Help with itinerary?

4 days would be more than enough for Vienna. But personally, I'd not do Salzburg as a day trip. I'd make is a stop-over city. 2 or 3 days there, then 1 or 2 in Vienna would work well. Or add a day to Paris and then add Salzburg at the end. You could fly home from Munich- there is a bus that will take you from Salzburg to the airport (it is actually listed as part of the flight! lol!)

Mark, I have to agree with the previous reply. One possibility would be to spend a few days in Salzburg (a beautiful city!) and while there you could always take a day trip to Hallstatt (Salt Mine tours) or Berchtesgaden (Eagle's Nest, Dokumentation Centre, Salt Mine tours). Have a look at This Website for one day tour option. Happy travels!

21 days for Paris, Bruges and Munich sounds comfortable. So for me it would be a tossup between the German/Austrian Alps (small towns) or Vienna. What does your heart tell you it wants to do

Mark, "I was kind of looking forward to Hallstatt, Rick makes it look so good" Hallstatt is "so good" (IMHO of course). It's one of the most beautiful places I've visited in Europe, and I found the Salt Mine tour very interesting. Stopping for a cool "beverage" and some lunch at Rudolfsturm (the large fortress above town) on a sunny afternoon was amazing. There are a few activities, such as the Museum and the Churches and of course hiking, but it's generally somewhat of a "quiet" location. However, given the fact that you favour more activity and "Sitting and "relaxing" would get boring quickly", having a brief look at Hallstatt would probably be better as a day trip from Salzburg. There's not a lot to do there in the evenings except enjoy the scenery and ambience, so you might get bored? Good luck with your planning!

Hello Mark. I recommend, at the end of your trip, ride in trains from Munich to Hallstatt in Austria. (Change trains at Salzburg). Be at Hallstatt two nights, to have a full day for riding on a cable gondola on the nearby Dachstein mountain. Lake Hallstatt and the Dachstein mountain are very different from the other places in Europe that you will be at. And then one or two nights at Salzburg before flying from Munich airport to the U.S.A.

I would add at least a full day and night in Salzburg (two would be better). Use your time between Bruges and Munich to pick up something between. Amsterdam, Koln, or Bacharach (Rhine Valley) are good choices - but there are many more.

Great suggestions! I like the idea of inserting Amsterdam and / or a couple of days in Salzburg. Ending up in Munich or Vienna to fly home. We are active and enjoy fitting in as much as we can. Sitting and "relaxing" would get boring quickly. To tell the truth I was a little worried Salzburg or even Amsterdam would not offer enough to fill a couple of days. However, a smaller city like Salzburg might be a welcome break between the big cities. I was kind of looking forward to Hallstatt, Rick makes it look so good, but your suggestions seemed to point me away to other places. I enjoy this part of the trip: the planning and research!

Hey Mark, I'm going to echo many of the other comments here and suggest 2-3 days in Salzburg as well. I'd say a salt mine tour is definitely necessary whether it be in Salzburg or Hallstatt. If you're going to add one more city in there, my personal choice would be Amsterdam over Vienna. It might give a bit more contrast to an already swell trip. What month will you be traveling in?

Four days is NOT enough time for Vienna IMO, but I could see using those four days for Salzburg & Hallstatt.