Austria in July . . .

[gardenmom5]

dh and I are going.

 

so - I told dh he wasn't allowed to foist things off on me for planning, and I wanted a travel agent to help.  he's been working on it.  this trip is for him, for reasons I'd rather not go into.  he's refreshing his german, and I've been doing duolingo (which has been refreshing my bad high school german.)  I'm up to "58%".  whatever that means. . . .

 

two weeks.  we will be going to Vienna, innsbruck, graz, salzberg (hoping across the border to visit his niece), neuschwanstein, salzkammergut, and I want to go to freistadt because that's where my 2ggf was born.  I've no  idea if I'll find anything useful before going - so it might just be "this is the town."

 

airlines?  flying out of sea-tac.  (I did suggest being open to vancouver, but he's not finding it to be cheaper. - though I wonder if he's converting from US to Canadian $)

 

PHONES!  we have verizon - when we were in canada, we just paid a daily rate, but I'm not sure that would work in europe.

 

what are things to do  that I would enjoy?  are christmas markets year round?  I like to shop. at least i used to. I  haven't done much checking out of sites because this is for dh .  . . . and we're going places to which he needs to go back. most places are open to suggestions of places to stay - though there's a  gasthaus in graz where we plan on staying.

 

any tips?

[Liz CA]

Layers for clothing. It could be hot or it could be raining.

No help with cells. Someone else will have to cover that one.

In Salzburg, you can get on some trolley like thingy (very eloquent, I know) and tour the salt mines. It was fun when I was a kid. :) 

There are endless opportunities for hiking. The locals will likely be only too happy to tell you about spectacular views and hiking trails.

Europapark in Salzburg is a shopping venue with several restaurants to sample local food.

 

In Graz, there is Schloss Lustbühel, the famous 13th century medieval clock tower, the "Gemahlte Haus" in the Herrengasse, hiking in the Rettenbachklamm.

Lots of museums if you are so inclined.

 

In Innsbruck or nearby is Schloss Ambras, Tiroler Landesmuseum (Tirolean History Museum), Rudolfsbrunnen, Dom St. Jakob, Triumphpforte (triumphal arch but not to be confused with the Arc de Triomphe in Paris).

 

There is definitely too much to see in Vienna to list, however here are a few things: the Prater with its giant, historic ferris wheel, right next to the Prater was a little wine tasting place - cannot remember the name, the Hofburg, the Ankeruhr (historic clock with copper figures moving), if you like horses, the Spanish Riding School does tours showing off their Lipizzaner stallions, dinner at the Danube Tower (think of a restaurant at the top of the space needle), boat ride on the Donau.

 

Do you have a destination in Freistadt? If not, or if you are cruising around, you could see the Scheiblingturm.

 

If I remember anything else, I come back. ;)

 

[CAJinBE]

There was recently a thread on cell phones in Europe. I would agree with everything Liz CA just said. I hope you like to hike because the area is fantastic for hiking. The ski areas are open for hiking so even if you aren't super fit you can enjoy it all. Just take the ski lifts up to the top, enjoy the view, have a fantastic meal and a beer, and then hike down or take a cable car down. I would bring summer weight hiking shoes and a trekking pole. The salt mines are fun, too. I can't recommend a specific swimming pool where you are going, but I remember a fantastic one in Oberammergau with several pools at different temperatures, indoor and outdoor areas, saunas, slides, etc. There is a good chance you will see something like that where you are going. You won't have any trouble filling two weeks with fun activities. There aren't Christmas markets in the summer but you will probably find shops selling Christmas decorations and handicrafts. Most shops cater to tourists and can ship worldwide. My favorite Christmas decorations are from Bavaria. 

[J-rap]

I've only been to Vienna in Austria.  We had a great evening at the music hall there, the Musikverein.  We saw a string quartet perform.  Well, we barely "saw" them, because we had the least expensive seats which were above the stage!  But that part was actually kind of fun.  :)  It's a gorgeous hall.  Then, we went to the Cafe Sacher after the show and had their famous sachertorte dessert.  We ate out in their little patio outside, which was nice.

 

We also really enjoyed touring the Hofburg Palace.  We had the headphones with recordings that lead you on a guided tour.  It's the first time I've done that, and it was really a great tour!  

 

We went on the giant ferris wheel -- the Wiener Riesenrad, built in 1897.  That was fun!  (Although my dh preferred to wait on the ground and wave at us.  :))

 

 

   

[HomeAgain]

Salzburg is beautiful.  Watch the Sound Of Music before you go and go poke around the city to find the various sites (or take a tour).  There's a castle there that is worth going to see, along with Mozart's birth house museum and some lovely gardens across the river.  And if you're feeling childish, check out the playground. :D  You can't miss it.  The slide is about 3 stories tall.  But there is a series of metal squares on the ground that if you step on them, the bells ring underneath.

