Day Trips or Open Jaw Munich,Vienna,Budapest?
 

Planning a trip for the first part of September 2015. We have 10 days on the ground. We can either fly into Munich and out of Budapest or roundtrip Vienna. To see Munich, Salzburg, Melk, Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest, should we fly the above open jaw route or fly into and out of Vienna and do day trips to all of the other places? We have traveled in Europe before and changed hotels every few days which worked out okay, but having to deal with the luggage when it's not in a room becomes time consuming to find storage at stations or worry about leaving it in a hotel lobby to pick up before leaving the city. Car rentals can help with the situation, storing luggage in the trunk, but then finding parking spaces and the driver not being able to really see things as he drives are the issues. What do you folks think is best?

I don't quite understand your ocmment on the luggage. When I move hotels, I just go with my luggage and check in, I don't leave it in stations? I don't understand why you'd have to do that. AS for having to pick it up before leaving, I just rarely ever do that as I prefer to leave a city in the morning. I can't think of too many reasons why you couldn't leave in the morning. The only time I usually leave luggage with the staff is upon arrival, actually, if my room isn't ready yet.

So I'm afraid I don't really understand that issue at all. I wouldn't rent a car for no reason, either, if I could easily take the train between cities. YOu only mention cities you want to see, so you wouldn't need a car.

I haven't been to Melk but I know it isn't that far, so I know you cuold do it as a day trip, as well as Bratislava. Salzburg is feasible, but it is about 2.5 hrs by train at a minimum, some take 3 hrs. I stayed there a couple days but was on my way elsewhere west where it made sense, anyway. I think if you stretch the day out, there isn't that much to see right in the center that a day trip wouldn't suffice. Now I did happen to do a day trip to Budapest from Vienna by bus (it was one of those tour groups). That was a very long day but I didn't have to drive, and it wasn't part of my original plans. I did enjoy that trip a lot, it gave us a taste of the city. But it is a much bigger city and there is more to do there, so that's the main one I think merits more thna a day trip.

You could just do day trips from Vienna depending how much you want to accomplish in Budapest. Or fly open jaw Vienna/Budapest, one or the other to start. Then maybe 5-6 days in Vienna, rest in Budapest, with some day trips from Vienna.

I did completely leave off MUnich. That's a lot to do in only 10 days. If you have to add in Munich, I'd definitely do open jaw and maybe start in Munich-move to Salzburg, then to Vienna. I would not move 4 times in 10 days.

We can either fly into Munich and out of Budapest or roundtrip Vienna. To see Munich, Salzburg, Melk, Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest>

Vienna is a great base for Bratislava - one hour by train or longer by hyrdrofoil (I think longer) and Melk and the Wachau Valley boat ride but Budapest is about 3 hours each way on a train and there is so much to explore in that large neat city.

Munich and Salzburg could be paired - I'd base in Munich and day trip to Salzburg.

so two bases needed - Munich also has beaucoups neat day trips - like to Mad Ludwig's Neuschwanstein Castles, Dachau in its suburbs, Nurnberg, Rothenberg, etc.

Taking trains - that many trains look at the European East Pass, valid in all those countries except Germany - or buy discounted tickets online or cheap Westbahn tickets once there (in Austria) - for lots of great info on trains in those whereabouts and lots on those places check www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

definitely fly open-jaw - into Munich and out of Vienna or Budapest if doing that too - may be a bit too much.

Christina, we sometimes need more time in a city, after hotel checkout time to finish up seeing sites before we move to the next town on our list. We may also want to stop in route to visit a place before arriving at our hotel, so then we would have to leave our luggage in a locker at a rail station. PalenQ, so even though Salzburg is on the way to Melk/Vienna, you think we should base in Munich and then backtrack when we are ready to move to Vienna? Then use that as our final base or move onto Budapest at the end? Thanks for the train information. The reason for the post was to see how you would schedule the trip to the cities I listed. Travel back and forth using bases or move in one direction and change hotels more often. I'm not sure which gives you more time to sightsee. Thanks for your insight.

Basing in Munich to see Salzburg will add roughly 4 hours to your overall travel time toward Budapest traveling by train. Melk via train/boat will be its own day as an outing from Vienna.

You could start in Munich (2 nights), and train to Salzburg (2 nights). Rent a car in Salzburg and tour Melk en route to Vienna (3 nights) through the Wachau Valley, stopping along the way at whatever looks interesting (farm stands, wine taverns, and so forth). Drop the car in Vienna. ÖBB trains to Bratislava run approximately every hour; fares are €15 RT and include the use of Bratislava's public transportation (the X13 bus takes you to the Old City). Tickets can be purchased at the station the day of travel. Train to Budapest (3 nights).

