We will be in Europe in May of this year and will have a few free days in each of the above cities - what suggestions/favorites would you have for the best things to do in each city? <BR> <BR>Thanks <BR> <BR>Jim

Vienna Beautiful palaces and gardens. A side trip up the Danube to Budapest (a beautiful city), Salzberg has a great castle, a very interesting Monastary with waterworks and one of the beautiful cities in Europe. Munich is a fun city with a lot of sites as well including a couple of great musiums. A short side trip from Munich will get you to Neuswanstein castle build by King Ludwig II. It is the castle that was used by Walt Disney as the image for Disneyland. <BR>

Jim- Here's some data on Munich- Have fun! <BR> <BR>There is a room finding service on the south side of the Bahnhof next to a little bank called Euraid that can usually find reasonably priced rooms. If you get there before lunch I would venture to say that you won't have any problem getting a room (except during Oktoberfest). <BR> <BR>The best place to exchange money is a small office next to the Las Vegas casino . It is on the street (Bayerstrasse) which runs east toward the Stachus as you go out the south door of the train station. The TI is on your right as you go out the east exit of the train station. The TI also has a room service. Get a good map at the TI. <BR> <BR>The TI has all of the info about tours to the castles. The best are Nueschwanstien and Linderhof. It will be an all day trip on the bus. However, depending on the number in your party, it may be cheaper to rent a car one day than to take the bus tour. Also, you could easily go to the Wieskirch and the Abby at Andochs with a car. Hertz, Avis, Europacar, etc, all have offices in the Bahnhof. If you rent, make reservations in the states before you leave. It is very expensive to make car reservations once you are in Europe. The other alternative to a bus tour is to catch the train to Fussen and spend one night there. The TI center in Fussen can get you a pension close to the Bahnhof and tell you how to catch a bus to Nueschwanstien. Alternatively, I have heard of people taking a taxi from Fussen to the castle. It's about the same as the bus for 4 people. <BR> I've attached a little information on Munich that might help. I've never been to Dachau and have no intention of going. I would much rather spend time in the Marianplatz or the Hofbrauhouse. You can catch S2 to Dachau. <BR> <BR> <BR> Things to do in Munich <BR> <BR> <BR>You need at least 1day in Munich to see the Glockenspiel at the Marienplatz at 11 AM and go to a biergarten to eat. Also, both the old (Alte) and new (Neue) musuems (Pinakothek) are worth a few hours if you are into museums. A walk north on Ludwig Strasse in Schwabing at dusk is also interesting. Just go north on Wein Str. (on the left side of Marienplatz as you face the City Hall (Neues Rathaus) where the Glockenspiel is) to Leopold Strasse. Stop at Munchner Friehiet and catch the U-Bahn back to the middle of town. Englischer Garten is also nice if the weather is good. Chinesischer Turm is a nice biergarten to rest at in the Englischer Garten. For other things to do in Munich, you might choose between a half day at Dachau or Schloss Nymphenburg or the Deutsches Museum. The Deutsches Museum is dedicated to technology, old & new. The pedestrian zone between the Bahnhof and Marienplatz is also worth a stroll. It's easier and quicker than the walk through Schwabing described above. Visiting the Residence is also an option that takes a few hours. The Viktualien markt is a fun place to eat (and drink) lunch. It is 3-4 blocks south of the Marienplatz. <BR> <BR> A day trip to Salzburg is very easy from Munich. It's about 1 ½ hours maximum each way by car or train. Berchtesgaden is very close to Salzburg (25 minutes by car). <BR>

Salzburg: Sounds corny but you will enjoy the Sound of Music bus tour. Takes you to areas where they filmed the movie but you also see some great countryside. If you go to Mozart's Birthplace: As you are on the street facing the building, turn around. There will be a tiny little building facing you when you turn. Great little bar and dining upstairs. Berchtesgaden is a nice day tour from Salzburg. Tour of the castle in Salzburg is interesting and good views from on top. Nice beer garden up there also.

One of our highlights of our trip last summer was a visit to the Augustiner beer garden in Salzburg. We also had a great lunch at the Viktualien Markt in Munich.

Salzburg: Everyone has been saying "go to the castle." Ain't no castle. It is a fortress, so don't be confused when you get there when you don't find references to a castle. The reason you want to see the fortress is that it's up a steep cliff and once you are up there, you get wonderous views of the town below and the Austrian mountains. Give yourself three hours to do this because at the top is a small medieval city. Also, I'd suggest the church and graveyard containing the graves of Mozart's father and wife. It's across the river from the Mozart birthplace, and the site is beautiful. Salzburg will be easier to get a sense of in the short time you have--one day--than the two larger cities of Vienna and Munich. I would read up on all three so you can winnow your top picks down to what really matters to you in each city. Enjoy!

Hello from Vienna! <BR>Munich is my hometown and there is a lot to see. The hofbraeuhaus, the city center (townhall), churches, english garden .... <BR>Sazburg is good for 2 days (or 1) and Vienna has a lot of culture and history (old buildings), the prater and restaurants on the danube. <BR>Best regards from Vienna <BR>Silvia

Just visited these cities in September and had a wonderful time. Salzburg was our favorite; it is absolutely beautiful. Visiting the Fortress Hohensalzburg is a must; it gives you a great view of the city below. Also visit the Dom, St. Peter's Abbey & cemetary and the Franziskanerkirsche (Franciscan Church). Also worth a look is the Pferdeschwemme (Royal Horse Drinking Trough). My recommendation for an excellent dinner is Zum Eulenspiegal (make reservations as it's small and very popular). The Bristol Hotel is very nice, but pricey. <BR> <BR>Next favorite on the list is Munich. I highly recommend the Admiral Hotel. The price was reasonable, location good and they served a very good breakfast (a larger selection than most European breakfasts). Definitely visit the Glockenspiel at 11am, the Frauenkirche (neat story about the devil at this church...view the "footprint"), the Asamkirche. Grab lunch in the Viktualienmarkt, an open-air food market where you can get great produce, sausages, etc. inexpensively. If you have time, a visit to the Englisch Gardens and/or Dachau is worth it. And of couse, don't miss the famous Hofbrauhaus. Spatenhaus is an excellent restaurant. <BR> <BR>Vienna...we were very disappointed. Found the city to be dirty and the people not very friendly (huge contrast to the people we met in Germany and in Salzburg). Main landmark is Stephansdome. Try to see St. Michael's Church...and find out when the crypts are open. This was one of the neatest things to do and totally different! A day trip to Schonbrunn Palace is worth it if you have the time. <BR> <BR>Whew...hope this helps! Have a wonderful time!

We just returned from Vienna. The best thing about Vienna is the wealth of culture and cultural events available. We were lucky enough to get tickets to a ballet at the Staatsoper, a symphony concert at Musikverin, and an opera at Volksoper. You might want to try and get tickets in advance since you're going in May and the tourist traffic will probably be heavier than it was this time of year. We ordered our opera tickets before we left, but bought the others at the box office the day of the performance. <BR>We also enjoyed seeing Schonbrunn Palace .