 

 

[Liz CA]

 

I've only been to Vienna in Austria.  We had a great evening at the music hall there, the Musikverein.  We saw a string quartet perform.  Well, we barely "saw" them, because we had the least expensive seats which were above the stage!  But that part was actually kind of fun.   :)  It's a gorgeous hall.  Then, we went to the Cafe Sacher after the show and had their famous sachertorte dessert.  We ate out in their little patio outside, which was nice.

 

We also really enjoyed touring the Hofburg Palace.  We had the headphones with recordings that lead you on a guided tour.  It's the first time I've done that, and it was really a great tour!  

 

We went on the giant ferris wheel -- the Wiener Riesenrad, built in 1897.  That was fun!  (Although my dh preferred to wait on the ground and wave at us.   :))

 

 

   

 

 

 

Yes, how could I forget it? You must visit the Sacher Cafe in Vienna and have one of their desserts. :)

J-rap, I think these days, I'd be standing on the ground with your dh as well. When I was a kid I never thought twice about how old the ferris wheel is, however, it is stationary and maintained of course. Perhaps it's safer than many other ferris wheels that get assembled and disassembled. :)

[ErinE]

I'll second the Sacher cafe - dessert and coffee.

 

The Schonbrunn Palace was a fun tour. The gardens are beautiful so you should spend some time strolling through them.

[wintermom]

I love Vienna! The Schonbrunn Palace is gorgeous. I saw the Lipizzaner horses, went to a classical music concert, walked around in the evening enjoying all the building lit up, ate some delicious marsipan modelled into fruits, bought some amazing loose tea, ate suchertorte and other delicious desserts. It's a great place to visit.

 

We took a small boat from the Bodensee (which is a beautiful lake to visit, perhaps cycle around) down the Rhein river to Schaffhausen and stayed there in a youth hostel for a couple days. It's a really neat town, and there is some lovely hiking trails here. This is probably too far west for you, but there are probably other lakes with similar activities available that are worth seeing. 

 

Salzburg is also amazing. I went on the Sound of Music bus tour 25 years ago, which was fun. Not sure if it's still available, though. I'm dating myself a little here. ;)

 

Enjoy your trip!

Edited January 12, 2018 by wintermom

[prairiewindmomma]

Advice?  

 

When you get to Vienna, take the streetcars around the Ringstrasse.  It will give you a good idea of what is in the central core of the city. Tourists tend to congregate around Hofburg, Schonbrunn, the Spanish Riding School, and the Stephansdom.

 

Personally, if I were to go to Vienna in July, I'd try to catch an outdoor concert somewhere, get some ice-cream at the Naschmart, go see some Gustav Klimt at the Belvedere, and walk around late at night downtown to see everything lit up---stopping in at a coffee haus along the way.

 

I've gone glacier skiing near Innsbruck (at Stubai) in summer, and it's just not a mind-blowing experience. I think if I were hanging out where you're headed, I'd plan a lot of hiking, rowing, and picnics. 

 

 

[gardenmom5]

Advice?  

 

When you get to Vienna, take the streetcars around the Ringstrasse.  It will give you a good idea of what is in the central core of the city. Tourists tend to congregate around Hofburg, Schonbrunn, the Spanish Riding School, and the Stephansdom.

 

Personally, if I were to go to Vienna in July, I'd try to catch an outdoor concert somewhere, get some ice-cream at the Naschmart, go see some Gustav Klimt at the Belvedere, and walk around late at night downtown to see everything lit up---stopping in at a coffee haus along the way.

 

I've gone glacier skiing near Innsbruck (at Stubai) in summer, and it's just not a mind-blowing experience. I think if I were hanging out where you're headed, I'd plan a lot of hiking, rowing, and picnics. 

 

thank you.  I'd like to do off-the-beaten track type stuff. (as we'll be doing the "normal tourist stuff".)  one reason dh is saying ok to freistadt - it's rural.  and has started talking about renting a car.  yeah you can get most everywhere on trains and trollys - but you can get outside the city with a car.

 

he lived in vienna, he lived in innsbruck - so this is a return for him.   and we'll get the typical "sites".  he wants to go to the lipizzaner farm (don't remember where it is. outside graz?).   i'm open to a sacher torte just to see how close the one he made me was (I wasn't impressed) . . . he's eaten there too.

 

much hiking is planned - my ability to walk is . . we'll find out.  if it's not one injury it's another. :glare: :glare: :glare:

[maize]

The Vienna Woods have my heart, they were my refuge during some stressful years.

