Austria
 

Hi
My family & I are going to Austria during Thanksgiving this yr(2006) We are going w/a tour however there are no planned activities. We will be lodging in Innsbruck, 5 nights 4 full days, but want to take day trips. We are looking for suggestions. Also we need to know if it would be better to rent a car or take the train. By the way no small children.
Thanks Nancy

Salzburg, very accessable by train, its a great city

Easily reached from Innsbruck is the Garmisch area of Germany, featuring the Zugspitze and the lovely town of Mittenwald.

In the other direction, there are two beautiful valleys that lead high into the Austrian Alps: The Stubaital and The Ötztal.

Hall in Tirol is a lovely small town only a few miles from Innsbruck. And both Salzburg and Garmisch are good suggestions. You could also consider driving the beautiful Brenner Pass to Bolzano and the Dolomites in Italy.

I personally would want a car. You will be surrounded by beautiful scenery, and a car would allow you the opportunity to take full advantage of it. The roads are very good and a pleasure to drive on.

Tracy

I second the recommendation for Hall in Tirol. It is so close, you could take the train or, I believe, there is also a bus from Innsbruck.

The "old town" of Hall is purported to be even larger than that of Innsbruck due to its history as a "salt" town which was a very precious and therefore expensive commodity in the middle ages.