Austria, Budapest and Prague in May

Couple of notes:

Day 1. If you arrive on time, you might be able to make the 9:23 S-8 to Munich Ostbahnhof which connects to the Meridian train to Salzburg arriving at 11:42. But I doubt it, otherwise, take the next available S-8 to Ostbahnhof and wait there for the next train to Salzburg, arriving at 12:42. Buy a 2 person Bayern Ticket for 31 EUR out of a ticket automat, or spend 2 extra EUR to buy at the ticket window

You are bound to be quite tired at this point, but if you want to keep pushing, you might be able to make the 2:00 pm Sound of Music bus tour operated by Panorama Tours. Don't know if I would feel up to a bike tour at that point.

Day 11. If you have not already bought airline tickets, consider taking the train. 6 1/2 hours city center to city center. Airplane will be about 6 hours when you factor in time spent getting to the airport, security, waiting to board, flight time, deplaning, getting luggage, transport into Prague.

In Prague, consider taking in an Opera. First rate, and they have English surtitles, and prime seats are less than $60. I see Rusalka is at the National Opera House on May 21 if that fits. Get your Dvorak fix. It is basically The Little Mermaid story with a famous aria in the 1st act, Song to the Moon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHM3zMBQxTQ

Day 15. You can take the ALX train from Prague to Munich airport by getting off at Freising, then change to the S-bahn to Neufahrn, then change to the S-1 to the airport. Or stay on the ALX into Munich and stay there for your last night in Europe. Easy to get back to the airport in the morning on the S-Bahn.

I don't know which days of the week you'll be in Budapest--I will be there May 9 - 12--but if you enjoy theatre you might look at the shows at the Operettszinhaz, light musical comedies that are not only excellent quality but very affordable. I just posted about getting my ticket the other day in the Hungary forum. www.operett.hu

Sam,

Thank you for this great advice! I had wondered about the train situation from Munich to Salzburg so this is very helpful. I am seriously going to print this train info and bring it !!!

For our travel from Budapest to Prague, we have already gotten airline tix otherwise, we would take your train advice. I know that people had mixed feelings about train vs. plane for that.

The opera idea is wonderful! I plan to book tickets asap.
Thank you also for your advice with train from Prague to Munich.
Munich is the one place that we do not have a hotel reservation. Gotta get that handled!
thank you again!

Sad you are not spending any time in Munich. May is a beautiful time of year there, as their spring comes a little earlier than ours in the States. Perhaps you have been there before? Enjoy your trip as the rest of it sounds great.

In Budapest, consider Black Light Theater. Pass on the public baths.

Public transport from Prague airport is fast, cheap and easy. You are close to the river. Right near the bridge closest to your hotel is a floating restaurant/brewery that we found to have excellent food and drink. Lod Pivovar. The castle above the city is an interesting tour as is the cathedral. Take the tram up but walk back down and feel free to get a little lost as there are some nice little areas tucked away. Last year the clock tower was under renovation and it could not be viewed. Uncertain if that is still the case. Another choice restaurant was U Tri Ruzi.

We did the Sound of Music bike tour in Salzburg and loved it. Cheesy fun especially if you are a fan! We were also there in May and it was a bit chilly - glad we had packed hats and gloves for the biking time.

Have fun!

A note on Marc's post: while there are baths in Budapest, the black light theaters are in Prague.

I did not do either of these, so I cannot comment further on them. But if you are interested, you do have to look for them in the correct place!

Day 7. The scenery is much better around Salzburg than Vienna. Consider going to Hallstatt by car-- S from Salzburg to Rt 162 to Gosausee to Hallstatt. Return by going S from Hallstatt to the Dachstein -- gondola to glacier & ice caves, then back to Salzburg via Bad Ausee & Bad Ishl.

Best use of car from Vienna: Drive along the Danube to Melk Abbey. Short stops in Krems, Dernstein, Melk town

Susie

We are planning a very similar itinerary for May 2020. We are considering flying from ORD to MUC then connecting to SZG to start.- Was there a specific benefit of why you chose the train form MUC to SZG if not spending time in Munich? Also we plan to fly open jaw from PRG to ORD on the return.

