Seeking Ideas/Feedback for 2015 Austria Trip

We just returned from a from an 18 day trip to Croatia, Slovenia and Austia. September is a great time, although we had an unusual amount of rain this year.
We stayed at Haus Raudaschl in St. Wolfgang and I would highly recommend it. They are a lovely couple, the place was spotless and the location was excellent. Easy access to hiking, hopping on a boat or renting a bike. Not sure about the bus/train connection as we had a car for that portion of our trip.
Went to Salz Welten on day and enjoyed the Salt Mine tour.
We spent a few nights in Kufstein, Austria, right on the German border. Great hiking and excellent location for a day trip to Chiemsee (Germany) and Munich. We also took a day trip to Salzburg from Kufstein. This is the town where they make Riedel wine glasses and they have a cool tour of their facility.
Enjoy!

Haven't been there but would like to see Graz and other parts of less-visited southern Austria. Good segue to Venice.

Hi Jean,

We loved our stay last Dec. in Ramsau am Dachstein. Gorgeous scenery, the Pension Haus Maria couldn't have been better and "Der Dachstein" trip was an absolute highlight. Probably the best cable car trip we've done, incl. the Zugspitze, Jungfraujoch, etc.

Another area to consider is the Zillertal. Breathtaking alpine scenery. We stayed in Finkenberg overlooking Mayrhofen.

We have photo's at:

www.flickr.com/photos/pjbassplyr/sets

Paul

You could consider taking the train from Salzburg to Venice via Trieste, with a two-night stay in Trieste. We are thinking of doing this for our own trip to Venice next September/October. Trieste looks like a very interesting place and it is right on the border with Slovenia. The Lipica stud farm (Lipizzaner horses) is just a few kilometers away and I am trying to work in a visit there

Thanks, everyone, for your replies. We really appreciate it!

I would suggest Vienna, Graz, Ljubljana, Lake Bled area and then Piran on the coast. Slovenia is an absolutely beautiful country, friendly, English is widely spoken, Austrian flavored mountains, Venetian looking coast, small and easy to get around.

I agree with Paul's recommendations of Ramsau am Dachstein & Zillertal. We've been to both and they were slightly off-the-beaten-path highlights for us.

Last month we spent a week in Vienna and took a day trip to Neusiedlersee, about an hour south of Vienna on Emily's (lives in Vienna and posts here often) recommendation. It's a large lake right on the border with Hungry that is no more than 1 meter deep. It is very popular holiday destination for the Viennese in July and August. It was the highlight of our 4-week trip for me because it was so different from all the places I've visited in Europe so far and is definitely not touristed, even by Europeans.

Go to Graz!!! I studied abroad there for a semester and loved it. The city has a rich history and has many UNESCO sites. There are possible day trips all around Styria that are great as well!

We spent a few days in Ramsau am Dachstein at Pension Haus Maria (thanks to Paul from NYC!). The area is beautiful, the B & B one of the finest. The mountains are stunning and it is off the beaten path of most tourists. We took the cable car up to one of the mountains and had an afternoon coffee in small mountain top restaurant only to sit next to a group of older women who would break into song as they sipped their wine.....an experience of a lifetime.

You mentioned wanting to take in the culture.

Here are some of my favorite venues in the “Region”:

For Opera and Ballet:

http://images.fineartamerica.com/images-medium-large/the-people-at-the-budapest-opera-house-madeline-ellis.jpg

For Operett and Musicals:

http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/03/b8/7f/46/budapest-operetta-theatre.jpg

For World Class Music:

http://itthon.hu/documents/10180/90574/31401.jpg/55c33c12-4d0b-4308-9d29-3a799fd134bb?version=1.0&t=1348214266187&imagePreview=1

My favorite Klezmer (2):
(1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VdoHnidz70
(2) http://www.spinozacafe.hu/img/KlezmerBand_SpinozaCAFE_B.png

For Great Religious Heritage: http://worldalldetails.com/sightseeing/pannonhalma_archabbey_hungary_701238.jpg

For all the arts:
http://attractions.topbudapest.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Picture-23.png

For Wine
(1) http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/5a/9e/f0/5a9ef0a874a4c55b0b12e4bb26b2ca3e.jpg
(2) http://www.sugarednspiced.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/R0059839.jpg

Two Favorite Small towns
(1) http://myworldmybook.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/dsc_0171.jpg
(2) yes, that is (was) a mosque: http://www.cycling-tours-in-hungary.com/sites/default/files/photo-galleries/cycling-tours-hungary-bicycle-holidays-photos-nature-and-culture-south-hungary/turkish-mosque.jpg

Finally, for breathtaking architecture:
http://eurovision-quotidien.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/budapest_by_night.jpg

Okay guys, don't give me too much grief. You knew I would do this.

Last in Austria I made special effort to visit Hallstatt. This was December following snowfall. My cousin, a skilled Austrian driver made the trip from Linz in what seemed no time, but was somewhat over an hour. Train had been my plan and the schedule is regular, though not so often in winter. By car we had no trouble parking as most activities were between seasons. Ate at Ruth Zimmermann pub with great local menu/beer and all the locals come here in winter for lunch. Spectacular mountains run into the bright winter gray lake, and it was all especially impressive snow covered from my feet to the blue skies. Cable cars can take you high to walk, or just look, and hours/days vary by season. Next time I'll anticipate and see Hallstatt sights in a different season, but for peaceful awesome winter can't be beat.