Itinerary suggestions for Austria in 5 days
 

My father and I will be flying into to Munich on a Wednesday later this month. We plan to go right from the airport to the train station, and catch a train to Austria. We've been to Munich and it is a convenient arrival city for us, and it was also available for frequent flier mile redemption. So now the quesiton becomes, 'how do we use our time?' We leave on the following Tuesday out of Munich.

we picked Austria because neither of us have been there before. We both like "old Europe." As example, we both find Florence, Bruges, Gent and Bamberg to be be great towns/cities for us. It seems like Salzburg and Vienna can offer similar experiences to those, but offer new ones as well.

So, we arrive in Munich around 9:00 on Wednesday. My guess is we can be in Salzburg (if that is our first stop) by mid-afternoon. We fly out of Munich on the following Tuesday, so my plan is to get back to Munich on Moday, stay overnight and then catch the train to the airport. That leaves us Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday to fill up.

We won't have a car and will use trains and buses to get around augmented by taxis if need be.

We enjoy walking around and seeing building styles, church interiors, squares, bars (beers), cafes and an infrequent museum. We like just seeing things.

So any suggestions on how we should use the time availble to us in Austria? Wed, Thur, Fri nights in Salzburg and Sat and Sun in Vienna? Or is Vienna not worth that much time?

Any specific sites or experiences for "not to miss" in either location or in between?

Our flights and length of stay are firm, and any advice on how to fill our time is much appreciated.

personally I far prefer Vienna to Salzburg, and would weight my trip in its favour. I also think that you might use the time on your first day [when you might be suffering from jetlag and/or not feel like doing anything much] rather better by using it to travel to Vienna.

just looking at the timetable for tomorrow [www.bahn.de] there is a train leaving Munich airport at 10.35 am which gets into Vienna at 15.30 ish, with only one change - at Munich hauptbahnhof, so it's exceptionally convenient. you could have a nice trip through the austrian countryside, relax, and recover from your journey.

In Vienna i can recommend the hotel Austria - very central and quiet with great service - but you need to book pretty soon I should think to get the best deals and places.

I would do Wed, THursday, and Friday nn Vienna, [that really only gives you 3 days, mind] and Sat and Sun in Salzburg. then you are closer to Munich for your return trip.

Do a trip to Melk Abbey and the Durnstein area.

You can do it between Salzburg and Vienna or do the train/boat combo ticket out of Vienna.

Thanks for the suggestions.

With respect to the train fares, I see that the fastest train has a "saver" and "standard" fare. Are thhe saver fares available only online or can they be had on day of departure?

I've not travelled by train in austria, but Here is the link to the excellent "man in seat 61" site, where you should find the information you need.

http://www.seat61.com/Austria.htm