Austria's Great Cities

Innsbruck, Salzburg & Vienna by rail
 

Holiday Highlights

Alpine highlights | Journey by rail through the scenic and unforgettable Alps.
Classical music | Visit Schönbrunn Palace, where 6-year-old Mozart astonished Empress Maria-Theresa.
Urban appeal | Three cities of irresistible history and culture.
Handpicked stays | Friendly city hotels located in quiet areas close to each historic centre.
Baroque Salzburg | An Old Town of exquisite churches and elegant squares.
Austria's Great Cities. 7 nights
Austria's Great Cities. 7 nights
 

Holiday information

 

A touring holiday in Austria

Discover the beautiful monuments and colourful histories of Innsbruck, Salzburg and Vienna (paradises for cake lovers!) on this self-guided journey by rail through the Inn and Danube Valleys. Explore on foot following our detailed cultural notes and stay in intimate, welcoming hotels.
Handsome monuments, colourful histories, and streets that take you back in time, combine to give Innsbruck, Salzburg and Vienna a special allure. These are, arguably, Austria’s three greatest cities, with much to intrigue and enthral, and our choice of intimate, family-run hotels only adds to the appeal of this wonderful holiday.
You journey between the cities by rail from west to east so that you start with the smallest and finish in the culturally absorbing capital. With a full day in each to explore (two in the case of Vienna), you can gain a feel for their very different characters.

Surrounded by towering peaks which provide a dramatic backdrop to the historic buildings, in Innsbruck there is no escaping the fact that you are in the heart of the Alps. If Innsbruck is dominated by mountains, Salzburg, meanwhile, is dominated by music – the rich culture of this vibrant, cosmopolitan city is inextricably linked with that of its most famous son, Mozart. Last, but by no means least, is graceful Vienna, where an abundance of palaces harking back to the city’s imperial past is outnumbered only by the traditional coffee houses, whose large windows, marble-topped tables and array of delicious cakes make them the perfect place to indulge in some people-watching for an hour or two.
 
Gallery

 

Itinerary

The key to Inntravel holidays is flexibility. You can start on the day of your choice, and are free to add extra nights.
  • Arrival in Innsbruck
    Night 1: at Hotel Maximilian (the first of two nights here).
    As your first night’s accommodation is on the day of travel, Day 1 is your first day of exploration.
  • Explore Innsbruck
    Explore Innsbruck on our self-guided walking tour. Emperor Maximilian I, who reigned from here in the late 15th century, left his mark on the city in the form of numerous grand monuments, not least the Goldenes Dachl (the 'Golden Roof' is a covered balcony clad in 2,657 gilded copper tiles from which his courtiers could look over the square below) and the Cenotaph (an empty tomb surrounded by 28 impressive statues). Pay a visit to the City Tower, whose onion-shaped dome affords splendid views, and the Baroque Cathedral, a justly popular draw. You can’t fail to be impressed by the Hofburg Palace, whose opulent Giants’ Hall is probably the most magnificent room in the Alps, or the locally produced Swarovski crystal, whose polished facets have dazzled the world.
    Plenty of choice for refreshments in the Old Town
    Ornate gothic Hofkirche
  • Innsbruck to Salzburg
    Today’s scenic two-hour rail journey takes you north-east through the picturesque Inn Valley and past the dramatic Emperor’s Mountains to reach Salzburg, the mellifluously musical city of Mozart where you spend two nights at the Altstadthotel Wolf-Dietrich or Hotel Trumer Stube.
  • Explore Salzburg
    Salzburg’s Old Town is a place to stroll at leisure, discovering Baroque churches and elegant squares. The main sights include the Residenzplaz – on which stand the magnificent Baroque cathedral, Bishop’s Palace and Glockenspiel, which rings its 35 bells several times daily – and Mozart’s childhood home, which is now a museum. Once you’ve admired the splendid Baroque architecture, make the most of Salzburg’s magnificent mountain setting by walking to the Richterhöhe viewpoint, offering a fabulous panorama of Hohensalzburg Castle, which is also worth a visit.
    Tempting delicacies in the Old Town market
    Views from the Hohensalzburg Fortress
  • Salzburg to Vienna
    Leaving Salzburg, you head by rail to Linz, from where the train follows the River Danube and passes through the famous Vienna Woods before reaching Austria’s compact and cosmopolitan capital, Vienna, after three-and-a-quarter hours. Here you check in to the Hotel Kaiserhof for your final three nights in this, ‘the world’s most liveable city’.
  • Explore Vienna
    In Vienna, an appreciation of the finer things in life has spanned the centuries, and an abundance of palaces harking back to the city’s imperial past is outnumbered only by the charming Heurigen (wine taverns) dotted among the vineyards in and around the city. You have two full days to explore the Austrian capital and to soak up its unique atmosphere: highlights include the vast Schönbrunn Palace, in whose Hall of Mirrors the 6-year-old Mozart astonished the Empress Maria-Theresa with his precocious talents. But leave time to relax amid the characteristic charm of a traditional Kaffeehaus, whose coffee-and-cake ambience – all marble surfaces, newspaper tables, round-backed Thonet chairs and gliding, immaculately dressed waiters – seems to induce a unique sense of sedate satisfaction.
    Relax in the charm of a traditional Kaffeehaus
    Graben street
 

Accommodation

Our chosen hotels are very well located for visiting the main sights.

