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Salizburg

I am planning a trip with a friend in Sep '10. We want to see Prague, Vienna, Budapest. I was also thinking of including Salizburg. Would like to know if Salizburg is worth a day and night stop? Thanks

Posted by
19272 posts

I've never heard of "Salizburg", but I think that most people here would agree that Salzburg, Austria (The hills are alive with the Sound of Music) is well worth a day.

Posted by
695 posts

Salzburg is gorgeous, definitely worth it! In a full day you will have seen most of it.

Posted by
837 posts

Yes, Mary, Salzburg is worth a day and night. Hopefully you can start there, perhaps fly into Munich and trains from there. If you do, your trip will become progressively more beautiful - Vienna more wonderful than Salzburg and Prague more than Vienna. I don't know about Budapest, but I have read here that it is wonderful.

Posted by
12313 posts

I like the idea of flying into Munich, seeing Salzburg then Vienna, Budapest and fly home from Prague. It's a logical sequence and manageable travel.

Salzburg is one of the most beautiful small cities I've ever seen. It's particularly nice to see the old town illuminated in the evening. There are enough sights to keep you busy for a day without any side trips or tours.

September is a great time to visit.

Posted by
2974 posts

Hi Mary,

We've visited Salzburg three times in the last nine years. Ideally, try to spend two nights, which gives you one full day.

Paul

Posted by
9110 posts

It's a good hike from Vienna but well worth it. If I could only go back to four places before I quit sucking air, it would be Paris, Honfleur, Salzburg, and Hong Kong in no particular order.

Posted by
32349 posts

Mary,

If you have the time, spend several days in Salzburg as it's a wonderful smaller city and very "walkable". In addition to the Mozart sites, you could also take the Funicular up to the Fortress above town. I found that really interesting, and the view from there is fantastic!

While there you could also take a day trip (or perhaps spend one night) to Hallstatt. It's one of the most beautiful locations I've seen in Europe and the Salt Mine tour was great. The town is apparently older than Rome at about 5000 years!

Happy travels!

Posted by
2193 posts

If you’re going to Salzburg from Vienna, you should stop briefly in Melk and tour the abbey there (Stift Melk). It’s incredibly beautiful, and it’s a top UNESCO World Heritage site. And, I'll second Hallstatt if you have the time.

http://www.stiftmelk.at/englisch/index.html

Posted by
111 posts

I agree with the above replies. Salzburg is a must visit. We were just there in October and loved the city and immediate surrounding area. After visiting nearby Eagles Nest which over looks Salzburg, we drove into the city. It is a small town. The parking if you drive is a bit confusing so maybe taking the train is a better option. We would have spent a minimum of two days there but we were headed to Italy. We had no extra time but the over night stay was most enjoyable!

Posted by
1064 posts

Mary, please go back and correct the typo in your original posting. Some folks are just too "i" obsessed to respond to your question. My own answer is that yes, Salzburg is definitely worth a full day and night. If you can add an extra day, that would be even better.

Posted by
46 posts

I'm going to go against the grain a little on this. I don't always agree with Rick Steves, but he is right that Salzburg's sites are really not that interesting. So one day is enough. I recently spent 3 days there and it was way too much time lost. Yes, it a beautiful town. And as a day trip I would recommend it. It also has a certain "disneyland" feel also because the town is set up to extract as much as possible of a tourist's money.

The 3 cities you've have selected have lots to see and do. You can't go wrong with them.

Posted by
35 posts

I don’t know what I find more incredible, the idea that you can see Salzburg in a day, as some commenters have suggested, or that Salzburg isn’t really that interesting. I suppose those notions go hand in hand, though.

If there is really anyone who doesn’t find plenty of interesting things in in a city where the last couple of thousand years of European artistic, cultural and political development are on display and alive, then they either don’t know what there is to see, they don’t understand what they see, or their curiosity level is severely challenged. The first two possibilities can be remedied. A little background information would go a long way towards appreciating Salzburg. For the last group - better for them to stay at home and watch Johnny Carson reruns.

Posted by
208 posts

Salzburg is worth every minute you can give it. I was there for the 2nd time in Sept and Salzburg is the city I would probably pick to live in if I had that opportunity. Very laid back and easy to get around. I spent over an hour standing on a bridge watching the sunset on the river and the city. Just watching the people there and how they enjoy their lives there. You won't regret anything about Salzburg other than not being able to spend more time there.

Posted by
85 posts

We spent a week in Salzburg in 2008. At the start of the week we used a 3 day pass, then after that we took day trips to Halstatt Island & Eagles Nest. If you are going to Vienna (my favourite city) I highly recommend the Melk to Kremms boat trip.

Posted by
9371 posts

I lived in Salzburg for a semester when I was in college. I don't know how anyone could say that they couldn't find enough to do in Salzburg for three days (or five months!).

Posted by
32349 posts

Mary,

I wasn't able to post this previously, but here's a view of a small part of Hallsatt....

If possible, spend a few days there, as it's wonderfully relaxing.

Happy travels!