Next month we are going to be driving through a part of Austria (never been)
While we hope to return to Austria some day (Hallstatt, Vienna, Salzburg are all places I would like to see) but on this trip we have no spare days/nights so merely driving through since it is faster to drive into Austria on our drive from Ortisei in the Dolomites to our next destination Lake Bled in Slovenia.
Don't have the time to make this a scenic drive.
Route is on Highway 100 which looks start at the Italian border as SS49 in Italy and then later connects with I assume larger highways A10 and A11 before crossing into Slovenia.
Since we will be driving through I thought it makes sense to stop into a town for a quick view, short stroll along the way to stretch our legs and break up the drive without extending it more than 30 minutes.
if we choose to have lunch at this town or elsewhere in route I am not considering that part of the 30 minute break.
Is their a way to see a cute tourist village without going far out of our route.
Does not need to have places to eat.
Time out of the way is important. I am resisting my internal brain wanting to go to the Grossglockner since we will be driving so very close but it really would make this a long day journey and I am trying my best to avoid that. Likewise we are bypassing many possible nice stops in the Dolomites in route as I want to start the ride early and reach Bled mid afternoon not evening
This would be a week day not weekend if that matters.
Any picturesque towns that are in-route for us to get off the highway and have a quick look to at least say we saw more than just the highway when in Austria?
There seems to be quite a few castles in southern Austria, while I don't want to spend an hour visiting inside one just driving by one or seeing one walking not too far away would be cool.
Complete guess on my part but it looks like Highway 100 is fairly scenic entering Austria and remains so at least until entering Leinz??? A10 & A11 I assume are not at all scenic.
Seems like I could go 111 instead of 100 and that way skip entirely A10, 111 connects to A11 but is a little longer timewise that way.
Would only do this if 111 was more scenic by a good amount or a town on the road preferred as quick stop but may also allow us to save not getting a vignette?
I know I need a vignette for highways, for A10 I assume it is required but do I need it for 100 and 111?
Also on A11 the final stretch into Slovenia do I need a vignette or is this a toll stretch where I don't need a vignette?
Looking on a map we pass through the following towns if this helps:
Strassen, Lienz, Villach ; I am sure there are other towns but hard to tell on a map what is a town and what is not sometimes.
The Seeboden edge of Millstatter See does not seem out of the way, the rest of the See I think too far to venture.