One more precious day so where to spend it?
 

Our flight home from Europe has been delayed by one day - yahoo. This gives us an extra day to spend in Austria or Munich.

At present we have
2 full days and 3 nights in Vienna
3 and half days and 3 nights in St Gilgen (day trips to Hallstatt and Bad Ischl)
1 and half days and 2 nights in Salzburg
3 days (including the day we arrive from Salzburg) and 3 nights in Munich (day trip to Ludwig's castle and another day trip to Dachau.

Please suggest where we should add a day. After Munich we complete our trip in the Rhine area so are not looking to add more castles or river trips.

Thank you!

Dachau will not take an entire day including the transport to and from. Have you done the Residenze? the Treasury? The Nymphenburg?

It isn't clear to me how you are getting between these points, or their order. I presume you are going from Salzburg to Munich by train? You could go to Innsbruck, Austria in-between, it is on a rail line from both. You can get from Salzburg to Innsbruck in 2 hrs by rail, and then from Innsbruck to Munich in 2 hrs, both direct (it is kind of a triangle between those 3 cities). I haven't been there but a lot of people seem to like it.

It may throw out the rest of your itinerary, but I would add a day to Vienna.

Assuming it's your first stop after a transatlantic flight, the first day may be affected by jet lag, and in any event there is loads to see - far more than could be seen in 2,3,or even 4 days, so you don't want to feel short-changed.

I also like Innsbruck, but I'd prefer another night in Vienna.

Sorry everyone, in my efforts to be brief I did not include enough info. We would have been in Europe for a month already so luckily no jet lag. This part of our trip comes after our time in Switzerland and France.

We arrive into Vienna late afternoon and have that night followed by two more full days and two nights.
Next day we catch the train to St Gilgen where we are based for three days.
Then off to Salzburg for 2 nights (realistically it is one and half days due to travel)
Finally off to Munich for 3 nights
From Munich we catch a train to Oberwesel.

I would like to add a day to one of these places so that we don't have to unpack too often.

I still say Vienna, with or without the handicap of jet lag.

Munich and see the BMW museum and tour the factory. Book English speaking tour ahead of time on their web site. I liked it but husband loved it. I love Munich and can always find something to do there.

How about Vienna and do a day trip to the Wachau Valley and Melk Abbey? Take a train to Melk - about 45 mins or so - tour famous abbey - trek down to Danube boat docks - take boat to Durnstein - neat wine town with ruined castle where Richard-the-Lion-Hearted was once held for ransom I believe - take bus or boat to Krems and then train back to Vienna - one of the most outstanding day trips I've taken in years of traveling around Europe - buy one all-inclusive ticket at Veinnese train stations.

For lots of great stuff on Austrian and German trains - including the Germany-Austria railpass which may be of interest simply because you are traveling it seems so so many days on trains and the more days with that pass the cheaper they become - full flexibility to hop just about any train anytime - www.budgeteuropetravel.com; www.seat61.com and www.ricksteves.com - these sites also have info on the Wachau Valley visit.

https://www.google.com/search?q=wach...=1600&bih=1075

If not into that I'd add that extra day onto Munich.

Thank you much for this awesome advice. We have decided on Vienna and will do the Wachau Valley day trip. Now I am going to scheme how we can get an extra day in Munich! So grateful for the great ideas.

glad to be of help but it's Pal you should thank with the specific advice of doing the Wachau valley which I forgot about! [perhaps because we tried to go by car on our way to the Salzkammergut but were thwarted by floods].

Another less obvious activity in Vienna is a visit to a Heurige or two - inns selling their own wine which is denoted by a fir tree/branch being hung outside the inn.

There is a nice one near Beethoven's summer house in Heiligenstadt:

http://www.pfarrplatz.at/en/beethove...ovenhouse.html

We had a wonderful afternoon exploring them, to the extent that we can never remember how many we visited!

Heurigen also make a sweet evening trek out to Grinzing - the most famous old wine village but not the only one - on the edge of the Vienna Woods - take tram # 38 to its terminus and voila! Dance or sing and drink the night away!

<<How about Vienna and do a day trip to the Wachau Valley and Melk Abbey? Take a train to Melk - about 45 mins or so - tour famous abbey - trek down to Danube boat docks - take boat to Durnstein - neat wine town with ruined castle where Richard-the-Lion-Hearted was once held for ransom I believe - take bus or boat to Krems and then train back to Vienna - one of the most outstanding day trips I've taken in years of traveling around Europe - buy one all-inclusive ticket at Veinnese train stations.>>

Another vote!