College Backpackers looking for help

Yes, Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest is an impressive site.
We could feel Hitler’s paranoia there, his elevator up to his home hidden in the mountain, etc

In Salzburg I use the Boutique Hotel am Dom. The location is perfect. If you want a couple good walks, take half a day and go walk the old fortifications on the hill across from the fortress. Or just walk completely around the hill the fort is on.

One of my favorite things to do is just on a train and get off when it rolls into a town that looks interesting. Mind you, most big cities look really bad from the train station, but smaller towns, not so much.

If you are okay with no a/c in Salzburg (hopefully won't be needed in late May/early June), the Gästehaus in Priesterseminar Salzburg is fairly inexpensive, has a decent breakfast, and has an on-site washer and dryer. Lots of atmosphere, too, though the rooms are pretty simple. It is located near Mirabell Gardens and allows an easy walk to pretty much all of Salzburg's sites. https://gaestehaus-priesterseminar-salzburg.at/en/

Eagle's Nest is cool. The views are great... if it's a clear day. I'm not sure about feeling Hitler's paranoia there... he was fairly indifferent to it and was there only there a handful of times... it was a gift from his men... but Eva Braun adored it!

I really like Königssee, also near Berchtesgaden. It's a gorgeous lake. Take the boat all the way across the lake to the Salet stop, walk 15 minutes to the much smaller Obersee, get your Instragram picture if you are into that sort of thing, hike around Obersee on its right side, then ascend to a very nice alpine meadow surrounded by granite peaks on three sides (and populated with cows) to get to Röthbachfall (Germany's highest waterfall). Easy hike. Big pay off. On your return stop at the snack shop on the waterfall side of Obersee for fresh milk (or some other drink/snack). The Jennerbahn, a cable car that goes up the side of a mountain, is near the entrance to Königssee. If you got an early start, you could combine this with Eagle's Nest.

One other VERY cool, unique thing in the area is Eisreisenwelt at Werfen. It's an enormous ice cave, and one of the most fascinating places I have been. Train ride to Werfen. Walk to a parking lot to catch a shuttle to the entrance of Eisreisenwelt (CASH ONLY WITH NO ATM NEARBY -- 4 college backpackers showed up without cash and got turned away when I was there -- so, of course, I paid for their ride). A combination of hiking and riding cable cars gets you to the cave. English tours available.

In Salzburg...

• walk around the Old Town -- there is a nice guided walk in the Rick Steves book (or in his free audio app)
• go up to the fortress to explore it and to get nice views over the city
• stop in at the Augustiner Bräustübl to experience its food hall, beer hall, and beer garden
• wander Mirabell Gardens -- find the dwarf garden

If you want something really, really, really off the beaten path in Salzburg... walk to the Neustadt (new town) and visit Stadt Bibiliothek Salzburg -- the city library. It's in a building that is reminiscent, at least to me, of Godzilla. The carpet is shockingly red. Take the diagonal-travelling elevator to Godzilla's head to find the Panoramabar, a reading room and coffee shop with great views of the city, including the fortress in the distance. The coffee shop is staffed by individuals with cognitive differences who are learning to work in the food industry in a sheltered environment. So... a some basic German language knowledge (like how to order coffee) is helpful... if not required... to visit here. It's kind of cool, though, to see how a sheltered work environment works in Austria. There is an Interspar Hypermarkt across the street from the library -- explore the German/Austrian version of a high-end Walmart.

I think I would just knock the train ride out from Vienna to Salzburg. Hallstatt is along the way, but requires a fairly long transfer and would probably ending up eating up most the day.

You should be aware that May 29, the day you arrive in Vienna, is a public holiday (Ascension). This means that public transportation will run on a holiday schedule and that shops are closed, including grocery stores. Most school children will also have Friday off and many Austrians will take Friday off of work as well, making this a very popular four day weekend. This may mean that some things in both Salzburg and Vienna will be more crowded than usual over this period.

As for where to stay, when you say "budget is not an issue" I assume that a room over $250/night is out of the question, but please correct me if I am wrong. The best area to stay is the First District, which is the area inside of the Ring. The majority of sites are inside or adjacent to the Ring. Alternatively, you might enjoy staying in the 9th District (Alsergrund) which is where the university is located and this district is adjacent to the Ring, so not far at all from sites. Consider as well the 8th District (Josefstadt) and 7th District (Neubau), similarly well located, and really the coolest areas of Vienna. Lots of neat shops and restaurants. The 6th District is where you will find the major shopping street, Mariahilferstrasse. The 5th District, 4th District and 3rd District are also good, well located, especially closer to the Ring.

You will want to use public transportation in Vienna - it is cheap, fast and everywhere. Buy a 48 hour pass and you can hop on any form of transportation. Buy the pass online at https://www.wienerlinien.at/web/wl-en/24-48-72-hours-vienna . I also use Google maps public transportation function for getting around the city with great success.

I had a look at booking.com for your dates. I would recommend the following hotels which are available:

Hotel Indigo - very near the main market and walkable, but also very good public transportation. Work colleagues stay here routinely. Very new and modern.

Austria Trend Savoyen - The Belvedere Palace is in your backyard. Good breakfast. My parents frequently stay here and the Ring is just a few minutes down the road.

Magdas Hotel Vienna City - A social project, but very, very nice. Deliberately employs refugees and asylum seekers. Awesome garden and bar - very popular hangout spot. My parents have also stayed here and were very happy. Very happy little corner of Vienna quite close to everything.

With regards to getting off the train for a few hours on the way from Vienna to Salzburg, be careful that you have a ticket that allows for stop overs.

Hello!

I was in Vienna a couple weeks ago and stayed at the Wombat hostel. It’s on the outskirts of the central area, but doesn’t take long by bike (8 minutes) to get where you’re going.

The rooms are nice, clean, and (mine was) quiet. It was also relatively cheap, and M, W, F they have free city tours hosted by the hostel!

I think time is better sent on the Königssee and or Jennerbahn than the Kehlsteinhaus. I'm a cold war guy too. The AFRC days in Berchtesgaden are history. Nice viewpoint but there are better things to see and do with your short time.

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