Beer gardens, Mozart and Schönbrunn

Munich’s Marienplatz, Viktualienmarkt and Englischer Garten; the Hohensalzburg Fortress and Mozart’s birthplace in Salzburg; the Stephansdom, Schönbrunn and the Klimts of the Belvedere in Vienna, with the Staatsoper nearly every night. All by train, with less than two and a half hours between one city and the next.

Day by day Open the itinerary in the app

Munich → Salzburg → Vienna · 7–10 days

The route on the map, in the itinerary’s order.

GermanyMunich
Days
2–3
When
May–Jul · Sep
Per person/day
Average 130–200 EURMid-range · per person/day
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.
AustriaSalzburg
Days
2–4
When
May–Jun · Sep–Oct
Per person/day
Average 185 EURMid-range · per person/day
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.
AustriaVienna
Days
3
When
May–Jun · Sep–Oct
Per person/day
Average 90–150 EURMid-range · per person/day
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.

Who it is for

For anyone who enjoys music, palaces and museums, and prefers the train to the road.

Not for anyone looking for bargains or nights out until dawn, since Munich is the most expensive city in Germany and closes its shops on Sunday, and in Vienna the evening revolves around cafés, concerts and the opera.

The strategy

The trip follows the railway east. Munich to Salzburg is about 1h45 by direct train, and Salzburg to Vienna about 2h25 on the Railjet Xpress. In Salzburg, the area around the main station has most of the hotels and is where the trains leave from; ask your hotel for the Guest Mobility Ticket before you arrive. The flight home leaves from Vienna airport, about 25 minutes from the centre on the S7 train. Check dates before booking: the 2026 Oktoberfest, from 19 September to 4 October, fills Munich, and the Salzburg Festival takes up July and August. Outside those dates, May, June and September suit all three cities.

What you will see

Marienplatz, Munich. The central square since 1158 and the neo-Gothic city hall, built in three stages between 1867 and 1909 by Georg von Hauberrisser, with an 85 m tower and an elevator up to the lookout.
Hohensalzburg Fortress, Salzburg. The fortress, begun in 1077, occupies the Festungsberg at 506 m, covering an area of 250 by 150 m, and dominates the view from anywhere in the city.
Stephansdom, Vienna. The Gothic cathedral at the exact point the city measures itself from; the south tower, 136.4 m tall, was completed in 1433, and the roof has about 230,000 glazed tiles in a colorful pattern.

Day by day