Budapest-Vienna-Salzburg-Munich
 

Dear Fodorites
We family of 3 including 5 year old plan to travel next week Budapest-Vienna-Salzburg-Munich with
Budapest 2 nights, Vienna 1, Salzburg 2 & Munich entire day + 1 day extra.
We fly into Budapest and leave Munich by city nightline.

Can anyone help with
1. Do we need advance tickets from Budapest to Vienna ? Does the price go up down?

2. Do we need advance tickets from Vienna to Salzburg?

3. Can we buy Bayern ticket at Salzburg?

4. Can anyone suggest a budget place to stay in Salzburg?

5. Any suggestions for the extra day?

We are more interested in scenic places than cities and have to rely on public transport.
Looking forward to your valuable advice!
Thanks & regards
SM

This trip sounds unpleasantly rushed to me. For comparison, I (solo traveler) spent 4 nights in Budapest, 5 in Vienna, 3 in Salzburg, and 3 (too little!) in Munich.

I recommend that you get some good guidebooks (or spend some time with a few in your local library), identify the things you most want to see in each location, note their likely opening/closing times (try to confirm by internet searches), and mark them on a calendar. Then pencil in your transportation, add some time on either side (for getting to/from your lodging, checking in/out, packing/unpacking, getting oriented, etc.). Then see how things fit together.

Good luck!

I meant to add: It really depends on YOUR interests.

Not to sound critical, but Budapest, Salzburg and Munich are not suburbs of Vienna. Six nights and four cities gives you plenty of scenic train rides, but little else.

This is what your itinerary looks like.

Day 1 and 2: Arrive Budapest, plus sightseeing and lodging logistics time. Sightseeing, 1.5 days at best if you arrive in the morning.
Day 3: Budapest to Vienna will take 3 hours, plus transit and lodging logistics time. Sightseeing, 0.5 days if you catch a morning train. (And, if the day is a Sunday stores will be closed; if it is a Monday, most museums will be closed).
Day 4: Vienna to Salzburg will take 3 hours, plus transit and lodging logistics time. Sightseeing, 2.5 days.
Days 5 and 6: Munich.

Keep in mind that you are visiting in August. The general forecast for your destinations next week calls for temperatures to be in the upper 20ºC to low 30ºCs (80º-90º F), with the potential for rain. Translation: hot, humid, and sticky. No fun for adults, even less fun for children.

@ kja & fourfortravel thanks for your caution and advice.

We intend to visit no museums with kid. We know its a rushed trip but have no other choice considering time and budget.
Do you suggest to cut out any place?

Can you comment something about the train tickets?

And budget accommodation at Salzburg?

Regards

"We know its a rushed trip but have no other choice considering time and budget."

<u>Of course</u> you have another choice: <b>see fewer places</b>!!! And actually SEE some of them! Sometimes LESS <u><b>is</u></b> more!

You really can't, IMO, see them all of these places the time you have.

If you want us to help you decide how to trim your itinerary, we really need to know more. What are your interests? Why do you want to see these places?

1. AFAIK, you need reservations for the direct Railjet trains.

2. No. But you pay a higher walk-up fare in Vienna for the faster Railjets operated by Austrian Rail.
The somewhat slower competitor Westbahn ("West Rail") offers low walk up fares (€25 per person). You can buy the tickets on Westbahn trains.

3. Yes. You find vending machines and staffed desks also for German Rail tickets at Salzburg main station where you can get the Bayern Ticket. But you can also purchase & print it at home via bahn.com
Don't forget to take a pen with you as you must write down the names of all people in your party on the ticket before you start the trip.

@kja Thanks for offering to help out.
That will be indeed great.
We are mostly into enjoy natural scenery - hiking/long walking for the kid.

As for the cities Vienna & Munich we wanted to see 2-3 most famous or unique things.

Budapest & Salzburg is where we want to devote more time.
Particularly around Salzburg. What will be good base around Salzburg with public transport?

