Auatria day trips and transportation
 

Next month my spouse has a business trip to Austria, I get to go too! We fly into Salzburg, and stay 20km away at the Arabella Sheraton Hotel Jagdhof. Can you make recommendations on day trips for me to do myself and what is the best mode of transportation. We will be there for a week.

Munich is just 1.5 hrs from Salzburg by fastest trains. Innsbruck a few hours by train on the quickest route. Hop the Postal Bus from Salzburg to go to the Sound of Music country at Lake Wolfgang, where you can take a boat over to St Wolfgang (Salzburg- St gilgen bus 50 mins; then at St Gilgen hop boat to St Wolfgang - this is a tremendously picturesque area with the idyllic lake lying at the foot of a high mountain - from St Wolfgang a steam train takes you high up the mountain. Buses are frequent and cheap. There are also a raft of Sound of Music minibus tours that are not terribly expensive that take you to main venues of the movie.

The above poster obviously has no idea where the Arabella Sheraton is located.
It is just outside of the town of Hof and nearby to Fuschl.

As mentioned it is about 20 K east of Salzburg in a beautiful location overlooking Lake Fuschl.
A very nice hotel with good facilities and they probably have many suggestions for day trips.

Hopefully enough snow available for cross - country or downhill skiing nearby if you like active sports.

No need to go into Salzburg to find transport to the Lake country.

Frequent bus service stops not far from the hotel - it takes perhaps 15 minutes to St. Gilgen and then onward to St. Wolfgang. This is part of the famous Lake Country and offers scenic wonders.
Also nice are the towns of Bad Ischl( spa and also summer and hunting lodge of the Austrian Emperor Franz Josef).
Fuschl is small but nice too.
The town of Hallstatt is also very scenic and can be visited easily from the hotel.

Salzburg is 30 minutes by bus and offers much for the tourist from famous Mozart birth place , fortress, Churches and good shopping.

Thank you for your help. Would you recommend a day trip to vienna? Or into Italy? Are these possible?

From where you are staying Vienna is about 4 hours by public transportation.
You would spend 8 hours of your day traveling.

I know the bus idea sounds good.
But, for the ultimate in getting about without being at the mercy of bus schedules, get a little car!

I have done that bit more than once and simply ate the bill. Yes it cost me.

But seeing what I saw in the available time is a pleasant memory. Nothing will ever beat the traverse of the Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse, or the drive through the Ötztal up to Garmish Partenkirchen and back through Innsburck to our base in Langenfeld.

If you go, and time is limited, I think car is the way to go. Otherwise, you limit what you can see.

For dancork:

Many go to Vienna for the day. Many go from Vienna to Salzburg for the day too- same travel time. They find it to be a fine day.
If you do not plan to be back in this area soon I would recommend the trip.

Numerous trains daily - almost every hour- travel time depending on the train- a little less than 3 hours. Most trains have dining cars too- especially nice returning in the evening. 2nd class one way ticket less than 50 euro.
No need to reserve a seat.
Trains arrive and depart Vienna from the Westbahnhof- a 10 minute ride by the subway U-3 to city center.
Many good tourist sights directly in the city center-an easy walk.


Stephansdom
Hofburg Palace
Fine Arts Museum
Spanish Riding School
Albertina Museum

all within a 10 minute walk of each other.

Do not look to do a trip to Grossglockner- closed for the winter - reopens in late April or may depending on weather.

To see the sites and travelling alone, public transport is better in my opinion.
I want to see things- not need to constantly watch the road and traffic- much less stress.
In addition - weather can change quickly- nothing worse than driving on strange road in rain and snow.
Better to see a little less

sorry wrong button- I watch sport on Tv as I type- austrian skiers do very well today-

To finish - better to see a little less safely.
In addition, Austria has an excelent transport system- well co-ordinated so that you do not need to wait very long.

Ba chance, I will be in Hof next week, I will stop by the hotel and see if they have any propaganda about local sigtseeing provided by hotel or even a trip to Vienna.

Or- you could contact them also for info.

I have enjoyed the food at the oringal small hotel there- now much enlarged.

You also may want to walk to Schloss Fuschl- just several hundred meters away- very nice with view of the Lake and hopefully good food again.

Molker, thank you for the info. Yes I definitely do not want to drive and worry about bad weathered roads and getting lost. Also I am a woman who doesn't drive stickshift. I never learned and regret that at times. Any other advice to fill my week would be appreciated. Can I take a train or bus to Italy as I've heard,long day 4am to midnight. Do you know anything of this?