jdsprod

Need your "must sees" for a 25th anniversary trip through Munich, Salzburg, Vienna and Prague.

gradyghost

Hello jd:

"Must sees" are quite subjective and you'll get lots of suggestions on this board. Here is a link to my report on restaurants for 3 of the 4 cities you mention:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35178863

Good luck. Gradyghost

Michael

Presumably you will stay only a few days in each location. At that point, the must see sites are best listed in guidebooks such as Fodor's or the Michelin Green Guides.

rosetravels

How long is your trip? Are you renting a car?

My must-see in Vienna is the Kunsthistorisches (sp?) Museum. We loved it. Also the cafes in Vienna - find a good one and have some strudel mit schlag and coffee. Delicious.

nytraveler

How many days do you have n each place - I could give you a list of 10 to 15 places for each. Will you have that much timme?

And what are you interests?

Art? History? Architecture? Music? Fine dining/wining? Seeing some nature? Soaking up neighborhoods and relaxing in cafes? (I leave at least a half day for that on every non-business trip in every major city.

AisleSeat

Must-dines...

in Munich the Augustiner Keller near the train station.

In Salzburg, Skt Peter Shrifts Keller (since 800ad). It is next to the Sound of Music graveyard where they hid from the Nazis.

iris1745

Hi jdsprod; I second AisleSeat's restaurant suggestion at Stiftskeller. You can also do a Mozart 'Dinner' Concert there in a very elegent dining room. www.salzburgticket.com/search?keyword=mozart ENJOY Iris

elcon

I was in Vienna and Prague in December and loved them both. In Prague, I would recommed the Mucha museum, shopping in the Ungelt behind Old Town Square, strolling the Charles Bridge and exploring the Old Town. In Vienna, I loved the Albertina museum (there was a great Monet and Picasso exhibit). Across the street from the Albertina is Cafe Mozart which has a variety of delicious cakes and coffees. The opera house was nice to see and of course, the Hofburg. Shopping is great in Vienna, but overall, it is much pricier than Prague.

Pegontheroad

Check out the Sacher cafe for a Sacher torte and coffee. The Sacher torte wasn't any better than what I buy at my Safeway, but the coffee was the best I've ever tasted. Yummy.

Pegontheroad

If you like architecture, I recommend the Karlskirche in Vienna and the Kollegienkirche in Salzburg, both designed by Fischer von Erlach. They're gorgeous.

bob_brown

I have been to all four cities. The places that are "absolutes" depend on your preferences.

For example, are you interested in art? If so the Alte Pinakothek is a must see. The Panakothek der Moderne for me was waste of time until I saw a modern sculpture that consisted of car parts welded together. Fender, bumpbers, grills, etc. all bonded with high quality welds. It was not the sculpture itself that got my attention, it was the title: Horse Pucky. I kid you not at all. I wonder if the Germans knew what they had??

Also for me the Glyptothek was amazing because of its collection of Greek and Roman sculptures.

If you like old royal residences, I suggest the homes of some of the
the Residenz is definitely the one to see. There is also Nyphenburg
Palace which is a monument to the largess of royalty.

In addition Munich is hone to dozens of smaller musems.

As for churches, I have visited several and I am yet to find one that is truly outstanding although several of them are interesting.

I think turning up in front of the Rathaus at noon to watch the figures on the clock to their thing is obligatory. I think you are not allowed to leave if you don't. [Just kidding, I think.]

As for Salzburg, two places are worth the effort. The Festung Hohensalzburg and Schloss Helllbrunn. You did not say when you were going, so the water display might be shut off because of freezing temperatures. Also the floors of the Festung are apt to be a bit cold in winter.

I also enjoyed the Marionetten Theater. I and the other kids enjoyed it immensely. (I was not the only 70 year old kid there.)

In Vienna, you have a wide choice, more than you will have time for unless you stay for a week or so.
I suggest a good guide book and start ranking the places. I am an opera buff, so we went to 3 operas in 4 days. I also liked the visit to Schloss Schönbrunn. If you go, take the tour with the most rooms and get an audio tour gadget. It is the best bargain I thought. The first time we took a shorter tour and realized our mistake. So we returned to correct the error.

The Hofburg has so many separate places to visit that I am not sure what to recommend. Get a book on the complex and take your pick.

The Belvedere is interesting but the inside of the building has little of the original furiture because it was dispersed among various Viennese families.

Prague is an interesting city to visit. Once again its primary appeal to me was the music - The Marriage of Figaro and Aida. The Mozart tradition is alive and well in Prague. The castle was mildly interesting. To be honest, 3 days was too little time for Prague!!
We spent one day on a tour to Cesky Krumlov which was most interesting even if did take us away from Prague,

di2315

Hi jdsprod

My suggestion for Vienna would be to take a short metro train ride to Spittelau, then walk along the raised walkway past the Hundertwasser garbage incinerator building. I know it sounds bizzare, but it is one of the most modern, spectacular, fascinating buildings I have ever come across. It will show you another side to Vienna from the Baroque cultural city. If you like his work, Hundertwasser also has a gallery and village in the 3rd district of Kegelgasse. Just google his name for further details.

