Hi ,
We will be in Austria the end of September and will not have a car, train travel only. Taking train from Munich to Salzburg. Train to Innsbruck and then train back to Munich to catch a plane to Greece.
I have us staying two nights in Salzburg and 3 nights in Innsbruck. Im thinking maybe its smarter to say in one location and do day trips out of there. Opinion? We have seen Vienna so theres no need to go over there. Ive been to Salzburg and Innsbruck but my husband hasn't and its been many years for me so it'll be like the first time.
Thanks,
Suzanne
Posted by
Maryland
865 posts
I love Innsbruck. As RS notes Hall in Tirol is just down the Valley and is lovely, and is accessible by local bus.
AND, there are two gorgeous Alpine Valleys within easy distance from Innsbruck. The Zilletral valley is southeast of Innsbruck and has its own little train line - the Zillertalbahn - that also serves as the school bus for the high schoolers. It can be reached from the town of Jensbach just east of Innsbruck. The town at the head of the valley is Mayrhofen, which has two gondolas that serve the adjacent ski areas in the winter.
https://www.zillertal.at/en.html
And, the Stubaital just southwest of Innsbruck, which also has lovely villages along it and another glacier and ski gondola at the south end.
The bus to the Stubaital leaves from in front of the Innsbruck train station.
For going back to Munich you can take the longer route through Garmish-Partenkirchen (1.5 hours) and hit the Zugspitze cog-railway up the highest peak in Germany, and then G-P back to Munich (about 2 hours).
Have fun!
Posted by
824 posts
I think Salzburg deserves more time than Innsbruck (me personally). It looks to be ~2 hours each way via train. We drove Salzburg to Hall in Tirol earlier this month and there are a lot of stops we would have made if not on a schedule. One place we did take the time for a (too) short visit was Rattenberg, Austria. Rattenberg's claim to fame seems to be their glass and crystal-ware artisans. The vast majority of shops in the old town sold glass art/glassware and hand cut crystal - much of this produced on site. We even saw glass blowers working. It's a small town but worth the stop in my opinion.
Hall in Tirol is also a very quaint and picturesque city worthy of a visit. (I can see why Rick likes it so much.) And right up the road from Hall is the Swarovski Crystal World - an interesting 2-3 hour stop.
Posted by
613 posts
Since you are not driving, you will probably save a lot of time by taking local tours rather than spending hours waiting around for buses and trains. Check, for example Viator, the only one I know of, another are probably more options from Salzburg than Innsburckp
Posted by
84 posts
You don't have to spend hours waiting for trains and buses in Austria.
Austria has one of the best public transport system of the world with trains and buses operating an integrated clock face schedule providing frequent services even to small mountain villages.
By the way, using public transit has a very simple "secret" which makes sure that you don't have to wait hours. Check the schedule and be there a few minutes before the scheduled departure time. Simples!
Posted by
84 posts
What about choosing only 1 of either Salzburg or Innsbruck and picking a 2nd destination which is new for both of you?
For example you could easily combine Innsbruck with Bozen(Bolzano) or another destination in South Tyrol(Südtirol). This region is part of Italy, but - as its name suggests - is basically the southern part of Tyrol(Tirol) which was conquered by Italy in WWI. It's still every bit as Austrian as the northern part.
https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2012/aug/19/south-tyrol-where-two-worlds-collide