Download PDF Fodor Vienna to Salzburg 1st Edition Travel Guide Fodor 9781400014750 Books

Product details Series Travel Guide (Book 1) Paperback 320 pages Publisher Fodor's; 1 edition (May 3, 2005) Language English ISBN-10 1400014751

Fodor Vienna to Salzburg 1st Edition Travel Guide Fodor 9781400014750 Books Reviews

• This book is less than two years old, but it is already rather out of date. The subway map in the back, for example, is completely wrong for several U-bahn lines at this point. Also, there are certain things it recommends that have closed now, like the Lipizzaner Museum. It also doesn't seem to mention anywhere how difficult it is to see everything in March, or anytime before the summer tourism season begins, really. I went to both Vienna and Salzburg for my most recent Spring Break, and many, many things were closed, either due to the time of year or because they were under construction or renovation. Since fewer people travel to these cities at this time of year, I guess it makes sense. But it sure is a pain not to realize that ahead of time, and plan accordingly. It would have been nice to be warned, is all I'm saying.
  
  The book is helpful in a number of ways, but still falls slightly short. The German language pronunciation guide is very good, but it seems not to take into account the differences between Austrian and German phrases. For example, the common Austrian phrase for hello, "Gruss gott" is not there, nor are some other handy things that I had to be taught on the fly. There are also maps, but they are difficult to understand and there's no giant map of the entire city of Vienna like there is of Salzburg. You have to kind of flip through and look around and piece different maps together, since they are widely spaced throughout the book. There's also no map of the "snellbahn" trains, just the U-bahn. Another example is that the times given for hours of operation aren't that accurate. For instance, I went to Stephansdom Cathedral around 7PM because the book said they're open till 10 . . . and that was true, but they neglect to mention that the *only* part open after 530 is the main lobby with the mass/alter candles that you can light for people. The tower and the touristy areas were closed to the public after that, so we wasted an evening getting down there essentially just to wander inside and immediately wander back out again.
  
  The friend I was with had a Lonely Planet guide, and once we put the two together we got a good idea of things, but this book on its own was best only for recommendations and descriptions of activities. However, since hers covered Vienna only, we had to depend entirely on this one for our side trip to Salzburg. It did serve its purpose, but it could have been easier and more efficient. Overall, it's not nearly as good as the very similar Fodor's guide I used for Paris several years ago.
  
  Overall, I would recommend waiting until they update this book to purchase it.
• Love Fodor's and this is typical of their books. It's the ONLY guide we use for traveling O/S and have been doing that for 40 years.
• Loved it. Highly recommend the info which allows you to see current info on all these regions. Enjoyed Salzburg.
• If you are visiting Austria for the Mozart festivities, this is the book for you. Calendar of events is included as well as the usual Fodor rundown on hotels, restaurants and sights along with price range. Covers both cities well plus trips on the Danube.
  
  Only caveat the index--could not find individual hotel names thru index, had to search through each city's listings. The recommended hotels were mostly the expensive ones.
  
  Good background material on Mozart and his world as well as Hapsburg dynasty Vienna.
• I have found it is complete in information, but it do not have a good city map.
• Lots of insights and useful information for anyone traveling to Austria.