SKPKCP11

We are looking at going to Austria for the first time in May 2012. We are in the midst of deciding where to base ourselves - 2 adults & 2 kids below 10 years.

We will be using the public transport and will not be driving at all.

We are interested in seeing alongwith the usual 3 cities i.e. Vienna, Salzburg & Innsbruck some nice countryside/villages/mountains/farms. We are okay with being based in the villages and travelling on a daily basis for sightseeing if it is cost effective.
We are interested in some farm stays too.

Can anyone recommend some base towns/villages in each region and where we should stay?

Also, if someone can tell which ticket works out the best (cost effective) in Austria?

Any advise would be very helpful.

Kind regards,
SKPKCP11

SKPKCP11

Fodorites who are experts on Austria - please help on base town and train & bus ticket recommendations. Thanks.

molker

For Vienna - it is best to stay in or near to the city center. This will not just provide good accomodtion choices but allow easy access to most major sights.

www.wien.info

You can review the tourist office website for some information.

Hotels in the city center can easily be determined by looking to their postal code - it will be 1010.

Also consider a stay in an apartment - this can be very cost effective for families - comfortable too and the option of having some meals or snacks there too.

In think this site may have apartments

www.netland.at/wien

Many museums in Vienna offer free admission to children - a cost savings - also some have family admissions to save money-

for a sightseeing break - the Zoo at Schonbrunn is great for kids and adults.
Not just the worlds oldest zoo but fine exhibits


The vienna transport system is very convenient - various ticket options available
look here
www.wienerlinien.at

Train from Vienna to Salzburg in just more than 2 1/2 hours.

Staying just outside of salzburg allows not just cheaper accomodations but permits easy touring to the city and also the numerous activities to be found in the surroundings.

Farm stay possible
look here


www.urlaubambauernhof.at

villages like St. Gilgen, Fuschl, Strobl are very nice with fine scenery and lakes also.

www.wolfgangsee.at

Easy bus connections to the city of Salzburg by bus# 150 - also easy connections to such places as Bad Ischl, Hallstatt and more.

Staying outside of the city is not only cost effective but offers much less conjestion, more friendly atmosphere and good food choices too.
Mountain views , walking and biking , boat trips on the lakes fun too.

Innsbruck has a nice old city area but can be toured relatively quickly .
Staying outside of the city - as in Salzburg can be much nicer and less expensive.

Seefeld on a high plateau above Innsbruck is a fine place

www.seefeld.at

varied accomodations.
An easy and scenic train ride of 30 minutes takes you between these places.

Seefeld offers fine mountain scenery- fun atmosphere - good walking - and a nice pedestrian only village center.

Also nice is the village of Igls - just south and above Innsbruck- about 15 minutes by public transport.

www.innsbruck.info.

for transport check the Einfach Raus ticket . this offers all day transport between towns for 2- 5 persons for 28 euro.

Some restrictionsd - regional trains only - and travel weekdays after 9 AM - still a good value

for info

www.oebb.at

available in english

For Salzburg and Salzburg Land - check for the discount card for transport and admissions. Thee may be of value to you.

The Salzburg Card

Salzburgland Card.

madamtrashheap

For base towns, other than those listed above, you're best to look in the Tirol (Tyrol), which is easily reached by train from Innsbruck. Some base towns/areas, for light (or heavy) hiking, historical rail trips (Achenseebahn), mountain biking, sailing and even white water rafting if the mood grabs you, to consider are Achensee (Jenbach is a good base) St Johann in Tirol, Oberndorf in Tirol or Westerndorf. They are all accessible by regular train services (and buses too), lead off to great scenery and some will have their cable cars running for Summer again to visit further up the mountains - although check as some open again in June after the Winter season.

ira

Hi SK,

How many days?

What draws you to Innsbruck?

If you don;t have a car, staying in little villages and farms is going to greatly limit your ability to travel about.

In Salzburg, I highly recommend www.ammoos.at/main.php?language=en&m=home)

The Salzburg Card is worth the money.

molker

Just to avoid possible confusion by a posting above.- Innsbruck ,Seefeld and Igls are all in the Austrian state of Tirol.

jpsp

I would look at the town of St. Gilgen as a possible-without a car-you should be able to get buses to the lakes and other towns-like Hallstatt,Bad Ischl,Gmudsen,etc. Another place with bus service would be Kitzbuhl. Good luck.Sandra

SKPKCP11

Dear All,

Thanks for the lovely info and recommendations. Will certainly start checking them out and will keep posting further queries as time goes along.