In Salzburg we work with more than one hotel, as shown below. All are hand-picked by us and, unless there is a price implication (in which case we will contact you to discuss your options), we will tell you which one we have booked for you on your booking confirmation.

Wherever you stay in Salzburg, we recommend adding an extra night to enjoy its cultural delights.

Please note: most beds in Austrian hotels are normally one large base with two mattresses/duvets. We refer to these as 'Austrian Twins' and they are locally regarded to serve requests for both double and twin bedded rooms. Separate twin beds or traditional double beds with one large mattress are rare and cannot be guaranteed.
 

Extend your stay

 
Prices & travel options
All prices are in £ sterling (GBP). If you'd like to see what they equate to in your currency, use the converter. For general information on pricing, see the 'your holiday price explained' page.
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  • 7 nights: 01 April 2024 - 31 October 2024 & 01 April 2025 - 31 October 2025

    Start any day | End by latest date(s) shown above

    Starting Price Single room
    1 - 28 Apr 2024 £1205 £420
    29 Apr - 30 Sep 2024 £1385 £440
    1 - 24 Oct 2024 £1305 £420
    1 - 28 Apr 2025 £1255 £440
    29 Apr - 30 Sep 2025 £1445 £460
    1 - 24 Oct 2025 £1360 £440
    3rd & 4th person discount £0
    Single traveller supplement £0

    Includes accommodation, meals, travel between hotels and any other services integral to the holiday as described, plus a detailed information pack, but no travel from the UK, nor any connecting travel from the airport unless stated below.

    Included travel: Innsbruck–Salzburg–Vienna by rail
    Upgrade option: add £106pp to upgrade to first-class rail travel

    Pay locally for taxis between railway stations and hotels.

    Book your flights through us and we'll find the best route and times to suit you. Please contact us to find out more about our flight booking service. We can also book connecting travel - see below.

  • Room upgrades (£ per person per night)

    Hotel Maximilian, Innsbruck
    Superior: 07 Jan - 30 Apr 2024 £26
    Superior: 01 May - 31 Oct 2024 £33
    Superior: 01 Nov - 31 Dec 2024 £26
    Superior: 01 Apr - 30 Apr 2025 £27
    Superior: 01 May - 31 Oct 2025 £34
    Hotel Kaiserhof, Vienna
    Junior suite: 01 Apr - 31 Oct 2024 £55
    Junior suite: 01 Apr - 31 Oct 2025 £57
    Kaiserhof Klassik: 01 Apr - 31 Oct 2024 £6
    Kaiserhof Klassik: 01 Apr - 31 Oct 2025 £6

    Extra nights (£ per person per night) in a double or single room

    Altstadthotel Wolf-Dietrich, Salzburg (B&B) Double room Single room
    01 Apr - 30 Apr 2024 £92 £101
    01 May - 15 Jul 2024 £114 £125
    16 Jul - 31 Aug 2024 £139 £159
    01 Sep - 30 Sep 2024 £114 £125
    01 Oct - 31 Oct 2024 £97 £104
    01 Apr - 30 Apr 2025 £96 £105
    01 May - 15 Jul 2025 £119 £130
    16 Jul - 31 Aug 2025 £145 £166
    01 Sep - 30 Sep 2025 £119 £130
    01 Oct - 31 Oct 2025 £101 £108
    Hotel Kaiserhof, Vienna (B&B) Double room Single room
    01 Apr - 30 Jun 2024 # £152 £216
    01 Jul - 04 Sep 2024 £143 £196
    05 Sep - 31 Oct 2024 # £152 £216
    01 Apr - 30 Jun 2025 # £160 £227
    01 Jul - 04 Sep 2025 £150 £205
    05 Sep - 31 Oct 2025 # £160 £227

    #ADD £36pp/n (£42pn in single room) if staying in Vienna on the following dates in 2023: 18-20 May, 26-28 May, 8-10 Jun, 5-8 Jul or 21-25 Oct.
    #ADD £40pp/n (£47pn in single room) if staying in Vienna on the following dates in 2024: 18-20 May, 26-28 May, 8-10 Jun, 5-8 Jul or 21-25 Oct.

