Best Scenic Route -Vienna to St Wolfgang
 

My husband and I ( both Australians ) have hired a car to travel from Vienna to St Wolfgang in May where we will spend a week. Looking at maps, it seems we have a choice of two ways to get there. One, going slightly north-west towards Salzburg on the A1 and one, going south- west along the S6.

We are leaning towards the S6 as it seems to travel through the mountains along the valley floor and little villages/towns. It may take a little longer but that does not matter, we are here to see Austria and that means mountains and villages (to us anyway !). We do not want to go to Salzburg or any big towns/cities on the way as Salzburg will be our next stop for a week and we will leave the sight seeing around there for that week.

Your opinions would be appreciated. Thanks.

We live in Vienna and travel quite a bit around our adopted country, and I hope our impressions will be of use in your planning.

Basically you need to be about an hour west of Vienna before the routes become scenic. The A1 directly to Salzburg only gets interesting when you enter the Salzkammergut, near Mondsee, where you get your first glimpse of the Alps. The S6 is only marginally more scenic from Vienna to about Leoben; in order to really enjoy the mountains and valleys, though, you have to exit the motorway.

Another (more meandering) itinerary to maximize the scenery might be to head toward Krems via the S5 (not at all scenic). Exit onto the 3 and follow the Danube along the Wachau Valley toward Melk, stopping wherever and whenever to soak in the blossoming apricot trees and vineyards and admire the castle ruins of Aggstein and Durnstein perched high above the river. If interested, tour the Abbey and pause for a snack or lunch at one of the many heuriger (wine taverns) along the route.

From Melk, backtrack a little toward Sankt Pölten, then follow the 20 toward Mariazell. Beautiful churches and scenic views will be your travel partners along this route. Continue on the 24 toward Admont; if time and interest allow, take a tour of the monastic library, the largest in the world. From there, take the A9 up to the A1 toward Salzburg.

If your driving day is wet and miserable, just motor to Salzburg.

Remember that you will need a vignette for driving on Austria's autobahns; and confirm that your car has the required emergency kit.

Finally, when photographing the alpine cows along the road, especially the adorable ones wearing bells, stay in your vehicle and do not use flash. :)

I hope this is helpful.

I've actually taken a fast train to Salzburg, and rented a car there to explore the glorious Salzkammergut and beyond. However, a memorable experience was our Wachau valley exploration on an OBB Kombiticket, combining trains and boat. So putting this together, if you must rent a car in Vienna - it may be worth detouring through Krems-Durnstein-Melk (beautful abbey) to experience a beautiful stretch of the Danube and then hitting the A1 towards St Wolfgang.

Many thanks for your great replies.
fourfortravel : This sounds terrific and I have managed to follow it all via Google Earth which tells me it will be about 6 and a half hours driving time. Without any stops. I think this may be too long so thought perhaps we could follow your directions as far as Krems then head for St Wolfgang as ANUJ suggests.
Mariazell to Admont sounds great and I hate to miss them.

What do you think?

ANUJ: We have hired a car for our week in and around St Wolfgang.

Helsie, that sounds like a great plan. You won't be disappointed with the scenery, and you'll still get to enjoy the alps and alpine villages with your wandering about from Salzburg.

Many thanks.

Am staying at Grundlsee for 6 nights. This thread is quite useful.
Am planning to visit Wachau valley.
Am also thinking of visiting Cesky Krumlov.