Urgent Assistance Needed: Planning Our Trip

Our daily budget is approximately €150.

For each of you or both of you?

Does your budget including lodging, or is it the budget for food, sites, local transport, misc? 150 euros for two people, if it includes all of the above plus lodging, is pretty low for your destination countries...also, where/how do you intend to "cook most" of your meals? Are you staying in. fully equipped AirBnBs or similar?

Thank you for your swift responses, wmt1 and Jojo Rabbit. Apologies for the confusion. Our daily expenses per person in Europe amount to 150 euros, covering all our needs. We're opting for budget-friendly options and won't be indulging in expensive tours. Essentially, we're keeping things economical. Our plan is to stay in self-catered Airbnbs, allowing us to cook breakfast and dine out for only one meal to save money.

If you are truly struggling, take a prefab tour from RS or another reputable company. It's supposed to be a vacation ...

Or find a travel agent, they do this for a living.

I'm just going with your Austria/Bavaria/Prague/Alps comments, as well as no museums, etc.

Fly in to Munich, day trips to G-P/Zugspitz, Füssen & Augsburg. 5 - 6 days
Train to Bolzano, bus to Ortisei. 3 - 4 days explore the valley and the mountains.
Ortisei to Vienna. 5 - 6 days So much to see in this area. Check other threads.
Vienna to Prague. 5 - 6 days So much to see in this area. Check other threads in Czech Republic.

Very rough outline, look for towns along train routes mentioned where you may want to spend a day or two instead of extended stays in base cities. Day trip out of the larger cities as well.

Marc gave a good outline. I would add at least one full day to Prague. It's extremely beautiful. Vienna deserves two to three full days, but its center is very compact.

September is no longer low season. Book your hotels soon for great, inexpensive options.

Thank you, Phred, Marc, and Barkinpark, for the valuable suggestions. We prefer traveling independently rather than joining tours as it offers more flexibility. I'll definitely look into the travel itinerary Marc suggested. Could you please advise if May is a better time to travel in terms of weather, views and expenses?

Alas, May is no longer shoulder season anymore, either. The weather may be a little cooler, but otherwise crowds/cost will be about the same.

Thank you for your feedback,Kayla ! It reaffirms the value of seeking assistance from this forum. I've gained access to the latest updates, which is invaluable, considering that information from website sources can sometimes be outdated, particularly regarding shoulder seasons for travel to Central Europe. Your responses are truly appreciated

Hi , I'm contemplating whether it's necessary to visit Vienna. I'm considering skipping Vienna and instead devoting more time to Salzburg or other scenic places . The reasons being, I'm not particularly fond of history, and I'm not a fan of big cities. However, when I discussed this with my neighbor, who lived in Austria for over 20 years, he was shocked. He said that if I don't visit Vienna, I haven't truly experienced Austria. I'd appreciate your feedback on this.

You mentioned traveling independently offers more flexibility- yes it does regarding daily activities, but I would have all lodging booked in advance, because of the surge in travel post- covid. You will have a better chance of finding budget accomodation if you book well in advance. The spring and fall seasons are no longer shoulder season in term of less tourists.
Check also regarding sites that require advance timed entry.
Check local holidays also.
Join the country and city related Facebook groups, as they offer valuable on the ground, real time info.
Have a great trip!

If you skip Vienna, then you may regret. Salzburg has a small old town and can be finished in one day. The Alps are surrounding it, so you will get your mountain views.

Our hearts are set on experiencing easy hikes and witnessing the
majestic Alps, scenes reminiscent of those in novels and movies.

I was in Germany this past spring and found this site when I planned a couple of day hikes near Trier and Hiedelberg https://www.germany.travel/en/nature-outdoor-activities/hiking.html

To keep costs down and to meet your need to be able to cook for yourselves, I suggest you look into hostels. Just make sure that the hostels you pick have a kitchen for guest use.

I believe there are no “must see’s”. Every trip we take requires choices. You will only regret the places you chose not to see, if you allow someone to make you feel that way.

Vienna is nice but it is not a “must see” if you don’t have enough time or are not interested.

I would look at the Stubai area of Austria. It's very close to Innsbruck. We have stayed there several times and are returning in September. The reason I bring it up is your budget. We have stayed in a B&B there for 100 euros a night. It included breakfast and the Stubai Card:

https://www.stubai.at/en/accommodations/stubai-super-card/

As you can see, we get to use the lifts for free, ride the fantastic rodelbahn once for free, and lots more. It even includes going up to the Stubai Glacier. If you are using public transportation, there is a train that goes there from Innsbruck. Once there, they have a great bus system that goes up and down the valley regularly. It is also included in the Stubai card.

One caution: Not every B&B gives you the Stubai card. Be sure and book somewhere that does offer it. This web site also provides lots of information on hikes and things in the area:

https://www.stubai.at/en/

There is a restaurant at the top of every lift, beautiful waterfalls you can see from the road, and so much beauty. I have also been to Seefeld. I much prefer Stubai. It is a better value and has much more to do.