    Supplements may apply for some 2024 dates - please contact us for details.

  • RECOMMENDED AIRPORT(S):
    Innsbruck for the outward flight; Vienna for the homeward flight
    ALTERNATIVE AIRPORT(S):
    Munich (for the outward flight)

    As an alternative to flying, we can arrange rail travel from London

    Travelling from the UK

    Travelling from outside the UK

    If you are flying from outside Europe,  we recommend flying via Munich or Vienna.  To discuss onward connecting travel to the start of your holiday, please contact us.

    Outward route Airline
    Birmingham - Innsbruck jet2,  TUI 
    Birmingham - Innsbruck (via Frankfurt) Lufthansa 
    Birmingham - Munich Lufthansa 
    Birmingham - Munich (via Frankfurt) Lufthansa 
    Return route Airline
    Vienna - Birmingham Austrian Airlines,  Eurowings 
    Vienna - Birmingham (via Munich) Lufthansa 
    Outward route Airline
    Bristol - Innsbruck jet2 
    Bristol - Innsbruck (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    Edinburgh - Innsbruck (via Frankfurt) Lufthansa 
    Edinburgh - Innsbruck (via Gatwick) British Airways 
    Edinburgh - Munich easyJet,  Eurowings,  Lufthansa 
    Edinburgh - Munich (via Frankfurt) Lufthansa 
    Return route Airline
    Vienna - Edinburgh (via Munich) Lufthansa 
    Outward route Airline
    Glasgow - Innsbruck (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Glasgow - Innsbruck (via Frankfurt) Lufthansa 
    Glasgow - Munich Lufthansa 
    Outward route Airline
    Leeds Bradford - Innsbruck (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    Liverpool - Innsbruck (via Frankfurt) Lufthansa 
    Outward route Airline
    London City - Innsbruck (via Frankfurt) Lufthansa 
    London City - Munich British Airways 
    Outward route Airline
    Gatwick - Innsbruck easyJet 
    Gatwick - Munich easyJet 
    Return route Airline
    Vienna - Gatwick British Airways,  Wizz Air 
    Outward route Airline
    Heathrow - Innsbruck British Airways 
    Heathrow - Innsbruck (via Frankfurt) Austrian Airlines,  Lufthansa 
    Heathrow - Innsbruck (via Vienna) Austrian Airlines 
    Heathrow - Munich British Airways,  Lufthansa 
    Return route Airline
    Vienna - Heathrow Austrian Airlines,  British Airways 
    Outward route Airline
    Luton - Innsbruck TUI 
    Luton - Munich easyJet 
    Return route Airline
    Vienna - Luton Wizz Air 
    Outward route Airline
    Stansted - Innsbruck TUI 
    Stansted - Munich easyJet 
    Return route Airline
    Vienna - Stansted Ryanair 
    Outward route Airline
    Manchester - Innsbruck jet2 
    Manchester - Innsbruck (via Frankfurt) Austrian Airlines,  Lufthansa 
    Manchester - Munich easyJet,  Lufthansa 
    Manchester - Munich (via Frankfurt) Lufthansa 
    Return route Airline
    Vienna - Manchester Austrian Airlines 
    Outward route Airline
    Newcastle - Innsbruck (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Newcastle - Munich Lufthansa 
    Newcastle - Munich (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Newcastle - Munich (via Düsseldorf) Lufthansa 
    Return route Airline
    Vienna - Newcastle (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    Norwich - Munich (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    Teesside International - Innsbruck (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Travelling from outside the UK

    If you are flying from outside Europe,  we recommend flying via Munich or Vienna.  To discuss onward connecting travel to the start of your holiday, please contact us.

    This list of flight options should be used as a guide only, and you should check each airline’s website for current routes, frequency and schedules. Not all flights operate daily, and may not run for the entire season. You should also heed the latest flight arrival time and earliest flight departure time, as it may not be possible to arrange connecting travel outside these times. Please do not book your flights until we have confirmed your accommodation to you. Alternatively, our expert reservations team will be happy to offer advice and to make flight bookings for you for any of the options listed above. We charge £35 per person for our flight booking service. Your flights are then covered by our package-booking conditions, which give you greater protection in the event of delay or cancellation, as well as providing ATOL cover.

  • Prices below are based on 2 people travelling together.

    Where a price range is given, the price you pay depends on your date of travel.

