Innsbruck Or Salzburg??

If you just want to visit an Austrian city, I would suggest Graz that is much closer to lake Bled.

Salzburg is an easier drive from lake Bled, but it is not a base for visiting Neuschwanstein, that is more than three hours driving distant. If you want to visit a Ludwig castle, Herrenchiemsee is much closer to Salzburg

Innsbruck is a longer drive from Lake Bled, but it is an easier base for Neuschwanstein - not as close as you may think, as it is still more than one hour driving from the castle.

I personally like both Innsbruck and Salzburg - Salzburg is more monumental but Innsbruck is not bad either and maybe has more things to do. But your main concern should be your general road itinerary as you will spend a lot of time driving.

Generally speaking, there are a lot of mountains in the area that make road itinerary slow if pleasant to drive. Slovenia and Salzburg lie on opposite sides of the main mountain chain. Innsbruck is well in the middle.

Remember that both Austria and Slovenia require vignettes when driving on highways. You are going to meet some toll tunnels as well.

Hi Martin. In my opinion, Neushschwanstein is a fun spot to visit, but only if you happen to be in the area. I wouldn't drive far out of the way to see it. It is not an historic, 'authentic' castle, it is a big tourist oriented attraction, mobbed with tourists and trinket stands. The setting on the hilltop is impressive, but you can get a better view from a picture. The castle experience and tour itself is underwhelming. There is so much to see in Austria closer to where you are starting / finishing, I would suggest against using your valuable time to drive to Innsbruck or Fussen. Enjoy your trip!

I think Salzburg is much more interesting than Innsbruck, but if all you're interested in is the logistics (since you're driving) it may not matter. I am one of those who does not think Neuschwanstein is worth the effort, but I would consider doing it as an interim stop on your way to somewhere, rather than a day trip from either. Its a long way to go for two hours of walking and 30 minutes of actual touring.

Is this correct? You leave Bled on Monday, drive to Salzburg or Innsbruck and Neuschwanstein, have 3 nights / 2 full days and then drive from one of these places back to Ljubljana on Thursday.

Salzburg is closer. You can visit Hohensalzburg plus Hohenwerfen for a castle fix. I wouldn't drive all that way and back to visit Neuschwanstein.

http://www.salzburg-burgen.at/en/werfen/
http://www.salzburg-burgen.at/en/hohensalzburg/index.htm

Innsbruck to Fuessen (Neuschwanstein) is a 2 hour drive each way. Bled to Innsbruck is about 4:30. Lot of driving and not much time really experiencing anything. Innsbruck to Ljubljana is going to be nearly 6 hours.

I'm also in the meh camp for Neuschwanstein, but I went as do millions of others because I had that poster.

If your trip will allow it I would go to Salzburg a hundred times before returning to Innsbruck, although I like it very much up in the Tyrolian mountains above Innsbruck. But that is just me. Others love Innsbruck.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions and input! I will look into the other locations and options. The driving doesn't bother us so much since we are used to driving long distances, but with that being said I don't want to waste our whole vacation in the car so I appreciate the advice!

I wouldn't want to go all the way to Tirol just to visit Innsbruck, although the whole of Tirol (Innsbruck and a combination of other places) is certainly worth a visit, but it's just a bit too far for a two-day trip IMO. In addition, I agree with other posters that Neuschwanstein castle is really more of a "worth a detour" place than a destination in its own right. Salzburg, on the other hand, is entirely doable, an easy 3 hr drive from Bled, entirely on motorways (Innsbruck would require driving on regular mountain roads). It's actually a popular weekend trip for Slovenians.

Alternatively, you could also consider visiting the State of Salzburg (Zell am See, Badgastein, etc.), about 2.5-3 hrs from Bled, as well as the stunning Grossglockner area, also a 3 hr drive. Closer to the border, there's also Carinthia with its lakes (1-2 hrs from Bled).

Graz is also about 3 hours from Bled - while it's 30 minutes from the Slovenian border, it's much further east from Bled. On the other hand, Graz and especially the surrounding Styrian wine region that straddles the border is a very different kind of Austria and Slovenia than most visitors get to see and a wonderful area to visit. That said, if this is your first visit to Austria, I would still prefer to spend it in the Alps than in the foothills and plains to the east.

Remember that if you will be taking a car into Austria it will need to have a toll payment Vignette affixed correctly to the windscreen or big fines will result. Not only do they have staffed police cars which will stop you just after you cross the border, there are also computer controlled cameras which send tickets in the mail.

A 10 day Vignette used to be under €8, I believe it may have creeped up in price a little recently.

Of course you will be dealing with the Slovenian tolls already.

Great information! I knew about the driving sticker for Slovenia but didn't know about the one for Austria so we will ensure we get one before crossing the border.

I think instead of dividing the trip between the two cities we will just do Salzburg and not feel rushed. The drive isn't very long (we do 6 hours per direction quite regularly at home) and it will be a nice experience.

Thank you again to everyone for your comments and assistance!

Hi,

I vote for Salzburg over Innsbruck, never went to Neuschwanstein since I wasn't interested enough to see the place.

When driving from Lake Bled to Salzburg you will need a vignette, but you will also drive through a toll tunnel not included in the vignette price.

It is difficult to give advice for October - you can have clear days or you can already have autumn weather. If you have a clear day I suggest a visit to Herrenchiemsee, one of the mad Ludwig castles, only 40 minutes driving from Salzburg. The castle is on an lake island so you need a ferry to get there, it is a very pleasant visit if weather is good and I always found it more enjoyable than Neuschwanstein. Or, for a different kind of visit, the Kaiservilla at Bad Ischl (1h 15 drive, very scenic), with memories of Franz Joseph and Sissi.