Austria trip--routing from Salzkammergut to Tirol

First, you will need to purchase an Austrian Vignette for the car unless you luck out and get a car that already has one for at least the length of your stay. Otherwise you could buy a 2-month one for 27.80 EUR, or buy a 10-day one for the first part of your trip for 9.50 EUR, then another for when you cut through Austria on the way between Ost Tirol and Munich.

As far as whether or not to stay in Obertraun or Salzburg, I'd do Obertraun since that is where you want to spend your time. Salzburg is not free, since you will have to pay for parking there and burn expensive fuel commuting. Also, your vacation time is precious and you don't want to spend it with unnecessary driving, partly in city traffic. Plus you will miss out on visiting this area outside of day-trippers hours.

I would second Sam's suggestion.
Especially as you are so keen on swimming in mountain lakes, you should go to Altausseer See ("the dark-blue ink pot of the Alps"), and maybe Grundlsee and/or Toplitzsee. Having never felt the desire to swim in such rather cold lakes I don't know where the best places for swimming are, though.

Salzburg is good for two days. I get the impression many day trippers miss Schloss Hellbrunn and the zoo next door. Bus from your hotel, or a gentle stroll along a pathway by the river for most of the route. Werfen castle and ice caves are also close by.

Sam makes a good point about the vignette. I've rented twice from Munich airport, and both times the car already had a vignette on the windshield - no idea if it was from the rental company or from the previous renter. I don't know what the parking situation is at your hotel but I'd also stump for Obertraun, if you are fine with the extra cost. You can stop off at Bad Ischl on the way to Hallstatt.

In 1987 we stayed in Alpbach during our honeymoon. We liked it a lot. There was an almabtrieb going off at the time we were there, I can't remember where exactly. As I remember, I much preferred Zell am See to Kitzbühel. Zell has a pretty centre and lake front, a fairly easy and pleasant hike around the lake.

Re the Dolomites. We stayed in Vipiteno for a few nights (not technically in the Dolomites?). Vipiteno has a small and attractive, arcaded centre. One day we spent mainly driving to Castelrotto and east from there. Very pretty. One of our most memorable vacation days was driving from Vipiteno to Merano. Gorgeous scenery on the way. Merano is a fabulous town in a great surrounding. I'd love to return and spend more time there, but it's always been a little out of the way.

Visited Ktzbuehel Altstadt today after driving by it for years. I was pleasantly surprised. Yes it is an expensive ski village, but nice. If you like Mittenwald, Germany you will like Kitzbuehel. We had to show proof of vaccination or test at a cafe there. Some people were turned away. Took the gondels up to the Kitzbuehel Horn and walked down some. Great views from the top and the Wilder Kaiser. No signs of flooding here.

Thank you for your responses so far. It seems that I should stay in Obertraun.

Has anybody visited Weissensee or Achensee? They seem to be pretty nice lakes.

For the Dolomites…

Look into the Val Venosta/Vinschgau area. It’s basically just west of Meran/Merano and goes to the Swiss border. Mountains, beautiful valleys, small villages and so many castles. Castle Tirol, Juval Castle and Churburg Castle are all worth seeing. As is the small, intact medieval walled town of Glurns/Glorenza. Right over the Swiss border is the Convent of St Johns in Mustair, which we loved visiting.

For the quintessential Dolomites, stay in the Alta Badia, east of Val Gardena. So many Dolomite passes to drive! Spectacular! A day trip to Bozen/Bolzano and the “Ice Man” exhibit is easy from here. What a stunning area!!!

We’ve stayed in the Dolomites (Val Gardena and Alta Badia four times). We loved staying:

www.montanara.it

www.garniariston.com

In the Val Venosta/Vinschgau it’s hard to beat:

www.biohotel-panorama.it/

East if Innsbruck you may want to look at the Zillertal! Awesome alpine area. We stayed in Finkenberg, kind of “balcony” overlooking the valley surrounded by high alpine peaks.

Paul

I have never had a rental car in Austria without a vignette. Note that the vignette is no longer a physical sticker as it is automatic with the car and the highway scanners will recognize whether or not there is a vignette tied to that car.

Don't be surprised if people are hesitant to allow strangers to play with their dogs, especially if you don't have a dog yourself.

Was at the Weissensee 10+ years ago for an afternoon, while staying in an apartment on the Millstaetter See. Seemed relaxed and family oriented then. Please search the forum for Achensee and my posts too for my recommendations and review there. Have stayed there mostly in Pertisau five times at various times of the year. Next to the Karwendel National Park too. I've taken family visiting from the US there. One of my favorites.

Is Weissensee worth a detour if I am going to Hallstattsee and Achensee?

BTW, I am going to Hallstatt based on a Fear-of-Missing Out (FOMO) mentality. I see that everybody in the internet raves about it and don't want to regret not traveling to it as I will be in Salzburg anyway. So, I scheduled a detour to spend time there for one day.

@Emily, a car rented in Freilasing, Germany may not have an Austrian vignette that is still valid attached.

Thanks for the tip about the Austrian vignette. I will buy one in Freilassing or get a digital one. If the previous car renter bought a digital vignette, there is no way for me to find out whether it's still valid or not, correct?

Just ask the car rental place. I’m sure that they will have purchased an annual one for the car as freilassing is a suburb of Salzburg.

If the previous car renter bought a digital vignette, there is no way for me to find out whether it's still valid or not, correct?

No, not correct.

Here you can check the validity of any digital vignette: https://evidenz.asfinag.at/en/

I would skip the Weissensee then, when visiting Hallstatt and Achensee. The Kaerten lakes region is worth a visit, but you need the time to do it.
For what it's worth, I set my NAVI to avoid highways/Autobahn and have not bought an Austrian vignette in years. I have the time to do it though. Watch your speed thru Austrian towns as many have one or more speed cameras.

If you do stay in Obertraun, a very scenic route to Kitzbuhel would be Obertraun-Bischofshofen-Saalfelden-Fieberbrunn-St. Johann-Kitzbuhel. The route between Bischofshofen and Saalfelden is a high mountain pass and I wouldn't travel this road unless the weather is good.

If you stay in Salzburg, the route through Bad Reichenhall-Lofer-St. Johann-Kitzbuhel is a great drive and you should have no issues with this route in any weather.

Thank you again.