It was a short walk back to Vienna’s West Bahnhof station and I made further use of the first class lounge, a worthwhile perk of my first class pass and a good saving in coffees and snacks. The train was a comfortable Eurostar style train and it departed on time at 10.30. There was a buffet car with tables and seats and train staff regularly patrolled the first class carriages enquiring if anyone wanted refreshments, but taking only 2 hours 30 minutes I made no use of these services.
Almost immediately on leaving Vienna there was a sense of climbing into forest covered hills, passing through tunnels and then into the mountains. The landscape looked classically Alpine with cows in well trimmed pastures, chalet style houses and the train got up to speeds of 200 kph.
There was a lot of building work at the main Salzburg station exit (June 2014), which was confusing but because it’s a small city it’s not expensive to take a taxi to most hotels, mine cost 8 euro.
Because of the mountains, the weather changes fast in Salzburg, on the first day there was blazing sun, overcast skies and a 20 minute heavy shower so a small umbrella is never a bad idea.
Salzburg is a real highlight of this trip and well worth making it a prime destination in its own right, although you wouldn’t want to go in high summer when the crowds are fierce. I booked into the Sheraton hotel, as a treat for my final destination; it’s ideally situated away from the tourist crowds but convenient for everything.
