Transportation (Vienna, Prague, and Munich)

Seat61.com is a great resource for booking trains.

If you're considering buses as well as trains, Rome2Rio.com is a good first step. It will estimate the travel time by both modes of transportation as well as (when appropriate) by combined modes. For precise schedules, you can follow the links usually provide by the website. Otherwise, Googling something like "bus Vienna to Prague" will generally find the right bus companies.

For the Vienna-Prague leg Rome2Rio.com says there are three bus lines operating (Eurolines CZ, MeinFernBusFlixBus, and StudentAgency), plus you have the train option. All take about 4 hours. Often, but not always, buses are cheaper if you're traveling soon and can't take advantage of advance-purchase, non-changeable train fares. If the prices turn out to be similar, I'd make my decision based on convenience of departure time and departure point. If you're traveling light, you'll have no luggage issues. If you have a rather heavy suitcase or multiple bags, a bus is easier because you won't have to negotiate train platforms or maneuver your bags down narrow aisles.

For Prague-Munich there are again several bus options as well as combo train/bus routings. The Deutsche Bahn website includes some bus legs on this route. You'll need to get bus-company information elsewhere to check on independent bus companies. I see that many of the options listed on the Deutsche Bahn website require reservations, and there are some wild price variations. If your travel date is definite, this might be one to buy ahead of time.

Your itinerary appears to give you only one day and a few hours in Vienna; was that your intention?

Most would take the train from Munich to Vienna. It's a shame you don't have time for a stopover in Salzburg, even for one night.
The Vienna to Prague leg is about 3 1/2 hours by train, and trains are the most popular way to get there.
The Prague to Munich leg would best be done by bus--for simplicity's sake.

My issue with buses is that I'm scared I might get lost! If I know of the most direct way to get from one city to another, I think that is the most efficient way for me.

As for the short stay in Vienna, I do feel like I made a mistake. I was told that Prague is really beautiful, and worth spending more time there than in Vienna. I could plan an afternoon train ride from Vienna to Prague, which should still give me enough time to get to Prague to where I stay before getting dark. That way it will still give me two full days to explore in Prague, and more time in Vienna to have a good breakfast, and maybe one or two sightseeing destinations before heading to the train station.

CKshuttle.cz seems to offer a direct transfer (shared car) between Vienna and Prague. We used the shuttle Vienna to Cesky Krumlov, spent overnight and then the shuttle CK to Prague. Easy, hotel-to-hotel service, no hassle with bags, not really expensive.

They also list Prague to Munich transfer.

So far, I made a reservation with a DB train for my Munich to Vienna trip that has a stop in Salzburg, and I feel like that might have been a mistake since I can't read the train ticket, and it is non-refundable.

What mistake is that? Not the date or time you wanted? Too long a time in Salzburg? Too short?
You know you can book another ticket more to your liking for a 17.50 EUR fee.

I don't think you need to be concerned about getting lost on an inter-city bus. They aren't like city buses with a stop every 3 to 5 blocks. Often there's just one stop in the city, at the bus station. If in doubt, you can use the local word for "center" with a questioning tone in your voice, and the driver or another passenger will tell you whether you have arrived there.

You'd be unlikely to mistake an intermediate city for a huge place like Prague or Munich. When traveling to a small city, I often have to confirm that I'm in the right place. Showing my bus ticket (which shows the name of the destination city) to my seatmate has always worked if I wasn't sure enough of the pronunciation to try saying the name of the town.

All my transportation problems have occurred at train stations. I think that's because it all seems so simple, what with the departure boards and signage. I let my guard down and don't always triple-check everything. Twice I forgot to validate a ticket and had to hop off the train to do so. And I've gone to the wrong platform twice, as well. Platform 1A or 1N is NOT the same as Platform 1!

Hi,

Going from Munich to Vienna will take you 4 plus hours. The Meridan train leaves Munich but you have transfer in Salzburg. In Salzburg you have a choice of taking the Westbahn or the Austrian Nat. Railway. Westbahn is cheaper, super nice trains, where the ticket can be bought from the conductor. Westbahn stops at Vienna's Westbahnhof.