Capital Grandeur or Baroque Jewel Box
Vienna's romance is grand and old-fashioned. Couples waltz at balls in the Hofburg, string quartets play in Baroque churches and waiters in black jackets bring coffee on silver trays with a glass of water on the side. The imperial core inside the Ring is walkable, but the city spreads well beyond it, with Schönbrunn Palace, the Belvedere, the Prater and the vineyards of Grinzing each a tram ride away. It feels like a capital, polished and busy.
Salzburg's romance is intimate and scenic. The whole old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site squeezed between two forested hills, the Mönchsberg and the Kapuzinerberg, with walking paths and viewpoints over the domes. Lanes are lined with wrought-iron shop signs. Within an hour, you can be on a lake or in the mountains.
Vienna rewards couples who love cities. Salzburg rewards couples who want a city break and a countryside escape without changing hotels.
Music and Culture
Both cities are made for music lovers, in different ways. Vienna offers depth. The State Opera plays most nights of the season, the Vienna Philharmonic performs in the Golden Hall of the Musikverein and standing-room opera tickets, released shortly before each performance, are one of Europe's great bargains. The art is just as strong: Klimt's The Kiss at the Upper Belvedere, a room of Bruegels at the Kunsthistorisches Museum and Schiele at the Leopold Museum. Note that the opera and Philharmonic break for July and August.
Salzburg offers atmosphere. Chamber concerts fill palace halls most evenings, from the Marble Hall at Mirabell Palace to dinner concerts in the Baroque hall at St. Peter. The Salzburg Festival, from late July through August, is one of the most important classical music and theater events in the world. There is also an Easter festival.
If you want a choice of performances every night, Vienna. If you want one candlelit Mozart evening in an intimate hall, Salzburg.
Grand Hotels and What They Cost
Vienna's grand hotels sit in the First District. Hotel Sacher, across from the opera, delivers the full imperial treatment, often from around $700 a night, as an approximate guide. Hotel Imperial on the Ring is its rival. Park Hyatt Vienna occupies a former bank headquarters and Rosewood Vienna is quieter and more contemporary. For a local feel, Neubau and the cobbled lanes of Spittelberg have boutique hotels and wine bars. Overall, Vienna is mid-priced for Western Europe: the grand hotels cost plenty, but transit is cheap.
Salzburg's standout for honeymooners is Hotel Schloss Mönchstein, a castle hotel in its own park on top of the Mönchsberg, a short elevator ride above the old town. It often starts around $550 a night, as an approximate range. Hotel Goldener Hirsch near the Festival halls and Hotel Sacher Salzburg on the river facing the fortress are classics. Schloss Leopoldskron, a lakeside palace, takes overnight guests. Festival weeks push prices up sharply.
Cafés, Cake and Dinner
Vienna has the deeper food scene. Order Wiener Schnitzel at least once, which by law must be veal when sold under that name. Plachutta built its name on Tafelspitz, boiled beef in its broth with apple horseradish. Coffeehouses are an institution: Café Central is grand and busy, Café Sperl feels little changed since 1880 and Demel is the place for pastries. Order a melange and ask for the check yourselves. In the evening, head to a Heuriger, a family wine tavern in Grinzing, Nussdorf or Stammersdorf, for a glass of Grüner Veltliner under chestnut trees.
Salzburg is heartier and sweeter. Try Kasnocken, cheese dumplings with fried onions, then share Salzburger Nockerl, a towering soufflé shaped like snowy peaks and made for two. The Augustiner Bräustübl, where monks have brewed since 1621, has a chestnut-shaded beer garden. Café Tomaselli is the oldest coffeehouse in town. Buy Mozartkugeln at Fürst, the confectioner that created them.
Food lovers will want more nights in Vienna.
Day Trips and Scenery
Salzburg wins on scenery. The lakes of the Salzkammergut, including the Wolfgangsee and St. Gilgen, are within an hour by bus or car. Ride the cable car up the Untersberg, slide down wooden chutes in the Hallein salt mine or cross into Germany for a boat ride on the Königssee. The Hellbrunn trick fountains are playful fun. Couples who want lake views can even sleep in the Salzkammergut and visit the city by day.
Vienna's escapes are gentler. Take the tram toward the Vienna Woods and hike up to Kahlenberg for a view over the Danube. In summer, the Alte Donau, an old arm of the river, has swimming spots and rowboats. Ride the 1897 Riesenrad in the Prater at dusk, booking a private cabin if you like. Railjet trains reach Budapest in about two and a half hours, which makes a strong add-on.
If mountains and lakes matter, base yourselves in Salzburg. If cities are your thing, Vienna and Budapest pair well.
Getting There and Best Seasons
Vienna is the easier arrival. Vienna International Airport (VIE) has nonstop flights from several US cities on Austrian Airlines. The City Airport Train reaches Wien Mitte in about 16 minutes. You will not need a car: trams, the U-Bahn and buses share one ticket.
Salzburg Airport (SZG) is small and about 20 minutes from the old town. It is served mostly by European flights. Many Americans arrive via Munich (MUC), which has more US nonstops and direct trains to Salzburg in roughly two hours. The old town is largely car-free.
For seasons, Vienna shines from April through June, when chestnuts bloom along the Ring. September and October are just as good, when Sturm, the cloudy young wine, appears. July and August can reach the mid 90s. Salzburg is best in May, June and September for walks and lake trips, with summer festival crowds and rain that rolls in fast from the Alps. Both cities glow in December with Christmas markets. Vienna adds ball season in January and February.
One Rail Line, Two Cities
Railjet and WestBahn trains link Vienna and Salzburg in under three hours, so combining them is about as easy as European travel gets. Book a first-class seat and watch the countryside roll by.
A week works well split four nights in Vienna and three in Salzburg. Fly into Vienna, settle into the coffeehouse rhythm, see an opera and spend an evening at a Heuriger. Then ride the train west for the fortress, a Mozart concert and a lake day in the Salzkammergut. Fly home from Munich, two hours from Salzburg by train, which often has better US connections than Salzburg's own airport.
With ten days or more, extend in either direction: Budapest before Vienna, or the Alps, Hallstatt or Bavaria after Salzburg.
In both cities, dress smartly for the opera and better restaurants. A jacket or a dress fits in everywhere. Mention your honeymoon when booking, since a glass of Sekt often appears without fuss.
