Western Austria/Bavaria Suggestions Needed
 

Hi! We will have 5 nights in June 2002 in the Western Austria/Bavaria area. We would like to see Hallstatt, Salzburg and perhaps Munich and Berchtgaden. We were thinking of 3 nights in the Salzburg area and 2 near Munich. Does anyone have location and/or hotel suggestions? Is there a central location in which we could spend all 5 nights? Which are top priorities? <BR>Thank you! <BR>Jay

I would highly recommend a visit to Innsbruck during your trip. I wouldn't stay there for all 5 nights, but certainly make it a stop. It's 2 hours from both Munich and Salzburg.

How about castle country?

Without knowing your budget & preferences, I would recommend two relatively inexpensive hotels in Salzburg: <BR>Hotel Elefant for a great location in oldtown literally close to everything and good quality charming rooms. <BR>Hotel Blaue Gans on Getreidegasse near Mozart birthhouse & parking garage in oldtown. Large, modern rooms for families. <BR>You can drive or take the train & boat to Hallstatt. The best perspective of Hallstatt is from the boat! I recommend visiting the saltmine close to Salzburg instead of Berchtesgarten if your intent is only to see Hitler's eaglenest. Although, I did enjoy the rolling hills of Berchtesgarten and watching the locals in the crowded beergarden of Hotel Post where we once stayed overnight. <BR>Munich has so many hotels to choose from. I have stayed in german hotels as well as the Hiltons, never had any complaint. For atmosphere, I prefer Salzburg, but Munich has the Alte Piknothek museum & Residenz,etc. The castles south of Munich is a definite priority. To balance Berchtesgarten you can visit Dachau.

If you want mountain scenery par excellance, I recommend without reservation a drive over the Gross Glockner. The high point reached on the highway is about 8,000 feet, but because the climate you are up with ice and snow. Continue on to the Swarovsky <BR>view point at the end of a spur road. <BR>The view over the glacier is gorgeous. <BR> <BR>For second place, don't forget the Ötztal west and south of Innsbruck. <BR>For two spectacular drives take the Glacier Road up to the ice and snow and take the road over the Timmelsjoch. <BR>It is a little hairy on the Italian side, but no worse than the Gross Glockner. <BR>It was in the mountains to the west that the corpse of Otzi, the Iceman, was found a few years ago. There is a reconstructed village a little north of Längenfeld that depicts the life and times of the people who lived in the area about the time of the Iceman. <BR> <BR>And if you want a nice play to say for a week while you explore western Austria, I recommend without reservations Haus Michael -- the site of 4 very nice vacation apartments. More than all the comforts of home. <BR>

I second the recommendation of the Grossglockner road. WOW! We drove it on our way from Salzburg to the Italian Dolomites -- which are pretty darned impressive as well!

Hi All! Thanks for the great advice. We will have a car and are planning on driving to the Salzburg area from Venice. Our plan is to drive through Cortina and the Grossglockner Pass. We will have 5 nights to explore the area and are in search of sightseeing priorities and a central place or two to stay (moderately priced). Where is the Haus Michael located, Bob? One respondent suggested hotels within Salzburg. Is this wise with a car, or would somewhere near the city or area be preferable? We have read about Salzburg, salt mines, Hallstatt, Kongisee, Munich, Dachau etc. <BR>Some of us have seen Neuschwanstein. Other castle suggestions? Anyone have a 5 day plan? <BR>Thanks again. Jay

Jay, <BR>I have a few itineraries for Upper Bavaria that may be of interest. With them you'll see thirteen Alpine lakes, three Bavarian castles, three superb examples of Bavarian Baroque design, the Zugspitze and a number of charming small villages. Too lengthy to post here. Drop me an Email and I'll forward them to you if you're interested. You can pick and choose those of interest.

We have done that area quite a few times. I will throw in another suggestion for you: <BR> <BR>Stay in Berchesgaden as your home base for 3 nights. Visit the Salt Mine, Koingsee lake, Eagles Nest, etc. From Berch to Salzburg is an easy drive of about 1 hour. You can drive over there one morning, do the tours and see the city and return to Berch that night. We have stayed at the Watzmann Hotel 3 times in Berch and enjoy the ambiance, location and people. <BR> <BR>After Berch, drive the Alpine road to Garmisch. Tour that area and the castles for two nights. On the last morning there get up early and drive to Munich for flight out. Nice hotel in Garmisch is the Hilleprandt or the Post Hotel Partenkirchen. Either one is very acceptable. The Post more upscale, the Hilleprandt more family run. <BR> <BR>Hope this helps a little. Great area to visit. Prepare for some rain. You will always get some in June unless you really luck out.

To answer the question asked of me about the location of Haus Micheal. It is located in the Ötztal (Oetz Valley) located west on the autobahn from Innsbruck. At the exit for haiming, turn off on the secondary road and follow the signs south to Längenfeld. The apartment is actually in the suburb of Astlehn a mile or so south of Längenfeld. <BR>http://www.tiscover.com/1Root/Kontin...epage...1.html <BR>The above URL will take you directly to the home page written by Erhard Schöpf who is the owner. His wife Frederike actually manages the apartments. <BR> <BR>We had an apartment on the second floor that had two bed rooms, a sitting/dining area, kitchen corner, and bathroom. <BR>We only used one of the bedrooms (king sized bed). The cost was about $40 per night. We had to pay for a week, but at that price it was half the cost of a hotel, and well worth it because it has many of the conveniences of home. The kitchen area was limited in size but very well equipped with appliances and dishes. (In fact that is where I was on September 11 and we watched CNN in shock in the apartment.) Grocery shopping is about a mile away. <BR> <BR>The Oetz Valley may be a little too far west for you on this trip. But from it is a great location. From there you can explore the Vorarlberg section of Austria, drive up Garmisch and Füssen (Neuschwannstein Castle) in Germany, visit the Zugspitze, drive over the pass to the South Tyrol of Italy, and drive to Innsbruck for a visit. <BR>Needless to say I feel in love with the area. <BR> <BR>The setting of house is rural. Cows graze in the pasture that adjoins the front yard, and if you are handy around cows you can help Herr Schöpf with the evening milking. And Mrs. Schöpf will be happy to order fresh bread for breakfast delivery. <BR>Needless to say we had a wonderful time there. <BR> <BR> <BR>

Answering your question Jay: If you like to have the convenience of walking out of the hotel at any time to enjoy the city, the restaurants & bars then you should stay in town. Cars are allowed into the pedestrian zone to access any hotel in the oldtown and there is a parking garage inside. <BR>I feel stuck at night whenever I stay in a country hotel.