Will you skip Vienna for other city?
 

Hi travelers there. My current plan as below. So far, I can't see what Vienna can attract me.
Should I skip Vienna? If i skip, where to go? Pls give me more idea.

30/11/2016 @ PM : ARRIVED BERLIN
1/12/2016 : BERLIN (Confirmed)
2/12/2016 : BERLIN
3/12/2016 : BERLIN

4/12/2016 : PRAGUE (Confirmed)
5/12/2016 : PRAGUE
6/12/2016 : PRAGUE

7/12/2016 : MUNICH (Under Planning)
8/12/2016 : MUNICH (Day Trip to Rothenburg ob der Tauber)
9/12/2016 : MUNICH

10/12/2016 : VIENNA ?? SALZBURG??
11/12/2016 : VIENNA ?? SALZBURG??
12/12/2016 : VIENNA ?? SALZBURG??

13/12/2016 : BUDAPEST
14/12/2016 : BUDAPEST
15/12/2016 : BUDAPEST


16/12/2016 @ AM : DEPART BUDAPEST

I would do 2 days Vienna and one day Salzburg

You don't seem to have any days allocated for travel between each city, so to me it reads that you have one full day plus possibly a few hours in each place, depending on transit time.

I would choose Vienna over Salzburg for such a short visit - for me, a lot of what Salzburg had to offer was outside the main old town limit. You just don't have the time to do that city justice, imo. Di

Without knowing what your interests are how can we possibly tell you to go to Vienna or not?

It's not my favorite city in europe - but definitely worth a brief visit (and all of your visits are very brief). And yes, you have not allowed any time to get from one place to another so you have less time in each place than you think.

And you already have Salzburg listed - why not spend the 2 days there - plenty to see and do.

Hard to describe my interest. But I am kinda person who loves Paris, Rome, Amsterdam but not Switzerland... ��

We live in Vienna, and I can understand why you might feel the city has nothing to offer; I often see slightly catatonic-looking tourists moving along streets and toward museums that the guide books describe as a, "must-do," yet many visitors don't really seem into it. You know what you like, and with a little research you can determine if Vienna fits into your itinerary.

Lucky for you, if Vienna remains on your itinerary you will be in the city on a weekend when the Christmas markets will be at full swing. Even if you do not celebrate the holiday, the markets manage to bring out smiles from even the Viennese, and wandering around them can ease the museum and Imperial overload.

I hope this is helpful.

BTW I am big fan of Rothenburg but not as a day trip from Munich. All your time will be spent traveling. Regensburg might be a good alternative. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has an atmospheric Christmas Market at the Thurn &Taxis Palace very near the train station.

Vienna has an interesting selection of Christmas Markets and too many sights to see in few days. Three days there would not be wasted. We have preferred moderate sized towns in this season but that might not be to your taste.

If you're into classical music, art,architecture or history, then Vienna is a must. If not, then. . .

Vienna was home to Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and the 20th C. "Second Viennese School " (Schoenberg, Berg and Webern). There is a very good classical music museum there, and opera houses and churches where you can hear classical music most nites of the week.

The Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien has masterpieces from Italy, Austria and the Netherlands.

The Hofburg and Schonbrunn Palaces are quite stunning, although the Schonbrunn ("Summer Palace") might lose some of its charm in the winter.





And of course, if you're a film fan, you can visit some of the places where "The Third Man" was filmed (although much of it was filmed on an English sound stage).

Since you haven't mentioned specific interests that draw you to these destinations, I'm trying to understand the allocation of days. All of these places have their interesting sights, but are they (more or less) equal in your eyes? Have you made a sightseeing plan for each stop?

And why you would spend so many hours traveling to and from Munich just to spend an afternoon and one day there. Yes, Rothenburg (and Regensburg) are charming, but you wouldn't be spending more than a few hours in either.

So, have you checked the travel times between all of these points?

FYI, at that time of year, the afternoon light will start to fade at 4:00p or earlier. Sunset will be at about 4:30p but at 4:00p by the time you reach Budapest.

We preferred Salzburg over Vienna (but that's us). Also from Salzburg you can do day trips to lake villages such as Wolfgang and Hallstatt. You should research them and see if those peak your interest.

I like Budapest, but Vienna has better museums and more things to do. Cut out one day from Budapest and add it to Vienna. That would give you three days if including the above suggestion of one day in Salzburg and two days in Vienna (which probably is only 1.5 days since there is travel time between the two cities).

Skipping Vienna would be a terrible mistake.

Vienna is the "de jure" capital of Central Europe, as the Austrian Empire ruled the whole region from 1526 to 1918. The wealth of this city is unparalleled, and can only be compared to the other "grandes dames" of Europe like Paris, London and Rome.


Ok, let's start with the fact that the historic centre of Vienna is a UNESCO site, along with the Schönbrunn Palace which was the imperial summer residence. The official imperial residence was the Hofburg Palace, located in the historic centre. Next to the Hofburg Palace is the Imperial Treasury, where along other precious artifacts are the imperial crown of Austria, and the imperial crown of the Holy Roman Empire.

