Vienna in September
 

I will be traveling to Vienna in September and I am interested in also taking a trip down the Danube, and taking a trip to see the alps. Any suggestions on where to go and how best to see it? I'd like to return to Vienna each evening.

Upstream from Vienna on the Danube is a beautiful section called the Wachau, which lies between the towns of Melk (site of a famous abbey) and Krems. You can take a train to Melk, a boat to Krems, and then a train back to Vienna.

If you want to travel in the other direction, you can get a boat downstream to Bratislava and back to Vienna.

The only part of the Alps that could be reasonably visited in a day trip from Vienna would be the eastern tip in Styria. You could go down to Graz and back in a day.

Hi
May I ask why you want to be back in Vienna each day? The Wachau is a beautiful area as is the city of Graz, which we visited several years ago. We stayed overnight in Melk, the view of the Abbey is especially nice at night when it is lit up. Vienna is a beautiful city, full of museums and sights, but we get the urge to be in the countryside as cities tend to overwhelm.
enjoy your trip
alan

Thanks. I have not traveled in Europe , and I'm not sure how difficult it is to find a place to stay without reservations. I have a pension booked for the week in Vienna. Otherwise, I don't need to be in Vienna every night.
Do I need to make reservations for the Danube trip in advance? Finally, I wanted to get Opera tickets, but the web site is all in German, so I'm not sure how to go about that, and how far ahead. Thanks again for your help

My parents went to the Wachau last October, and all they did was get the "Kombiticket" - which includes the cruise, trains to/from Vienna, and one visit to a historical site (Melk Abbey is the most apparent choice) - in Vienna the day before at an OBB (Austrian National Railway) office. You can find the information about the cruise and the Kombiticket here. Note that you DON'T have to get the combination ticket.

http://www.ddsg-blue-danube.at/en_index.htm