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10 days Austria and Switzerland: Your feedback on my itinerary pls!

This is for Late December (a last minute trip!). For reference, this is a mother and teenager and we don't ski.

4 nights Vienna (first night get there late evening)
2 nights Salzburg
2 nights Lucerne (taking the direct train from Salzburg to Zurich then switching trains to use Swiss Rail Pass)
2 nights Lauterbrannen
1 night Zurich (before early departure next day)

My questions:
1) I wonder if i need an extra night in Salzburg (is the day trip to Hallstatt worth this?)
2) Should I base in Lauterbrannen or Wengen or Murren? I tried to do the latter two but not many hotel options. We did really want to wake up one day in an alpine village. Does Lauterbrannen count for that? I think it does, but making sure!

Posted by
3240 posts

You’re trying to see too much. Vienna deserves five nights and I would add a day trip to Bratislava, Slovakia’s old town that’s a direct train ride away (1h). Two nights in Salzburg is enough and I wouldn’t include a day trip to Halstatt because you don’t have time. Instead, spend the rest of your time in the Lauterbrunnen Valley and sleep in Mürren. It’s going to take a full day to get from Salzburg to Lauterbrunnen and involve multiple connections. You always want to add extra nights when staying in the mountains because it’s all about the weather.

Posted by
2560 posts

1) Can you extend the trip to give you an extra night in Salzburg? If so, yes, Hallstatt is worth it. Even better if you can stay overnight in Hallstatt.

2) Lauterbrunnen will not disappoint. Wengen or Murren will give you the views with the mountains in your face, vs the valley floor views, but you’ll make your way up into the mountains anyway.

Posted by
8322 posts

I would skip Switzerland and visit Munich after Salzburg. Traveling slowly is traveling better.

Posted by
3240 posts

Munich is a direct train ride from Salzburg (2h) and a great jumping off point to explore the Bavarian Alps. Spending a day getting from one place to another is not fun. This itinerary would allow you to add a night in Hallstatt.

Posted by
2064 posts

I agree with the others who think you’re trying to cover too much territory in 10 days when there’s so much in Austria that you’ll be missing. In December, there will be snow blanketing wherever you go and there’s really no need to extend your trip beyond Austria. Exploring the areas around Salzburg, seeing the Austrian Alps and Germany’s Berchtesgaden National Park just 45 minutes outside of Salzburg, taking the scenic 90-minute train ride to the spa town of Bad Gastein, in addition to Hallstatt, will more than fill your dance card for five nights in Salzburg and five nights in Vienna.

Posted by
2512 posts

If you haven't bought the Swiss Rail Pass yet, then don't.

Book direct from Salzburg to Luzern on www.oebb.at.
Forget about Lauterbrunnen. Late december is top season in the skiing resorts, and you will have trouble finding accomodation. If you are not skiing Luzern is more interesting as a base. Get the Tell Pass and use that to get around. There are even hotels that offer it as part of a stay package: https://www.tellpass.ch/en/information/hotel_offers/
Depending on when your flight is there is no need to spend the last night in Zurich. Trains go direct from Luzern to ZRH.

Oh, and one more thing: Pay attention to the spelling of place names. It is Lauterbrunnen.

Posted by
18 posts

Hello everyone! Sorry if this was not clear, but our return flight is from Zurich so this is why Switzerland is on the last part of itinerary.

Things that were high on priority list to see or do we’re the following:
1) scenic train trip (Bernina is all sold out)
2) waking up in an alpine village
3) perhaps experiencing a car-free village

Of note, it is December so days are short.
Also of note, I have hotel accommodations for all of the itinerary above already.

Does any of that change your opinion on my itinerary at all? Would love to hear if so! Thank you all so much for taking the time!

Posted by
465 posts

Yes, this is a quick trip, but since you are flying out of Zurich, it makes sense to keep Switzerland. For me, 2 nights was plenty for Salzburg. Lauterbrunnen is nice, but I do prefer Murren as a mountain village. Enjoy your trip!

Posted by
5636 posts

The Bernina Express route has both panoramic trains and regular, regional trains. You must reserve seats on the panoramic trains, so that may be sold out. However there are several regional trains running on those exact same tracks, which many of us here on the Forum prefer. Again, it's the exact same route, on the exact same tracks.
The regional trains run more often , are much less crowded, the windows open, allowing for fresh air and better pix, have more stops, and don't require reservations. If you have a Swiss Travel Pass or half- fare pass, those apply. This is a spectacular train ride, so I hope you can experience it.
Also- I love Salzburg, so would recommend more than two nights, and Berchtesgaden is only 45 minutes away. The latter is as beautiful as Hallstatt, IMHO.
Have a great trip!

Posted by
464 posts

For this number of nights I would probably do Vienna, Salzburg, and Lucerne. We liked 3 nights in Salzburg.

Otherwise I would change the order slightly and see Vienna and Salzburg, and then take the train from Salzburg to Interlaken Ost and do Lauterbrunnen, and go to Lucerne before flying out of Zurich.

The Golden Pass Panorama train from Interlaken Ost to Lucerne has gorgeous views and was a highlight for us. We also liked Wengen.

Posted by
179 posts

Based on your wants i think Salzburg (2), Hallstatt (1) and Murren or Wengen for the balance is the right fit. Enjoy!