Christmas and New Year Itinerary advice for Munich/Salzburg/Innsbruck (and maybe Vienna)

Posted by stokeschloe on 11/07/17 06:24 PM

My partner and I are planning a 11-night trip for Christmas and New Year. Our priority is to enjoy the Christmas markets and mountain scenery but we’d also like to explore some historical and cultural sights. We are trying to get a good balance between seeing as much as possible without feeling like we are spending too much time travelling and moving between hotels. Would really appreciate feedback from experts on the draft itinerary below:

Fri 22 Dec – land in Munich at 13:00
2-night stay visiting Christmas markets and sightseeing

Sun 24 Dec PM– train to Salzburg
5-night stay sightseeing in Salzburg, visiting Christmas markets and day trips to Hallstatt and St Gilgen/Wolfgangsee. Time to relax and enjoy some traditional food on Christmas day (considering St Peter Stiftskulinarium)

29 Dec – pick up hire car from Freilassing just across border in Germany and drive to Fussen (to avoid extra fees of hiring in Austria and paying for international driving permit and vignette sticker)

1 night stay in Fussen to see Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau – 1 each day as might not arrive in time to see both on first day

30 Dec PM– drop off car in Fussen and get bus to Innsbruck (Flixbus appears to be at least 1 hour quicker than train)
2 night stay in Innsbruck for sightseeing and enjoying the New Year fireworks

1 Jan – train to Munich airport, overnight at airport hotel to catch morning flight on 2 Jan

How does this sound?

Is Innsbruck a good place to visit for New Year? We had considered going on to Vienna or returning to Munich for the final few nights instead. But we’ve heard that both can be crowded and crazy on the evening of new year’s eve with members of the public setting off fireworks in all directions! Would prefer something more relaxing like a meal at a nice restaurant followed by watching some more organised fireworks. We like the sound of the Innsbruck fireworks with a mountain backdrop, or even watching from the mountain. Anyone experienced new year in Innsbruck and have any recommendations?

Is the journey to Neuschwanstein by car generally fine at this time of the year? We obviously can’t predict the weather but have read that the bus transfer to the castle is cancelled if there is snow/ice on the road. We are keen to see both castles but are wondering if it’s a risk weather wise and if we’d be better off visiting another destination instead (Vienna) or spending more time in Salzburg Lake area or Munich on return leg rather than Fussen/Innsbruck. Unfortunately flying into Munich and out of Vienna is much more expensive than a return flight to Munich.

We are sure we will visit this part of the world again in the next few years and would plan to combine Vienna/Budapest then if we don’t make it to Vienna this time.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Posted by dortress

11/30/17 03:21 PM

3 posts

I'm not as well traveled as others here, so...

Germany / Austria was the first trip I ever took and I loved it. Am heading back to Vienna this December as a matter of fact. My trip was essentially the reverse of yours, so here's what I learned from that - and what I'm applying on my return trip:

Number of Days - Locations: Munich is worth three days. Look at the number of historic sites, combined with multiple christmas markets because that's probably the only location you're going to see them at. In Salzburg and elsewhere, the markets are gone by 12/24. Five days in Salzburg - where a lot of them are days when things are closed - is a lot of time.
Holiday availability: You need to remember that 12/24 most everything shuts down for family holiday time. Everything - everything - is closed on 12/25 and for a lot of places, 12/26 services are also sparse. This was definitely the case in Salzburg, which is a smaller city. So you'll be limited on what you can visit on these days
Visting Fussen: There's no need to drive to Fussen for Neuschwanstein; it's easily (and more conveniently) done via rail from Munich. Especially as driving in snow / ice can be a challenge. It's an early rise to do it and get a full day there, but well worth it. On my visit, I arrived and was one of the first to walk up the mountain to the castle, as it has snowed and the carriages weren't running yet. It was glorious. But a car isn't neccessary. That would let you make your base in Munich and avoid the time delay / hassle of changing hotels for one night.

I'd gone Munich -> Vienna -> Salzburg. It made sense (for me) logistically (train rides) and let me easily add another city. Being a bigger city, there will be more services that might be available over holiday days.

Enjoy your trip!