Just one quick query, for Einfach Raus ticket - in case on a particular day we are travelling across 2 states, then we will require 2 ERT - one for each state. Please confirm. Is this similar to Lander ticket in Germany?

Kind regards,
SKPKCP11

nz101

bookmarking

molker

Einfach Raus guidelines can be found on the austrian rail website

www.oebb.at

for 2-5 persons traveling together- good on regional trains ( designations- R REX and SBahn )

good from 9 AM weekdays until 3 AM the next day - weekends and holidays no such 9AM restriction-
great for regional travel - good anywhere in Austria.

A good bargain.

Excelent for shorter trips or if time is not important even longer journeys

crdtny

Jenbach as mentioned by a previous poster is the best for train connections to surrounding areas
Bolzano...Italy
Marano.....Italy
Innsbruck
Saltzburg
Alphbach
Wolfsclam
Mayorhof

The list is endless.

I stay at a Hotel called hotel Jenbacherhof and have breakfast and evening meal.

After breakfast I go to the station and plan my days travels. The town is located in a such a place that trains to and from Germany and Italy stop at the important train station in this small town. All my travels from Jenbach have been daytrips returning home in the evening for the Hotlels evening meal.

Check the town out on the map and in particular the train routes that pass by. Love the location for day trips.

SKPKCP11

Dear All,

Thanks a lot for your very useful insights and advise. Certainly helps when one is travelling to a country first time with family and using the public transport and are budget travellers.

Will check out the various options and will keep posting our queries for the very useful advise.

Kind regards,
SKPKCP11

molker

Regarding Jenbach

While OK for train connections - it certainly is not one of the more attractive towns of Tirol.
Many are places much nicer and offer scenery and activities locally and yet still convenient.
For example - Jenbach is best known for its large industrial plant for making turbines for industry.
This the formerly Jenbacher concern , now part of the General Electric family.
Not an ideal atmosphere for tourists.

One should know the towns when travelling
for example
Mayorhof is actually Mayrhofen

Alphhach is Alpbach

Saltzburg is Salzburg
Wolfsclam is probably Wolfsklamm by the town of Stans

SKPKCP11

Dear Molker,

Many thanks for your very useful insights and info. We are interested in beautiful breathtaking mountain sceneries. I have been trying to look at the site : www.urlaubambauernhof.at
But, unable to log on.
Currently, I am looking at arriving in Vienna - do the sightseeing for Vienna and would also like to do the trip to Melk & Krems and the visit to the Ice Caves. How many nights should we keep for Vienna? I assume the horse show at the Spanish Riding School and musical shows will be too expensive and will not allow children. Please correct me if I am wrong.

After completing Vienna, we will move to Salzburg. We will use the Einfach Raus ticket. I am a little confused as the site is in German for the ERT. Will I need to buy 2 ERTs when I am travelling from Vienna to Salzburg - 1 ERT for each state?

Since the time will be long, is there some nice scenic villages or farms where we can halt between these two places for 2 nights.

For our stay in Salzburg, as recommended by you, we will consider to keep base at either St. Gilgen or Fuschl or Strobl. Do we need to spend on our daily commuting to Salzburg? Please advise or is there a free visitor's card where the transport is free.

Likewise from Salzburg, we move to Innsbruck. We will look at Seefeld. Any recommendations for Zell Am See and Hall in Tirol. Saw many reviews but not quite sure of these places.

Understand that the grosglockner road is very scenic with high mountains. Are there are railconnections for this road? Can we base ourselves at some small town or village on this road that has rail connection?

Kind regards,
SKPKCP11

telechick

Based on recommendations on this board we stayed in Hall in Tirol in January (at the Gasthof Badl) and really liked it. We had a car, so didn't use the train, but the town is on a major train line so I'm sure it's easy to get to Innsbruck which is about 15 min by car. It is a beautiful area.

