We will be taking our first overseas vacation next June / July. Which of these cities would you recommend and what other countries would be a must to see by train. We will be there for about 10 days.

Well, you could easily see both since they are only about a 2.5 - 3 hour train ride apart. Both are wonderful and worth a visit in their own right.

From Salzburg I highly suggest a visit to the nearby Salzkammergut. This is Sound of Music country and the region is beautiful. St. Gilgen, St. Wolfgang and Hallstatt are all lovely little towns nestled against lakes and mountains.

With 10 days you could easily combine Vienna and Salzburg with Munich. Munich isn't too long of a trainride from Salzburg and is also a great city.

If you are more keen to countryside, southern Bavaria is also spectactular. We really love the Berchtesgaden area, but you could also visit Ludwig's castles (Neuschwanstein, Hohenschwangau, etc) near Fussen. Mittenwald and Oberammergau are also quite popular.

Consider a flight into Vienna and out of Munich. The airfare shouldn't change too much, and it would avoid backtracking.

Tracy

I second the vote for visiting both. No reason you can't with 10 days. Both cities are unique. I would skip trying to visit another country and just focus on Austria for this trip.

One more vote for just these two cities. Consider 7-8 days in Vienna and 2-3 days in Salzburg, depending on your interests.

Thanks for the advice. It is somewhat up in the air since I anm trying to trade into the timeshares in both locations. Any comments or reviews about Cordial Theaterhotel Wien in Vienna or the Cordial Theaterhotel Salzburg? If we do not get in either of those; Venice is the next choice.