. I'd suggest you concentrate on just Austria on this trip and save Switzerland for later.

You can split your week between Vienna and Salzburg with day trips to the Wachau (from Vienna) and a day trip to Hallstatt (from Salzburg).

Maybe not what you want to hear but I think it would be the best use of your time.

Thanks to all who have responded! After reading all those posts, it makes sense to stick to one country and save the other for another time. So I've decided to go to Austria.

I am partial to major cities like Paris (which I visited and loved last spring) and I feel Vienna belongs in that category in that it has many historical and cultural landmarks (correct if I am wrong, though! ). Also, I am a HUGE Mozart fan and I'd love to visit his country on the 250th anniversary of his birth.

I am considering spending 4-5 days in Vienna and 2-3 days in Salzburg. I will probably fly into and out of Vienna. When should I go to Salzburg? Should I go there directly on arrival in Vienna, spend a couple days in Salzburg, and then spend the rest of the time in Vienna? Or should I put Salzburg in the middle or in the end? It would be ideal if I could fly out of Salzburg or somewhere else...

Lastly, I got by in Paris b/c I took a few years of French in high school and college. But I know basically no German. Would this be a problem?

Excellent choice! If you like major cities, you will fall in love with Vienna--I'm sure most of the other posters will agree. I am not sure if flying into Vienna and then going straight to Salzburg will work for you, however, if you think you can manage the jet-lag transition on the train, it may be the best. You may want to consider just staying in Vienna and then making a day trip up to the Wachau valley on the Danube, rather than Salzburg...the Wachau is beautiful and the wine is excellent! What type of accomodation are you looking for in Vienna and what other interests do you have? You will love this city!

Hello again;
I've got plenty of links on my site as well: http://austria.starkeconcepts.com/
If you've got any further questions, feel free to e-mail me through the site.

If you are planning on Salzburg and Vienna, consider an open jaw ticket: Home-Munich, then Vienna-Home. If you fly to Munich, you can take a train from the airport to Salzburg If you buy a Bayernkarte, up to five people can take a regional train for only 25 Euro total. Another advantage is that you'd get to see some of the beautiful Bavarian scenery and could stop at the main Munich train station, park your bags for a few hours and take a short visit to Munich.

After

I agree with JN. If you really want to do both Salzburg and Vienna as the main stops, flying into MUC makes a lot of sense since from the center of the city to Salzburg takes only 1.5 hours by rail.

Frankly, I think you can easily do the main sites in Salzburg in two days...depending on what you consider to be "main"...which would leave you plenty of time for Vienna.

I agree with flying into Munich and out of Vienna, or vice versa. It's an easy trip to Salzburg from Munich and you won't have to waste time or money back-tracking.
I think a week in Austria will be wonderful. Try to see the opera and philharmonic in Vienna. I was there a few years ago same time you're going and both were in season.
And not knowing German won't be a problem. English is widely spoken. Bring along a little phrase book.

Thank you all for the helpful posts. I've decided to fly into Munich then directly take the train to Salzburg. The only problem is that with the way I scheduled things I would only have one full day in Salzburg (taking the train to Vienna in the evening). Would I be able to see pretty much everything in that one day? I am only really interested in Mozart stuff and maybe some SOM stuff too.

Absolutely, you can see the major sites in the so-called "old town" area of Salzburg in a day. This would include the Mozart House, the cathedral, etc.

As to the "Sound of Music" please be very careful about some of those so-called "Sound of Music" tours. A few of the exteriors for that movie were filmed in and around Salzburg; some at the nearby Schloss Leopoldskron now occupied by the Salzbugh Seminar.

Some like to visit the famed gazebo but I'm not even sure if it even exists anymore.

Thanks Intrepid. I am glad to hear that I can manage Salzburg in one day. That would give me a lot of flexibility.

I am going to have 5 full days in Vienna, which I hope would be sufficient. Are there any day trips from Vienna that you would recommend? One place I am thinking of is Bratislava.

Take a trip up to Durnstein or go to Krems and rent a bike and wander the beautiful villages along the Danube(Durnstein is a short and beautiful ride from there). If you get tired you can catch a boat back to Krems. Rent a bike from Pedalpower near the Prater in Vienna and take a ride up the Danube to the city of Klosterneuburg and visit the monastary.

I'm with Operaman. We rented bikes in Krems, rode down to Spitz, and took the boat back to Krems to pick up our car. It was one of the highlights of our trip. We stopped in the small towns for wine samplings and lunch. The scenery is just gorgeous.

Tracy

Salzburg can indeed be done in a day or a day and a half. Don't miss the Hellbrunn Palace (and a tour of it's trick fountains) just outside the city of Salzburg.

5 days in Vienna is a good choice.
- I would recommend watching perfomances at the Statsoper and/or the Musikverein.
- As others have suggested, biking along the Danube valley/Wachau region is a great experience.
- Dürnstein might be a good option you like hiking-- you could hike upto the ruins of the castle where Richard the Lion Heart was imprisoned, and get a fantastic view of the valley. Trails are well-marked.
- Sights you shouldn't miss in Vienna include the Schönbrunn Palace (take the Grand Tour), the Hofburg Palace from both sides (if the weather is nice, sit outside the Palmenhaus and have a coffee), the Belvedere Palace (go inside and see the Klimts).
- Favourite museums- Kunsthistorisches Museum (art history museum), Leopold Museum (more contemporary)... and since you seem to be interested in music and Mozart, don't forget the fantastic House of Music-- a museum of music.

One important recommendation for Vienna-- most of the tourist sites (except the Schönbrunn) are in the inner city, and unless it is raining, one should walk to them. That way you get to see all the beautiful facades of the buildings around.

If you head towards the Wachau, definitely visit Melk in addition to the other towns along the valley (Durnstein, Spitz, Krems, etc.). The abbey is just gorgeous, and the town itself is a great place to have lunch or a snack.

We also did a small daytrip to Bratislava, but it was drizzly and chilly so we didn't really do a whole lot with the exception of walk around the old part of town, which was fun. I would probably choose the Wachau Valley/Melk or Salzburg over Bratislava, although they all make good daytrip options.

Tracy

Looks like people are recommending a daytrip to the Wachau region. After doing some research, I've decided to take a train to Melk in the morning, ride a bike to Krems via Spitz and Durnstein, and take a boat back to Vienna in the evening. Is this plausible?

To clarify, I'd like to rent a bike in Melk and return it in Krems; I'd really not like to go back to Melk to return it.