Cinque terre to Salzburg

The train ride is in between 13.5 to 20 hours and requires a minimum of 2 changes. But it's feasible. (La Spezia to Salzburg that is). The drive from La Spezia to Salzburg is 6.5 hours (only) but you may end up with the charge of an international one-way car rental. Do you have to do it in one day or would you consider making this a two, three days journey? When would you be traveling?

We will be traveling in oct. mostly likely we will leave ct on Sunday Ovt 14 at night and we would leave Salzburg Thursday Oct 18 for Zurich. We depart Zurrich Ovt 19 at 10:30 AM. Thought about taking the train to Zurich then renting a car so it would be round trip and not so expensive. Do you think that would work.

Cheryl, Travel from the Cinque Terre to Salzburg will NOT be a short trip by train, so the feasability is "challenging". Is there any possibility you could make an intermediate stop for one night, perhaps in Verona or Bolzano? That would split the journey into more manageable segments. Here are some options to consider..... > Stop at an intermediate point for one night, as mentioned above. > Travel to Milan by train and take a flight from MXP to either Vienna or Munich (Air Dolomiti, Air Berlin, Lufthansa) and then train to Salzburg. I wasn't able to find any flights from Pisa. > Skip Salzburg and perhaps spend a few days in the Berner Oberland, as that would be an easy trip back to Zürich. Given the distance you're travelling, renting a car would not be a good idea (IMO), and I don't believe it would be any faster. That would also present some other "issues". Unless you're staying in Monterosso, parking could be a problem in the C.T. and of course there are the usual requirements for the compulsory IDP, avoiding ZTL areas, high fuel costs, etc. If you rented the car in Zürich, you'd need to obtain the highway tax vignettes in other countries (Austria & Germany?) or risk being fined. Good luck and happy travels!

I second Ken's suggestions to look into flying. I think that will save you the most time.

Ok, I have been doing some research. Wondering how you think this would work. Leave Cinque Terre late Sunday and go to Milan. Spend the night. In Am go to Milan MXP for an 8:30 am flight to Vienna, Austria arriving 9:50. Sight see in Vienna then take train to Salzburg approx 3 hrs. We would spend Mon, Tue & Wed nights in Salzburg and on Thursday late in day take train to Zurich Airport to depart on Friday. Would love your comments. The airline I have been looking at is Air Berlin. Also When I go to the DB Bahn and try to get fares from Vienna to Salzburg it tells me fare are unavailable does anyone know why this would be. Also for our return to Zurich. We would have the Swiss half fair pass so I believe this would save us once we hit the border. Thanks for any info and input!

Cheryl, For rail trips in Austria, you'll probably have better luck using This Website. The trip from Wien Westbahnhof to Salzburg is ~3 hours (no changes). The cost would be approximately €47.50 PP. Your revised plan sounds good. If you arrive in Milan in the late afternoon, you'll have some time to look around. Have you planned how you'll get from Milan to Malpensa? I'd suggest booking your flight to Vienna ASAP, as the cost will increase the longer you wait. Be sure to read the "Terms & Conditions" carefully with respect to the baggage limits. Usually only ONE carry-on item is allowed. Also note which Terminal they depart from (Air Berlin appears to use only Terminal 1). They also appear to fly directly to Salzburg, so you could avoid the Vienna stop if desired.

According to the Air Berlin site, flying from Milan Malpensa to Salzburg requires one connection in Berlin. If you book well in advance (up to six months allowed) on the Austrian Rail site, you can get a SparSchiene Austria fare as low as €9.00 for Vienna-Salzburg. The German Rail site does not show fares for routes entirely outside of Germany. If you are open to taking a night train, here's a route you could take. Leave La Spezia Centrale at 17:41 and arrive in Florence at 20:07. Take the CNL night train from Florence to Kufstein, departing at 21:37 and arriving at 05:27. Leave Kufstein at 05:45 and arrive in Salzburg at 06:57. See the detailed timetables on the German Rail site. If you book well in advance (up to six months allowed) on the Austrian Rail site, you can get a SparSchiene fare as low as €29.00 for a direct train from Salzburg to Zurich.

Cheryl... your idea to take car only from and to Zurüch is pretty good. But those recommending flights might have a valid point as well. There are nonstop flights from Genova to Munich on Lufthansa and there is a bus from Munich airport directly to Salzburg.

Thanks for all the great info. Is the Austrian Rail the. Oebb? FYI were will be there Oct 15-18. Any tips for using that site! Do you know of any others airlines from the Cinque Terre? Also being in the CT area would traveling to Genoa than Milan. Also once in Vienna and Salzburg do you know how far we would be from Barvaria? Also is public transportation good in Salzburg? Is the Salzburg pass good to buy and lastly do you know anything about the sound of music tour and can we do that on our own. Thank you thank you