Wondered if you considered a car rather than train in Austria. We think we'll get a car in Salzburg and drop it off in/near Vienna so that we can stop at smaller towns along the Danube on the way. Like you we plan to take the train to Budapest from Vienna, then fly to Prague. I get the post about nearly as long to fly - but sometimes 6 hour train rides get long as well.

Are you considering a day trip to Cesky Krumlov or taking a Danube day cruise?

I'd be very interested to read your feedback when you return about your stops, hotels and restaurant recommendations. Hoping you have a wonderful 35th anniversary trip!

Take a couple or 4 days in Vienna before adding the complexities of local travel on top of jet lag. 2 days is enough for Salzburg.

Your saying "Enjoy scenic/outdoor activities mixed in with some museum visits" leads me to strongly second the advice to rent a car.. Your St Wolfgang days are in the lake district of the Salzkammergut, where there are lots scenic drives & we have traveled all them multiple times. I have a note in my Michelin Green Guide on St Wolfgang-- "blah". There are so many better places to see in the Salzkammergut, don't waste a lot of time in a minor sight like St Wolfgang.

The Green Guide lists 5 recommended road trips in the Salzkammergut. In the lake district, I have added a note to recommended route #2, Bad Ischl to Gmunden-- "best drive". Don't know how to do it by bus, but 2 of the 3 recommended lake district tours (including the route to St Wolfgang) go thru Gmunden.

Best of the Salzkammergut: circle the Dachstein (Hallstatt, Gosausee)

Save Salzburg for bad weather. Explore the countryside scenery as long as you have good weather.

Consider Munch airport. Note: car rental prices in Munich city are cheaper than at the airport, but Munich is not a touristic hot spot.

You are very wise to not waste time in Munich & Salzburg. Your plans there are perfect.

Day 7: drive along the river: the Wachau to Krems, Maria Tafrl, & Melk. GO TO Maria Taferl BEFORE Melk Abby. Maria Tafrl is where Jacob Prandtauer practiced before he built Melk, and it shows. Do it this way and you will be blown away twice.

Prague deserves more time than Budapest.

Budapest: Most of Day 1 for Castle Hill (Buda). Then Pest. Day 2 for Pest.

Prague: Walk the streets. Then walk some more streets. Do not miss the view of the castle from the Old Town side of the Charles Bridge at night. Take in an opera at the theater where Mozart directed the premier of Cossi fan Tutti.
Walk the streets in Old Town. Walk the streets in Mala Strana, Walk the streets in the Jewish Quarter. Walk the streets in new town.

Celebrate anniversary with cake at Demel.

If I were spending 5 days in Vienna, my meal plan would be: Wienerschnitzl for 4 dinners, 1 backhendl dinner. 5 pastry shop breakfasts. 5 pastry shop lunches. 5 afternoon snacks at a pastry shop. And don't eat pastries, eat cake. An Austrian princess, Marie Antoinette knew what she was doing when she said, "let them eat cake".

Rent a car to go to Hallstatt. Much better way to see the sights (go thru Bad Ischl to Bad Ausee to the Dachstein to Hallstatt from the south). Most important, with a car, you can also visit the Gosausee, just over the mountain to the west of Hallstatt. Hallstatt is a quaint village on the shore of the modestly scenic Hallstattersee (...see means such and such lake in Austrian-- Lake Hallstatt is where Hallstatt h\town is located). There is no village at the Gosausee, but the Michelin Guide flat out states that the Gosausee "is the most impressive lake in Austria" Michelin is wrong. It is the most impressive Alpine lake in the world. You have never seen mountain scenery if you have not seen the setting of the Gosausee. So here is something for you to think about. You have booked a room at a very nice hotel in the center Disneyland. For an anniversary celebration, is that romantic, or would you rather be in a better location without the crowds but in a simpler, clean but basic hotel, for there is one and only one hotel on the shores of the Gosausee? There is no town or village or houses on the Gosausee, only one basic hotel with one of most awesome views in the world from its lakeside rooms. Having stayed overnight in both Hallstatt (once) and at the Gosausee (3 times) I don't even have to think about the choice.
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