I am contemplating spending a few days this summer in Western Austria and the Bavarian Alps. I don't know the area -- just what I read in the guide books -- so I'd appreciate any comments or feedback about my plans.

My flight from the USA lands the morning of Sat 1 July in Zurich and returns from Zurich the morning of Thu 13 July from Zurich. I've divided my trip into sections as follows:

1. Train from Zurich via Memmingen to Füssen and/or Reutte
2. Füssen and/or Reutte -- 2 overnights
3. Garmisch-Partenkirchen and/or Mittenwald -- 3 overnights
4. Berchtesgaden -- 3 overnights
5. Hallstatt -- 3 overnights
6. Salzburg -- 1 day and evening
7. Night train from Salzburg to Zurich

I'm chiefly interested in mountains, the outdoors, and the countryside. I do not plan to visit Munich or Vienna, and will be in Salzburg one full day but not overnight.

Questions

1. On the first day I plan to get off the train in Memmingen in order to visit the church at Ottobeuren. Has anyone here seen it?

2. I'm going to Füssen and/or Reutte in order to see the Königsschlösser. My plan is to see them only from the outside rather than wait in line for a tour inside. What do you think?

3. Should I overnight in Füssen or across the border in Reutte?

4. How does G-P compare with Mittenwald? Where should I overnight?

5. Is there a difference in character or atmosphere between G-P and Berchtesgaden? Which has better hiking and mountain scenery?

6. Right now I'm budgeting 3 days each in G-P, Berchtesgaden, and Hallstatt (in the Salzkammergut). Is Hallstatt worth it? Should I divide the time differently?

7. Im planning only one day in Salzburg before catching the train back to Zurich. Should I plan for two days instead? If so, where should I take the extra day from?

I'd appreciate any thoughts or comments.

I have been to Ottobeuren and really liked the town as well as the Abtei church. It's a prime example of Bavarian Baroque (another is the Wies Kirche, see below) If you are lucky, you might catch one of the organ recitals.

I am also not a great fan of the Neuschwanstein interior. But do walk behind the castle and look at it from the Alpsee (if the weather is good). Since you are dependent on public transport, I would stay in Fuessen and try to either go by public or tour bus to visit the Wieskirche, east of Steingaden. Check the Fuessen tourist office for what's available.

Garmisch and Mittenwald are completely different. G. is a city, M a large village. You can stay in M (I have stayed at the Hotel Post)and take the train into Garmisch and to the top of the Zugspitze easily in one day.

I like Berchtesgaden better than Garmisch, but then I am a bit prejudiced, coming originally from that part of Bavaria.

There are many sights and chances for hikes around B. Of course you should try to get to the top of the Kehlstein, the site of Hitler' Teahouse (aka Eagle's Nest), not becaause of its historical significance (???), but the old boy knew how to pick one of the most scenic spots.

There are nice hiking trails on top of the Jenner (gondola lift station near the Koenigsee). One of the real alpine hikes is up to the Watzmann.

I would spend no more than one full day in Hallstatt, spend the rest in Salzburg. In fact, you can "do" Hallstatt as a day trip from S.

A good traiun web site is that of the Bundesbahn www.bahn.de; it also covers Switzerland and Austria. Unless you plan to stay overnight in Zuerich, enter Zuerich Flughafen, to see what trains are available that take you directly from the airport to Memmingen.

I believe the train will go via Lindau. If so, and you don't want to do the whole Zuerich -Memmingen bit in one day, the island city of Lindau would be a nice overnight stop. The station is right at the harbor. You could take a boat to Bregenz, take the cable car to the top of the Pfaender. Great views of Lake Constance (Bodensee) and the Swiss and Austrian alps. Also some nice walks on top.
In L. I have stayed at the Hotel Reuteman- Seegarten, about 1/10 of a mile from the station. Not the cheapest, but good.

Although you can do Hallstatt as a day trip from Salzburg, I recommend staying at least overnight. It is a small town and can be crowded with tourists during the day, but much different after all the tour buses leave. Besides the wonderful scenic beauty of Hallstatt, there is a fascinating museum that gives some insight into the history of this area. Hallstatt is the oldest continuously inhabited town in Europe and the site of a old Roman settlement.

