passported

Hello! We are planning to go to Austria in early October 2021, if we are able to. We booked free business class tickets, only snag is they are to Madrid, so we have to go in and out of there (we've already visited Spain on other trips). Here is our itinerary ideas so far:

Madrid - 1 night
Vienna - 4 nights
Salzburg - 3 nights
Tirol (Innsbruck? Seefeld?) - 2 nights
Munich - 3 nights (?)
Madrid - 1 night

I am wondering if we should steal a day from Munich to add to Tirol, and if so, should we rent a car? Or can we get around and see things on the train from Seefeld or Innsbruck? Is it worth going all the way to Tirol for only 2 nights? We are not hikers, just want to see the alps and enjoy the scenery. Not sure what the weather will be like in early October, and am wondering if it is better to base in the bigger town (Innsbruck) rather than the more scenic but smaller Seefeld in case it rains every day, there would be museums to go to. I do want to see some smaller places, and not just go from city to city, which is why I'm willing to steal a night from Munich if it makes sense.

I wouldn't mind one night in someplace like St. Wolfgang, but I think then we'd need to rent a car to continue on to the Tirol area.

Really, any advice welcomed to make sure we are making the most of our trip! Thank you in advance.

lavandula

From Innsbruck you can take a cable car up the Patscherkofel (a mountain) to Igls, which is a small mountain village where there is skiing in the winter and gentle walking in the summer. It's been a long time since I was there but from Innsbruck you have views of the mountains and also quite a pretty city. Sorry I can't comment on Seefeld but I didn't want this post to drop off into oblivion unanswered. You can do this by train and bus, you definitely don't need a car for this. Innsbruck has a whole Olympic history as well as the modern skiing culture, but is a city of a reasonable size. Much to like.

Lavandula

thursdaysd

I like Innsbruck. From there you can do a day trip up the Stubai Glacier, and/or take a train down to Jenbach, from where you can take a train in one direction up the Zillertal to Mayerhofen, or in the other direction the cog railway up to the Achensee.

Melnq8

No car needed, public transport is easy and convenient. I'd not try to squeeze in St Wolfgang, unless you plan to go there as a day trip from Salzburg, which is easy enough, but would eat up a whole Salzburg day. As it is you only have two full days in Salzburg, which IMO is giving it short shrift. For an easy mountain excursion from Salzburg don't miss the Untersberg.

https://www.salzburg.info/en/salzbur...urg/untersberg

I like Seefeld, but I'm a hiker, so a day trip to Seefeld from Innsbruck might be more up your alley than a stay there. The train ride from Innsbruck to Seefeld only takes about 40 minutes and is a lovely journey - I've not seen it in autumn, but I suspect it's spectacular with the changing colors.

Salzburg to Innsbruck by train only takes about 2-2.5 hours and IMO it's definitely worth it.

Here are the links to my two most recent visits to these areas, which may or may not help:

The Boomer and the Gen-Zer: A trip of firsts

On the beaten path: Tirol, Salzkammergut and Munich

Michael

The Wachau valley is a day trip from Vienna. It can be visited by bicycle friends told us.

https://flic.kr/p/7pEZTT
If going up the Danube on your way from Vienna to Salzburg, Wilhering is a place to visit:

https://flic.kr/p/7pEYKa

scrb11

In October, are cable cars closed before the ski season?

Might check into that, some may close around the end of Sept. that could affect how much time to plan in the mountains as well as whether to rent a car.

Salzburg and Innsbruck both have tourist cards which let you enter a lo of venues such as Hohensalzburg or Nordkette and the ski jump in Innsbruck. But again check to see if all the cable cars are running in Oct.

you could check train and driving directions but I think Salzburg is closer to Munich than Innsbruck.

Vienna is beautiful but it’s mostly about museums and architecture, not Alpine landscapes so if you prefer the latter, maybe decrease stay there by a day.

passported

Looks like the Nordkette in Innsbruck is open for summer season until November 7th. The Roshutte in Seefeld is open until October 26th. Are these the two I should be looking at?

Mel, I read both of your trip reports before posting, thank you for writing them! Sounds like maybe I should add a day to Salzburg and take one from Munich? I'm sure Munich is nice, but I'd like to have more time to maybe take a day trip from Salzburg.

I will give up the rental car idea. I'm looking forward to the views from the train, sounds like it will be lovely.

So, new itinerary idea below. Open for suggestions!

