My sister and I are looking at spending 10 days in Western Austria and Northern Italy (Salzburg area as well as Alpine/wine country Italy) and looking for any and all advice on where to go/what to do! This is not our first, or even second time in Europe - so we do have some experience. We are definitely looking for a "Through the back door" trip, staying away from tourist traps and chintzy-cheap experiences. Any and all suggestions of what two 30-something gals wanting to appreciate the beauty and tradition of Europe are more than welcome! Help please!
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8319 posts
European flights out of Minneapolis are pretty limited, but you can fly Air France into Paris and transfer to a flight into Munich after 5/21/2013. Your 10 day itinerary is a little short, as you'll lose a day each on the front and back end just dealing with airports. If at all possible, try to stay a couple of more days. If you've never visited Munich, have you considered spending a day or two there? It's quite a place for a young person, especially if they're bohemians. I would suggest you rent a car there, and head east 90 miles to Salzburg for a couple of days. Then drive south into Tirol, with Innsbruck as a base. Consider taking the Grossglockner Alpine Highway east of Innsbruck south (over the Alps) to Lienz, Austria. You enter the road south of south of Zell-am-Zee. Grossglockner is the second highest mountain in Western Europe, and absolutely the most beautiful place I've ever seen. That'll put you into the Dolomites of Italy. You could drop down to Venice for a couple of days or go back to Innsbruck through the Brenner Pass. Fussen is northwest of Innsbruck, and it's an interesting place.
You can get back to Munich promptly, as Innsbruck's just 90 miles away. Return your rental car and fly home from there.
Posted by
NYC area
2980 posts
Hi, You left out some important info: How do you plan on getting around, car or train/bus? What time of year?
What area of Italy do you consider the "Alpine/wine country"?