 

Besides that I don't have much to say. Wien is a lovely city, say hello from me.

[Maus]

(I served an LDS mission in Vienna, and DH and I have gone back to visit a few times.)  If you decided to get a car....  We usually don't use a car in Vienna and do use one everywhere else.  

 

So, if you will have a car, there are a few places outside the city I'd recommend:

 

East of Vienna, towards the Hungarian border, there's a Roman ruin they are excavating called Carnuntum.

 

There is also a very touristy, but fun place called the Seegrotto, which they used as the underground prison for the movie Three Musketeers (the Disney/Kiefer Sutherland version).  If you are a fan, Burg Liechtenstein was also used in the movie, in the scene when they are being fired on by canons.  It's fun to wander around in a castle unsupervised, and one of the balconies has a distant view of Vienna.

 

West of Vienna, along the Donau/Danube toward Salzburg, the Melk monastery is pretty spectacular.  Huge library, and the cathedral there has so much gilding, you will always picture it anytime anyone says "Baroque" in your presence the rest of your life. The view down to the Donau and the village of Melk are pretty great, too.

 

Further along, near Linz, there's the former concentration camp Mauthausen.  That's a whole different kind of experience.  You can feel it as soon as you step in.  It's a kind of:  this is hallowed ground, in a something horrible happened here and I think I'm going to be sick kind of way.  We still recommend it, because it's also a "we should never forget humanity is capable of this" kind thing.

 

We went to Freistadt once.  Not much to do, but very pretty.  My mom was with us, and she really liked it. The moat around town is still there.  They've turned it into a ring shaped park.  Pretty close to the Czech border.

 

 

In the cities... I don't know Innsbruck at all, and the only thing I remember from my one day trip to Graz was the armory, which was cool, as far as I remember.

 

Salzburg I know as a tourist.  My two favorite things are: 1) the cathedral, because it is NOT Hapsburg, which is refreshing!  Salzburg was ruled by the Prince-Archbishop Wolf Dietrich, and he rebuilt the cathedral. 2) The tiny little Saint Sebastian's cemetery where Mozart's father Leopold, and his widow Constanza and her second husband Georg Nissan are buried.  It also inspired the "hiding in the cemetery" scene in Sound of Music.  We also liked the fortress (Hohensalzburg), and the catacombs, and the Mozart's birth house.

 

We like to use "Farmholidays" to get a vacation apartment, and our favorite we've ever stayed at is just outside Salzburg here.  (Works nicely if you have a car, but is a little out of the way if you don't.)

 

Hallstatt is only a couple of hours from there, and it's beautiful!  It's on a lake, and built up the side of the mountain.  There's a salt-mine tour above it.  There's a little bone chapel, and a small celtic museum, and a tiny roman ruin under the sporting goods shop.  

 

Vienna is hard, just because there is sooo much!  Ride the trams around the Ringstrasse, as suggested above.  Stephansdom is neat, and so is drooling over the expensive shops in the pedestrian zone on Kartnerstrasse.  Buy your tourist gifts on Mariahilferstrasse, though.  Less expensive.  The art history museum (Kunsthistorische) and it's twin natural history museum.  Stadtpark is the most likely place to stumble across an outdoor concert, especially Strauss themed concerts.  Every saturday, there's a Naschmarkt and Flohmarkt (farmer's market and flea market) on Kettenbrückengasse.  There's the Jewish quarter, and the Opera, and the Anker clock, and Mozart's apartment.  All those are downtown, in or near the Ring.  Near Stephansdom, down in the subway, you can peek in the window and look down on an earlier church they accidently found while building the subway.  There's an English language bookstore somewhere along there, can't remember where exactly, and a cool toy store.

 

Then there's Schonbrunn, which can be a day's visit by itself, since the Vienna Zoo are on it's grounds.

 

Don't miss the Zentral Friedhof (Central Cemetery).  All the musicians were reburied there, except Mozart (because they couldn't find him), but he has a memorial.  There's also a Jewish section, and a brand-new Mormon section.  Falco's even in there someplace, but he's in his family's plot, not with the famous musicians.  The stones are really elaborate and it's a bit of a sculpture museum because of that.  The musicians are straight in from the center gate, but they sell a map, too.

 

There's a wonderful, huge, park at the UN building with a space needle thing.  I never went up, but there's a restaurant or cafe up there.  We had an apartment near there, so we'd go over and play chess on the giant chess boards, or watch some of the local clubs practice American football.

 

Praterpark, with the big Riesenrad, as someone mentioned.  That was used in many movies, including James Bond and Orson Wells' The Third Man.  The Risenrad is part of a permanent carnival with other rides.

