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Munich Salzburg Vienna Tour

We're considering this tour. If you've taken it, would you recommend it to your friends? I've been unable to determine the train fare from Vienna back to Munich. Does anyone know the fare for May 2018? Is the additional cost for open-jaw air travel worth it vs the travel convenience? Thanks in advance.

Posted by
4759 posts

Can't offer an opinion on the tour, but you can look at ticket prices on the oebb website. I picked a day at random in May and found prices starting at €29 from Vienna to Munich. You'll have to compare round trip and multicity airfare prices for yourself.

Posted by
1216 posts

I just returned from this trip a month ago and would recommend it if the length, locations, and time of year appeal to you. I had been to all the tour locations before, with the exception of Vienna. I chose to go in December because that fit my work schedule, and the Christmas markets appealed. The weather was wintry, but it worked! The tour guide was knowledgeable, and the local guides in Salzburg and Vienna were superb. There is quite a bit to do on the tour, both scheduled and independent activities. I imagine with spring weather, you can be out and about even longer than we were in December.

Sometimes, folks ask if RS tours are a good value. I must say yes, indeed. While I could have taken the same journey on my own, I suspect I would not have enjoyed it as much as I did with this group - the Mozart dinner, the Third Man Museum, even the hike up (and down) from Neuschwanstein. I find that, in addition to being enjoyable in the moment, RS tours generally leave me with reading and research lists afterwards. Hey, I just made Goulash this weekend!

You might want to check out the tour reviews, especially those for May.

Oh, transportation: I spent quite a bit of time with Kayak and Deutsche Bahn examining options that were attractive financially but also time and agitation-wise. At one time, I considered taking a scenic train ride from Vienna to Zurich and flying home from there. As it was, I took a v. early Sunday morning flight back via Heathrow. I struggled more with planning returning home from Vienna than I do with most cities. I was probably overthinking it.

Posted by
330 posts

The hubby and I did the Germany, Austria, Switzerland tour 5 years ago and LOVED it! While it is more comprehensive than the three city, those are three great cities and I think they would make a great tour. If you decide to fly into/out of Munich, think of how great that extra trip from Vien back to Munich could be. It would be worth considering. I love travel convenience, but I also love travel. It depends on your budget and your time.
Have a great trip!

Posted by
669 posts

Generally, I have found that I prefer a round trip ticket rather than open-jaw. The cheaper plane flight more than makes up for the costs of train (or a one-way plane) along with another night's stay. But, it works for us because we are both retired, so the extra time required is not a problem. If Lufthansa flies into an airport near you, I suggest putting the options into that website to see what the cost differences are.

Posted by
2338 posts

I took this tour at the end of Nov. 2017, and my comments are similar to Debbie's above--a good overview of Austria. Although I usually try to do open-jaw for trips to Europe, Vienna to Philadelphia options were problematic, with short layovers in big airports. Taking the train back to Munich was pleasant and inexpensive. I would do that again.

Posted by
1216 posts

Vienna to Philadelphia options were problematic

Glad to hear from someone in my neck of the woods having the same issues. In hindsight, the direct Philly Munich flight may have been best. Live and learn. But now I have been through Vienna's airport!

Posted by
16893 posts

I have generally not found an open-jaw, multi-city flight itinerary to cost more than a roundtrip.

The train ticket is only cheap if you book it ahead, with the cheapest seat allotments selling out first. The German web site also sells the direct train and can be easier to use than the Austrian. Full fare for second class on that route is 99 euros, which is what you'd pay on the day of travel and sometimes also with a few days advance notice.

Posted by
1200 posts

I have not taken this tour yet. I am going this year but not in May. I am very excited about this tour as I have been on the GAS tour and the GAS tour ( Germany, Austria and Switzerland) goes to the same cities, just cuts out Switzerland, Trier and Baden-Baden, are all wonderful. You will love this tour I am sure. Each city is different and pretty and clean and interesting to visit. I stayed four extra days in Vienna after the GAS tour and loved Vienna! I am going to stay four extra days again after this tour and look forward to going back to Vienna. In Vienna I went to two concerts and an opera and the horse show. There is so many concerts and operas to pick from I had a hard time choosing! There are two opera houses to choose from and countless venues for concerts including churches.

As for Munich, lovely city and I went to some churches, the Residenz which is in the city center and a beautiful palace when I was on the Best of Europe tour and on the GAS tour a wonderful art museum. I can't wait to go back to buy my tea which was excellent in Munich. So much to see and do everywhere. Have a great time.

Posted by
731 posts

My husband and I took this tour in Nov/Dec of 2016 and HIGHLY recommend it! We had the added benefits of enjoying the Christmas Markets whilst immersing ourselves in each city....but certainly each city stands on its own! We spent 2 extra days in Munich pre-tour (and I would highly recommend that you do the same if you are able) and stayed one day late to enjoy a performance of the Vienna Philharmonic (another highly recommended event). We didn't take the train back to Munich but we did take the train to Strasbourg to enjoy the Christmas markets there.

I have not found that flying open jaw costs more than flying round trip. As a matter of fact, for our upcoming trip (RS Village Italy), it appears that flying open jaw saves us a few bucks.

The cities of Munich, Salzburg, Hallstadt, and Vienna are full of fun, beautiful architecture, and history. A trip to the Nazi Documentation Center in Munich was another "must do" in our opinion! I have notes on our trip somewhere so feel free to pm me with any questions you may have!

Posted by
210 posts

Hi Jeepers!

I took this tour last spring. Having been to Munich, Salzburg, and Vienna on prior trips........such great locations.......they were worth seeing again via RS. Going to Hallstatt was probably the BIG reason for booking this tour. It was very scenic.....even though it was a wee bit rainy....and only ONE night (sadness).

There is a LOT to see and do. I added extra days knowing there was limited time in Munich, Salzburg, and Vienna. I spent 4 days extra in Munich/Bavaria and stayed two extra days in Vienna.

I felt like there was not a lot of free time due to all of the planned activities. Yes, those planned activities were always great. No complaints!!!! The days were pretty full, so plan your free time wisely. You have enough free time to visit about one major "must see" per city.

A lot depends on what your interests are and your travel goals, but I am glad I added the extra days. They bolstered MY travel experience on this tour. It was money well spent.

Posted by
3 posts

I am booked for this trip in the spring... very much looking forward to it.

In regards to this trip's itinerary (and the hotels typically booked by RS) do any of those hotels offer laundry service? If not, could anyone speak to the availability of laundry service in Hallstatt (the approximate half-way point of the trip)?

If anyone also has insight on running in any of the cities on this trip (Munich, Salzburg, Hallstatt, Vienna) I would like to hear your comments. I am an early riser and ts really enjoyable get out for a run before breakfast and have the city to myself. (Like being the only person in St Marks Square!!)