Husabnd and I will be flying into Vienna (arriving on 18 December) and flying out of Munich on 26 December. We're deciding between spending Christmas in Munich or Salzburg. In either case, we will depend on public transportation.

I have been to Munich once and liked it but have never been to Vienna or Salzburg. Husband has not been to any one of them.

Where is more festive for the season? And is Munich significantly cheaper than Salzburg?

I've never been to Munich, nor any of these cities at Christmastime, but I have been to both Vienna and Salzburg and have to say I just fell in love with Salzburg. Vienna just reminded me too much of home (big city). Salzburg is very charming and I'm sure has quite the allure at Xmas as well.

We spent last Christmas in Salzburg right after a few days in Munich. Salzburg is really Christmas central with all the church bells and the Chrismtas market filling the area around the cathedral, but then Munich has 4-5 Chrstmas markets and a lot more other stuff to see and do. I love both cities and if I could I would try to squeeze both into my travel plans. Depending on your hotel preference Munich will probably be a little more expensive than Salzburg.

No doubt in my own mind that there will be more to do in Munich (besides the Christmas markets which basically all sell the same stuff); the public transport system is more extensive and comprehensive (of course, Munich is bigger than Salzburg, too).

You can end up paying a lot or a little in hotels in BOTH cities depending on the "star" level and the location of the establishment.

While you'll probably receive pros and cons for both cities, my personal preference is Salzburg. I think it is a beautiful, charming city - just the right size for me. I found Munich to be too large and having tried it twice, have no desire to return. I fell in love with Salzburg. My visits were during the summer, though, so I can't help with holiday comparisons. In either case, have fun planning!

For what it's worth,

I've been to both Munich and Salzburg before Christmas and for me it's Munich, hands down.

I liked Salzburg but it was crawling with tourists and the whole town seemed to be geared towards touristy things. (I don't ever want to see another Mozart ball again.) Munich has the whole enchilada. Salzburg's Christmas market is quite small, Munich has several huge markets going on. Munich has a much more effecient public transportation system.

Why don't you spend a night in Salzburg on you way to Munich?

I too have been to both cities and my vote would be for Salzburg. While I enjoyed Munich, it just felt like another big city to me. Since you will be spending the first half of your trip in Vienna, I would consider spending the rest in Salzburg. Its a fairly small city and very beautiful and charming. The region surrounding it is breathtakingly beautiful.

Munich isn't far from Salzburg by train. You could easily daytrip to Munich to visit some of the Christmas markets.

Tracy

I'm glad someone else asked this question as we're pondering the same thing. Maybe a little further clarification will help both me and the original post. What I'M really trying to figure out is what is pen and available in both cities Dec 24 - 26. We've heard everything is closed; so now we have no idea what we're doing.