Hi friends! We are 4 girls backpacking Europe for 2 months. We are torn between these two options!

OPTION 1
Munich 3 days> Salzburg 3 days(including day trip to Hallstatt)> Vienna 4 days

OPTION 2
Munich 3 days> Salzburg 2 days> Hallstatt 1 day> Vienna 4 days

Some preferences..
1) Since we are backpacking so we would like it to be more cost effective if possible.
Thus, wondering if the accomd prices will differ by a lot in the two places?

2) If say we take a day trip to Hallstatt will it be too short? We plan to visit the ice cave and salt mines, any more recommendations!?

3) Is it convenient for us to do option 2 since it looks like it is along the way?(no backtracking).

Would really appreciate any inputs or ideas!

Cheers,
Clare

I think a day trip to Hallstatt is fine. It's a sleepy small (tiny) town once the day trippers are gone, and I believe you'll enjoy the evenings much more in Salzburg. Also, there are certainly (youth) hostels (or private accommodation/rooms) in Salzburg where you can stay for similar money as in Hallstatt.

We visited Hallstatt as a day trip from Salzburg. We enjoyed the day, but I would have preferred a little more time in the area, maybe not just in Hallstatt. We didn't visit the salt mines or ice cave. We visited the museum of the Hallstatt culture, which in prehistoric times was the dominant culture in central Europe. The museum was excellent. We also did some hiking; we walked back from Hallstatt to the next train station up the line for the trip back to Salzburg. It was a wonderful walk, and I would have liked to have done some more. The tourist office had good trail maps, but most of them would have been too long for a day trip.

I would go for the option 2, Halstatt is magical, and in the eening it's even more beautiful. Plus I like the sites around it like the Ice caves,Five Fingers, Gosausee, plenty to do for a whole day.
You can have a look at my trip report, I too did Munich,Vienna and Salzburg and LAke District. http://ashwinbahulkar.wordpress.com/...ia-and-prague/

Stay a night in Hallstatt. Well worth it! Great after the day trippers leave. I'd say you need a full day and a half to see everything there.