But I would spend at least an extra day in Salzburg, altho it will be crawling with tourists in the summer, especially with the 250th anniversary of Mozart's birthday and all the corresponding events that are planned.

I would suggest a couple of days for Salzburg, one night in Hallstatt and use the extra time to see Lucerne. It is only an hour or so by train from Zurich and is absolutely charming!

Thanks treplow and bettyk for your helpful replies.

Treplow, why do you prefer B-gaden to GP?

Sounds like a great itinerary! I too prefer Berchtesgaden to Garmisch-Partenkirchen. We spent a week in the Berchtesgaden area (Schonau) in May and absolutely loved it. The area is beautiful and there is much to do. Garmisch was fine was more of a city. I found Berchtesgaden to be much more quaint and relaxing.

Fussen/Reutte are both fairly close to Garmisch-Partenkirchen. We visited Garmisch from Fussen for an evening. I personally would choose one place in the area to stay for for 5 nights instead of breaking it up and spending three nights in the Garmisch and 2 nights in the Fussen area.

We loved Hallstatt but I agree that three nights is too long. We daytripped there from Berchtesgaden and spent the day. I also think that Hallstatt wouldn't make a very good base if you are wanting to explore the Salzkammergut because its fairly remote. I would choose St. Gilgen or St. Wolfgang on the Wolfgangsee. Both are great little towns on a pristine lake but would allow easier access for exploring the area.

I'm sure others would disagree, but I think a day and a night in Salzburg is plenty. I loved the city and thought it was beautiful, but its small and compact and everything can be seen pretty easily in a day.

Good luck!
Tracy

I just noticed that you are planning on doing your itinerary by train, I believe. If so, St. Gilgen or St. Wolfgang may not be the best option as I don't know if either has a train station.

We explored the areas by car and found driving very easy and quite enjoyable, and it allowed us to easily explore smaller towns and villages. I understand that many like to use the train system, but I thought I would go ahead and throw that out there.

Best wishes,
Tracy

Salzburg is a good base for its sorroundings since there is a reasonable bus system. You can reach Berchtesgaden or St. Gilgen in 45 minutes and Hallstatt in 2 hours. For schedule information see the website of Österreichische Bundesbahn (www.oebb.at, English version available) which contains bus connections as well. To get from Salzburg to Hallstatt you can take trains only (change at Attnang-Puchheim), or you can take the bus to Bad Ischl and continue by train. The latter trip is more scenic and AFAIK a little faster.

One advantage of choosing Salzburg as a base is that you can easily adapt to the weather: If it rains, you can see the indoor sights of Salzburg, and if the weather is fine, you can enjoy the mountain scenery.

On the other hand, if you prefer to stay in a smaller town, St. Gilgen is a good base for Salzburg and for Hallstatt (75 minutes).

We are visiting the Bavarian alps in July and are planning to visit the Königsschlösser. I have read that tickets can be ordered ahead of time, which eliminates the need to wait in line.

I appreciate all the responses. After reading a bit more about Austria and the Bavarian Alps, I’ve modified my itinerary as follows:

1. Train from Zurich via St. Gallen and Memmingen to Füssen. Visit the abbeys at St. Gallen and Ottobeuren; 1 overnight in Füssen.

2. Morning visit to royal castles (outside only). 1 p.m. bus to Wieskirche to visit abbey. 5 p.m. bus to Garmisch-Partenkirchen. 2 overnights.

3. Train from G-P to Zell am See. 3 overnights.

4. Early morning train from Zell am See via Schladming to Hallstatt. 1 overnight

5. Late afternoon train from Hallstatt to Salzburg. 4 overnights.

6. Night train from Salzburg to Zurich.

Although my schedule calls for 4 nights in Salzburg, I’ll actually be spending two of the four days in Berchtesgaden and the Berchtesgaden National Park

Rather than divide my overnights between Berchtesgaden and Salzburg, I decided to stay in one place or the other. Salzburg is more expensive as a base of operations, but it looked like the better place to be on a weekend and in the evenings.