Tracy, we were in the Hall in Tirol area in May 2005 and our weather there was fine. You're right, though, that the weather can be iffier in May than September IMO.

We always traveled to Europe in May until 2007 when we made a September trip. The weather still wasn't perfect but we only had a day or two of rain. It was mostly warmer and we still had plenty of daylight.

Talking about weather is there any area in Austria that might be warmer /drier in early May and therefore a good place to visit first? I imagine the higher altitude might be best saved for last.

firstlake, hard to say. The weather is very unpredictable in Europe in general.

We've been in Vienna in May when it was freezing and the next time we were there, also in May, it was very warm. The mountains and higher altitudes will definitely have their own weather influences.

I guess you have to be prepared for just about anything.

Betty... we were in Hall in Tirol (Gasthof Badl) during the last week of April 2005! Must have just missed you.

firstlake... Concerning the weather, it's totally unpredictable. During our only spring trip (last week of April, first week of May 2005) we had just about everything. During our stay in Hall in Tirol, we day tripped to the Stubai valley. Temps were in the high 60's in Hall in Tirol and it was snowing at the end of the Stubai valley. Back into Innsbruck/Hall, back into partly sunny and high 60's. Never can tell. On a whole, the spring trip temps were fine (60's and 70's) but we did experience more cloudy/rainy days as opposed to our many trips in October.

Tracy... We're not hikers, so I can't comment on how trails are in the Dolomites in spring. We were in the Dolomites just once in late April/early May 2005. Unfortunately we had mostly overcast days and one day of rain. Temps were pleasant though.
I guess you'd get more/better info if you posted a question like "May hiking in the Dolomites". Posters like Steve_James seem pretty knowledgeable about hiking the Dolomites.


Paul

Paul, we were at Gasthof Badl on May 12-13! We didn't miss each other by much!

I can't believe I am asking this but...Paul, where in the Oetztal do you recommend basing? And bettyk, I'm still interested in the Achensee as well. Is Pertisau the best place to base? Let's just pretend that I'm going to Austria next May (;))....could I feasibly base myself in one area (say, the Oetztal) and daytrip to the Achensee and/or the Zillertal? From looking at viamichelin.com they don't appear to be that far away from one another.

Firstlake, so sorry to highjack your thread! But who knows...maybe we'll end up in the same places in May!

Tracy

Tracy, we stayed in Maurach at the hotel I mentioned above. It was a bit of a splurge for us but it was very nice. Maurach and Pertisau are both small towns. Pertisau seemed to have a few more tourist shops than Maurach but I didn't feel either were too touristy. I remember that there was a decent sized grocery store in Maurach as well as several nice hotel restaurants nearby.

We didn't venture very far from Maurach on that trip but did end up visiting Rattenberg on our trip last September. Very nice little town that would make for an enjoyable few hours. Lots of great shops and cute cafes as wel as the historical parts of the old town.

It is a great base for day trips as there is alot to see and do within a reasonable distance as you've already noted.

Hi Tracy,

We stayed 4 nights in Soelden in the Oetztal. It's been quite a while since we were there (15 yrs).

www.riml.com/pension-soelden-hermann.php?lang=de

www.soelden.com

www.oetztal.com

Two great drives in the area are the Ötztaler Glacier Road and the Timmelsjoch Pass.

The drive from, say, Soelden (Oetztal) to Mayrhofen (Zillertal) is 2+ hours.

The trip between Achensee and Mayrhofen is about 45 minutes.

We also liked Rattenberg for a couple of hours. I think Betty's been following us! (or vice versa!).

This is just my opinion, but for scenery we still like the Zillertal a little better than the Oetztal. The views from Finkenberg just blew us away. I guess we just need to keep exploring Austria and see what's next!

Paul

Paul, I think YOU'VE been following ME! hehe.

And maybe I'll be following both of you! :)

Paul, I know you've stayed in Ramsau and enjoyed the Berchtesgaden area like I do. How does the Zillertal compare in terms of scenery?

And I know this is subjective, but I personally love German food. Is the food in the Tirol good? Please tell me there are plenty of good bakeries...I'm kind of a pastry junkie! ;)

Tracy

Hi Tracy,

Food and pastry wise, there's little to no difference (IMO) between Bavaria and Austria. Fantastic! How does the scenery compare between the Berchtesgaden area and the Zillertal... Zillertal, no contest. The further into the valley you go, the more dramatic the scenery becomes. The Zillertal valley is only about 45 minutes drive long. From where we stayed in Finkenberg, we were simply surrounded by tall peaks and had the valley (and the town of Mayrhofen) way below. Can't wait to get back. Now you have me thinking, we really weren't planning on traveling this year but...

Paul

Ok - we ARE going to Switzerland/Germany/Austria next May...so I will keep looking around to see if anyone is following us!

We were planning on Salzburg and Hallstatt...now I might have to look into how far Zillertal is...

There is never enough time!

Hey Tracy! It's me under my other name - for some reason swisschocolate wasn't working.

Gina

Thanks Paul! Wow...now I'm definitely interested. Better than B'gaden?!! Sounds absolutely stunning!

Hey Gina! We may be following each other if we end up in the Zillertal! I checked out viamichelin and south of Innsbruck, very near the Italian border.

I can't imagine much more stunning scenery than around Berchtesgaden - the Konigsee, etc. It has to be amazing then.

So Tracy, wll you be travelling with your little ones?

Gina, definitely not! With one baby, maybe, but twins...no thanks! My parents will be coming to stay for a week next year so we can take a vacation together. They offered and I certainly won't refuse! :)

Tracy,

Better than Berchtesgaden... I would say just different ( we love both areas). The scenery is more spectacular though. The mountains are higher and more impressive, plus the towns of Mayrhofen and Zell am Ziller are very charming. Sounds like it may be getting crowded though :)

Paul, I think the secret is now out! You better get there before Gina and Betty and I go and come back and rave about it here on Fodors...it will become the new "it" place to visit!

It's not that nice. Actually, it's mostly industrial parks. ;)

Gina,

The drive from Salzburg to the industrial wasteland,aka the Zillertal, is about 2 hours.

Paul

kidding ;)