AlexAk

Hello all,

Working on a trip to Austria this summer from late June to early July with my spouse. Hoping for some advice, particularly on where to stay in the Alps. Also appreciate any suggestions and recommendations on anything else. A bit about us, we're in our 30's, live in Alaska, have been to Italy once, and France twice. We enjoy large cities architecture and art, but as we have traveled, we have also discovered that some of the favorite parts of our trips are when we rent a car and get into smaller towns or into the mountains, away from some of the most popular sports. In Italy we spent sometimes in the Dolomites which were spectacular. And last time in France, we spent time in Strasbourg, then rented a car traveling to Riems, a small village near Beaune, before ending up in Chamonix and really enjoyed the smaller towns and countryside.

Tickets to Frankfurt are booked. We get into Frankfurt about 1PM and are opting to overnight there and fly into Vienna the next day around noon. While in Vienna, in addition to exploring the city we are thinking of taking a day trip to Melk, and doing a late afternoon/evening wine tour of the Wachau Valley. We will then train to Salzburg, spend time in the city, and possibly take public transit to St Gilgen on Wolfgangsee lake one day. Right now we are planning on skipping Hallstatt.

Our current plan is to rent a car after that, spend some time in a small town, and then head to Innsbruck to finish our trip. What I'm mainly looking for is suggestions on where to stay, and if we should stay two nights, or stay three and take a night away from Innsbruck. We're looking to drive around, see the sights, maybe some hikes or cable cars, and enjoy some smaller towns. So far I've been looking at Salzkammergut, Tirol, or Carinthia regions. Maybe staying in St Gilgen, Gmuden, Zell Am See, Seeboden or another small town in the area. And then going on to Innsbruck after that.

We could rent a car sooner if recommended. I just figured there was enough to do without the car until we got to Salzburg, and its nice to not have to mess with parking. We would of course have it in Innsbruck, but it doesnt sound like parking should be too bad. Any thoughts on what small town to stay in, and how long, or any other suggestions would be much appreciated!

Itinerary Below.

• Jun 18 Home to Frankfurt
• Jun 19 Frankfurt
• Jun 20 Frankfurt to Vienna
• Jun 21 Vienna
• Jun 22 Vienna
• Jun 23 Vienna
• Jun 24 Vienna to Salzburg
• Jun 25 Salzburg
• Jun 26 Salzburg
• Jun 27 Salzburg to small town - Rent car?
• Jun 28 small town
• Jun 29 small town to Innsbruck
• Jun 30 Innsbruck
• Jul 1 Innsbruck
• Jul 2 Innsbruck
• Jul 3 Innsbruck to Frankfurt - Return car in Salzburg
• Jul 4 Frankfurt to home

neckervd

None of the placdes you mention is really in the Alps.
Innsbruck might be the best starting point for day trips into mountain valleys.

Do you really want to stay 1 night at Frankfurt?
Mainz would bve nicer and is of easy reach from the airport too.

A flight from FRA to VIE is probably whether really faster nor cheaper than a train ride (move to the airport, waiting time there, transport from Schwechat airport to Vienna city).
From a train window, you can have a look at the landscape.
Train tickets: www.thetrainline.com
By train, I would move to Salzburg first, then to Vienna and finally to Innsbruck.
Innsbruck - Frankfurt airport by train tkes 5-6 hrs. Change at Munich.

You wouldn't need a car for the visit of the places you mention in your post.

AlexAk

Thanks for the response. We're electing to stay in Frankfurt for one night because we get in at 1pm, by the time we clear customs, we either hop on a flight or train, which gets us to Vienna or Salzburg at 9pm or 11pm. We're thinking it may be better to just take a flight the next morning. I've looked at trains and that was my preferred method, but the flight is so much shorter and seems like it would work better.

We are looking at a car because we would like to drive around in the to some places that are difficult to see by train. We're looking at Salzkammergut, Tirol, or Carinthia regions. I've heard alot about the grossglockner road, and that seemed like it would be worth getting a car and having the ability to stop at places along the way. I'm honestly even wondering if Innsbruck is worth it, or if we should stick to someplace smaller. I was looking at Zell Am See, driving grossglockner, and then heading to Innsbruck or some other small town.

neckervd

Train journey times:
FRA - Frankfurt city: 15 minutes, about 10 rain every hr
FRA - Mainz: 20 minutes, about 6 trains every hr

