5 full days to split between Vienna and Salzburg

No slur against Mozart, but nobody would choose more days in Salzburg because of the weight of history and culture in Vienna. If you want to see the surrounding scenery, Salzburg is very nice, but Vienna is good for five days alone. Is opera involved, or the Salzburg festival?

Salzburg is charming and a nice counterpoint to the urban large Vienna. That said- I would do 3 days Vienna, 2 days Salzburg. I enjoyed Vienna, Loved Salzburg

Hi Tim, no Salzburg festival is involved. We would like to attend an opera either in Vienna or Salzburg.

I also would not split the time . With five days , you would barely scratch the surface in Vienna .

Thanks. We originally plan for 3 days in Salzburg because my sister who is going with me fell in love with the picture of Hallstatt and also from Rick’s show at PBS showing Hallstatt. She plans to do a day trip from Salzburg. As for me, I am not sure if a daytrip is worth it. I am not sure if it will be the same but we did a day tour to mont St Michel from Paris but it was just ok.

What a wonderful trip! You will enjoy Salzburg and Vienna. I have been to both and am going back to both this year on a RS 8 day tour and staying again in Vienna for 4 extra days. Two years ago I went on the GAS tour and fell in love with Vienna. Vienna is wonderful and is filled with cafes, museums, palaces, art, concerts and shopping. It has beautiful churches and lovely streets. Very easy to get around and a great walking city. Good subway and tram service too.

Have a great time.

I completely understand people's idea that "less is more" and needing more time in particular cities because there is so much to do. However, the amount of travel budget and available time varies by individual. Personally, if I could, I'd spend 7 days in Vienna and 4 in Salzburg. But, you have 5 days and that's what you need to work with. I have had similar constraints. I've been to Vienna twice. The first time I was there 2 days and the second 3 days. We had fun, we did a lot of research and were very selective in choosing our activities. Still, we enjoyed restaurants and some time in a coffee/pastry shops. I am willing to go at a fairly fast clip from morning until evening and spend very little time in hotel rooms. Other people do not like that pace. I also power thru jet lag. Ideal, no, but it is what it is. We are all different. That said, I really appreciate and give some consideration when people say, Whoa, you are going to a great city, you should give it more time. Or, as someone pointed out to me a few years back, you need to consider the time spent traveling from one place to another.

To get from Vienna to Salzburg and back, you take Westbahn trains and buy the tickets on board the train. No need to buy in advance. https://westbahn.at/en

We would like to attend an opera either in Vienna or Salzburg.

The opera season in Vienna ends on June 30th. In Salzburg it will be difficult to get tickets for the Salzburg Festival.

Consult the event directory: https://www.events.at/
It is in German, but easily to understand. Select a place, a date, and the type of event.

We just got back a week ago from seeing both and I preferred Salzburg over Vienna.

I could easily spend 5 days in Vienna or Salzburg, but it sounds like you want a taste of each city, so I think 2 days in Vienna and 3 in Salzburg will work well, especially if you are trying to squeeze in a day trip to Hallstatt from Salzburg. IMHO, Hallstatt is best experienced in the evenings after the day trippers have gone and in the mornings before they arrive. A lot of people do it as a day trip, though, so you will be in good company if you do it that way.

Thank you very much to all your answers to my question. It is true- so much to see and so little time. Between work schedules and logistics, there will be a second, third time to return back to places to see more. Like Julesmenssen, we will powered through our jetlag (with coffee) as we will be excited and mesmerize in a new place where all our senses are engaged.