 

The Donauinsel is a beach atmosphere, with sunbathers and ice cream stands (ice cream sandwiches, etc.) and skaters and bikers.  Be careful at the far ends, though, where the nude beaches are.  Same activities as the middle, just clothing optional.  (And keep in mind, topless is okay anywhere.)

 

Get your ice cream from one of the many Italian Eis places that are all over in the summer, though!

 

Well, dang!  Now I'm getting homesick.  Can I come with you?

Edited January 13, 2018 by Maus

[prairiewindmomma]

Maus---you lived over by the UN complex? I lived one U-Bahn stop closer into the city. It's always amazing to me how many overlapping ties there are in the world!

[maize]

Maus---you lived over by the UN complex? I lived one U-Bahn stop closer into the city. It's always amazing to me how many overlapping ties there are in the world!

I find it interesting that so many of our little LDS WTM group have ties to Vienna.

 

My family lived there from 1994-1998, and my parents and younger siblings moved back for a couple of years around 2007.

 

I graduated from high school in '96 so wasn't there full time after that. I was so happy to get to take my family back for a visit when my parents were there the second time. The highlight of that trip was hiking up to Dürnstein castle https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burgruine_Dürnstein

Edited January 13, 2018 by maize

[Bootsie]

How long will you bin in Innsbruck?  Will you have a car or be using public transportation?  Do you enjoy outdoors? hiking? scenery? art museums? history museums?  There are hiking trails of all levels of difficulty in the Innsbruck area.  You can take several cable cars up to the top of the mountains and have a nice stroll and lunch at a mountain hut.  There is a wonderful lantern hike once a week in July that meets around dusk, you hike up to a mountain hut, where there is local music, and then after dark hike back down with lanterns.  Swarovski Crystals is nearby with an interesting tourist area.  The Zillertal is a nearby valley that is interesting, beautiful scenery, a dairy you can visit and learn about making cheese, and a tour you can take of a heating pellet company that is interesting (just don't go on a Saturday because traffic backs up as all of the weeklong rentals change over).  There are a number of lakes and incredible swimming complexes nearby.  You may want to do a roddelbahn (sled on a track).  MedEl has an interesting museum about hearing.

 

My experience is the Christmas markets are not open that time of year, but there are a number of other markets that are open during the summer in Innsbruck--just depends on what week you are there.  There is a market across the Italian border that is open several times a month and is an interesting drive across the Brenner Pass.  If you are going to Neuschwanstein, you will be near Oberammergau which has Christmas shops open all year round.  Riedel glass is about 45 minutes away which has an interesting tour where you can see glass being handblown--there is also an interesting castle there.  

 

There is an Innsbruck Pass that you can get for 24-72 hours that will provide discounts to a lot of museums and transportation.  I am quite familiar with the Innsbruck area as I have been director of a university study abroad program.  Let me know if you want specific suggestions for hotels, restaurants, and itineraries.

 

 

[Bootsie]

https://www.tyrol.com/

 

This is the best site to find things to do in Innsbruck and the surrounding area.

[gardenmom5]

How long will you bin in Innsbruck?  Will you have a car or be using public transportation?  Do you enjoy outdoors? hiking? scenery? art museums? history museums?  There are hiking trails of all levels of difficulty in the Innsbruck area.  You can take several cable cars up to the top of the mountains and have a nice stroll and lunch at a mountain hut.  There is a wonderful lantern hike once a week in July that meets around dusk, you hike up to a mountain hut, where there is local music, and then after dark hike back down with lanterns.  Swarovski Crystals is nearby with an interesting tourist area.  The Zillertal is a nearby valley that is interesting, beautiful scenery, a dairy you can visit and learn about making cheese, and a tour you can take of a heating pellet company that is interesting (just don't go on a Saturday because traffic backs up as all of the weeklong rentals change over).  There are a number of lakes and incredible swimming complexes nearby.  You may want to do a roddelbahn (sled on a track).  MedEl has an interesting museum about hearing.

 

My experience is the Christmas markets are not open that time of year, but there are a number of other markets that are open during the summer in Innsbruck--just depends on what week you are there.  There is a market across the Italian border that is open several times a month and is an interesting drive across the Brenner Pass.  If you are going to Neuschwanstein, you will be near Oberammergau which has Christmas shops open all year round.  Riedel glass is about 45 minutes away which has an interesting tour where you can see glass being handblown--there is also an interesting castle there.  

 

There is an Innsbruck Pass that you can get for 24-72 hours that will provide discounts to a lot of museums and transportation.  I am quite familiar with the Innsbruck area as I have been director of a university study abroad program.  Let me know if you want specific suggestions for hotels, restaurants, and itineraries.

