Help with Hungry/Austria itinerary
 

This is what we have planned: visit Budapest, VIenna and Austrian Alps (Salzburg/Innsbruck??). I need your help with best places to visit!

Arrive Budapest Dec 29.
Dec. 30--Budapest
Dec 31--Budapest
January 1--trip to Danube Bend
January 2--maybe head to Vienna, maybe go to another Hungry destination (Eger? Pecs?)
January 3--Vienna
January 4--Vienna
January 5- to Salzburg early
January 6--Salzburg
January 7--Innsbruck or day trip to somewhere in Alps
January 8--???
January 9--early flight from Budapest back to US.

Help! And would train travel be best or mix it up with car rental??

If you look at a map, you will see that Eger and Pecs are in the wrong direction if going to Vienna, and I would think that an extra day in Vienna is better than a day trip to these towns. If the weather is lousy or too cold, there is not that much indoor activity for the tourist in Eger. Vienna has more than enough museums for the three days that you would spend there.

As for places to visit, you might want to look at my trip reports:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...p;tid=34659808

http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...p;tid=34600618

HI
NO NEED FOR A CAR.GET A PASS FOR ALL TRAVEL IN BUDAPEST,TROLLEY UNDERGROUND,BUS.TAKE THE TRAIN TO VIENNA,SALZBURG AND INNSBRUCK.CHECK PRICES TO EACH CITY, IT MAY BE CHEAPER THAN EURORAIL. LOOK INTO A OPEN END TICKET. FLY INTO BUDAPEST,LEAVE FROM SALZBURG. LAST 4 TRIPS AN OPEN END TICKET WAS CHEAPER THAN ROUNDTRIP AND ALSO WHY WASTE A DAY GETTING BACK TO BUDAPEST.BEEN TO ALL THOSE PLACES YOU WILL ENJOY. jUST BACK FROM SWITZERLAND-MURREN AREA. HAVE FUN

I personally think a car is a great way to travel. Although you will not need it in the cities, it will allow you to more easily explore the countryside. I've never been to Hungary but the Austria countryside is just beautiful.

The drive between Innsbruck is fairly long. According to Via Michelin, its a 459 mile drive. If it were me, I would probably skip the Innsbruck section all together, as its further away from your departure destination. You could spend more time in Salzburg or spend a few nights in the Salzkammergut area (Hallstatt, St. Gilgen, etc.) or the Wachau Valley (Melk, Durnstein, Krems, etc) before you head back to Budapest. I'm assuming that you would probably want to be in/near Budapest on the night of the 8th, as you are flying out early?

If you do choose to go to Innsbruck, I personally would drop Innsbruck in favor of Hall or another town nearby. Just my opinion, but I wasn't too impressed with Innsbruck. It just seemed like a large, uninteresting city that happened to be in a beatiful setting. Again, this is just my opinion. Hall seemed much more charming and very close by.

Good luck!
Tracy

Thanks everyone. I already have my ticket to and from Budapest, and so I would need to be back in Budapest the night of the 8th.

What if we scrapped the idea of Egers or Pecs and took a day trip to Melk/Krems from Vienna instead. Sounds like there may be an easy train ride from Vienna? Then to Salzburg and stay in the vicinity. How far is it to Salzkammergut area and what is it like? Also read reports about Berchtesgaden???

I haven't taken the train from Vienna to Melk or the Wachau Valley (we drove), but from what I understand its a fairly easy hour/hour and a half train ride.

The Salzkammergut area is stunning, with the mountains and crystal-clear lakes. We drove from Salzburg to Hallstatt, passing through St. Gilgin to stop and eat. The whole area is beautiful and definitely worth at least a day. I believe the drive from Salzburg to Hallstatt was about a little over an hour, a very easy drive. Check out viamichelin.com for driving mileage and directions.

We actually stayed in a little town outside of Berchtesgaden, Schonau, for a week in May. Berchtesgaden and the surrounding area is quite spectactular as well, and there is much to do. The town of Berchtesgaden is very picturesque and has a nice old center that is quite walkable. You could also check out the Eagles Nes or Mt. Jenner for some awesome views. The Konigssee is a beautiful lake in Schonau. Definitely take the boat ride out to St. Bartholemew.

If you are interested, you can feel free to view my photos as http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slidesho...p;conn_speed=1. I have many pictures of the Berchtesgaden and Salzkammergut areas.

Tracy

Hi, medley--since no one else was brash enough to mention it, I will mention the following because I noticed all your past posts include the misspelled word "Hungry." The country is spelled Hungary -- the appetite omits the "a."

Sorry...just a typo. I am not that much of an idiot, I promise.

Have you thought about Bratislava, Slovakia as a stop between Hungary and Vienna? It is "on the way" to Vienna, and a wonderfully inexpensive and authentic city. We stayed for 1 night and really enjoyed it.

Also,(if you haven't bought plane tix yet) have you thought about an open jaw ticket to eliminate having to go back to Budapest to catch a flight out?

Thanks for the suggestion, and yes, I already have my tickets.

I don't think we will go to Bratislava this time. I have been once before on the way from Budapest to Prague and wasn't very impressed...that said, it was over 10 years ago.