Frankfurt - Vienna by train: 6 hrs 25 min (direct). Frankfurt dp 12.22 - Vienna ar 18.47; Fare 90 EUR/pax (if booked ahead), luggage free
Frankfurt Vienna by plane: Frankfurt Hbf dp 9.02 - FRA 9.13/11.10 - VIE 12.35/13.33 - Wien Hbf ar 13.48, Fare:293 EUR/pax, with 1 small hand luggage and 1 piece of checked in luggage, plus commuter train tickets

A car makes sense if you want to do the Grossglockner road.
What about this solution:
Rent a car at Salzburg, drive to Zell am See - Grossglockner - Lienz in Osttirol - Lake Millstatt - Lake Ossiach - Lake Wörthersee - Klagenfurt - Graz - Wiener Neustadt - Eisenstadt - Vienna - Melk - Linz- Salzkammergut - Salzburg.

neckervd

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Melnq8

I rather like Innsbruck, and it's a good base for day trips to places like Seefeld (pretty alpine town) and Hall in Tirol with it's well preserved old town, not to mention that Innsbruck is a very pretty town in it's own right with plenty to keep you busy for a few days.

https://www.tyrol.com/places/a-seefeld-in-tirol

You can also get to Fulpmes easily from Innsbruck and from Fulpmes you can get to Stubai Glacier, Austria's largest ski area. We visited Stubai Glacier last winter and it was a definite highlight. I'd like to visit in summer now to do some hiking up there.

https://www.tyrol.tl/en/tyrol/stubai...pptal/fulpmes/

https://www.stubaier-gletscher.com/en/

Have you ever been to Berchtesgaden, Germany? It might fit as your small town between Salzburg and Innsbruck. It's home to Konigsee and the Eagles Nest.

https://www.berchtesgaden.de/en/home

And then there's MIttenwald, Germany, home to the Karwendelbahn cable car, the second-highest in Germany.

https://www.germansights.com/bavaria/karwendel.php

I'm not sure how this all fits into a driving itinerary, but we've visited these areas often and I find it a beautiful part of both countries.

I think you're wise to avoid Hallstatt, especially at that time of year. It's crazy, uncomfortably busy.

PatrickLondon

I would have suggested Stubaital as a trip from Innsbruck - there are good public transport links (bus all the way from Innsbruck railway station to the glacier cable car (but check opening times for the cable cars), or tram to Fulpmes. I know Neustift best, as a pleasant base for walking, but the bus along the valley takes you to several cable car services to starting points for walking.

AlexAk

Thanks for your thoughts. I was considering dropping Innsbruck, but after seeing some of the responses and some more research I think I will keep it. It looks like Seefeld is easily reachable by public transport and that Innsbruck has good public transport. I'm thinking that we may just pick up the car when we are done in Salzburg, and drop it off when we reach Innsbruck, and use public transit the rest of the way. Or maybe we stay in Seefeld and train to Innsbruck.

I think we are also likely to drop a day from Innsbruck and use that in between Salzburg and Innsbruck to drive the Grossglockner. I'm thinking following Salzburg we drive to Zell Am See, stay a night do Grossglockner and then stay a night in Lienz (or Sesto/Sexten in Italy) before going on to Innsbruck. With that extra night from Innsbruck, we maybe stay two nights in Zell Am See or Sesto and explore those areas a bit more.

Lastly, I'm wondering if anyone has any thoughts on staying in St Gilgen vs. Salzburg? It looks like its easy to transit between the two. I would like to spend some time in Salzkammergut, and maybe it makes more sense to stay there and bus to Salzburg for a day?

Melnq8

We spent five nights in St Gilgen one Christmas as a base for exploring the Salzkammergut. It is indeed easy to transit between there and Salzburg (we took the bus), but we spent our entire time there, and didn't make it to Salzburg that particular trip, other than to pass through.

If you like outdoor activities and scenery more than cities, St Gilgen will make a good base. If you're more interested in what Salzburg offers, you could always do it in reverse, and day trip to the Salzkammergut. It's all good.

WeisserTee

In the Salzburg area, but over the border in Germany, is Bad Reichenhall, a very pleasant town with a large spa. We enjoyed wandering around there on our last visit to Salzburg. The Klosterhof hotel just outside town would make an excellent spot for a few nights, with good on-site facilities and plenty of hiking opportunities around. Highly rated -- 9.3 on bookingdotcom

OlavE

I would suggest one of the villages in Stubaital for the stay in a small town. The valley is nestled in the mountains above Innsbruck and have several villages which could serve as bases for hiking. I stayed in Neustift, fairly central in the valley, but Fulpmes, Mieders and Telfes are also options.

Melnq8

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