How do I plan a trip to Munich and Vienna? I am sharing all the tips and tricks with you so you can also plan your vacation easily.
Once we got vaccinated and international travel started opening up for tourists, I wanted to plan for my next vacation. I short-listed the cities based on direct flights from New York, open for tourists with no restrictions, and the best places to visit in December. I saw a direct flight to Munich and returned from Vienna for under $500 and I booked it. Later our return flight was changed to have a stopover in Munich.
As our trip came closer covid cases started increasing in Munich and just a week before their scheduled opening time, all Christmas markets were canceled in Munich. After a week or so Vienna got on lockdown. We were on the verge of canceling our vacation but Vienna opened just a few days before we were supposed to be there and all Christmas markets were also full of holiday spirit. We were so lucky to be able to enjoy our vacation.
Flights
I use Google Flights: https://www.google.com/flights/ to compare prices for flights. I input my home airport and can see the flight prices for all over the world. I can also filter based on a specific month or 1-week vacation in the next 6 months. It helps to find cheap tickets if you are flexible with location and time.
Hotels
I book most of my hotels from Booking.com: http://www.booking.com/
I can compare the hotels based on prices, locations, and categories.
Our Munich hotel was conveniently located near the central station Munich hbf and it helps because we took the train from the airport and also to Fussen and Salzburg.
Our Vienna hotel was also conveniently located near the central station Vienna hbf.
Trains
We used DB Bahn trains in Munich to get to Fussen and Salzburg. It also offers a group ticket which is cheaper if you are traveling in a group of 2 or more(up to 5 people)
We used the OBB train to get from Salzburg to Vienna. It is recommended to book high-speed trains in advance to get discounted prices.
How to get from Airport
Munich We took the S-bahn from Munich airport to Munich hbf. Ticket machines were located at the airport as well as at the train station. Just follow the sign for S-bahn. The train was every 5-10 minutes and very convenient.
Vienna We took the OBB train from Vienna hbf to the airport which took around 15 mins.
Local Transport
Public transport was very good in both Munich and Vienna and works on the honor system. We bought the day pass for unlimited travel which works on Tram, Bus, and underground.
Itinerary
Munich Day 1 – Schloss Nymphenburg
Munich Day 2 – Neuschwanstein castle
Munich Day 3 – Around the city
Salzburg – Walking tour & Christmas Market
Vienna Day 1 – Walking tour & Christmas markets
Vienna Day 2 – Schonbrunn Palace & Christmas markets
You can either follow the above 3 days Munich Itinerary. With more days in Munich you can add Dachau camp if you want to learn more about history. You can also add day trips to Nuremberg and Rothenberg.
If you have more time in Salzburg, you can add a day trip to Hallstatt.
You can follow my 2 days Vienna Itinerary. If you have more time in Vienna, you can add more days to visit museums and palaces. You can also add any other nearby cities or countries.
If you have less time you can skip any city and can limit yourself to 1 or 2 cities.
Activities
We took a free walking tour in all cities, Munich, Salzburg, and Vienna. It was a nice introduction to the city and helps to see the highlights and learn about the history and culture of each city.
We booked an advanced ticket for Neuschwanstein castle and took the regional train using the Bayern ticket. I did a lot of research on how to get to Neuschwanstein castle from Munich and the best I felt was to take the train. There are two other options to get there. You can either rent a car for a day and drive there or you can take guided bus tours.
Best time to visit
Spring and Fall are the best time to visit when the weather is nice and the crowd is low. Summers months are crowded and expensive. Winters is the low season except for Christmas time. Most Christmas markets open in the last week of November till Christmas. For Munich, Oktoberfest is one of the most popular times to visit if you want to go for beer festival(Sep-Oct).
Hello, I like it. RG