Switzerland or Austria - which to visit or can we do both in 1.5 weeks?

I wouldn't try to squeeze Switzerland and Austria into 1-/2 weeks, but as you note, you could spend some time in Switzerland, then just hop over to Salzburg for a short visit. I wonder, though, whether you've delved into a comprehensive guide book for Italy. You may find it difficult to limit your time in that country to 2-1/2 weeks. There's just so much to see!

I assume you are planning a summer trip. Both Austria and Switzerland have lovely scenery (mountains and lakes, etc.), so they are fine destinations even if you aren't huge museum fans. Spending time up in the mountains will give you a break from the heat you are likely to experience in Italy.

A major difference between Switzerland and Austria is the cost level, Switzerland being far more expensive, on average. That applies to hotels, restaurants, and trains. If you hope to travel on a low-to-moderate budget, you might go to a website like booking.com and explore lodging costs a bit. Many travelers to Switzerland like to spend some time in the Bernese Oberland, so you could look at costs in Lauterbrunnen, Muerren and Wengen for this year, using dates similar to your expected travel period next year.

Hi there,
I've just been to Switzerland and it is beautiful but the costs are pretty high indeed!
You'll find very stunning areas in both countries.
Salzburg is very nice, but also Innsbruck is a beautiful city if you are going to Switzerland!

Pick a country and plan your itinerary. Switzerland is VERY expensive. When you do research on hotels and restaurants, you will see for yourself. I love both countries so whichever you choose, you will have made the right choice!

Hi - we've been to both countries although we've spent lots of time in Austria and only one short trip to Switzerland.The Alps are beautiful in both. Since Switzerland is more expensive and you want to go to Salzburg anyway, I'd suggest spending whatever time you have in Austria. The Salzkammergut (Lake District) is not far from Salzburg and is spectacular. Also going south from Salzburg deep into the Alps is just beautiful wherever you go - take the back roads (I'm assuming you're renting a car.) If not. find a way to get into the smaller villages. Enjoy! Julia

Hi - we've been to both countries although we've spent lots of time in Austria and only one short trip to Switzerland.The Alps are beautiful in both. Since Switzerland is more expensive and you want to go to Salzburg anyway, I'd suggest spending whatever time you have in Austria. The Salzkammergut (Lake District) is not far from Salzburg and is spectacular. Also going south from Salzburg deep into the Alps is just beautiful wherever you go - take the back roads (I'm assuming you're renting a car.) If not. find a way to get into the smaller villages. Enjoy! Julia

Thank you all for taking the time to reply. It sounds like Austria is the go. Yes we are renting a car there so we can see little villages along the way. I’ve also read of the beautiful drives they have.
Thank you all again, I really appreciate it.

I'm going to be pedantic here, and this isn't intended to criticise you, but having seen so many posts use the same language I feel compelled to point it out.

You certainly have time to VISIT those countries, but not enough time to 'DO' them. Like I said, I'm being pedantic, but I see many people treating travel like a tick box and those people often see a single visit to, let's say Paris, as having 'done France'.

I'm sure you know what I mean.

As for your question, it would depend partly on your itinerary in Italy. If your route in Italy would make a semi circular drive into Switzerland, through Austria and then pop back into Italy around Venice, then I would say that's a great idea, especially if this isn't going to be your only trip to Europe, because I have often spend just a few days in a country as a 'taster' and this has either made me want to visit again for longer or consider it 'done' ;-)

Vienna is a gateway airport, so start there.
Arrive Vienna (4N)
Train to Salzburg (2N)
Train to Munich (3N)
Train to Innsbruck (1N)
Train to Venice via Brenner Pass Line.

Flying in to Munich would also work.
Munich >> Salzburg >> Vienna >> Innsbruck >> Venice.
From Sydney you could fly one stop with Emirates or Thai to Vienna. Add Etihad and Singapore as possibilities if you prefer Munich.

My rule of thumb is two sights a day, one in the morning and another in the afternoon. I keep some smaller sights in my back pocket in case I have time. Sometimes I'll have a specific sight planned in the evening but trying that every night can wear you down. On travel days, I plan one sight in the middle of the day as a stop to break up the traveling. My travel days are limited to four hours travel time because I've found by the time you do everything else in the day: pack, unpack, check out, check in, eat, get to your transportation, make connections, etc., four hours turns into a full day.

I mention this because I plan the other way around. I start by defining what sights I want to see in different places and let that define how many days I'll need to budget. If you only have a dozen sights and one change of location (one travel day), you have plenty of time. If you have fifty sights in a dozen locations, then no, you don't have enough time to do both. You might not even have enough time to see everything you want in either one of the two - and will have to plan another trip to see more.