carlposter05

Hi,

We are a couple in our late 20s and will be visiting Austria for the first time this September, for about 8 days.

Can anyone offer any ideas on what cities that we must visit ? We are considering Vienna(2days), Salzburg(3days) and Innsbruck(3days). Are we missing some "should-not-be-missed" place ? Our interests are mainly in nature, scenic drives, easy-moderate hiking, a little bit of history and culture, and some music - in that order.

Also, if there are any opinions on what the must-do\must-see things are in Vienna, Salzburg and Innsbruck - we'd love to hear about them.

Finally, to put things in context, we will be flying into Vienna from the US and then traveling to Switzerland.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions !

tom22

I would not recommend to visit the big cities of Austria (Vienna, Salzburg), if your main interest is nature & hiking.

In Tirol there are lot's of small villages suited for hiking in the mountains and to be connected by scenic drives. September is a very good hiking & travel time for this area, but it will be to time consuming to make day trips from Innsbruck into the mountains, as the highways are very winding and time consuming. There is a very scenic & highly recommended route via Obergurgl (close to the Italian boarder) towards Italy (called Timmelsjoch Hochalpenstrasse), see also http://homes.tiscover.com/project/ob...ex_so...2.html

The road is closed during the winter time, but will reopen end of May.
www.timmelsjoch-hochalpenstrasse.at


Same is valid for the mountain areas in the Salzburger Land (city Salzburg is not so close to the mountains). There are very nice small villages and they offer good hiking opportunities.

hardwater

In your order, I am not sure what you mean by nature but for scenic drives then hit the Wachau-Niebelungengau valleys along the Danube just west of Vienna. Start at Melk and drive up the east side of the river to Krems/Worms then down the west side through Durnstein, Spitz etc. going as far as you want, all the way to Linz along the river. The scenery, vistas and history is stunning. This is not a great distance either. You can hike up to the upper bluff areas too such as Maria Taferal. If you want great fall color go 2-3 week of October and few tourists. We did and it was fantastic. If you want music then you MUST do Vienna.

Peep

I'd say, swap Innsbruck for a cute mountain village with good hiking all around! Kitzbuehel, St Anton am Arlberg, Hallstatt, Zell am See or Bad Gastein all have good hiking and are nice small towns. Innsbruck has good hiking but it's also a pretty big city.

carlposter05

Thanks for the tips folks ! However, after some more research, we have decided to cut out the driving part. I didnt know that renting cars was so expensive in Europe ! And since we will have to take a 1 month Eurail pass anyways, I think the $$$ math suggests that we dont rent a car.

Given this, does it change any of the suggestions ? Are all the so-called "small towns" as accessible by trains ? Any good sites to get information on rail routes, schedules, etc in Austria ? And I am guessing that the Eurail pass will work for the local train lines too, is that correct ?

Thanks again.

Miani3

If you are able to drive a manual(stick) the cost is about $26/day through Alamo. You are on less of a tight scheulde with a car. Also hiking in Hohe-Tauern & the Krimmler waterfall is beautiful I've heard. We are traveling Innsbruck(2) to Salzburg(2) to Vienna(3) and dumping the car when we get to Vienna and using city transp. instead. That way we can drive thru the Alps and stop when we want. I've heard that it's helpful to have a car for small side trips from Innsbruck, no wait for tour bus or train schedule. Just a thought...

Miani3

Train sites:
www.oebb.at
www.railpass.com

zootsi

The Wachau Valley is very beautiful,and offers some of the best bicycling in Europe. A bike trail runs along the Danube, and connects all the tiny villages, castles, wineries, etc. Bikes can be rented off the ferries that cross the river. For some very scenic, but not expert level hiking near Halstatt, take the gondola to the Ice Caves, but instead of stopping there, take the next one all the way up to the top - absolutely breathtaking scenery. I would not elimiante renting a car, it gives you so much more freedom to explore this fabulous country.I would do 3 days in Vienna, and 2 in Salzburg which is much smaller.