The drive from Salzburg to Melk is not particularly scenic along the autobahn. The only scenic portion of the drive from Melk to Vienna is the 35km distance from Melk to Krems along State Route 3 and the Danube; after that it's uninteresting autobahn into Vienna.

In the end, the time for hotel logistics in Salzburg and picking up/dropping off the car may be equivalent to backtracking with train travel. With the rental car option, though you would not "lose" a day from your already limited time in Vienna going back and forth to Melk.

"We have 10 days on the ground... to see Munich, Salzburg, Melk, Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest..."

WOW, that would be WAY WAY WAY too fast paced for me. YMMV. I recommend that you consult a good guidebook or two (always a worthy investment, IME, but you can also check your local library), note the things that you most want to see and experience, check their opening hours, and mark them on a calendar. Block out your time for transportation, checking into / out of hotels, meals, etc. Then see where you stand.

Good luck!

Drop Budapest and it is still an ambitious itinerary but doable. Budapest would be a stretch.

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts. Here is what we have so far:
Fly into Munich from the USA. Arrive Saturday morning.
Sat: Self-Guided City Walk in Munich, & tour the Residenz and the churches.
Sun: Get car rental, drive to visit castles. Do you think we could visit 3 castles, Hohenschwangau, Neuschwanstein, hike to Mary's Bridge and back down through Pollat Gorge and then drive to Linderhof and finish with an hour at Partnach Kallam Gorge before driving back to Munich all on one day? We need to turn in the car before taking a train to Salzburg next.
We do another self-guided walk of Salzburg and tour the Old Residenz,St. Peter's Church and Mozart's Birthplace. We tour the Hohensalzurg Fortress with dinner and a concert.
We get a rental car and drive to Dachstein Mountains to visit Hallstat and the Ice Cave and then drive to Linz, Durnstein and Melk to tour the Abbey before going to stay in Vienna.
Next, we train to Bratislava and then to Budapest where we fly back to the US through Berlin. This whole, fast paced trip is from Sept. 4 through Sept. 16. We arrive Sat. AM, Sept. 5 and Depart Tues night, Sept. 15. Please help with the timing for the castles and gorge hikes.

PalenQ, We are using rewards for our flights and couldn't get home from Vienna or other nearby airports. So, We'll have 1.5 days in Budapest before we fly home.

Regarding your Sunday plan, Marienbrücke is closed as of 3 August for the foreseeable future for maintenance work. Also note that it is only possible to tour those three castles by timed-ticket entry, so you'll have to plan your travel wisely.

Is there a particular reason you are visiting Linz?

Also note that it is only possible to tour those three castles by timed-ticket entry, so you'll have to plan your travel wisely.>

Well no you could wait in often long lines but I think what 44travel means is on the practical side if you do not reserve a time slot you'd have to wait too long at Neuschwanstein in particular to hit all three. There are fewer lines at the other two IME so just time-slot Neuschwanstein perhaps and wing it - still an ambitious day for sure.

Thanks, fourfortravel for the heads up about the closure of Marienbrucke. We would visit Linz to see the churches: Mariendom Linz, Altar Dom, Ursulinenkirche, and Postlingbergkirche Wallfahrtsbasilika "Sieben Schmerzen Maria" just for their beauty. But we will also tour most of the larger churches in Munich, Salzburg and Vienna so unless those in Linz are truly outstanding, we could skip that stop.
PalenQ, could we use a "skip the line" ticket/card of some sort to help with visiting the castles?

Sorry - but I don;t think your days are realistic. You are just trying to stuff too much into each day - will be racing around from dawn til dusk and when you run into crowds or lines will find yourself dropping the later places on the list.

I would really simplify this trip - esp since you now have to get back to Berlin to return home.

By the way I have visited all of these places (except Linz) and you are just not allowing enough time to see/do all of things. Even if you are ready for very early starts you may not find rental car offices open at 6 am - or able to take returns late at night.

As for the castles we preferred Herrenchiemsee to any of the others - and esp to Neuschwanstein (which IMHO is really famous due to Disney).

After looking at your itinerary more closely, I'm inclined to add my voice to those suggesting you are trying to do way too much.

