We're doing a 2.5 week driving vacation through Switzerland, Italy and Austria in July. We'll spend the first week in Interlaken and then go to Lake Como for a week. We're going to drive from Lake Como to Salzburg and can stay along the way for the right atmosphere. Any advice on a great village to stay in along the way? I know the drive isn't long but we're hoping to stop along the way. Any ideas?
Jack Fussell By the way we have three kids for the journey ages 12, 8 and 4
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8319 posts
The drive from Lake Como to Salzburg is not easy, but it's approximately 350 miles, many of which are mountain roads. You could go north and come in from Munich to Salzburg. Or, you could go east through Tyrolia and stay in the Austrian Alps.
I would stay in the Innsbruck area, and you're maybe 2 hrs. away from Salzburg. I prefer mountain vistas to city landscapes anytime.
Posted by
bowling green
2 posts
This suggestion may require you to shorten your stay at Lake Como by a couple of days but this sidetrip is quite beautiful and would bring you into Salzburg from the southwest. Leaving Lake Como, you can travel east to Bolzano and stay in one of Rick Steves favorite Tyrolean villages, Castelrotto. Castelrotto is just a hour or so east of Bolzano. Castelrotto itself is a charming, small and walkable village. Above it is the Compatch ski area with numerous funiculars and hiking trails. From Castelrotto you can take one of Europe's great drives, the Great Dolomite Road to Cortina d'Ampezzo. The scenery in the Dolomite National Park here is stunning. Heading north from Cortina d'Ampezzo, you will pass through Kitzbuhel, the famous Austrian mountain destination. From Kitzbuhel, you are less than 90k from Salzburg. Having stayed in Varenna on Lake Como, I would use a few of the days you have dedicated for that area to use in both Castelrotto and Kitzbuhel.