Austria 5 Day Itinerary

Austria 5-Day Itinerary

Five days is not enough for Vienna, Salzburg, the lake district and Innsbruck, and any itinerary that promises all four is setting you up for a week of train platforms rather than a holiday. Pick either the east (Vienna plus a Salzburg day trip) or go deep on Salzburg and the Salzkammergut lakes, and drop Innsbruck to a separate trip entirely, since it’s a further two hours west of Salzburg by train and adds a whole travel day for a city that deserves more than an afternoon anyway. This version leans east and treats the lakes as the payoff.

Day 1: Vienna

  • Fly into Vienna International Airport. The City Airport Train covers the 16-minute run to Wien Mitte for 14.90 euros one way, and it’s the fastest option; the regular S7 suburban train does the same route for a few euros less if you’re not in a rush.
  • Hofburg Palace holds the Sisi Museum, Imperial Apartments and the Imperial Silver Collection under one combined ticket, worth doing as a block since the queue is shared.
  • St. Stephen’s Cathedral is free to walk into, though climbing the south tower for the view costs a small fee and involves 343 steps with no lift, so skip it if you’re not up for stairs.
  • Belvedere Palace’s Upper Belvedere holds Klimt’s “The Kiss,” and the gardens between Upper and Lower Belvedere are free and worth the walk even if you skip the museum.
  • Dinner at a Heuriger, a wine tavern, out in Grinzing. These are seasonal, family-run, and serve new-season wine with a cold buffet rather than a plated menu, so go hungry and expect long communal tables.

Things to know:

  • Vienna’s coffee house culture is UNESCO-listed intangible heritage, not a marketing line; Café Sacher does the original Sachertorte, but Demel across the street makes a strong rival version and is less overrun.
  • The U-Bahn, trams and buses run on one integrated ticket system with no barriers, but inspectors do random checks and an unvalidated ticket gets you a fine on the spot, cash or card, no argument.
  • A 24 or 48-hour Vienna City Card bundles transport with discounted museum entry and is worth it if you’re hitting more than two paid attractions a day.

Day 2: Schönbrunn and the Naschmarkt

  • Schönbrunn Palace needs a timed-entry booking, especially in summer when slots disappear two to three weeks out. The Palace ticket covering the full state rooms runs around 38 euros; the shorter Imperial Tour is 28.
  • The palace gardens and the Gloriette viewpoint above them are free once you’re past the ticketed courtyard areas, and the zoo on the grounds is the oldest continuously operating zoo in the world, founded in 1752.
  • Lunch at the Naschmarkt, Vienna’s big open-air market strip, for Balkan grills, Middle Eastern stalls and a Saturday flea market if your visit lands on a weekend.
  • MuseumsQuartier in the afternoon covers the Leopold Museum and MUMOK if contemporary and modern art interest you; both are separate tickets from the palace circuit.
  • Evening out around Naschmarkt or Mariahilf, which has a denser bar scene than the postcard inner-city streets.

Day 3: Salzburg

  • The Vienna to Salzburg railjet takes about two and a half hours direct, with departures roughly twice an hour; booking a Sparschiene advance fare can drop the price to under 20 euros versus the walk-up fare of 30 to 40.
  • Mirabell Palace and Gardens are free and were used for several “Sound of Music” scenes, so expect the gazebo to be crowded with photo-takers.
  • Hohensalzburg Fortress sits above the old town; the funicular up is included in most combination tickets, and the fortress interior plus funicular runs about 15 to 17 euros.
  • Getreidegasse is the old town’s main shopping street, notable for the wrought-iron guild signs above every shop, including the McDonald’s, which is required by law to use a discreet iron sign rather than its usual branding.
  • Mozart’s birthplace on Getreidegasse is a proper museum, not just a plaque, and is worth the entry fee if you have any interest in his early life; it gets crowded by midday, so go at opening.

Day 4: Salzkammergut Lakes

  • Hallstatt is the famous name in this region, and it’s reachable from Salzburg by the direct 150 postbus to Hallstatt Lahn for 12 to 15 euros each way, about 75 to 85 minutes, or by train via Attnang-Puchheim with a change, which takes slightly longer.
  • Hallstatt itself is small enough to see in two or three hours; the lake ferry across from Hallstatt station to the village is a two-minute crossing timed to meet the trains.
  • If Hallstatt’s day-trip crowds put you off, Wolfgangsee and Attersee are quieter lakes nearby with proper swimming and boat trips, and are a better call in peak summer when Hallstatt’s main street is standing room only by 11am.
  • Book any organised tour version of this day in advance in July and August; last-minute seats on the popular Hallstatt day tours from Salzburg sell out.

Day 5: Back to Vienna, or extend west

  • Return to Vienna by the same railjet line for a final night, or, if you’ve built in an extra day, continue from Salzburg toward Innsbruck, which is a further two hours west and really needs its own overnight rather than a rushed add-on.
  • If staying in the east, spend the morning in a neighbourhood you haven’t covered yet, Neubau or the Museumsquartier district for design shops and lower-key cafés than the inner Ring.
  • Confirm your Austrian rail tickets are validated correctly before boarding; ÖBB and the private operator Westbahn both run this corridor and tickets are not always interchangeable between them.

Visa requirements: Austria is part of the Schengen Area, so citizens of the US, UK, Canada, Australia and most of the EU can enter visa-free for stays under 90 days within any 180-day period. Starting in 2026 UK and other non-EU visa-exempt travellers also need to register through Europe’s ETIAS system before arrival, so check the current requirement for your passport well before booking flights, as the rollout has shifted more than once.

Transportation: Trains are the easiest way between Austrian cities, and ÖBB’s railjet network covers Vienna, Salzburg and Innsbruck on frequent, comfortable services. Book Sparschiene advance fares online for the biggest savings; walk-up fares on the day can run two to three times the advance price for the same seat.