We are leaving September 16 for 10 days in Austria, via Munich Airport and a rental car. This is our first trip to Europe. I'm kinda of taking a "fly by the seat of my pants" approach. I have our first night in Innsbruck booked and our last two nights in Munich booked near the airport already. That's it. Our plan so far is to spend 1-2 nights in Innsbruck then travel to Vipiteno for Lunch and across to Lienz to drive the Grossglockner, then from there we will go to Graz. In Graz, we will spend 2 nights in that area, I have relatives in the Burgenland region that I have to see. From the Graz area, we will spend 1 day in Vienna and then travel to Salzburg to finsh up the trip until we need to be back to Munich for the last two nights of our trip. My question is, do hotels need to be prebooked or are most available? Using my Ipad and some recommendations from this site and TripAdvisor.com I was planning on booking 2-3 days in advance only, seeing that we don't have a real static plan. I'm just not sure how long it will take me to get from A to B in Austria and we don't want to be stuck somewhere because of a hotel reservation. Be sure to include any must see places so I can see if they are on my list of Things to Do....
Posted by
San Francisco
14980 posts
Hi, Good that Graz in Steiermark is on the itinerary, very nice and interesting place. I did a day trip there from Vienna, obviously not enough time spent, will have to do a return visit. Since you'll be in Burgenland, I suggest seeing Eisenstadt.
Posted by
Stuttgart, Germany
3050 posts
Well, from my perspective one day in Vienna is almost criminal. It's an amazing city with amazing history, art, etc. But if you're not interested in the history or art, I guess it might have less appeal, I don't know. You should be able to find something without planning in advance, if you're not too picky, but remember that wifi isn't always easy to find. Starbucks is a reliable place to grab it, as is fast food restaurants - but people often don't want to be hanging out at American chain restaurants while traveling in Europe! At the very least I would make sure to book hotels that have wifi so you can plan the next stage of your trip from there. You may end up paying for it. Booking.com is a reliable site to book hotels, I use it often.
Posted by
Jacksonville, FL, US
12 posts
Keep in mind when traveling in and around Munich, Oktoberfest will be in full swing and accomodations might be hard to find. Since you will be in Munich, you should go if you are a beer drinker... It is a fun time and was a bucketlist item for me. Also, Dachau is not far from Munich and was also a must for me. And I agree, one day in Vienna is not enough. There is so much to see and do. The main square is just lovely and shoud not be missed.
Posted by
OP
Detriot
44 posts
Already have my last two nights in Munich booked and paid for. Do I need tickets for Octoberfest?
Posted by
baltmore, maryland, USA
13 posts
Believe it or not, you can google point A to Point B and google will give you both a map, step by step driving instructions, time + mileage. I saved it all on my laptop as a back up to GPS. Good thing too, because the GPS promptly died the second we landed. Driving around Austria is nothing short of spectacular. Since you have a car, check out Cesky Krumlov - about 75 mins north of Linz. Looks like something Walt Disney would have come up with, only its all real. Be sure to stop off and see Bertesgarten - I believe its the Ober Salzburg mountains - WOW !! I would pre-book, only because I like to have the prices locked in and you don't have to spend vacation time hotel hunting. Have fun !!
Posted by
OP
Detriot
44 posts
Got the IDP, I'm taking no chances.
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
I also use booking.com frequently, sometimes I book the day before I arrive somewhere. Perhaps your hotel in City A can help with a reservation for City B.
Posted by
San Clemente, Ca.
408 posts
Octoberfest gets very busy, if you are only a couple you should get there early and maybe you will get into a tent. Reservations are for groups only, at least that is what I have been told. I have been twice and we did get into the garden area outside but not into the inside of a tent. It was a blast and the atmosphere was wonderful. Enjoy and have a stein for us.