I also found Vienna to be more about culture, music, museums, and palaces. We only spent a day there, but we have not returned. I also have friends who say it's there favorite place. I prefer small villages and natural beauty.

For 150 a day (each) you're not going to find much decent lodging in Bavaria in SEP. Octoberfest is the last two weeks of the month and hotels are already getting full and at full price for tourist season. And lodging with a kitchen is rare. You should look at hostels over hotels, but those will fill up also with students and younger travelers.

With your travel goals and, the number of days for this trip and the destinations, I agree with your choice of not participating in a tour.

In addition to Salzburg as related to hiking at your leisure , how about the western part of Austria, the Tirol and the South Tirol, if you want to enter into Italy.

150€ per day is what I spent in Germany last fall for my wife and I - total, not each. Look at staying in vacation apartments - ferienwohnung. Towns have websites that usually have lists of all accomodations. Wikipedia entries for towns will list the website. Websites probably will have a tab listing hikes in the area.

Dear All,

Sorry for the late response. Thank you, JojoRabbit, Pat, Barkinpark, jkh, Texas Travel Mom, Connie, KGC, Fred, and Stephen, for all your tips and useful links. It feels good to know that there are so many helpful and kind travelers out there willing to share their knowledge with others.

I googled the places mentioned, such as Ortisei. The place is beautiful, but I think it's really out of my budget. Most of my expenses will likely go towards accommodation. Bavaria also seems quite expensive, so I might make it a series of day trips rather than staying there.

I still need to finalize my itinerary before booking my air ticket. I'm thinking of flying into Munich and out of either Vienna or Prague. My very rough outline is:

• 6 days in Munich, including day trips to Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Augsburg (staying in Füssen)
• 2 days in Mittenwald
• 5 days in the Stubai area
• 2 days in the Salzburg area (Hallstatt, Berchtesgaden)
• 2 days in Vienna
• 2 days in Prague
• 3 days in Cesky Krumlov

Kindly advise me on my 22-day itinerary with public transport, especially where I should base myself. Thank you in advance.

For the 2 day stay in Vienna, I assume that is 2 full days, ie, you're spending 3 nights. That's rather short for this splendid city and capital. Would you consider dropping Cesky Krumlov?

Vienna is a very easy city to navigate by public transport, using a combination trams and the U-Bahn (subway). Signage is clear. When you go down the stairs / escalator to reach the platform of the U-Bahn line, look at the sign to see if your stop is to the left or the right , arrows point the way.

In your itinerary you put the emphasis on the wrong places.

Munich 6 days , Vienna 2 days - it should be the opposite.

Cesky Krumlov 3 days - far too much. This is a tiny, beautiful and pittoresque town, but within half of a day you have seen everything. Additionally, it is somewhat out of the way. Best is to go there inbetween when travelling from Prague to Vienna (or vice versa).

Why did you choose the Stubai area for five nights? Two nights is enough. Also, 150e per night will be tight there. The scenery is just ok, nothing too special, in my opinion. I have been there twice.
Zugspitze is far more interesting and fun. Konsigsee is serene and scenic. Another alternative is Seefeld. There are some interesting hikes around this town, which once hosted the winter Olympics.

Just chiming in with my two cents: I spent five days in Salzburg, which included two day trips (one out to Berchtesgaden in Germany and one to Werfen to see the ice cave, which I would massively recommend if you're into stunning Austrian Alpine scenery and are able to do the walk (see www.eisriesenwelt.at for information)), so really just 3 days in Salzburg itself. I absolutely feel like we "did" Salzburg - I'm not sure quite what more we would have done if we'd had more time; we probably would have just done the same stuff but taken it more slowly. Salzburg is miniature and you can see the highlights of the town itself in a couple of days (though adding an extra day to go out to Werfen is, in my opinion, extremely worth it - and it's entirely doable by public transport).

Whereas I'm currently planning for an upcoming trip to Vienna and because it's a big city just packed with sights, my god there's so much to see and it feels like a tourist would never run out of things to see and do there! Definitely a different vibe from Salzburg, and whereas with Salzburg there is an element of outdoorsiness, and it's pretty easy to get out to some strikingly beautiful rural destinations, Vienna seems to be much more a city destination where the most "outdoorsy" stuff available is walks in the woods and maybe kayaking/swimming around the Danube. Definitely worth it for museum/gallery/palace/music/architecture-lovers, but maybe less worth it if rural scenery stuff is your thing.

In looking at your itinerary I agree that 3 days in Cesky Krumlov is too much. Instead add days to Salzburg, or one night in Hallstatt. Hallstatt has many tourists during the day but it is so beautiful, and a chance to hike to the skywalk instead of taking the funucular. Also if you are flying our of Munich it is worth it to stay a night in Freising near the airport. A charming historical town, small and walkable with the oldest brewery in the world. Good luck.