On your Salzburg to Vienna day, you have now at least 6 hours of driving. Add to that the time to park and sightseeing in Hallstatt (ice caves take about an hour), Linz, Melk (the abbey tour takes an hour), Durnstein (presumably you'll do more than drive by the ruins), and perhaps stopping for something to eat, or to shop, and so forth, and you've really underestimated your day.

Is there a reason why you're backtracking to Munich rather than moving forward to Salzburg? A one-way rental of a family size vehicle (manual) for your travel dates is $400 from Munich to Vienna on AutoEurope.com, and you have the freedom of your own schedule.

Thanks for your thoughts. It does look too packed. For Sunday, we cannot pick up the car in Munich until 9am. We will try to visit the 3 castles, only getting to see the view on Mary's Bridge without hiking there due to closures of the bridge and gorge area. We will finish the day with an hour hike at Partnach Gorge and then stay the night at Hotel Koenigshof in Garmisch next to the train station. We will turn in the car the next morning and train to Salzburg. nytraveler: Herrenchiemsee looks like a wonder palace, I can see from photos why you would like it. I will have to decide about the castles or the palace, but we do have a room booked in Garmisch for that night. Fourfortravel: We do not want to drop the German rental car in Austria so we will leave it in Germany. Unfortunately, the train goes back through Munich before going to Salzburg. We have part of Monday in Salzburg and all day Tuesday. On Wednesday, we get another rental car and drive to see Hallstadt and the Ice Cave and then drive back to the same hotel in Salzburg for the night. On Thursday, we drive to Linz, then Melk to tour the Abbey and Durnstein to visit the castle ruins and the Blue Steeple and then on to Vienna, turning in the rental car and staying there Thurs. night, all day Friday and leave Saturday afternoon for Bratislava. We stay there 2 nights, train to Budapest on Monday and fly out 7pm Tuesday. We have a stop over, 1 night in Berlin and finish the return trip home on Wed, 9am. I agree this will leave us exhausted and wanting more, only giving us a glimpse of each area we are in. So, we will just have to plan on returning another time.

castlesANDfalls, it's good that you realize you will be exhausted and barely see (or remember) anything with this itinerary.

Have you realistically mapped out Sunday? By the time you collect the rental car and reach Neuschwanstein/Hohenschwangau, you're looking at an 11:30 first tour, at best and with no delays. Seeing, and transiting between both castles should take a couple of hours. Take a few minutes to eat lunch. The drive from Neuschwanstein to Linderhof will be approximately an hour. By now, if all has gone well, it's 15:00/15:30. Assuming the English tour is 15:30, you'll be leaving Linderhof around 16:30 if you aren't touring the grounds. About an hour later you'll reach the parking lot access to Partnach Gorge (17:30). From the parking lot the walk is 25 minutes to the Gorge pathway entrance. Gorge access closes at either 18:00 or 19:00.

On your Thursday itinerary, keep in mind that, "visiting the castle ruins" requires a steep 20 minute climb on a dirt and rock path. If your only reason for visiting is for the view, Burgruine Aggstein is much more accessible (via car).

Since you're sampling your way through this holiday, I might suggest just staying one night in Bratislava and leaving Sunday afternoon for Budapest, giving yourself an early start on Monday to enjoy more of the city.

@fourfortravel -- your patience is, IMO, admirable! :-)

It looks like you are not going just for the castles, but for hiking as well, so that is one consideration.

However, I have been to all the castles and I am not saying you should, but I would easily give up all the rest for Herrenchiemsee, at least if there was a concert in the evening I could be there. It is an experience. You take a boat out to the island which is situated on the largest lake in Bavaria. I alway wonder why this palace is overlooked in favor of the castles and other places.

As to your current itinerary. It is so terribly packed, I wonder when you will eat. Will you have time to experience any of the ambience that distinguishes one place from another? Even if you are not a foodie (I am not), dinner can provide a bit of culture in different places, so you might want to allow a little time to enjoy some meals.

