Trying to decide how much time in Hallstatt, Vienna and possibly Salzburg?

I'll be in Austria for 6 days on an upcoming 37 day trip. We are allocating our time as follows. I'm not suggestion you follow what we're doing; just giving you the information.

2 nights Salzburg (1.5 days available for touring)

1 night Hallstatt (an afternoon + a morning for touring)

2 nights Vienna (2 full days available for touring)

departing from Vienna via night train on the 3rd night

Hmmm...Steve, I love your itinerary, but as you pointed out, I don't have time for that. The information is good to know, though. Marshall, I think I might copy your itinerary - time wise, it matches what I have and makes sense.

Do you all think that I can book a room when I get there, or would I be advised to book ahead? I generally stay in budget places and am not overly picky, but don't want to be stuck with the dregs, either. I will be there from Sept. 12 to the 17th.

Mardee,

My suggestion is a bit different. Given the short time frame of your trip and the fact that you're travelling by train, I'd suggest focusing on Salzburg and Hallstatt this time (unless there's some overwhelming reason you need to visit Vienna).

Salzburg is a great home base for exploring other parts of that area, and of course has lots of Mozart history. I found the large Fortress on the hill above town interesting and I spent an afternoon exploring (provides great views of the city).

One other thing to consider is the travel times. Unless you take a day tour to Hallstatt (Bob's Special Tours, etc.) you'll need to allow about half a day for travel times to Hallstatt each way. You'll change trains in Attnang-Pucheim (usually a "layover" time) and then of course the short voyage on Stefanie across the lake. Buy your tickets for both trips in Salzburg, as the small rail station in Hallstatt is not staffed (there may be a ticket machine, I didn't check).

While in Salzburg, you could also take a day trip to Berchtesgaden which is beautiful alpine town (and of course has a somewhat "colourful" history as well).

I'd recommend at least two nights in Hallstatt. Not only is it a very beautiful location, but there's lots to see as well. The tour of the Salt Mine is interesting and stopping for a "cool one" at Rudolfsturm (the large Castle at the top of the Funicular) after the tour provides an incredible view of part of the town and the lake. There's also a Musuem that chronicles the 5000-year+ history of the town (it's apparently older than Rome). You could also rent a small boat and take a trip on the lake, a very way to spend an afternoon. It's a great place to relax and unwind from strenuous travels in other locations.

Happy travels!

Mardee,

Regarding your last question, I'd suggest pre-booking accommodations, as I've found that September can be busy as well. This will provide a better choice not only in the price range but also which area of each town you want to stay.

If you leave it until you arrive, you may have to take what's available, which could be in an inconvenient location and the cost more than you budgeted.

I always pre-book my Hotels as that means I don't have to waste time wandering around an unfamiliar city looking for a place to sleep. That's a waste of my valuable travel time, and not a pleasant activity when carrying a heavy Backpack! When I arrive in a new city, I can be out doing a "walkabout" and exploring right away.

Cheers!

Some people love Hallstatt. I'm not one of them. The salt mine was great, but other than that if you enjoy walking down streets with houses blocking the view of the lake and thinking to yourself "gee, the people in those houses and up on the hill have great views!" then Hallstatt is the town for you.

Given only 5-6 days I'd suggest 2 days in Salzburg and 3 in Vienna.

I enjoyed Salzburg the most and can heartily recommend the Haus Am Moos B&B. It's out of the center, but the bus is practically in front of the door. The Indian restaurant on the road to the B&B was surprisingly very, very good.

Vienna has its charms and can easily keep you busy a couple of days.

If I had a choice of daytrip from either Salzburg or Vienna, I would choose Durnstein from Vienna, especially in September (vineyards along the Danube). Much, much prettier than Hallstat IMHO. The Danube is especially pretty in the Fall and it would be a shame not to enjoy it! It would also be easy to spend a night in Durnstein, but budget options are limited.

I too was underwhelmed by Hallstatt. Maybe worth the day trip out of Salzburg just for the salt mine and lake photos from the top of the funicular.

I would split my nights just staying in Salzburg and Vienna and add a daytrip out of one or the other.

Thanks to all - I am rethinking this and am going to spend most of my time in Vienna, with a day trip or two to nearby places (Durstein sounds very interesting, and I love the idea of a cruise along the Danube) and then a night or two in Salzburg, with a visit to Hallstatt.

My neighbor (who is from Germany) agreed with this, so I think that will work best. Thanks for everyone's input - it's so good to hear from those who have been there!

Those are beautiful, Steve - it's definitely worth a trip there!

Steve, those are wonderful views taken from a boat on the lake. I stand by what I wrote before; walk down the streets of Hallstatt and you don't get those views.