No worries. I checked the rail network and there definitely is a route: https://infrastruktur.oebb.at/de/geschaeftspartner/schienennetz/dokumente-und-daten/netzkarten/dokument?datei=Karte+VzG+Streckenklassen+%28SNNB+2025%29
It's just not the main express route and more local. IMO it's mostly nature / sports / wellness along the route.
This page has a graphic that shows the main rail routes: https://www.mappingeurope.com/austria/austria-rail-map.html
If you have a night to spare Bad Ischl is out of your way, but awesome to take in some of the flair during emperors times. It's very close to Hallstatt (overly touristic but if you've never been there worth visiting, also has great surrounding mountains and cable cars up there with great views). The Salzkammergut region where Bad Ischl is located is our favorite weekend destination. Many great lakes, mountains, small villages. Just had to get it out there, but - to be fair - it's much easier to go by car than by train & bus.
I think Austria has a great public transport system and you can reach any village by train and bus, but if you want to optimize your experiences and not waste much time sticking to the main cities might be better:
- Innsbruck
- Salzburg
- Linz
- Vienna
Pretty sure you're already aware of the main attractions in Salzburg. But one restaurant recommendation. Although a bit pricey https://www.zumzirkelwirt.at/en has great authentic food and the athmosphere is phantastic. The venue has a really rustic feel to it.
Agree with @PoisonedPrisonPanda@discuss.tchncs.de that you don't need to stay a night in Linz. Totally feasible to go there in the morning and leave for Vienna in the evening.
Linz does have it's historic places and sights. If it's your first time in Austria it's just that Innsbruck, Salzburg and Vienna have so much more to offer that Linz just doesn't cut it for most visitors. You can look up some Linz attractions and see for yourself if it would be worth it for you. Some pointers:
- Linz Dom
- Linz Landstraße, Promenade, Hauptplatz (Landstraße connects those places - they are the main central shopping promenade) - there are a few parks and the new theater along the way
- Linz Pöstlingberg is the local hill with nice views over the city - reachable directly by tram right from the Hauptplatz (main square)
- Linz Ars Electronica Center (museum that focuses on high tech / multimedia themed exhibitions)
- Mural Harbor Linz is (was?) mostly Grafitti art and Murals in the Linz harbor - not sure if most of them are still accessible or not https://www.linztourismus.at/freizeit/linz-entdecken/museen-und-ausstellungen/mural-harbor
Best time to visit would be mid July - the "Pflasterspektakel" is an annual international street performer festival that is fun to visit. With street performers all over the city (mostly along the Landstraße) https://pflasterspektakel.at/en/
Maybe you can also look into "Wachau". Its a region along the Danube river and a bit off your route between Salzburg/Linz and Vienna. Famous for it's wineries and fruit farms (i.e. grapes & apricots). Great local food from local farmers and producers (you can google "Heuriger" - you'll also find great Heurige in Vienna). Wachau has some nice ruins to visit. But not sure if it's really convenient just by train. For some sights you would definitely need to go by bus.
We go to Salzburg several times a year but don't have any more personal recommendations. When we travel we usually go by Google Maps reviews. Overall rating + reading some recent comments usually leads to decent results.
For Austria in general I have one additional "hack" maybe. There are two national restaurant guides that many people trust.
Sadly the web versions seem to be German only. But Falstaff seems to have an app - "Falstaff Guide" app (available on Android + iOS). Just installed it and content was in English there at least. Pretty sure you can find decent recommendations there.
In Vienna there is the Schweizerhaus https://www.schweizerhaus.at/en/ right in the middle of Prater Amusement park. Maybe a bit touristy and expensive, but still delicious if you are into meat.
We once had a magical experience in the Piaristenkeller https://piaristenkeller.com/en/index.php?i=7 It was the kitchen of the monastery next door but is now a restaurant including a historical hat museum and wine cellar. We had a full tour and wine tasting. The host was great.
The Piaristenkeller has "K.u.K." in it's name. If you see that it means "Kaiserlich und Königlich" (= imperial and royal) and only services that catered directly to the emperor were allowed to use this designation. Typically they are still of high quality (maybe a bit more pricey than regular restaurants), but you can expect them to deliver traditional food unchanged since emperors time. You'll find many bakeries and restaurants, especially in larger cities like Vienna or Salzburg, but also in other places all over Austria.
In Vienna you can also look for "Heuriger" as I said. They are not that common so you'll have to really research them. You'll get locally produced meats, cheeses, bread, wine. They are run by the family and are only allowed to open certain times of the year. Make sure to check out their calendar if you find one.
Completely different style... this one seems to receive high praises, but it's not really my scene: https://www.steirereck.at/ They in itself have three different venues with different flairs I think.
"Naschmarkt" is the market in Vienna. They have a ton of food stalls. Might be fun to visit, but it can really be hit & miss with food quality. There is a very small Sushi bar close by though. I think Kojiro... does not look like much and just a nook in the wall really, but very authentic Japanese Sushi.
Figlmüller https://www.figlmueller.at/en/ for traditional Schnitzel. But pretty sure there are many other options that might be cheaper. They are close by St. Stephans Cathedral in the city center. They have big ads all over the Vienna airport - which personally makes me think it might just be a lot of marketing which you have to pay as customer. But I guess they are quite old and should be solid.
Somewhat in the proximity of "Naschmarkt" there is also Vollpension https://www.vollpension.wien/ - My wife loved the athmosphere in that Cafe. It's completely run by grandmas and grandpas. They cook their traditional recipes. TBH the bread I had was quite stale and not really a "foodie" place for me. But the atmosphere and decoration is phantastic.
You'll find many good Cafe and Bakery options in Vienna. If you use one of the guides and do some Google Maps research I'm sure you'll find everything that you wish for.
Edit: Some more honorable mentions:
Disclaimer: I'm no foody at all. Just wrote down stuff that we like to do and that I remembered. You'll definitely find more "hip" and fancy stuff using online guides.