Austria itineraries: 1 week, 2 weeks and 3 weeks

Nights per stop, all by train unless noted. Pick the row that matches your days, then read the step-by-step below.

Build the trip around one rail line. Vienna, Salzburg and Innsbruck sit on the main west route, so you can move city to city without doubling back. Book one bed per base and day-trip from it rather than changing hotels every night.

Seven days: three nights in Vienna covers Schönbrunn, the Hofburg, one museum and an evening at the State Opera or a coffee house. Two nights in Salzburg gives the old town, the fortress and Mozart's birthplace, plus a half-day to the lakes if you skip something. Two nights in Innsbruck puts the Nordkette cable car and the old town within a morning's walk of each other. Hallstatt is reachable as a long day trip from Salzburg by train and ferry, but it eats most of a day.

Ten days: slot one night in the Wachau between Vienna and Salzburg, in Krems or Dürnstein, for Melk Abbey and the wine villages by bike or boat. Then give the Salzkammergut two nights at Hallstatt or Bad Ischl instead of a day trip, and keep two nights in Innsbruck.

Fourteen days: go end to end. Four nights Vienna, then Graz for two, the Carinthian lakes for two, Zell am See for two with the Grossglockner as a day out, Innsbruck for two and Salzburg for two before flying home. This route works best in the warm months; in winter, swap the lakes for ski bases such as the Zillertal or the Arlberg.

Three weeks: run the 14-day loop, then add a second week in one region rather than a fourth city. The Zillertal or Arlberg for skiing and hiking, Carinthia for swimming lakes, or Vienna plus the Wachau at a slower pace all fill a week well.

The rail spine runs year-round. Vienna and Salzburg are at their best April–June and September–October, and again in December for the Christmas markets. Innsbruck works June–September for hiking and December–March for skiing, so a summer trip and a winter trip to the same cities feel different.

The 10-day route with the Wachau and Salzkammergut is a May–October shape: boats, bikes and lake ferries mostly stop or thin out in winter. The 14-day loop depends on the Grossglockner road, which is open May–October, and on Carinthian swimming weather in July and August. Outside those months, keep the same number of days but move the nights to ski valleys.

Trains connect every base on these routes; buy point-to-point tickets early or use a rail pass if you are moving often. Lake and valley days lean on post buses and ferries, which run less on Sundays and in shoulder season, so check the day before.

Pack for two climates on any route that touches the Alps: a warm layer for the city and rain shell plus sturdy shoes for cable-car stations at 2,000 m, where it can be 10 °C colder than the valley. In winter, snow tyres or chains matter only if you drive; trains and buses handle the passes.

Book beds early for July, August and the December market weeks, and for Salzburg during the festival. Hallstatt is small, so late bookings push you to neighbouring villages. Keep one flexible night if you are chasing clear weather for a summit.