Oh my, no, apologies I must not have been very clear. I'm not suggesting that we travel to all of these places in 10 days. I'm asking if, given the winter season, if 10 days in Austria is too long or time would be better spent with a few stops in another location or two. And if so, does anyone on TA generally have any recommendations for other stops based on what makes logistical sense, your own past good experiences, and what I've mentioned in terms of what we enjoy while traveling. It may be that 10 days in Austria is perfect!

I feel like I've done a good amount of preliminary research on Austria, but would love to be pointed off in the right direction by those with experience in the area if I should also be searching elsewhere.

Additionally, I was asking about recommended locations for outdoor winter activities, there seem to be so many and I'm having a little troubling narrowing it down or knowing what I need to know/be looking for (in terms of what we are interested in doing) to do that narrowing down on my own.

Hope thats more clear, it was a long original post.

Well, Austria does not only consist of Vienna and Salzburg, which is why you would certainly not be bored if you stayed 10 (or more) days.

http://www.austria.info

PS: For more detailed answers you should ask more precise questions.

februrary is going to be very expensive when in a ski area as it is high season. but austria in jan and feb, is all about winter sports. otherwise, even in vienna and salzburg, it will be quiet with mainly museums and galleries being the main attraction. i suggest that you get a guide book to austria to see what attractions are open and where they are. the same also applies to other countries that you may be considering

in reality, you should be looking at a number of days in vienna and then go to salzburg where it will be more scenic and where you can visit some ski areas. for holocaust sites, the main one is at mauthausen between vienna and salzburg, which had a sub camp at ebensee, close to salzburg

Can you spend 10 great days In Austria in January/February and experience different things each day? Absolutely – here is an example itinerary.

2-3 days for Vienna, 2-3 days in Salzburg and 4-5 days in the middle in the mountains will give you a mixture of experiences and landscapes, 5-6 days in the city and 4-5 days in the snowy Alps.

Vienna – the old capital of the Austria-Hungarian Empire which ruled much of central Europe until the end of WW1, so plenty of classic buildings, museums, restaurants and cafes etc. The Lippizaner horses are there too. Look at the official Vienna website [www.wien.info/en] or ask here on TA for ideas.

Salzburg – 4 hours from Vienna and the entry point to the Alps and main mountain areas of Austria. The impressive old castle that dominates the city skyline was started in 1077 (that’s over 400 years before Columbus sailed to America) overlooks a beautiful old city. The Stiegl brewery is for the beer fan, and nearby the Hanger 7 for speed freaks (racing cars, planes etc.)

Mountains – there are numerous mountain resorts within 90 minutes of Salzburg. These are typically old towns (e.g. Kitzbühel or Zell am See) or villages (e.g. Saalbach) that have expanded as winter tourism has become ever more popular in the last 50 years. As well as skiing (of course you should have a couple of days of lessons so that you can say you’ve tried it and maybe get bitten by the skiing bug) there is typically snow-shoe walking, horse-drawn sleigh rides, tobogganing and more – although husky dog-sleds are thin on the ground in Austria. Many hotels also have extensive “wellness” areas – indoor/outdoor swimming pools, saunas, steam rooms, massage, gyms etc – for their guests.

As an example – Saalbach has a beginners’ area at the top of the mountain, accessible by cable car, that has amazing views and a couple of restaurants serving local dishes. The tourist office organises snow-shoe walking. There is a floodlit toboggan run and you can even ride up to a mountain hut on the back of a piste-bashing vehicle for an evening meal and toboggan back down to the village afterwards.

Getting around is easy by public transport, both in the cities and between cities. Vienna and Salzburg are linked by train, which is a better and safer option if you have never driven on snow and ice. The mountain resorts are easily reached from Salzburg either by train or by shuttle bus (from Salzburg Airport). Let the journey be part of the adventure and meet new people on the way.

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