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Itinerary Advice: Budapest to Munich, Wine Country in Austria which route is best?

Posted by (Placitas, NM, USA) on

We're taking a short 2 week trip next Sept. starting in Budapest and ending up in Munich for Oktoberfest, I would love some input about a possible itinerary. We've been to Germany and Austria before, this time we'd like to spend a few days exploring some of the wine areas in Austria.
1. Depart US
2. Arrive Budapest mid-day night in Budapest
3. Night in Budapest
4. Night in Budapest
5. Am train to Vienna, night in Vienna
6. Night in Vienna
7. Pick up rental car in Vienna, travel to wine area: Burgenland (Melk) 100 miles, 1 hr- 45 min from Vienna then onto Graz, 55 miles from Melk. Night near or in Graz
8. Wine: Graz to Styria, Styrian Wine Road: night in this area?
9. Wine: Styria to Krems take the Styrian Wine road (we'd be missing the Wachau Valley)
10. Krems to Salzburg, drop off car, spend night
11. Day in Salzburg (we've been there before)late afternoon train to Munich, night in Munich, reservations made for 4 nights
12. Munich
13. Munich
14. Munich
15. Fly home from Munich
We could skip Salzburg and return to Vienna dropping the car off there then train Vienna to Munich. If we did that we could do this route:

Vienna to Krems, 122 miles, 2 hr 15 min. Krems to Styria 73 miles, 1 hr, 30 min, to Styria to Graz, 71 miles 1 hr 23 min, Graz to Burgenland (Melk), 55 miles, 1 hr, 12 min, Melk to Vienna, 100 miles, 1 hr 41 min. (420 miles total)

Actual car rental is cheaper picking up the car last day in Budapest dropping in Munich first day we arrive.

Thank you!
Sue from New Mexico

Posted by
5370 posts

You’ve definitely got #7 wrong. Melk is not in Burgenland and Melk is definitely much further than 55 miles from Graz. Melk is actually very close to Krems in Lower Austria. What city did you mean in #7?

Posted by
1894 posts

Sorry, but you got something wrong and mixed up, both distances and travel times, as well as towns.

E.g.:
Styria is a state, not a town, and Graz is the capital of Styria. Melk is in the state Lower Austria, not in the state Burgenland. The distance from Graz to Melk is about 170 miles, the distance from Melk to Vienna is about 60 miles, from Vienna to Krems about 50 miles. And so on.

Posted by
5370 posts

...and Krems is actually part of the Wachau Valley, so you’d be seeing it....

Posted by
173 posts

Thank you all for the information and a lesson in geography! I certainly had a number of things mixed up and wrong in terms of milage and location of places in Austria! I was using information that I found on the internet with out doing much research on my own, shame on me!

I think I have things figures out now. Thanks again everyone.

Posted by
27057 posts

You are planning more time in Munich (don't know whether you've been there before) than in Budapest, which is new to you. And even the first full day in Budapest may be affected by jetlag. I would apportion the time differently. If you were to drop Salzburg, the Munich-vs.-Budapest time would be even more out of balance from my point of view.

Posted by
173 posts

Thank you for your suggestions. This is the plan so far.
Budpest: 2 1/2 days train to Vienna
Vienna: 2 1/2 days
Pick up car and spend 2 nights in the Wachau Valley
Drive to Salzburg and drop off car, 1 night in Salzburg, about 2 days there. (We spent 3 days in Salzburg 10 years prior but our friend would like to stop there for a day)
Train to Munich for Oktoberfest arriving in the evening
3 days Munich (4 nights)(we've been to Munich before but would like to take in the parades and the Oktoberfest experience

Posted by
1894 posts

During the Oktoberfest Munich is in a state of collective beer-mania. Try to get a reservation (now!) in one of the more decent (if this term is applicable at all) places, like Käferzelt.
Be aware that accommodation prices are skyrocketing in and around Munich during the Oktoberfest, so try to get your arrangements as soon as possible.

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