Switzerland to Salzburg Itinerary - please help

It's not clear how many nights you'll have the car. A 7 day rental is often the same as a 5 day rental. Why don't you keep the car and turn it in at Salzburg? You'll be missing some great scenery from Innsbruck to Hallstatt to Salzburg.
In fact, all of Austria is absolutely stunning.

I worried that the roads with the great scenery would be mountain roads, winding and slow to drive. But you are right about the car rate, and we usually drive just about anywhere. Any suggestions for specific places to see along the way from Castelrotto to Hallstatt? Thanks for your help.

2 night stays are not advisable for the Alps, because that gives you only one full day at each location. A quick change in weather can easily wipe out an entire day's activities, making your stay in that area little more than a visit to a different hotel. Now, September is the driest time of the year in the Alps, but it still rains (and even snows) regularly. I would choose between Mürren and Zermatt and cut one. I like Zermatt a little better, but either is a reasonable choice). Then definately cut Castelrotto, and even consider knocking out GaP.

Come to think of it, there are a lot of Trip Advisor reviews where people say they went to Zermatt or Murren or even Hallstatt, and saw nothing but fog. I thought moving around would help my chances of finding someplace that was clear. I don't really understand the weather system in the alps. I have to say that staying in one place for more than two days appeals to me, just not sure yet where that will be.

Hi Peggy, I agree having one full day in each place in the Alps is less than ideal. You could group your bases better: Salzburg, Hallstatt and even Berchtsgaden area can be done based in either Salzburg or the Berchtesgaden area. We prefer the Berchtesgaden area for our visits to Salzburg. By car, Berchtesgaden to Salzburg is an easy 30 minutes. From Berchtesgaden to Hallstatt is about 1:30 drive. Similar from Salzburg. Paul

Staying 3 (or more) nights in one place in the mountains will increase your chances of good weather better than moving around a lot. We have hiked at Mürren, Zermatt, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, and the Dolomites (stayed on Alpe di Siusi not in Castelrotto). But not all in one trip!!!! Three nights in each place gsves us plenty of good weather for hiking, and actually we have only been totally rained out once, and that was in the Dolomites of all places. But it was the threat of thunderstorms (with lightning) on a high explosed plateau that held us back, not the rain. I like them all and won't even attempt to rank them in terms of quality of hiking. But Castelrotto and G-P have you going in opposite directions. I would skip one and spend 3 nights at the other, and add a night to Zermatt. That would give you 3 nights at each hiking venue, which has worked well for us.

Hi Peggy, Just to add, I'd also choose the Berner Oberland over Zermatt, even though it has the Matterhorn. Two nights in each isn't enough time at all. I'd do 4 nights in the Berner Oberland (Murren). Then which to omit... G-P area or the Dolomites depends entirely where you'll pick up the car. IF you pick it up in Innsbruck, I'd probably go to the Dolomites (not Castelrotto, but either the Val Gardena or Alta Badia) for a total of 4 nights. This could include 3 nights based "in" the Dolomites and 1 night (maybe Heiligenblut, Austria) enroute to the Salzburg area via the Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse. Stay in the Salzburg/Berchtesgaden area for 4 nights and visit Hallstatt, etc. as day trips. Return the car in Salzburg. IF you pick up the car in either Munich or Garmisch (or somehwre in Germany), I'd base in either Garmisch or Mittenwald for 4 nights OR break it up between maybe Fuessen and G-P or Mittenwald, as they're close enough together (1:30) where you won't waste too much time driving between them. If interested, we have plenty (3 pages worth) of photo's from our 7 trip in the last 11 years to Bavaria, Austria and the Dolomites at: http://www.worldisround.com/home/pja1/index.html Hope this helps. Paul

Thanks for all your very thoughtful comments. I knew the trip was not planned the way I wanted, but it was good to have confirmation from people who have been there. I am going to rework the itinerary this weekend - I have tons of guidebooks from the library and will check out Paul's photos. One question for Paul - how difficult is the drive over the Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse?
We've done a lot mountain driving out West, but do not want this vacation to be stressful.

Hi Peggy, The Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse is a well maintained, paved 2 lane (1 lane each direction) road and has quite a number of switchbacks, some steep elevations changes, etc., as do the passes in the Dolomites by the way. The Grossglockner Road is about 30 miles (48km) in length. I'm not the one to ask about the drive being stressful though. I (we) actually enjoy driving these passes. http://www.grossglockner.at/en/hochalpenstrasse Here are some images of the Gardena Pass, which separates the Val Gardena and the Alta Badia in the Dolomites: http://www.alpineroads.com/images/photos/dolomites/groedner/groedner.htm IF you wanted to avoid these types of drives, you could easily drive from Innsbruck to the Val Gardena, base here, and then drive back to Innsbruck and on to the Salzburg area. This way you would avoid the alpine passes altogether. You will drive the Brenner Pass, which is actually a main, multi-lane highway with no switchbacks, etc. associated with the alpine passes. Paul

Paul - Great links, and your photos are beautiful! Driving that road would not be for me, but my husband is like you and wants to try it. Thanks, again.
Peggy

Before you zone in on the Dolomites, put them in perspective. The Dolomites encompass just one small area of Italy's vast Alpine territory, and they are not the most convenient for the overall flow of your trip. They are stunning... but so are most of the Alps.

Hi again, The Dolomites may make sense IF you can train from Switzerland to Innsbruck or Garmisch and get your car. You can easily drive from either to the Val Gardena or Alta Badia for a 3 night stay. Then drive to Heiligenblut for an overnight, then a drive over the Grossclockner Hochalpenstrasse and on to the Salzburg/Berchtesgaden area for 3 or 4 nights. We've actually done this same itinerary, but in reverse. Paul