Europe finally/Austria
 

Been waiting 30 years to visit Austria....

I will visit Vienna first then Salzburg

I am thinking of 5 days ?? Is it unrealistic to do the following in 5 full days:

Hohenslaszburg Fortress
Cathedral, St Peters Monastery
Mozarts birthplace and concert?
Mirabell Palace & Gardens........and of course,where I learned about Austria at 7 years old
Sound of Music tours

Thanks so much your all the help!!!

That's easy to do in Salzburg in 5 days. I would add a salt mine tour
What have you planned for Vienna?

Melk Abbey
Hofburg Palace
Walking around and absorbing culture and relaxing:)

Is 5 days just for Salzburg (you really don't need that much) or are you trying to do Vienna in those 5 days.

IMHO Vienna has about 5 times as much to see as Salzburg - much as I love it.

And Melk isn't in Vienna - but in the countryside between S and V.

If I were in V the things that I would NOT miss are:

Schoenbrunn Palace
Lippanzer performance
St Stephen's Dom

and a host of others

Will you be traveling by train or by car?

I have 10 days for both Vienna and Salzburg

I can switch up less in Salzburg etc??

Thought I could go to Melk abbey from Vienna for day trip, train said though closer to Salzburg, easier to get from train in Vienna???

GREAT--thanks for the info below!!! I like the 5x as much in Vienna response, helps a lot!!

Schoenbrunn Palace
Lippanzer performance
St Stephen's Dom

I will be traveling by train for Krakow Poland

"Walking around and absorbing culture and relaxing" can be a tall order in Vienna. Presumably you will be visiting Austria during its seasonable months. That said, you and countless busloads and shiploads of tourists will be seeking the same thing. Generally, the only "culture" you may be absorbing is that of your own touristic ilk, I am sorry to write.

I am not at all discouraging you from visiting Vienna and basking in its Imperial grandeur; on beautiful, sunny days like I enjoyed yesterday the city is glorious, but even in January I walked right past the fully packed Cafe Landtmann with its guests eating mass-produced tortes and paying for tap water. That is not Viennese culture.

If you research your holiday well, I have no doubt you'll find an itinerary that meets your expectations.

The old town of Salzburg is pretty compact and you can see the sites there in less than 5 days. I would add a day to Vienna.

In Salzburg, there are two houses associated with Mozart. The birthplace, located in the Old Town area , now above a small supermarket, and the museum that is near the Mirabel Gardens. The museum is on the site where the young Mozart and his family lived, and contains instruments he owned, manuscripts and other things.. there are a number of rooms and the audio guide is pretty good, you get to hear some of those original instruments. The house was destroyed during WWII so what you see is a reconstruction.

In Vienna, you can take a train to Melk.. its an easy ride and if you are visiting in the warmer months you can take a boat from Melk on the Danube, and get off at Krems, and get a train back to Vienna. It is a nice day trip and you can do it with a combo ticket.

If you want to go to the Schoennbrun Palace, you can take the subway from Vienna.. its a pretty short trip. If you are there in the summer, make sure to go early before it gets crowded. The palace is self guide with different length audio tours.