Two castles and one hike would fill a day.

kja, ha! In our three years here I have played chauffeur/tour guide/translator for visiting friends and family who think Munich and Salzburg are suburbs of Vienna. After one or two long day trips they begin to "see the light" and the pace slows way, way down. :)

Sunday does worry me. Perhaps we could pick up the car Saturday evening and leave earlier. I don't know what time the English tour is at Linderhof and I would like to see the grounds there too.
The gorge hikes were a factor in deciding what to see and the Pollat hike is not an option now. I also was swayed by our AAA Travel Agent who said Neuschwanstein was not to be missed. Researching Herrenchiemsee just makes me want to "add" to my itinerary. I am not a foodie either and we tend to grab quick meals instead of seeking out restaurant recommendations but every meal will take time away from sightseeing. The village of Durnstein looks lovely but the Burgruine Aggstein in Spitz looks nice too. I don't mind some climbing, we're pretty fit and like moderate hiking, especially after so much time sitting in the car. Should we try to stop in Spitz after Melk and drop the hike to the castle in Durnstein, or skip Durnstein all together.I'm still working out the things to do in Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest. Bratislava doesn't look that interesting and some guidebooks don't give many reasons to visit there so I am thinking of dropping that stop and giving more nights to Vienna or Budapest. Any votes for where to add the time?

"I am not a foodie either and we tend to grab quick meals instead of seeking out restaurant recommendations but every meal will take time away from sightseeing." Grabbing quick meals is not that easy where you will be, and especially on Sundays when many grocers may be closed. If you can plan ahead, consider packing a picnic.

Both Durnstein and Aggstein are castle ruins, the latter being considerably more intact. You can't go wrong with either. The village of Durnstein will offer more restaurants (all serving Austrian cuisine); at Aggstein there is just one restaurant in one of the outbuildings, though the food is good.

Bratislava in a half-day generally means wandering around the Old City and up to the castle, which can pale by comparison to Vienna and Budapest. The city has become more interesting to us with time, when special events are going on or if we are in the mood for a "luxury" overnight of dinner, a performance and a hotel stay at budget prices (compared to Vienna). Given your time, though, you can probably skip seeing the city.

Since you are all into outdoor activities, consider taking a half-day to hike the vineyards at the northern edge of Vienna rather than the usual sightseeing in the city. Take the 38A bus from the terminus of the U4 up to Cobenzl (shorter hike) or Kahlenberg (longer hike). The vines are beautiful in September, and if the day is clear you'll be rewarded with gorgeous views over Vienna. Wander down through the vines to Grinzing to one of the heuriger for a small plate at the end, then catch the 38 tram back into the city.

As for whether to add the extra time to Vienna or Budapest, you really can't go wrong with either.

It would be interesting to know if your AAA travel agent has seen both Neuschwanstein and Herrenchiemsee.

Not saying grabing a bite here and there is not the way to go, because it certainly is for some travelers, and they can see more of the sights on their "must see" list.

Sometimes though, you could say that a meal is also sightseeing, or at the very least a travel experience. I can think of a so many times things just happened serendipity. A little cafe overlooking a spectacular valley in Spain, dinner under a tented summer restaurant beside a canal in England, tea in the big garden of the mayor of a tiny village in England, arriving way late after a restaurant had closed, only to have the owner see us and call his chef, who came and made us a wonderful meal.

OTOH, making time for leisurely eating is a trade off for other things that might be important to you that you would regret missing.

You can never do or see everything, but as someone said, you can't go wrong, whatever you choose to do or see, your trip will be wonderful with great memories.

Thanks again for your replies. Fourfortravel, the vineyard hike sounds appealing and we did one in Germany finishing with wine tasting onsite; a nice time we could repeat in Vienna and could be a romantic way to spend our Anniversary day. Sassafrass, I agree with you too about meals sometimes being part of the sightseeing and becoming a big part of the trip's experience. It looks like we will head to Budapest right after Vienna to attend the final day of the Wine Festival there on Castle Hill.After our train arrival from Vienna and hotel check in that's near Chain Bridge,we can tour St. Matthias Cathedral, The Fisherman's Bastion, and Buda Castle first and as part of the Festival inclusion, see the exhibits inside Budapest History Museum (housed in the Royal Palace) before the wine tastings. Sampling all kinds of food in Lion Courtyard there will be exciting along with live music and dance into the evening. I hope we are not too overwhelmed by the extra crowds in the Castle District for the site visits there and it being our first day in Budapest.

Does anyone know how much time to allow while visiting the Dachstein Caves and Mountain? We want to tour the Ice Cave (50 min tour) and go up to the 5fingers viewing platform. From researching here, it seems like the cable car rides from the valley station to the tour ticket desk and then up to the 5finger stop and back to the Ice Cave stop is very slow along with the hikes from the cable car stops to the cave entrance and viewing platforms. We'd like to visit Hallstadt afterwards before returning to our hotel in Salzburg. Can this all be done in one day?