    Connecting travel options - flying via Innsbruck

    Outward route Price per person Latest flight
    arrival time
    bus or taxi from airport to hotel (0h20) pay locally flexible
    Homeward route
    not recommended in this direction

    Connecting travel options - flying via Munich

    Outward route Price per person Latest flight
    arrival time
    rail Munich airport to Innsbruck (2h50) £79-£82 1600
    Homeward route
    not recommended in this direction

    Connecting travel options - flying via Vienna

    Outward route
    not recommended in this direction
    Homeward route Price per person Earliest flight
    departure time
    bus or taxi from hotel to airport (0h30) pay locally flexible
What is included
  • 7 nights
  • 7 breakfasts
  • city maps and notes for walking tours
  • detailed cultural information
  • rail travel Innsbruck-Salzburg-Vienna
 
Reviews

If you've experienced this holiday first hand, why not write a review?

We are keen for as many customers as possible to review their holiday. To make it easier to do so, we include a specific review section on our post-holiday questionnaire, and this is what we publish here, unedited. Read our full review policy >

 

FAQs

If you have any questions relating to this or any other Inntravel holiday, our friendly travel experts will be happy to help. You might also find our General FAQs section helpful.

  • The information that we send to you 2-3 weeks before your holiday includes practical information about each stage of your journey so that you can travel confidently from one hotel to another, recommendations for places to visit and eat out in each place, plus cultural information about the area. Where applicable, we also provide notes for a self-guided walking tour of most cities, and some large towns. Sample travel pack >
  • We can book a wide range of routes from the UK with a variety of airlines. As well as being more convenient for you to book all elements of your holiday together, it also means that we’ll accept liability for your travel arrangements, so if things go wrong, such as the airline going bust, we’ll make suitable alternative arrangements for you. The fee for this service is £35 per person (£15 for children aged 2-11). More information on flights >
  • Absolutely! We are experts in tailored rail travel. Making use of sleeper trains or stopovers in cities along the route, we can get you from London to virtually anywhere in mainland Europe. We can even make arrangements to Mallorca, Sicily and Norway with a combination of ferries and rail. Please contact us to discuss your plans.
  • We can’t book flights that originate outside the UK, but if you wanted to book your own flights to London (or elsewhere in the UK), we can make all onward travel arrangements (including flights) from there. Alternatively, if you are booking your own flights to an airport in continental Europe that’s appropriate for your holiday, we can book onward rail travel and/or taxis. More information about how we can tailor holidays for customers outside the UK >
  • Once you’ve decided on your exact itinerary (our travel experts will be happy to offer advice), you need to provide us with your party’s details, either by phone or via our booking form. At this point we also ask you to pay a deposit so that we can secure a room for you immediately on confirming availability with the hotel(s). If it turns out that we can’t secure the accommodation for the holiday you’ve requested, or offer an acceptable alternative, we’ll refund your deposit promptly and in full. After booking your accommodation and other key elements, we'll then book your travel (or you can do so if you’re making your own arrangements) and send you a Booking Confirmation and Invoice.

    More information about the booking process >
    Information about accommodation, general practicalities and more >
    Booking conditions >
  • Yes, it’s something we insist on, even for holidays in the UK. The vast majority of holidays go smoothly, but when things go wrong, it can be expensive to put them right. Buying a new pair of walking boots after your suitcase is stolen mightn’t seem so bad, but the bill for being airlifted down from a mountain with a broken leg or flown home while still recovering from an illness or accident can incur a five or six-figure bill.

    Many insurers offer travel insurance (you can find details on our insurance page of a policy that you may like to consider if you are a UK resident), but you do need to make sure that you’re covered for medical emergencies – including falling ill with Covid-19 while on holiday – and repatriation. We also recommend that you are covered for other eventualities, such as cancellation and loss of luggage and passports.

    When you purchase a policy, be sure to check that it covers the activities you'll be doing on holiday and that it is adequate for your own individual needs.
  • It is your responsibility to ensure you are in possession of the correct travel documents, with the correct validity. If you’re a UK citizen, you need a full British passport to travel to Austria, but not a visa (please note, however, that a new travel authorisation system is being introduced). If you are a citizen of another country, you’ll need to check requirements with the national embassy or your own consulate.

    Current information regarding vaccinations and travel health advice for UK citizens can be found through the Travel Health Pro website. You must make sure you have adequate insurance cover for illness, accidents and repatriation (see the insurance question). You should also apply for a Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) if your EHIC has expired (if you have a still-valid EHIC, you can use this until it expires).
  • (Austrian) German is the most commonly spoken language. The currency is the Euro. Austrian time is GMT/UTC + 1. It uses Daylight Saving Time, so in summer is on BST + 1.
  • For information on the practicalities of travel now that the UK is no longer part of the European Union, visit www.gov.uk/visit-eu-switzerland-norway-iceland-liechtenstein.
  • The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) provides up-to-date, country-by-country travel advice, as well as information on security, local laws, passports and visas for UK citizens.

    If you live outside the UK, see our essential travel information page for a list of relevant websites.
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