How safe are Salzburg and Vienna?
All of Austria is very safe. Just like Switzerland, Austria is required to stay politically neutral by its constitution. (In other words, Austria does not take any political stances that people from any part of the world take offense to.) Americans are very welcome there. The streets of these cities themselves are quite safe. I have never had any problems in any part of either city, and neither have any of the members of my past trips. I have even walked miles at night in Vienna without the slightest problem. Still, we will go over some safe travel tips at the start of the trip.
Can I see more of Vienna and Salzburg than just the musical sites?
Yes. We will have walking tours of each city that will focus on general history and in your free time, you can see whatever you want. If you want recommendations for things to see, need directions to get somewhere, or are looking for something specific but don’t know how to find it, Dr. Nelson knows these cities extremely well and would be glad to help you.
Can I see more music concerts or sites beyond what we will attend as a group?
Yes. These cities, especially Vienna, offer a tremendous variety of concerts and operas. Every night you will usually have your choice of several events. If you are an opera lover, there are nightly performances at the Vienna State Opera and the Volksoper, and there may be operas at the Theater an der Wien, Vienna Chamber Opera, and New Opera Vienna. The two large concert buildings, the Musikverein and Konzerthaus, have several halls of different sizes and frequently have several events each day. Dr. Nelson can assist you in securing tickets before or during the trip.