Please sign in to post.

Austria Solo travel end of sept -early oct

Posted by on

Hi,
I am travelling solo end sept 2017 to Autria (first time to Europe). I have 12 days and I am planning to do Vienna->Hallstatt->Salz->Innsbruck->Italian Dolomites->Innsbruck (back to Vienna by train last day) . I am not into winter sports , would like a lot of scenery
and to see the fall colours (I love walking). I would like information regarding:
1.Shall I include/alter my itinerary any way to include scenic spots, any recommendations?
2.B&B/hostel information in Vienna near the old town (walking distance) and also easily accessible by train from airport.
3. How to travel by Bus/any other public transport from Hallstatt to grossglockner alpine road ?
Itinerary
Vienna (3 days) ->Day 1 : St Stephens Cathedral and Hofburg Palace, Day 2:towns of Melk and Krems, "Wachau", Day 3:Schönbrunn Palace
VIENNA to Hallstatt by train (2 days)-> Dachstein Caves,5 fingers and Schafberg by Schafbergbahn
Hallstatt to SALZ via train : I want to travel via grossglockner alpine road. I think I can give Salz a miss and travel to Innsbruck, but is it the possible to cover grossglockner alpine road?
SALZ->Innsbruck-> (2 days salz, 2 days Innsbruck): Swarovski Crystal Worlds, Altstadt in Innsbruck
Innsbruck->Dolomites (completely clueless here, how to travel back and forth from Dolomites and what to see here.

Any recommendations would be useful.
Thank you !

Posted by
5867 posts

Do the 12 days include your arrival and departure day?

I think you probably realize this already, but you are really trying to do too much, especially without a car.

It is also a good thing that you don't like winter sports as there will be none going on in September.

With regards to your accommodation in Vienna, everything is accessible as public transport is very good. Vienna is also not a large capital city. Do yourself a favor and be sure to stay as close to the center as possible (avoid staying near the train stations). If you send me your exact dates and budget range, I'd be happy to make some specific recommendations.

Posted by
1942 posts

Everybody would love to travel via the Grossglockner road, but a glance to a map shows that it is nowhere near to Hallstatt or Salzburg or Innsbruck and a long detour from any of these places. A detour possible, if long, driving a car; I am afraid that doing it by public transportation would take a lot of time, if possible at all out of the main tourist season.

Posted by
4 posts

Thank you Emily and Lachera for quick replies! I didn't realize I was trying to cover too much :)
I may fly in on 29th Sept morning around 10 AM and fly out 15th Oct night.
Based on these dates can you pls suggest an itinerary. I am not wanting to cover all castles and places ..thought Hallstatt to Innsbruck could be done skipping Salz. Is it possible to travel by public transport to Zell am See/ any other scenic place, stop over for a day then travel to Innsbruck? Or is it recommended to stay at Salz ?
Pls. let me know where/which days/routes am I trying to cover more ground...

Thanks
Seema

Posted by
5867 posts

I would do something like what I have spelled out below. You have more than 12 days so plenty of time to see the locations you have in mind at a good pace. That said, Grossglockner will be hard without a car. Italy may also be hard to reach depending on what you want to see/do. As for hotels in Vienna, I don't know your budget, but the Wein and Design hotel has rooms for the dates below and it is a good choice.

29 - Arrive Vienna, rest
30 - Vienna
1 - Vienna (Wachau)
2 - Vienna
3 - Vienna
4 - Vienna to Salzburg
5 - Salzburg
6 - Salzburg (Berchtesgaden)
7 - Salzburg (Hallstatt)
8 - Salzburg (Wolfgangsee)
9 - Salzburg to Seefeld
10 - Seefeld
11 - Seefeld (Mittenwald, Leutasch Gorge)
12 - Seefeld (Innsbruck)
13 - Seefeld to Vienna
14 - Vienna
15 - Fly back from Vienna

Posted by
1942 posts

Once you get to Seefeld or Innsbruck (personally, I would prefer Innsbruck over Seefeld, much more things to do and mountains very close anyway), Munich airport is much closer than Vienna. People usually underestimate how distant to the east Vienna is. Or maybe you could try to put on the ticket a short connecting flight Innsbruck to Vienna.

Posted by
4 posts

Thank you very much Steve for writing in detail and the wonderful tips! I looked up Bad Ischl and day trips to Hallstatt/5 fingers can be done. I like the idea of going to Bruneck, please let me know more in detail.
Warm Regards,
Seema

This topic has been automatically closed due to a period of inactivity.