 

thank you.

we will be there a few days.    Innsbruck on the 19th - so a day or two before and after.

dh is seriously thinking of renting a car.

ah - good to know about oberammergau... though I have to ask myself, why do I need more christmas junk?  take up space, need to be stored . . habit I guess.

hiking and scenery. cultural stuff.  I'm sure he'll want to go up hafelekar.  (he still mentions it on occasion.)

hoping across into italy could be fun.  (my dd has been there twice.  once rome and other classical environs, and then naples?)   is it possible to do it as a day trip?  or would this be "travel creep"?   I'll have to see how feasible it is.

 

I will use you.  he has rick steve's book.  (eye roll), and I picked up a book for him on vienna.   

his "dream" trip would be im dezember, with obendorf on christmas eve, and vienna for the new year's concert . . . .

[Bootsie]

We have done Austria both with and without a car and had a great time both ways.  Some of the things we chose to do were different and the order we did them in differed whether we were driving a car or taking public transportation.   I have found, however, that Neuschwanstein is difficult to reach without a car, unless you do a group tour (which I have never lie the rushed feeling of those).  

 

Will you fly in and out of two different cities?  We have found Munich and Zurich easier to fly in and out of than Vienna, but we are flying from Texas, so other parts of the country may have better flight possibilities into Vienna.  We have also found that renting a car has often been cheaper in Munich or Zurich than in Austria.  We generally have not been able to find good rates to pick up a car in one city and drop it in another.  

 

If you are going up Nordkette to Hafelekar, you might want to consider going on a Friday evening.  The restaurant has been opened on Friday nights in recent years.  You can take the cable car up and walk around a bit, have dinner as the sunsets (which won't be until about 9:00pm that time of year), and then take the cable car down.  Nordkette tends to be more rough hiking, while Patscherkofel on the south side of Innsbruck has much more gentle green pasture paths for hiking (but still beautiful views).  

[gardenmom5]

We have done Austria both with and without a car and had a great time both ways.  Some of the things we chose to do were different and the order we did them in differed whether we were driving a car or taking public transportation.   I have found, however, that Neuschwanstein is difficult to reach without a car, unless you do a group tour (which I have never lie the rushed feeling of those).  

 

Will you fly in and out of two different cities?  We have found Munich and Zurich easier to fly in and out of than Vienna, but we are flying from Texas, so other parts of the country may have better flight possibilities into Vienna.  We have also found that renting a car has often been cheaper in Munich or Zurich than in Austria.  We generally have not been able to find good rates to pick up a car in one city and drop it in another.  

 

If you are going up Nordkette to Hafelekar, you might want to consider going on a Friday evening.  The restaurant has been opened on Friday nights in recent years.  You can take the cable car up and walk around a bit, have dinner as the sunsets (which won't be until about 9:00pm that time of year), and then take the cable car down.  Nordkette tends to be more rough hiking, while Patscherkofel on the south side of Innsbruck has much more gentle green pasture paths for hiking (but still beautiful views).  

 

good suggestions, thank you. dh had planned on flying in and out of vienna.

 

all I know is - Innsbruck on the 19th.  How's the food at the restaurant?

 

he said flying in and out of vienna was cheaper - but he's looking at saturdays.  I suggested he try midweek.  at least domestic are cheaper then.

[Bootsie]

good suggestions, thank you. dh had planned on flying in and out of vienna.

 

all I know is - Innsbruck on the 19th.  How's the food at the restaurant?

 

he said flying in and out of vienna was cheaper - but he's looking at saturdays.  I suggested he try midweek.  at least domestic are cheaper then.

If you have some flexibility, sometimes moving a flight one day or another can make a difference.  If you have some flexibility, you might look into flying in and out of Munich.  We found, at times, there were significant price differences on rental cars because of differences in taxes in Austria and Germany, and those differences were larger than the airfare differences.  Since you are going to drive full circle one way or the other, it might be another option to consider.  Munich is a couple of hours from Salzburg or Innsbruck and you could do your visit to Neuschwanstein at the beginning or end of your trip.  

 

When you go up on Nordkette there are three food choices:  a hut with limited selection at Hafelekar, a cafeteria style option at Seegrube, and a restaurant at Seegrube.  The cafeteria will have items like Wiener Schnitzel and spaghetti and meatballs.  The restaurant will be more upscale with a variety of hearty Tirolean specialties; you may need reservations for it if you are going in the evening.  We have enjoyed the food; you have a beautiful view down to the city; it generally isn't any more expensive than a nice dinner in the city.