Itinerary Questions for 11 Day Trip to Munich and Vienna

Passau is great. I think you'd be better off with a short cruise from Passau to Linz - it's a nice stretch of river and the cruising is pleasant - and to continue from there by train to Vienna.

https://www.donauschifffahrt.eu/?lang=en

Thank you for the tips!

In Vienna, our favorite place to stay is K&T Boardinghouse. We first stayed there 20 years ago, and their "new" location is just great. Rick Steves used to stay there when in Vienna, and he is good friends of Tina and Kaled.
They are 1 metro stop outside The Ring--5 minutes from the downtown palaces and museums. And the metro stop is just 50' from their front door--across the street. Last time I looked, it was 70 Euros per night for a huge double room that's impeccably clean.
KTBoardinghouse.AT is the website.

You better get hopping on a room in Munich, as Oktoberfest should be in full swing. Might have to stay out in the suburbs and take have to take a train into the center city. It's a 4 day city minimum with incredible museums and palaces. You could also head for Salzburg--on the train toward Vienna.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g187309-d279562-Reviews-Hotel_Laimer_Hof-Munich_Upper_Bavaria_Bavaria.html

This is where we stayed in Munich. It is out in one of the neighborhoods, but has easy public transportation access to other parts of the city. We were able to walk to Nymphenburg Palace, the beer garden and several very nice neighborhood restaurants. (Ask the hotel staff to make reservations for you.) The staff was wonderful and had great suggestions for sightseeing.

In Vienna, I absolutely love Hotel Austria. I've stayed there twice. It is about 7 minutes from St. Stephens. Their breakfast is incredible and the rooms well appointed at a very reasonable rate. In Munich we loved Hotel Uhland. However it is very close to Oktoberfest grounds and it is likely booked but certainly worth a look.

In Vienna, I like Pension Wild which is in a residential/shopping area just outside the Ring, on the west side. Note that the cheaper rooms have shared bathrooms and/or toilets.

Take the train from Passau to Vienna. The river isn’t interesting except the Wachau Valley stretch.

What are your Vienna dates? Suggestions from folks are all well and good, but there are many options which may be better. I can plug in your dates and make a fully educated recommendation.

Thank you, Emily. I've got the hotel room for the first two nights in Munich and will be spending Sunday night in Kleeburg to meet a genealogy relative- which I'm very excited to do! We will take the train from Munich to Passau on Sunday morning and meet up with my DNA cousin there- she'll drive us to Kleeburg. Monday morning, September 24 we plan to board the train in Passau and head to Vienna. We are thinking of staying in Vienna until Friday morning and then heading either to Hallstatt for a day and then head back up towards Munich. However, my DNA cousin suggested we save Hallstatt for another trip.

My husband would like to visit one of the Bavarian lakes and/or go to one of the castles such as Neuschwanstein or Hohenschwangau on Saturday or Sunday. We leave for home on Monday, October 1.

I am in need of a hotel in Vienna. As I didn't act quickly enough, the hotel I was interested is booked Monday and Tuesday Sept. 24-25. I'm bummed about that. It is the Falkensteiner Margareten- our son stayed there six days about four years ago and said it was lovely. I'm trying to find something which can accomodate us all four nights now. My husband would prefer to stay close to the Ring area.

When you say “us all” how many is that? What is your budget? I’ve checked on Booking.com for your dates and would recommend Hotel Topazz, Ruby Marie, Lindner, K+K Maria Theresa, Imperial Riding School.

I’ve stayed in numerous Falkensteiner properties, but always the all-inclusive family resorts. I don’t think the hotel they have in Vienna is terribly special and I’m not really a fan of that area. As for the Ring itself, it is a busy road and not where I’d want to stay. I’d stay INSIDE the Ring or in a quieter neighborhood I like the 3rd or 7th, both of which have charm and/or major attractions, but not at all far from center.

Thank you for your response, Emily. I am definitely going to check your hotel suggestions out.,. By "us all" i meant to say that my husband and I need a hotel for four nights in Vienna, but the Falkensteiner can only accomodate for two of those four nights.

We will fly into and out of Munich. I thought that on the way back from Vienna we'd take a different route that the one we plan to take in (which is Munich to Pasau to Vienna.) That's why I thought stopping at Hallstatt would be lovely. What are your suggestion for our return trip route? As I mentioned in a aprior message, my husband would like to visit Neushwannstein or Hohenschwangau and/or one of the lakes such as Bodensee or Chiemsee or the like.

If you go to Neuschweinsstein Castle, you can spend the night in Fussen, a picturesque and enjoyable small town.

If you're still looking for a hotel in Vienna, we loved this place in October 2015:

https://www.hotel-rathaus-wien.at/en

If you go to Neuschwanstein, I'd also consider Hohenschwangau. It's basically across the street. I'd do Hohenschwangau first. Its a lovely chateau, it is furnished and was actually lived in. The tour provides a lot of background of the family and provides context for Neuschwanstein.

Thank you everyone for your excellent suggestions. One last questions about the trains- do I need really purchase the tickets in advance? I will be going from Munich to Passau and staying there to visit for a day, then the next day moving on to Vienna. Return trip will be Vienna to Passau and once again stay a day, then return to Munich.

My fear is that I will purchase the wrong ticket or maybe need to make a change. The refundable tickets are expensive!

Thank you.

If you want to save money, then you buy the online advance tickets for a specific train. Walk up fares are always the most expensive. Why would you buy the wrong ticket or change plans?

Where are you looking at tickets? Which website?

I am looking at Oebb and Deutsche Bahn websites. I find the numerous options to be confusing.

do I need really purchase the tickets in advance? I will be going from Munich to Passau and staying there to visit for a day, then the next day moving on to Vienna. Return trip will be Vienna to Passau and once again stay a day, then return to Munich.

Munich to Passau is regional trains only, so you can use a Bayern Ticket (€25/1, 31/2), which you can buy on the spot.
Passau - Vienna: buy in advance (either from the DB or the ÖBB website - same price) since walk up tickets may be way more expensive. There is a direct ICE every two hours.

Thank you for the train clarification. This is very helpful.