ashwinb

8 days is not bad at all, a day in munich, a day or 2 in Salzburg, 2 days in Salzkammergut(pick halstatt, visit Gosau and Dachstein, dont pick OBertraun or Bad Ischl, they aren't anywhere close to Halstatt IMO), and then spend 2-3 days in Vienna.

annhig

ashwinb - what you have failed to take account of is that every time one moves, it takes at least 1/2 day out of the itinerary.

if the OP arrives in munich on day 1, and spends the rest of the day there, the first i/2 of the next day will be spend in getting to Salzburg, limiting time there to 1 1/2 days, etc etc .

IMO you want a max of 3 bases in 8 days, and 2 would be better.

ashwinb

True, but most of these places are pretty close to each other, 2-3 hours of travel on an average. So one can leave early in the morning at say 7, reach by 9-10 AM, and have most of the day. I mean it's quite possible, maybe not ideal.

annhig

aswinb - but there is the disruption of packing, unpacking, checking in, checking out, finding the shop to buy your water/fruit/teabags/paracetamol, the nicest bar, cheapest cafe, etc ,etc,

all that takes time.

you're right it's possible, but definitely not ideal.

pegpaz

Regarding the towns in the Salzkammergut - After reading everyones comments, I was thinking of staying in St. Gilgen or St. Wolfgang and traveling to Halstatt and other places from there. Are there towns that would be better as far as more restaurants? I have Celiac, plus am a vegetarian, so dining can sometimes be challenging. Also, is there a town that would offer choices of moderate hiking right from the village? Sorry to ask so many questions, but this trip is going to be for my husbands 50th, so I want to make sure I guet it right. Thanks!

pegpaz

Regarding Munich - We would be flying into Munich in the morning, and I think we would probably leave as soon as we get the rental car. As much as it would be nice to tour there, I know we won't have time. Germany would have to be another time/trip.

pegpaz

Another thought - stay in St. Gilgen or St. Wolfgang and do day trips into Salzburg??

annhig

pegpaz - we stayed in St Wolfgang and did a day trip to Hallstatt, and no reason why you shouldn't do one into Salzburg, though it may be easier by train as the traffic in the city is quite heavy.

dining in Austria may indeed be challenging for a vegetarian coeliac. how is your german? if you are not fluent, it might be helpful to have your dietary needs written our on a few cards that you can use in restaurants. you are likely to be better off in big places, though most traditional style restaurants will be able to do a salad with cheese or eggs[ if you eat them]. you should also be able to get rye bread if you can eat it, and there are plenty of vegetables and fruit in the shops.