Vienna to Salzberg

My vote... car...its a beautiful drive, but I like my independence and want to be able to stop at any little village that I see. I am also a photographer, so for me, there is nothing worse than passing by beautiful sites on a train and not being able to enjoy them or photograph when I want to. I have also had some wonderful picnics from the trunk of my car with the beautiful mountains in the background. When are you going?

Train. Faster, cheaper. You can see more of beautiful countryside because you don't have to drive. Driving on freeway is not much more exciting than in this country. The main difference is that they drive quite faster there. If you want to enjoy countryside you would have to drive on country roads (slow and you would have to concentrate on driving instead of enjoying views).

Depends. Your question is a >>bit<< vague. No wonder you get conflicting answers.

Train worked great. Easy, fast (around 2.5-3 hrs), no headache of reading maps, possibly getting lost (although it's a pretty direct route, so that should not be too much of a problem). I just really enjoyed the train ride, got to relax a little, read, close my eyes for a few.....and next thing you know, you're in Salzburg! Train system there is so efficient and makes traveling so easy, so I'm a big fan of it, personally.

One advantage of a car is that you could make a stop at the town of Melk and see Stift Melk, the huge and beautiful Benedictine monastery. The drive is easy; roads in Austria are probably the best in Europe.

If you have the time Id drive. Melk and Krems are neat towns to visit and Mauthausen is also nearby.