For Salzburg, I recommend Schloss Hellbrunn; it's a short drive or bus ride from the city centre, and has history, art and quirkiness combined. As you can see, I like to explore the off-beat as well as the cultural icons when I go exploring cities!

Happy travels, Di

iris1745

Hi again jdsprod; A little more information. We here are not sure if you are driving or taking the train or using a tour company. Howerver, this was our first trip to these cities and we used this company. http://www.tradescotours.net/bro_dow...dent_tours.pdf This tour only goes thru Munich, from Prague to Salzburg. Then to Vienna and on to Budapest. Perhaps they would substitute Budapest for Munich. On our visits to Vienna we stayed at this hotel and loved the hotel and location, right off the old square. www.kvu.at/ Finally, this site has great info to download for Munich and Prague www.inyourpocket.com Keypunch the city and then 'instant'.ENJOY Iris

RufusTFirefly

As others have pointed out, a lot depends on individual interest--and the time of year.

Some of the sights in Munich that we enjoyed (in no particular order):
Schloss Nymphenburg
Pinakothek der Moderne
Munich Residenz
English Garden
Bavarian Nationalmuseum
City Museum of Munich
Schackgalerie
Various Beer Gardens

Prague:
Jewish Quarter--cemetary, synagogues, museum, etc.

The Prague Castle complex
Dancing house (Fred and Ginger)
Mucha Museum
Museum of Decorative Arts
Charles Bridge
Strolling around taking in the architecture.

indiancouple

At Salzburg, don't miss having lunch at the Augustiner Braustubl. It is a unique experience, not to be missed. Excellent beer, and an unusual way of purchasing it ! And do enter the shop called "Easter at Salzburg" near Altermarkt, which has 140,000 hand-painted egg-shells on display.

You certainly will not miss the Astronomical clock at Old Town Square in Prague, specially when it strikes the hour. It is a spectacle that you will always remember. And definitely visit a typical Czech pub for beer; I recommend the "U Zlateho Tygra", where Bill Clinton was taken by Vaclav Havel to show him what an authentic Czech pub looked like.

Second the suggestion to visit Cesky Krumlov from Prague. Fairy tale town.

Delaine

I agree with most of the previous posters, but I have a few of my must-sees I would like to add, or in some cases, second earlier recommendations.

Munich:
1) If you like old masters paintings, the Alte Pinakothek, which, in my opinion, is one of the best museums of its kind in the world
2) If you like scluptre, the Glyptothek. Again, in my opinion, this is the best sculpture museum I have been to, on a par with the Bargello in Florence. You can't miss the Barberini Faun.
3) The view from the tower of Peterskirche
4) The Hofbrauhaus. Although it is somewhat "touristy," it was quite fun, and the food was good too.

Salzburg:
1)Schloss Hellbrun. The water garden tour is fabulous.
2)Hohensalzburg Fortress, which overlooks the city; the view is beautiful
3)Café Tomaselli, established in 1705, in the Alt Markt, is a venerable café and serves a delicious Estherhazy Torte (much better and less dry than Sachertorte).

Vienna:
1)Kuntshistorisches Museum. The same thing I said about the Alte Pinakothek in Munich applies here.
2)Schonbrunn Palace. This is just a very short trip out of central Vienna and well worth it, both the tour of the staterooms and roaming the fabulous gardens
3)The Hofburg, especially the Schatzkammer, the Imperial Treasury
4) Karlskirche

Prague:
1)Cesky Krumlov. This would involve a day-trip out of Prague, but the charming Medieval town and amazing castle make it worth it. This is one of my favorite places I have ever visited.
2) Prague Castle. This is a huge complex and quite interesting, not to mention with fabulous views of the city.
3) St. Vitus Cathedral. Inside the castle complex, it also merits a visit. The sunlight shining through the beautiful stained-glass windows projects phenomenal images on the walls. There is also a Mucha window. Sts. Wenceslaus and John Nepomuk are interred here too.
4) The views from the top of the Old Town Hall Tower, especially of the stunning Church of Our Lady Before Tyn
5) Wandering the streets of Mala Strana between the Castle and the Vltava, e.g. Nerudova Street, as well as Kampa Island

gradyghost

Hello again jd:

A number of folks have mentioned the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. It is a wonderful experience in itself. What no one has mentioned however is that the Gerstner company sponsors a buffet under the Cupola in the museum on Thursday evening and Sunday at noon. You can reserve a table for the buffet and stroll about the museum between courses to view the art. A terrific experience. Gradyghost

jdsprod

We will be traveling by train. We are history buffs and love coffee or a glass of wine in a neighborhood cafe.