How much does a trip to Austria cost?

The gap between the two cities is the central point of an Austrian budget. Salzburg is 42% pricier than Vienna on the general index, but the gap is far more violent at the budget end: €75 against €26 a night. A week in Salzburg therefore costs roughly what ten days in Vienna would.

The flight does not follow the same logic. From London, Salzburg is served from €25 and Vienna from €37, the reverse of the pattern on the ground. The ticket is therefore no argument either way: both are cheap, and the €49 a night difference in lodging decides on its own.

Vienna offers one of Central Europe's best content-to-price ratios. An imperial capital with its palaces, its opera and a considerable density of museums, at an index of 0.74, below most Western European capitals.

Food stays within the European average, without excess. A traditional dish, schnitzel or goulash, costs €12 to €16 at a neighbourhood brasserie, more in the tourist areas of Salzburg's historic centre.

May-June and September offer the best balance, at 14 to 19°C in both cities, with terraces open and rates below their summer peak.

The two cities have very different rainfall, and this is little known. Vienna is relatively dry, between 32 and 78mm a month. Salzburg, backed against the Alps, gets two to three times more: 192mm in May, 208 in June, 210 in July. Packing a raincoat for Salzburg is not a precaution but a necessity, in any season.

Winter is cold in both cities, around 0°C, but it is Christmas market season, celebrated and very busy, which pushes December rates up despite the climatic low season.

Summer is mild rather than hot, around 19 to 21°C, which makes sightseeing comfortable. It is also Salzburg's high season, whose festival draws an international audience and tightens an already expensive hotel market further.

Eating. A schnitzel or goulash at a neighbourhood brasserie costs €12 to €16, more in Salzburg's historic centre where the tourist premium is strong. The Viennese café is an institution: you pay for one drink for the right to stay for hours, which makes it economically sensible compared with the cost of resting anywhere else. Sausage stands cover lunch under €6.

Getting around. Vienna has a dense, cheap transport network, with worthwhile day and week cards. The historic centre is walkable. Between the two cities, the train takes under three hours and costs markedly less booked ahead. Salzburg is entirely walkable, its old town being tiny.

Sightseeing. Vienna's great palaces, Schönbrunn and the Hofburg, charge admission and are the standout expenses. Many museums offer combined tickets that become worthwhile from the second visit. In Salzburg, the fortress can be reached free on foot by a path, the funicular being paid, and the old town's squares, lanes and churches cost nothing.

Currency. The euro, so no exchange fee for a eurozone traveler. Contactless cards are accepted everywhere, though cash remains common at small establishments.

Language. German. English is widely spoken in tourism and hotels in both cities.

Rain in Salzburg. The most useful practical point, and the least known. Backed against the Alps, the city gets between 103 and 210mm of rain a month depending on season, against 32 to 78mm in Vienna. A raincoat is needed there year-round.

Rail. The network is excellent and links the two cities in under three hours. Tickets booked ahead cost markedly less than bought on the day, as in most of Central Europe.

Christmas markets. They draw heavy crowds in December and push hotel rates up, despite a climatically quiet season. Worth factoring in if you target that period.