Munich and Salzburg

Well, I would spend more time in Munich than in Salzburg, but maybe that's just me. I would suggest you look carefully at both places, determine what you want to see and how long it takes for them, then see what you can fit in.

We really liked Munich in our short two day visit. Just remember all shopping including the markets are closed on Sundays. Enjoy

I did Salzburg as a day trip from Munich via the train. I had enough time to do a self guided walking tour around the city. That is something to consider depending on your interests.

I also prefer Munich to Salzburg. However, I would not do Salzburg only as a day trip. The city is most beautiful at night.
Hohensalzburg Castle from Mirabell Gardens.

https://mcchelsea.smugmug.com/Advent2012/Salzburg/i-gfX8w7t/A

River walk.

https://mcchelsea.smugmug.com/Advent2012/Salzburg/i-VvXNrkD/A

https://mcchelsea.smugmug.com/Advent2012/Salzburg/i-zsPG7RT/A

These pictures were in December and night comes much later in July but the sights are just as dramatic. I would spend at least a night there.

Thanks Gary M.! I'm headed to Salzburg for 3 nights and likely 4 in Munich over Christmas, leaving in 18 days. Suggestions for photos always welcome! We're visiting my son, who is teaching near Salzburg, so we're meeting there from Dec. 23 to 26. I figured even if everything else was closed, their Christmas market stayed open till the 26th, so we won't starve.

Tell me about your style, meaning, what sorts of things are you looking to do? Do you like the big sites and museums, or do yo ulike more culture/food, or a mixture of both.

I was just there, did 3 nights in each and that includes an entire day burnt on Oktoberfest, and I was pretty content with that.

Salzburg is a great little city, that if you want "big" attractions like museums, it doesn't have much in the proper area. The Fortress is really cool though, and I tend to shy away from things like that, but my wife REALLY wanted to do it, and so we did, and it was great. There's Berchtesgaden, and I was miserable the whole time. They also have Salt mines, which we did not do. What they do have in Salzburg is a beautiful little city to wander and enjoy the culture, meeting people, etc, and so actually it was one of the highlights of our trip. It came as the second to last stop before the end of a 3 week trip, and it was a perfect place to just slow down and live for a little bit.

Asking people how long to stay somewhere is like asking people to recommend a pizza place, its all subjective. Munich is the much bigger city and has much more to offer in terms of actual planned stuff or simply options, but Salzburg is easier to just be mellow in for a while. I think also it depends on when the city falls in your itinerary, I like to add a small destination towards the end with nothing to do, because as we all know, the closer you get to your flight home, the faster time moves. My gut instinct is to say, I would do one of two things: 3n Munich, 1 Salzburg -or- 4 n Munich and day trip Salzburg. I don't thing with only 4 nights you should split 2/2.

If you love beer, your in a good place either way!

I visited both last summer: 3 nights in Salzburg, 4 in Munich. I could have used more time in both places, but I found my time in Munich more satisfying and more memorable.

With four nights, I'd probably do one night in Salzburg and three in Munich. But it depends entirely on what you like. Salzburg is a lovely small city that's fun to explore on foot. Munich has tons of big-city attractions if you're interested in history or art, in addition to lots of great places to walk or bike around. There are also great day trips available from both, though with your schedule you'll have more than enough to do in the cities themselves.