What's new in Germany and Austria for 2015
In Berlin, the famous Pergamon Altar at the Pergamon Museum will be off-limits to visitors until 2019, as the museum undergoes major renovation (but its Babylonian Ishtar Gate still makes the museum worth a visit).
Work continues on Hamburg's massive Elbphilharmonie Concert Hall, which is staggeringly over budget and behind schedule (due to wrap up in spring 2017 at the earliest).
In Austria, Vienna has just finished building an impressive new main train station, the Hauptbahnhof, in the location of the former Suedbahnhof. Most trains depart from the new station, though some trains still leave from the city's other stations. To save money on the popular route between Vienna and Salzburg, consider the private Westbahn rail service, which charges half the price of the state-run trains. It's currently based in the Westbahnhof, but may move its service to the Hauptbahnhof -- check when booking.
The Vienna Boys' Choir has another venue for performances: MuTh, a concert hall in the Augarten public park, which also hosts shows by the Vienna Children's Theater, children's operas, classical concerts, and pop music. The Boys' Choir performs here on Friday afternoons in September and October.
Between Vienna and Salzburg, the Mauthausen Concentration Camp Memorial now has free admission. The museum (in a barracks within the camp) was recently renovated, presenting a chronological history in English, including stories of camp inmates and Nazi officers, along with bone-chilling artifacts.
Salzburg has packaged some of its central Old Town sights into a single 12-euro ticket called the DomQuartier ticket, covering sights at the Residenz, Cathedral, St. Peter's Abbey Museum, and Franziskanerkirche.
In Reutte, a new 1,200-foot-long pedestrian suspension bridge now links Ehrenberg Castle with the difficult-to-reach Fort Claudia across the valley. The bridge soars more than 300 feet above the valley floor.
With all these new sights for 2015, it's a "wunderbar" time to visit Germany and Austria, whether it's for a spring fling to Berlin, a summer cruise on the Rhine, or an alpine adventure in the Austrian Alps. Happy travels!
========
Rick Steves (www.ricksteves.com) writes European travel guidebooks and hosts travel shows on public television and public radio. Email him at rick@ricksteves.com and follow his blog on Facebook.
(c)2015 RICK STEVES DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.
