Hello- My family and I will be in Salzburg in a couple of weeks. We want to drive down to Villach in southern Austria so we can catch the train there to Venice. What should we plan to see along the way? What is the best route? I also thought it would be fun to drive over the border of Salzburg into Germany just to say that we were there. Are there any "must sees" just over the border that would not be too out of the way in order to get down to Villach within a reasonable time?
Thank you.
-Lynn
Berchtesgaden is just over the border, although it wouldn't make much sense to pop over the border just to say you were there. It deserves a full day on it's own.
The direct driving route from Salzburg to Villach takes you directly by Burg Hohenwerfen. I never had time to stop for a visit, but it looks magnificent from the road.
You also pass close to Radstadt, which is featured as a worthwile stop in several guidebooks... and I'm not sure exactly why. It's pretty enough, certainly, but didn't strike me as anything particularly special. Oh well, perhaps there's something I missed.
The Autobahn route mostly skims through the valleys. If you want to drive a detour over a high pass, near Radstadt, take the secondary road up to Obertauern. I love this town, but it's a modern high altitude mountain resort, not a quaint rustic village. So, probably not worth stopping to explore the town itself, but the scenery of the mountains will blow you away. Continue the drive back down the pass to Mauterndorf, and you can pick up the Autobahn again nearby.
You've probably seen the train schedules, but just a reminder that the daily 10:50 departure from Villach to Venice is by train and the afternoon departures are by bus.
Geography 101
There is no way to go through Germany on a direct route from Salzburg to Villach. Salzburg is right on the border, so you could always cross over to Freilassing, Germany, just to say you were in Germany, but there is really nothing in Freilassing to see.
You could go to Berchtesgaden, but it would require considerable backtracking to get back to the road to Villach.
With only a little backtracking, you could go over to Marktschellenberg, Germany (on the road to Berchtesgaden) and see the Untersberg.
Werfen is in Austria, on the rail line from Salzburg to Bischofshofen.
I assume the reason people mention Radstadt is the Dachstein mountain range which is quite beautiful.
Thank you all so much. These look like great suggestions!!!
-Lynn
Continue the drive back down the pass to Mauterndorf, and you can pick up the Autobahn again nearby. <
Or add to the Tauerpass the Katschberg south of Mauterndorf and pick up the Autobahn then.
So you can avoid the second of the two long tunnels as well (due to an accident, I had to spent a couple of hours in the southern one some years ago and have developed a "tunnelophobia" since).
