Prebook before holiday

May 25, 2008 5:22 AM

I am going on holiday to Vienna, Salzburg and Munich in August, what should I pre-book to avoid disappointment or gain best options?
posted by trashcan to travel & transportation (5 comments total)

Could you tell us more about your plans? When and how are you arriving, how long in each city, what do you want to do while you're there, how will you travel between cities, are you looking to stay in hostels or hotels, etc? If you're staying at hostels, my advice is to book early, as they can fill up faster than hotels, and I think it's nice to have a destination when you first arrive somewhere. By far the best hostel in Vienna is Wombat's- you'll see it listed in any guidebook or hostel website (hostelworld, hostelbookers) as the number one hostel in the city. I can't speak more highly of it, and if you go check out the cheap, delicious breakfast buffet every morning. There's a relatively new Wombat's in Munich as well, and I've heard good things.

As for train travel, it doesn't really make a difference to book early and I've found it difficult to arrange train travel online- you often have to go through third party sights that charge a ridiculous premium. German/Austrian rail is very nice, very efficient, and the stations always have English speakers, so no worries there.

In Vienna, make sure you visit Cafe Hawelka, it's hard to find but well worth it. Also, if you haven't seen it already, wikitravel (V, S, M) is incredibly useful and free.
posted by farishta at 6:46 AM on May 25, 2008

You should book a ticket at the Schloss Schonbrunn (http://www.schoenbrunn.at/en/) to see the Palace and the wonderful park.

I visited it yesterday and I noticed that I was indeed lucky to book a ticket online, because I saved myself from sitting in a large queue.

I recommend visiting it early in the morning, because otherwise you will find it to be swamped with tourists.

Also, you should really really be sure you have a valid hotel reservation, because if you're stuck without a room, you will easily find that most hotels are sold out (as I did).

Have a great trip!
posted by Masi at 8:22 AM on May 25, 2008

Hi we are going to Vienna for five days in early August, then Salzburg for three then Munich for 6 or seven days.

We are flying into Vienna and out of Munich, but getting the train in between.

We love art, architecture and live music (rock, jazz, classical!) and we love the one offs that cities have whatever they may be (Berlin Wall, London Eye, Etc)

Thanks

TC
posted by trashcan at 12:12 PM on May 25, 2008

The Residence in Munich and its associated treasury are quite nice. You can split your day between one half and the other with time to spare. There doesn't appear to be any way to get tickets in advance, maybe you can go at the end of day to get a ticket for the next morning, since it it is centrally located. The line moved relatively quickly for us in early August, perhaps a 20 minute wait, and once we were in it did not seem crowded (at least compared to the museums in Amsterdam).

There's no way to reserve seats for the Hofbrau Haus (unless you're stammtisch) so if you want to sit in the main beer hall you better get there early in the day (1pm?) otherwise it you'll just be watching others drinking beer, although there wil be plenty of room in the adjoining restaurant.
posted by furtive at 12:42 PM on May 25, 2008

When you get to Salzburg, you HAVE to get a Salzburg card. It is a tremendous deal! It is 29 Euros for a 48 hour pass. You can ride the city public transport for free (which is good and almost all electric-powered), and you can also get into all the city sights for free. Ask about it at your hotel, or they are available at the Information Building on Mozartzplatz. You can't miss it. You have to ride up the cable railway to the Hohensalzburg fortress which is the heart of the old city and really amazing. Then wander down into the old city and stroll through the Gedreidegstrasse to check out all the shops. Visit Mozart's birth house and the wax museum next door. There are also a lot of really good museums with rotating exhibitions which you can get into for free. I HIGHLY recommend that you take one day and get on the bus and head over to the suburb of Anif. While there, you have to ride the cable car to the top of the Untersberg for some WONDERFUL views. From there check out the Hellbrun palace and its trick fountains, and to wind up the day check out the Salzburg zoo before heading back into town. A ride on the Salzach Cruise on the Amadaeus speedboat is also very fun and a great way to see the city. There are also some wonderful ice caves a short drive south of town, but their name escapes me now. Again, all of that stuff is free with the Salzburg card. There's a ton more too. The two times I've been there I never really had to book ahead of time to get into anything (other than restaurants) with more than a short wait (10 minutes or so), and I did most of my sightseeing on the weekend. While there, be sure to try the Stiegel beer which is very good, and some Mozartkugeln which are the city's signature chocolates, and they are really good! Also, this is the home of Red Bull, so you will see it everywhere.
posted by drgonzo2k2 at 9:31 PM on May 25, 2008