Madrid - 1 night
Vienna - 4 nights (don't think we'll have time for a Melk trip, what with jet lag and all the museums we'd like to see)
Salzburg - 4 nights (1 day for a day trip to lake area. Would like to hire a private guide for this.)
(Innsbruck or Seefeld - 2 nights. (Take a cable car/train/funicular, whatever up a lovely mountain in one of these. Drink wine, look at scenery.)
Munich - 2 nights (would like to do a food tour, and we'll choose 1 museum to visit)
Madrid - 1 night

Could we perhaps stop in Mittenwald on the way to Munich? Anyone know if there is someplace to store luggage?

thursdaysd

Some slightly less well-known museums in Vienna:

https://mytimetotravel.wordpress.com...y-busy-vienna/

scrb11

If you go to Wolfgangsee, there's a train that goes all the way to the top for sweeping views of the lakes and mountains around it. St. Gilgen also has a cable car on the other side of Wolfgangsee.

The one thing to keep in mind is that sunny weather can be scarce in this part of the world. Even if it's dry and say hazy down at the lake level, the top may be fogged over. So they have monitors at the ticket office showing what conditions look like at the top. There is also a webcam at the top, near the Shafberg train station.

https://schafberg.panomax.com

It takes about an hour to get from Salzburg by car. If you don't have a car, there are some buses and tour operators but your options could be limited.

Also, very hard to stay in the center of Salzburg with parking. You will likely have to pay like 20 Euros for parking a day and hike from the other side of the river to get to the center.

Even without doing day trips out of Salzburg, you have to contend with the weather. You have to be flexible with the schedule because of the weather, for anything involving outdoors.

I'm planning 3 or 4 days at the end of August, start of September myself. One place I do want to visit would be Jennerbahn across the German border. Again insane views from the top looking down at Konigssee according to photos. The nearby Bechtesgaden or the Eagle's Nest, which was Hitler's retreat, is more famous but Jennerbahn looks more interesting to me.

Of course another relatively nearby destination from Salzburg is Hallstatt, another place that needs clear, sunny weather to really appreciate.

passported

Well, things seem to be falling into place. I now don’t have to stay in Madrid, so I think we will be:

Vienna - 4 or 5 nights
Salzburg - 3 or 4 nights
Seefeld - 2 nights
Munich - 3 nights

I am torn between the extra night between Vienna and Salzburg. I was thinking to add it to Salzburg and do a day trip of some sort (open to suggestions). I know Vienna has a lot to see, but after a few museums and a palace or two, we tend to get culture saturated.

Is 4 nights too many for Salzburg? We’d like to hire a private guide for one day, do old town sites one day, and then do a day trip of some sort for 1 day.

Melnq8

As I mentioned upthread, for an easy mountain excursion from Salzburg don't miss the Untersberg.

I don't think four nights in Salzburg is too many. I spent four nights there in 2019 and we've booked five nights there for December this year. Loads to see and do.

Possible day trips - Berchtesgaden, Hallstatt, Salzkammergut, Mittenwald, Garmisch-Partenkirchen

passported

Thanks Mel. We will def do Untersberg, that looks really great. Without a car would you suggest taking an organized tour to your day trip options? Not typically our thing, but perhaps efficient? Or I guess we can figure out the bus routes.

Just saw that you stayed at the Courtyard near the train station in Munich in your trip report. We just booked that with points, as availability for whatever reason is scarce at some of the recommended hotels on our dates and prices quite high. Is it nice (enough?)

scrb11

I once took a tour where they drove you outside of the center a bit, like the Sound of Music sites and so forth.

I would guess there are also day tours to nearby destinations like St. Wolfgang or St. Gilgen and maybe Hallstatt.

If you hire a private driver they can take you anywhere but it will cost.

Melnq8

Organized tours aren't our thing. We've done all of the above on our own, and you can too - easy enough with public transport.

Yes, Munich Ost Courtyard is nice - keep in mind it's near the Munich Ostbahnhof, not the Hauptbahnhof. You'll need to take a train into Old Town, but that's easy enough to do and it's a short journey. Rooms facing the tracks are a bit noisy, you might want to look into a courtyard room if you're a light sleeper. I prefer to stay closer to town these days, but it's easy enough to get there from the Ostbahnhof and it's a wee bit closer to the airport for your day of departure.

passported

Has anyone rented a car in Salzburg to get around? Considering renting in Salzburg and dropping in Innsbruck before we train to Munich.

Any tips appreciated.

scrb11

I have but you're pretty limited in parking if you stay in the center.

For instance, I was staying near the river but the parking garage was about a kilometer away so if I needed to drive for day trip, I had to hike a bit.

Same thing with checking in or out, you had to lug your suitcases a bit, unless you used a taxi which can enter some of these pedestrian-only areas.

pja1

We’ve had a car in and around Salzburg during five visits. We park in the large underground lots by the old town center. Since we had a car, we’ve never stayed in Salzburg, but in the outlying areas, as we love the peaceful countryside and mountains. We stayed three times in Ramsau bei Berchtesgaden and twice in Schonau am Konigssee. Both are an easy 30 minute drive to or from Salzburg.

You could consider renting in Freilassing, Germany, just outside Salzburg and returning in Garmisch, Germany (on the way to Munich from Innsbruck). Rates may be cheaper?