rlk679

I am currently working on an itinerary for Austria and Slovenia with a couple of additional nights in Basel Switzerland. I will be travelling with my DH and LO who will be 4. We are planning to rent a car for the Vienna to Innsbruck part of the trip. We are flying into and out of Paris however that is not the main focus of our trip obviously. A couple of things I am wondering:

Day 4, is it realistic to go from Vienna to Salzburg in one day with stops at Melk Abbey and Mauthausen Memorial?

Day 13, is it realistic to go from Villach to Innsbruck in one day either via the Grossglockner or northern Italy? Would you recommend one over the other?


DAY 1 - Depart Home

DAY 2 - Arrive Paris at 10 am, Depart for Vienna at 1:50 pm OR 4:55 pm

DAY 3 - Vienna (Schonbrunn Palace / Tiergarten Schonbrunn Zoo)

DAY 4 - Vienna - Salzburg (Melk Abbey / Mauthausen Memorial)

DAY 5 - Salzburg (Schloss Hellbrunn & Trick Fountains / Sound of Music Tour)

DAY 6 - Salzburg (Berchtesgaden Salt Mines / Eagles Nest)

DAY 7 - Salzburg (Hallstatt Day Trip / 5 Fingers Viewing Platform)

DAY 8 - Salzburg - Landol (Lake Bled / Vintgar Gorge)

DAY 9 - Landol (Lippizaner Show @ 3pm / Lipica Stud Farm)

DAY 10 - Landol (Postojna Cave / Predjama Castle)

DAY 11 - Landol (Piran)

DAY 12 - Landol - Villach (Vrsic Pass)

DAY 13 - Villach - Innsbruck (Grossglockner OR Via Italy)

DAY 14 - Innsbruck - Basel (Scenic Train 7:45 am OR 9:48 am departure ~ 5 hour, 1 connection))

DAY 15 - Basel

DAY 16 - Basel - Paris (6:55 pm departure)

DAY 17 - Paris (Eiffel Tower)

DAY 18 - Depart for Home

kja

Some reactions: Only 1 day in Vienna itself? No time in Ljubljana? Just an overnight in Innsbruck?

fourfortravel

Day 3. If the only reason to visit Vienna is for the Zoo, why not skip Vienna and just go to the Salzburg Zoo or the Alpenzoo in Innsbruck? Also, palaces can be miserable places for 4 year olds; so many rooms filled with items they can not touch or sit on. Presumably you will include in your Schönbrunn visit some time for the maze and labyrinth, and purchase tickets online to avoid the lengthy queues at the gate?

Day 4. I would not combine Melk Abbey and a concentration camp on the same day simply because of the dichotomy of experiences. Plus, I think the day would be wicked boring for a 4 year old.

Day 9. The itinerary looks thin. Do you have plans for the morning?

Day 11. Piran may not require an entire day. I like the city a great deal, but we combined it with a brief stroll about Koper and that rounded out our day.

Day 13. What route through Italy would you take to travel from Villach to Innsbruck? Depending on how often you stop for photos, to admire the scenery, or to eat, driving the Großglockner can take an entire day.

Good Luck!

PalenQ

Book Basel SBB-Paris TGV fares ASAP at www.oui.sncf - French Railways' site for deep discounts which however can go fast as they are sold in limited numbers on each train - check www.seat61.com for loads on that - general info trains also www.ricksteves.com and BETS-European Rail Experts.

rlk679

The reason for flying into Vienna from Paris is that it has a direct flight on the day we want to travel. We are fine with one day there and want to take the day easy to recover from a long flight and just want time for our little one to run around the zoo and gardens.

I realize the dichotomy of Melk Abbey and the Memorial but I would really like to stop at both. If it isn’t feasible time wise we will choose between the 2.

The day in Piran we would also like to get some beach time in, we are not really “set” on Piran but really just want to visit the coast.

We plan on driving the Vrsic Pass between Landol and Villach so thought if we could cut the northeast corner of Italy going between Villach to Brunico and up to Innsbruck we would do that instead of the Grossglockner.

Basel has an easy flight back to Paris so taking the scenic train between it and Innsbruck works well and my DH will be happy to have caught the train somewhere. I don’t want to lose any days from Slovenia so one night in Innsbruck is really all we have.

Thank you you all for your thoughts!

dreamon

I wouldn't bother flying Basel to Paris. I'd prefer the train, it's not a long journey and a whole lot more pleasant than flying.

Munich and Salzburg have airports that may be more convenient if Vienna is really your focus. Or possibly start your holiday in Ljubljana or Trieste and head to Austria after that.

PalenQ

Takes long to go by train Basel-Paris than Innsbruck-Basel on trains that are not that scenic - book tickets Basel-Paris at www.oui.sncf.com and get really cheap fares - as quick as flying for sure all in all and nice scenery too.

neckervd

Seems feasible.
Schoenbrunn doesn't need a full day. But beware of the crowds in high season!
Check the opening hours of Mauthausen.
I suppose you know why you chose just Landol as a base.
Neither Lipizza nor Postojnska Jama need a full day. (Skocian/San Cassiano might be the better cave choice).
Pirano can be seen in 2 hrs or so. May be you can proceed to Porec/Parenzo (Croatia)?
Grossglockner is the better choice than Pustertal (if the weather is fine).
After 2 rides through the Tauern, you may not find the Innsbruck - Zurich train ride very scenic.
The evening train to Paris leaves Basel actually at 18.34

neckervd

It's possible to fly from Basel to Paris (and sometimes even cheaper than the train), but it takes at least 1 hr more than the train (from city center to city center).

rlk679

I was wondering about a different route, but we are renting a car and flying into Vienna and then dropping the car off in Innsbruck is quite a bit cheaper than dropping it off in another country although the later is still being considered as it would maximize our time a bit better. In that case we would actually take out Innsbruck and Basel and just depart back to Paris from Ljubljana.

rlk679

We found an accommodation we really liked by Landol thats why we chose it as a base, plus it is central to the sites we want to see. We are ok not having a full day at a site as we would like time for our LO just to play as well.

I would love to see the Skocjan caves but wasn't sure if they would be ok for a 4 year old. Any thoughts on recommended age for them? Is 4 too young? She has great stamina and is a go getter but.....

The 18:34 is actually for the flight back to Paris from Basel. I didn't think another train ride with so much sitting would be ideal for a LO.

neckervd

...or drop off your rental car in a Austrain town close to the Swiss border, like Feldkirch, Dornbirn or Bregenz.
The train ride to Basel would then need 2 3/4 hrs only.

dreamon

Don't forget that if you take the flight from Basel, you'll be sitting on the train to the airport and from the airport (or maybe bus) as well as on the plane, plus you have to lug your bags through multiple changes of transport. Plus I just personally find flying stressful and trains not. Your little one can more easily move around a train and there is more to see out the window.

PalenQ

What 'scenic train' is OP talking about to Basel? from where?

One could say that all trains in Switzerland are scenic but the direct route would seem to be about the least scenic of Swiss train routes. Maybe just fly Austria to Paris?