At the Gasthof Badl we ended up in the family room which has 4 beds and would likely work perfectly for you. The Steiner family who runs it is very nice and in the summer it looks like they have a pretty beer garden in the back. The hotel is a 10 min walk from the center of town across the river on a neat wooden bridge that your kids might like.

molker

SKPKCP11

my feelings-
Vienna alone is worth a visit of at least 3 days.
Schonbrunn Palace and gardens can easily take 1/2 day or more.
This does not include a day trip to the Melk Abbey, Danube area that really takes a full day but is a most enjoyable time in my opinion.

Bus# 150 makes a direct , easy journey from Strobl, St. Gilgen to Salzburg.

Salzburgland card can be investigated but it may not be cost effective for you.

Better may be the Salzburg Card as it provides public transport in Salzburg city and admissions to many sights too.

Grossglockner road area does not have a train line due to terrain limits.
Some limited bus service is available.
Tips for Vienna
Consider making a visit to the Spanish Riding School morning exercise rather than a full performance.
Tickets for this not just much less expensive but can easily be purchased on the morning you visit.
To miss the crowding - arrive a little after the actual opening - many come wait in line for the doors to open- stay a short time and then departleaving much room for later arrivals.
One way to see the white horses " close by " is to stand just outside of the stable entrance where the horses will cross the small street to the riding hall.
The grooms will be moving the horses in both directions and you can get very close to them- great to see this and judge size and looks of the horses.
I think kids under 3 are not permitted in the hall.

For music opportunitiues - in past years the State Opera in Spring and Fall has provided a giant screen for live free viewing of many performances - this found on the side of the Opera house facing the Bristol Hotel. Free sesating provided slso- good for an introduction to the Opera and you cn stay as long or as little as you like.
Standing room tickets for the Opera also go on sale 80 minutes before the nightly performance - just a few euro if you are willing to wait in the line and stand for the viewing.

I clicked on the bauernhof website - it worked for me - please check again.

You need just 1 Einfach raus ticket for the journey. Time and trains are the only limiting factor.

The area around Linz or St. Valentin would make for a possible break for the journey Vienna - Salzburg area- but I would make the journey in one day as the Salzburg area is much more interesting.

Zell is more than 1 hour south of Salzburg direction Grossglockner - not the best place for other Salzburg area visits butn has nice scenery and a beautiful lake .

Hall is close to Innsbruck , but in my opinion more of an industrial town- not a nice austrian village as I know them.

kfusto

The bus to St. Gilgen from Salzburg and beyond is quite expensive so I would not plan a daily trip into Salzburg for a family of 4. You will easily eat up cost savings of not staying in the center.

CUFFLNX

Gaming, it is about midway between V and S and on a train spur. You have an 800 year old monastery to stay in that has been converted to a hotel; not merely old monks rooms.

SKPKCP11

Dear Fodorites,

Thanks a ton for providing more clarity. I will certainly cross out Hall in Tirol from my list.

Any inputs on accomodations in these places, I will be searching on the net. But, makes things easier when some definite leads are available. In the cities, would definitely look at something close to the main Hauptbanhop.

On which site can I have a look at the public transport for Grossglockner Road. Understand there is a place called Lienz, Helienglut and Bischofhofen where we can stay for a night. But, need to be sure that public transport is available and it uses the Grosglockner Road to get there as we will not have a car and booking a car with driver is out of our budget.

Kind regards,
SKPKCP11

molker

St Gilgen to Salzburg is easily done by bus. Even the normal non discount fare is about 5 euro.
Kids under 6 free I believe.
A series of discounted tickets can be purchaed like a day ticket and also a 24 hour ticket - with these kids 6-14 are 1/2 price too.

Lienz is a larger town south of the Grossglockner about 200 kilometers south of Salzburg - train connections possible from Salzburg - but a relatively long trip.

you can look to

www.postbus.at

for possible bus connections - but I believe these to be very limited.

Heiligenblut is a very nice small village just south of the Grossglockner area - daily excursions to the Grossglockner by tourist bus with time to see things.

Check with the tourist office in the town Zell am See- this a nice town north of the Grossglockner and easily reached by frequent train service from Salzburg.
They have daily excursions to the Grossglockner I think.

Bischofshofen - less convenient in my opinion.
I would check their town website for info.