Beyond the imperial heritage, Vienna is also home to some of the best art museums in Europe. The Kunsthistorisches Museum is one of the largest and most important museums in the World, and houses masterpieces from the huge royal art collection of the Habsburg Dynasty. The Belvedere Palace is another major art museum which houses the national gallery of Austria, and includes masterpieces of Klimt, Kokoschka and Schiele. The St. Stephen's Cathedral right in the heart of the historic centre, is one of the greatest Gothic cathedrals of Europe. Vienna is also called the city of music, as it was the flourishing center of classical music. There is no better place to experience this era than the legendary State Opera House.

Finally, the imperial capital of Austria was a centre of intellectuals from all over Europe. They used to gather in its cafés, which Vienna is so famous for to our days. The centuries old cafés offer beyond coffee, classic hot chocolate and amazing pastries and cakes (like Sachertorte and Apfelstrudel) that the Imperial Family itself once enjoyed. The 3 favourites are: Café Demel, Café Central, Café Sacher...
And let's not forget Austrian Cuisine, like the schnitzel, cheese-filled sausages (käsekrainer) and the local beer. Don't forget to eat at a sausage-stand (würstelstand) the best being Bitzinger. Also Figlmüller is a great and trusted place for a schnitzel.


So here is the list:
1. Hofburg Palace
2. Schönbrunn Palace (UNESCO)
3. Imperial Treasury
4. Kunsthistorisches Museum
5. Belvedere Palace (National Gallery)
6. St. Stephen's Cathedral
7. State Opera House
8. Historic Centre (UNESCO)
9. Viennese Cafés
10. Viennese Cuisine


Hope that helped! ;)

PetrosB3, many thanks for the brilliant info. Would like to give you thumbs up for that! :-)

I change my plan. Should i SKIP MUNICH (just because I wanted to see Rothenburg), and add day to Prague or Salzburg? Pls comment my itinerary.

30/11/2016 @ PM : ARRIVED BERLIN
1/12/2016 : BERLIN (Confirmed)
2/12/2016 : BERLIN
3/12/2016 : BERLIN

4/12/2016 : PRAGUE (Confirmed)
5/12/2016 : PRAGUE
6/12/2016 : PRAGUE

7/12/2016 : MUNICH
8/12/2016 : MUNICH
9/12/2016 : MUNICH

10/12/2016 : SALZBURG
11/12/2016 : St. Wolfgang & Hallstatt day trip
12/12/2016 : SALZBURG

13/12/2016 : BUDAPEST
14/12/2016 : BUDAPEST
15/12/2016 : BUDAPEST


16/12/2016 @ AM : DEPART BUDAPEST

From my perspective, you haven't told us enough to provide helpful advice about what to visit and what to skip.

I would say that I think you are giving each and every one of your destinations, with the possible exception of Salzburg, less time than would likely be desirable, particularly once you factor in the time it will take to get to/from places, pack/unpack, check into/out of hotels, get oriented to new cities/new countries, etc. Basically, you are giving yourself about 2 days in each city -- very, very, very little time for places as rich in places to see and things to do as these destinations are.

I recommend that you get some good guidebooks (or spend some time with a few in your local library), identify the things you most want to see in each location, check their opening/closing times on the internet, and mark them on a calendar. Then pencil in your transportation, add some time on either side (for getting to/from your lodging, checking in/out, packing/unpacking, getting oriented, etc.). Then see how things fit together.

Good luck!

Many people do not like Rothenburg for its crowds. It is not any more crowded than most towns during Advent. I have found it quite attractive that time of year. I prefer Rothenburg over Munich for a short stay.

https://mcchelsea.smugmug.com/Advent...ob-der-Tauber/

https://mcchelsea.smugmug.com/German...r-Tauber-2008/

Gary_Mc, nice photos! I love to see old town like Rotherburg.
Still trying to figure out how it can fitted in my plan. :-|

When we booked a trip to Prague, Vienna, and Budapest last year I too was unsure about Vienna. Looking at the guide books I didn't think much interested me. However, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked Vienna!! It's beautiful there, reminded us a lot of Rome in architecture. We saw some of the 'must see' things, but what we really enjoyed was visiting the wineries just outside of town, doing the Friday night bike ride down the main street, and renting bikes to ride through the wineries and small towns outside Vienna. We went from Krems to Durnstein and visited the Abbey and the robin hood castle. After our three days there, I wished we had stayed longer. It would be a shame to miss such a great city!

This is one of these threads that confuse OP more than it helps.

One poster says "I like xxx" and the other says "I do not like xxx". And then someone throws in yyy and is comparing apples with oranges.

Rothenburg is an apple and München is an orange. Same with Salzburg and Vienna.

Rothenburg is a tiny historical town - it certainly IS picturesque, but in half a day you have seen every house and every stone in this little town, while München is real city with dozens of attractions and museums. So, the real question is not München or Rothenburg but doing a daytrip from München to Rothenburg or not.

Salzburg and Wien are similar. Wien is a really grand city, full of history, architecture, arts and attractions. Salzburg is a smallish town with a cozy old town and a few things to do, but that's it.

Woin's advice is very reasonable: Two days Wien and then one day in Salzburg which is already on the way to München.

Of course, there are zillions of other attractions in the area - Hallstatt, Berchtesgaden, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Neuschwanstein, Rothenburg, Dinkelsbühl to name just a few - but you simply have not enough time for detours. Your itinerary is already tight enough, do not add more destinations.

With your first itinerary, you already picked some of the finest cities in middle Europe.