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Christmas - New Year in Vienna, Salzburg and Munich : Holiday Concerns

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Hello! We are planning a trip to Austria in December and would like to make the most of it. We are Stewart (that's me), Michelle (my wife), and Linda (Michelle's mother). We are 44, 48, and 72 years old and all from Wisconsin, USA. We have no mobility issues and love being outside and exploring a city by foot (and public transit).

Our biggest concern is about what to expect for closures on 12/25, 12/26 and Sunday 12/28. We have a rough plan in place, having booked lodging and acquired 3 day Austria rail passes. Below is this plan:

  • Arrive in Vienna on Dec 23 (at 11:50AM).

  • 12/23-12/25 Vienna. Staying near Augarten.

  • 12/26-12/28 Salzburg ( hoping for a day trip to Salzkammergut region )

  • 12/29 & 12/30 Munich

  • 12/31 - 1/1 Vienna. Staying near the Medical University.

  • Departing for home on the morning of January 2.

We have tickets to attend the Christmas morning mass at Hofmusikkapelle.
We also have tickets to attend a concert at St. Anna Kirche on the evening of New Year's day.

The rest is wide open, but we want to make sure that we aren't caught off guard by holiday closures. Thanks in advance for any advice you can give.

-Stew

Posted by
5697 posts

Don't forget travel time between cities -- 4 hours Vienna to Salzburg, 2 hours Salzburg to Munich. Sunday in Salzburg or Vienna may be harder to find restaurants so you may want to grab one when you see it open. We will be in the same cities around the holidays and looking forward to lots of wandering around.

Posted by
3 posts

Thanks Laura.

We're planning to use the Railjet service which leaves hourly from Vienna to Salzburg (same for returns). The time in transit is less than 2.5 hours! Railjet also services Munich. http://www.oebb.at/en/Services/Trains_and_equipment/Our_trains/OeBB_railjet/index.jsp

We purchased the 3 day 2nd class group saver ticket for Austria since all three of us will always be together. The Munich trip will be ala carte. Perhaps pricier than a local train, but time is precious!

I hope you have a wonderful time too. How about a little snow to add charm to the Christmas markets? Fingers Crossed.

Posted by
5697 posts

Sorry, you're right -- 4 hours is our trip Innsbruck-to-Vienna. For Munich you can get a Bayern ticket for 3 people from the DB machine in Salzburg.
Have a great trip!!

Posted by
5513 posts

Regarding closures in Vienna, you should note that Christmas is celebrated on Dec. 24 here. When you arrive on Dec. 23, you'll want to hit the markets right away as they will be closing down mid-day (or earlier) on the 24th. Shops and many restaurants will be closed on Dec. 24 (afternoon), 25, 26 and 31 (afternoon) as well as Jan. 1. Here is a link for some restaurants that will be open:

http://www.wien.info/en/shopping-wining-dining/restaurants/christmas-restaurants-city

Check websites of museums and other attractions for open hours. Be sure to visit the Christmas Market at Schonbrunn which is open through the New Year. Also, you must go to the Rathaus on New Year's morning and waltz while watching the famous New Year's Concert. Finally, don't miss the Silvesterpfad (New Year's Path) on Dec. 31 or Jan. 1. Here is a link:

http://www.wien.info/en/music-stage-shows/new-years-eve

Definitely avoid the city center at midnight on New Year's Eve as it involves dangerous fireworks and people throwing glass bottles.

Please also clarify what you mean by a 3 day rail pass. You should know that tickets from Vienna to Salzburg are 19 Euro each; all three of you can go from Salzburg to Munich for 31 Euro total; Munich to Vienna is 29 Euro. That works out to 58 Euro per person. How much was the rail pass?

Posted by
3 posts

Thank you Emily! This is very helpful.

We may have overpaid by purchasing the Eurail One Country Pass (Austria) - I'm not sure
http://www.eurail.com/eurail-passes/one-country-pass/austria
The price was 112 Euros per person (2nd class). We plan to use the RailJet service from Vienna to Salzburg (day 4 of our trip), Trains to/from Salzkammertgut Lake District (day 6 of our trip), and RailJet from Salzburg to Vienna (day 9 of our trip). Having priced each day of travel I ended up with a price above 112 euro, but perhaps I did it incorrectly. I am happy to have our tickets in hand as it will make travel easier. Maybe that convenience is worth the extra price paid.

Thanks again for your kind advice. I was unaware of the New Years Eve activities. It sounds fantastic.

Posted by
5513 posts

Hi Stewart - I am guessing you either priced out your ticket costs using the walk up price (always much more) or using this website's (or Rail Europe's) map tool (both of which are way out of whack). Both this site and Rail Europe make the pass look like a bargain, but, in fact, it never is when you purchase tickets correctly.

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