Thanks a lot cowboy!

Which site will be cheaper to book tickets for Budapest to Vienna? Hungarian or Austrian railways? as I some posts saying prices differ.

Good question. I think you should try both to find out.
Anyway, it is not a costly trip, even at the regular fare of appr. 30 euro or so.

cowboy has said it all about discounted or cheap train tickets - for general info on trains and what to expect (like 1st vs 2nd class) check out these informative sites: www.seat61.com - great info on discounted tickets; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com.

Yes you can always buy low-fare tickets on Westbahn and they may be marginally slower but not that much- buying in advance usually means booking a specific train and cannot be changed nor refunded and as they are sold in limited numbers must be booked weeks in stone weeks in advance.

https://westbahn.at/en - I like flexibility to decide on my trains once I'm there if possible (if not a lot more cost) so keep Westbahn in mind but only in Austria of course).

Bavarian Lander Ticket is great but you are restricted to slower regional trains that take nearly an hourl longer at times - that pass also comes in first class for not much more and IME regional trains can get very crowded at times but first class rarely - use that ticket in Munich the whole day for S- and U-bahns, trams, buses - all public transports - go out to Dachau that day on it too if you want. No need to buy it in advance as it is sold in Salzburg's German train station (part of the Austrian train station) - buying in advance gives no break and if you end up not using it...

If your primary goal is natural scenery, then Salzburg is, I think, the place you might want to make the centerpiece of your trip. And you might want to give it at least 2 full days -- so 3 nights.

Do you already have your airline tickets? If not, consider just Munich and Salzburg. If so, consider dropping the city that is not the one into which you arrive or from which you depart. Is that Vienna? Much as I loved Vienna, it sounds to me like it would be of least interest to you.

BTW, my apologies for "screaming" at you.

If Budapest and Salzburg are where you want to focus your time, then skip Vienna and head directly to Salzburg from Budapest. You have so little time in Vienna that stopping for a half day is hardly worth the time you'll spend going to and from the train station and the hotel.

If you are still set on Vienna, however, just open any guide book or do a search for the "Top Ten" and pick something that looks interesting. That's about all you'll have time for.

We are more interested in scenic places than cities and have to rely on public transport.>

then maybe ditch Budapest and spend three days in Vienna and use one of those days for a wonderful scneic boat ride down the Wachau Valley - take train to Melk - tour the Uber famous abbey - hop on boat thru vineyard-clad Wachau Valley puncuated by cool wine villages - get off at Durnstein, famed for its ruined castle brooding high above town and take bus/train back to Vienna.

https://www.google.com/search?q=wach...=1600&bih=1075

Buy a combo ticket in Vienna for trains, abbey, boat.

Andin Salzburg if you want more scenic countryside than cities spend one day in the Sound of Music Country - the Austrian Lake District just est of town - one hour or so by postal bus - take a boat ride from St Wolfgang - take a steam train up the mountain hovering over St Gilgen - sweet countryside for sure.

https://www.google.com/search?q=Aust...=1600&bih=1075

@ kja Thanks again for your advice. We already made the tickets to fly into Budapest and train out of Munich.
And as for your screaming I take it coming from a traveler who loves to soak in the ambience. I too would have liked that but mainly costs prohibit!

@fourfortravel You are saying what I am thinking. :)
Thanks

PalenQ
You are again to rescue!
I have benefitted from your advice couple of times in past too!
Thanks for those again & thanks for this!

Your gems are tempting me & Have to now rethink!

How about this-
D1: 16:00 land Budapest
D2: Budapest
D3: morning train to Vienna, Vienna City
D4: Vienna outskirts
D5: Train to Salzburg, Salzburg city
D6: Lake district
D7: Morning train to Munich, Munich top 3, train out at 22:00

edit: D1: 19:00 land Budapest

Found some old posts saying there is a night train from Budapest to Vienna. Is there one still? can't find it!
If yes is it safe?