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Contact UsThe structure of how we suggest dividing a one-week itinerary in Austria is at a fairly moderate pace. They may look like you are seeing a lot per day, but because you are only switching hotels once you will maximize your time a lot better. Because both Salzburg and Vienna have compact pedestrian cores you see most of the main sights in each in two to three days without feeling exhausted. We like to stay one day longer in Salzburg than Vienna as it offers a few more easy day trips options of mountains, lakeside villages, ice caves, and castles that you’ll want to mix into your schedule. Below we also have some further suggestions on other cities you can blend in to bump you one week in Austria into a longer trip.
Begin your day by following our Free Vienna Walking Tour including Saint Stephen’s Cathedral, a Viennese coffee, and time at the museums including the Hofburg. In the afternoon I also work on some of our Vienna Tram Tour which is easy to hop on and off and makes a loop around Old Town (Stay in Vienna).
In the morning head to the stunning Schönbrunn Palace for a tour of the inside along with time strolling the grounds. In the mid-day through the afternoon pick up anything you missed day one and consider seeing Belvedere Palace & Other Additional Attractions (Stay in Vienna).
Leaving in the morning, take a Day Trip From Vienna. In a half day, you can see either the Kreuzenstein Castle, Liechtenstein Castle, or Melk Abbey. You can also stretch a Melk visit into a full day affair by returning by boat to see some of the wine towns along the Danube River. We like to focus on day trips that are within two hours from Vienna.
Once in Hallstatt, we suggest touring the Salt Mines if you get to town before they close and fitting a couple stops from the Hallstatt Free Walking Tour if you’re not too tired. (Stay in Vienna).
After breakfast in Vienna, take a morning train to Salzburg then follow our Free Salzburg Walking Tour. You’ll be able to tour Mozart’s Birthplace and the Salzburg Cathedral while mixing in Sound of Music Film Locations 1-11 and visiting the Augustiner Monks Brewery. Salzburg is very compact so seeing a lot on foot day one is easy to do without feeling exhausted. When we stay in Salzburg for more than a day, we like to see the entire core of Old Town at a comfortable pace; save visiting the High Castle above town for a separate day (Stay in Salzburg).
On your second day in town it is nice to take a short Day Trip From Salzburg. The first one you will want to choose between three of them including Berchtesgaden (45-minute bus ride), Werfen (45-minute train ride), or Munich (90-minute train ride). For us all three options are fairly equal with mountainous Berchtesgaden having Kings Lake and the Eagles Nest, Werfen having a stunning castle plus the world’s largest ice cave, and Munich has a wonderful old town and unique beer culture (Stay in Salzburg).
One of the best things about staying in Salzburg is the chance to use it as a hub to fit in a number of great day trips. With 4 days to work with, using the middle days for back-to-back Day Trips From Salzburg is totally reasonable. The best of the day trips is Hallstatt, which we like to do second after you are more settled in as it is further away. Power travelers will be able to fit in both the Ice Cave with the 5 Fingers Lookout plus a tour of the Salt Mine. Slow pace travelers will have to decide between the two options for the first half of the day followed by our Free Hallstatt Walking Tour and time strolling the lakefront in the afternoon (Stay in Salzburg).
For most visitors, the last day of your one-week itinerary in Austria is best served as a relaxing day to finish up any remaining sights in Salzburg to end your trip feeling refreshed. Picking up from our first full day in Salzburg you can visit one of the delightful cafes, tour the High Castle above the Old Town, and see the Sound of Music Film Locations 12-14 along with the trick fountains at Hellbrunn Palace
Return to your flight back to the U.S. (own arrangement)
Francoise is the president and founder of Celestial Voyagers. She graduated with a tourism degree at Nice University in France and has worked as a tour director and operations manager in France, Australia and Mexico. Settling in New York City, she founded Celestial Voyagers with the aim of creating uniquely curated group travel for adults and Academia.