I am visiting Berner Oberland (Frutigen area) in early June; Will need to get to Vienna from there. WOndering if Salzburg is worth doing as a stop along the way, via a day train, or if night train is too much trouble (leave Zurich @10pm arrive 4:30am!), but day train is a 9 hour time suck. Is Hallstatt a better choice? Or is Salzburga a better day trip from Vienna? Final question- good, back door palces to eat (or neighborhoods to look for same) in Salzburg and Vienna.
Posted by
Bend, OR, United States
1167 posts
The train trip from Frutigen to Vienna will take you through some of the most spectacular scenery in Europe. IMO travelling through it during the day would hardly be a "time suck."
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32353 posts
nancy,
For the trip from Frutigen to Vienna, Salzburg would be a great choice for an intermediate stop, as it's not only an interesting and historic city but also provides the opportunity for some interesting day trips (including Hallstatt). How many days would you be able to spend in Salzburg?
If I were taking the same trip, I'd probably just endure the trip by train during the day. I always find interesting people to talk with, and enjoy the great scenery along the way. The shortest trip I was able to find was 7H:57M with two changes in Bern and Zurich. I've taken trips of that length in the past and didn't find them too much of a problem.
Happy travels!
Posted by
Hickory, NC USA
496 posts
My daughter and I took the night train from Zurich to Vienna a few years back. Thought about stopping in Salzburg, but arriving in the wee hours of the morning seemed inconvenient. If you want to stop, I would do a day train.
I doubt I would back track to Salzburg for a day trip either - that would also be extra train time - and fare unless you have a railpass.
Posted by
OP
sacramento, CA, US
6 posts
Thanks for the feedback and perspective. Having not been through the area, I didn't know how pretty it is. At most, we can spend one night in Salzbrug. I'll be traveling with 2 teenagers, one of whom is very musical. If i take a day train from Frutigen, we'll likely arrive in Salzburg in late afternoon, early evening, so miss most museum opprtunities until the next morning. Then a late day train to Vienna. I've tried to do a few train timetable enquiries on the db site as well as the obb site re: Hallstatt but can't tell if it is really feasible to stop off to do both. If I have to choose between Salzburg and Hallstatt given our timing, any opinions?
Posted by
Everett, WA
1299 posts
I would spend the time in Salzburg. You could look into a musical event for the evening you are there, and spend a delightful day exploring the sights of Salzburg.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32353 posts
Nancy,
If you've only got one day to spend in Salzburg, my suggestion would be to enjoy the city and check out the Mozart sites and the large Castle above town (I spent many hours exploring that). There may even be a Mozart concert in the evenings, which I'm sure your "musical" teenager would enjoy.
Depending on your priorities, you could take a day trip to Hallstatt, however I'd recommend using Bob's Special Tours for that rather than going there your own on the train. The train journey requires a change at Attnang-Pucheim and depending on connecting times, it would be a very long day to get there and back. The trip by Minivan would be a more efficient use of your very short time in the area, and you would most likely be back in Salzburg in time to catch the evening concert.
Cheers!
Posted by
southwest, Missouri, U.S.A.
1717 posts
Hello Nancy. You said you can be at Salzburg only one night. I think a good plan for you is : daytime train from Switzerland to Salzburg, one night at Salzburg, and the next day walk through Salzburg in the morning, and ride in a train to Vienna in the afternoon. Salzburg is small, and its sites are not time consuming. I think 3 hours is enough time to see Salzburg, or 4 hours if you include the Residenz Gallery (which I liked).