Is Paris & Salzburg A Silly Trip Combo?
 

I'm planning to take my mother to Paris this October (her second trip) and am looking for a second city to incorporate into the visit. I know she'd love to visit Salzburg, but I also realize that it's not as practical a city to add compared to London, Brussels or Amsterdam (none of which interest her enough to return to.) We have 10-12 days and do not wish to do any driving. If we do a night train or fly through Vienna, do you think this would be doable or would I be better off leaving Salzburg until another time (I don't think we'd have enough time to use a city in Germany as an intermediary stop instead?) Thanks -- I'd love to hear opionions on the matter. Sorry for the longish post!

Yes it's silly, but we've done it twice...

We did the overnight train, but I imagine the are flights to Salzburg from Paris, too. Don't know why you would need to go to Vienna for this.

Suggest you do an "open-jaw", into Paris, out of Salzburg.

If you really want to go to Salzburg, how about flying to Munich. They do day trips to Salzburg (Which is closer to Munich than it is Vienna) as well as the castles, etc. Then with the open jaws you could fly into Paris, then train or fly to Munich, do the city and day trips and fly home from Munich which might be a more direct flight than from Salzburg.

Logistically, it's not the best plan, but if this is where you want to go it's not silly.

I'm going to Venice and Paris soon. It's a roundtrip ticket to Venice with a stop-over in Paris. So we don't have to concern ourselves about paying for the extra leg.

If you could work on a ticket that allows a stopover in Paris, or fly into one city and out of another, go for it.

Thanks for your responses. I've been weighing the reality of the travel logistics vs trying to plan a special trip for my mom, so the opinions definitely help. Knowing that I'm not completely insane for thinking Paris & Salzburg makes me feel a lot better (I think I'm at the overwhelmed point -- must focus!) Thanks again for the input!

You could also take either a day train from Paris (East) to Munich which takes about 8 hours(several per day) or the night train that leaves around 11 Pm and gets into Munich the next morning around 9 AM. Trains onward from Munich to Salzburg take an additional 1 1/2 hours.
Open jaws perhaps into Paris and out of Munich?
I agree it is very doable and certainly not crazy...just a bit out of the box for a lot of folks but then again, you aren't "a lot of folks." I say Go For It!

What the heck. If you don't go where you want, what is the fun in going?
I long got over the idea I needed to go where people expected me to go.
I go where I think I will have fun.

My only concern here is that after several visits to Salzburg, I am not so sure there is all that much there. The fortress on the hill, Schloss Heilbrunn, a few churches, a Mozart tourist trap or two, the quaint old town, the Festspielhaus, the magicians at the Marionetten Theater, and that is about it.
Perhaps Mirabell Gardens is ok, but those are sort of average.
Perhaps worth two days at the most.
So it is a long ways to go for not very much.
But, hey, it is after all your trip, not someone else's. So go where you think you will enjoy yourself. That is the objective for me at any rate.

I absolutely agree Bob! The most important thing is absolutely to travel where you want to go. However, I'm more used to solo travel where I don't mind hopping from place to place, so this trip is definitely a bit different. Sorry, didn't mean to give the impression that I was looking for others' approval -- merely logistical common sense advice from fellow travelers :) I definitely appreciate your comments about Salzburg -- definitely will keep that in mind when considering the distance to travel vs time in city. Thanks again everyone!

As a follow-on I would agreew with Bob although some find the old part of Salzburg magical to include the cathedral, etc., and the Hellbrun wasserspiele across town somewhat. I wonder if you Mother would also enjoy Munich/environs since it is fairly close to Salzburg anyway..I know that's a "third" city.
I honestly think it is, or could be depending on the mindset of those involved, very practical to do at least the two as I've said above. I suppose some of this comes from having ridden the rails so much in Europe and knowing how fast it can be done. Last November I went from Prague to Zermatt in one day and some of my friends thought I was crazy...but it was unforgettable.
Let us know what you finally decide to do.

Not silly at all. There's nothing wrong with being practical on a trip, but don't let practicality trump what what your mother (and you?) would, at heart, love to do.

There is, by the way, a band from France called Paris Combo.

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p...=Ahh3gtq1zmu45

A band from France is a combo.
That is like the fellow who said he had a friend in BC who was a musician - played first tomahawk in the Shuswap Indian Band.

Hi, Salzburg is a delightful city, and you'll enjoy the contrast of scenery and the contrast of language and food. If you'd like to get into the mountains a bit, you could daytrip to Berchtesgaden or spend a night there on the way to Munich. Don't be practical. Include the places you or your mom feel calling you. J.