Hello All,
Solo traveler, visiting Prague this month end, planning to stay for 3 nights ..as my return flight is from MUC ..Bit confused either to choose Salzburg/hallstat or vienna in austria for another 2 nights .....Any suggestions on the best location to stay in salzburg preferably hostel near the train station or the City Center and also please suggest on choosing SIM card for data to use MAPS,location and to connect with family/friends..
We stayed at Pension Elisabeth for two nights in Salzburg. Outside of historic center near train station but bus stops directly across the street. Drove from Munich area but chose Elisabeth as originally planned to arrive via train. Front desk staff very helpful and you can buy bus pass and breakfast from them. Be sure to visit Pizzaria di Ciro. Within walking distance and serves excellent food. The first review is mine.
Both are terrific, but with only two nights I think you might be happier in Salzburg where you'll be better able to see most or all the major sites that interest you. Two nights in Vienna is likely to only whet your appetite and you'll leave planning a future return with more time. In fact, you might also want to save Hallstatt for another time. You'd spend a full day traveling to/from and enjoying the village. Also, the geography and travel time tip the scales in favor of Salzburg.
We were happy with the Orange SIM in 2017 while visiting the area. (Can't help with Salzburg lodging; we stayed in nearby Mondsee, using it as a base for Salzburg and the broader Salzkammergut. The Austria/Forum regulars will certainly help you with that.) Bon Voyage.
We just completed a 3 week trip to Europe, which included Munich, Salzburg, Hallstatt and Vienna, as well as other cities. We were the least thrilled with Vienna. There are a lot of palaces and buildings, museums, which are all quite lovely. For whatever reason, while we're glad we visited, we likely wouldn't go back due to many other cities to see. We stayed in the heart of the city in Salzburg, at Hotel Schwarzes Roessl, which was very economical and in the pedestrian area. We loved the location. There are many activities to do within walking distance. We did the Sound of Music tour, by Bob's Tours, and our guide was RosaMaria...who was fabulous and had many stories to tell about the actual filming of the movie. She was wonderful. (If you're not from the US, this tour likely is not of interest to you). We rented a car and drove to Hallein for the Salt Mine tour. We also visited Hallstatt, which also has a salt mine tour. Hallstatt was very beautiful, and would recommend if you have the time.
For only 2 nights, I'd probably choose Vienna, as it's about 4 hours from Prague by direct train (for Salzburg, it's at least 6 hours with a train change) and then about 4 hours by direct train to Munich. If yo do choose Salzburg, I'd skip Hallstat - it's a long trip there and back and the best times to be there are early morning and late evening, when the day-trippers are gone, but you'll be one of the day-trippers.
