I am in the process of finalizing details for our family vacation to Austria in the summer of 2020. We will be spending 5 days in Vienna and 5 days in Tyrol (Lienz region) w/ a rental car, then have to drive back to Vienna for a flight back to London on the 13th. My daughter's 12th birthday is on the 12th and we planned on using that for a car day/1 night stop to get us closer to Vienna for our flight the next day. Ideally the stop would need to split the drive up instead of 5 hrs, to 2 hours or less to Vienna for our flight. Looking at the maps it looks like we can go through Salzburg (we've already been there on a previous trip and hit Halstaat then too), Graz in the South, or more in the central part (Leoden area?). But maps don't really do a good job for this, haha.
She is a very flexible kid (likes to hike, animals, sports, cities with pedestrian areas and shops, etc.) but does like to have new experiences. This will be the third time she's been in a different country for her birthday and she is excited about it.
RIght now about all I can find is the Lipizzaner farm in Piber, but that seems like it is only an hour or two at best then maybe staying in Graz or pushing on to Lake Neusiedl. But we'd like to avoid losing the whole day in the car. I see St. Gilgen recommended a bit on the northern Salzburg route, but would that be too similar to Halstaat (and further of a drive for our flight) ? Anything in the Leoben area?
Open to any and all suggestions for unique places, ideas, or attractions to investigate. Thanks!