April 2015

When I google “Road Trip Austria”, all that I get back is the road trip in Germany with a short stop in Innsbruck. And you know what? This is unfair. Because Austria is worth of two full weeks (if not more) to be explored both for its nature and for its cities.

That is why we literally crossed Austria from East to West – from one border to another. Having no constraints in our timing, every day we decided to spend another day in Austria, then another. And another. We realize though that unless you are a full-time traveler, spending unlimited time in Austria is not an option, thus we came up with a shortened itinerary with all the best stops to make.

Innsbruck

Innsbruck

Couple of facts you need to know before you plan your trip

 Austria is a relatively expensive country. Budget tourist will still enjoy it, but we were struggling with a “quality-price” balance.

 Austrian highways are NOT FREE: you need to buy a vignette that allows you to travel across the country for a very fair price – less than 10€ for 10 days. BEWARE – the control, especially on the borders is very strict, and we got a fine which was 120€. Awful and horrible – don’t make the same mistake for your wallet’s sake. You can buy these vignettes in any gas stations, post offices or tobacco shops.

 If you plan a winter road trip, make sure to check the rules and requirements on the site Austria.info

 Camping is a huge bliss! However, we even managed to camp in the wild – the level of stress was so high though, that I wonder if it would not have been more sensible just to go in the normal camping.

 Driving on the curvy alpine roads can be very stressful, so the road trip in the Western part of the country left us with mixed feelings.

 Middle of April is a perfect time to enjoy good weather but to avoid the crowds of tourists.

 Having a bike with you can be an outstanding idea!

Salzburg

Linz

Our Itinerary

You see, of course, that our goal wasn’t to make a tour of the country, but to cross it before moving on. That’s why this itinerary is good for you only if you plan a road-trip in Europe.

Day 1-3: Vienna

Vienna is a city where one can easily spend up to ten days and not be bored our tired. It has something in common with Paris in terms of beauty, rich history, amazing cafés and green parks but with a significant difference: clearly Vienna is more adapted for a comfortable everyday life.

Excellent cycling roads, perfect infrastructure for all kinds of people – Vienna looks like a Utopian place to live in. Probably, it’s just tourist’s impression, but that’s how we felt it. It combines so naturally with all the glory and greatness of the former powerful empire, with all the literature, art and science heritage – such cities in Europe can be counted on the fingers of one hand.

The Hapsburgs, Sigmund Freud, Franz Schubert, Stefan Zweig, Gustav Klimt – so many famous names are connected to Vienna, and much more – to Austria, that you can’t help but be amazed by everything you see.

Where we stayed

We were lucky with CouchSurfing – actually, we surfed at our couchsurfer from Estonia! That’s why hosting is important – you never know how it can pay back :)

Where to park?

Just on a free parking space on the streets!

Vienna, Vienne, Wien

Streets of Vienna

Vienna, Vienne, Wien

What to eat?

In the city-centre you will find quite a few of stands with Sausages – typical German-Austrian cuisine. Budget friendly food, be kind to your stomach though. Another thing you need definitely to eat in Vienna is… the croissant. Yes, yes, an emblem of Parisian cafés was in fact created in Vienna – as a special dessert to celebrate the victory over the Оttoman Empire after a long besiegement of the city. Make sure to eat a Sachertorte (prepare yourself for a chocolate shock!) or a Strudel. We treated ourselves to a generous degustation of various pastry in Sacher Café – not only for the taste, but also for the amazing décor! But for some real Viennese atmosphere go to Naschmarkt – a wide selection of… everything. :)

What to do?

Move to Vienna. If not, here is the list of our favorites!

Climb 343 steps to the tower of St Stephan’s Cathedral (Südturm) for a beautiful view (through the narrow windows unfortunately). The entrance to the cathedral is also a Must when visiting Vienna.

St. Stephen's Cathedral
Vienna, Vienne, Wien

 Taking a bike and riding to Schönbrunn. The most visited sight in Austria is an excellent place to spend a whole day of exploring, walking or just having a picnic in front of this beauty listed in UNESCO World Heritage. If you have some time and inspiration, you can visit one of the oldest Zoo in the world! The Schönbrunn is huge and consists of several parts with their own opening time – we chose the option to lie lazily on the grass though.

[:en]Austria Wienn schoenbrunn[:fr]Autriche vienne schoenbrunn[:]

…or Belveder – nothing special, just another random palace in Vienna.

Belveder, Austria
Belveder, Austria

 Nationalbibliothek – Austrian National Library. A breathtaking spot that we chose over all other museums with the paid admission. 2 million books and only (only lol) 200 000 exposed to the tourists, but it is the moment when you live through the scene in Beauty & the Beast – “It’s all yours, Belle”…

[:en]Autriche vienne bibliothèque livres[:]
Austrian National Library

Schmetterlinghaus – a butterfly house, but even if you are not a fan, you will love the atmosphere.

[:en]Austria Wienn schmetterlinghaus[:fr]Autriche Vienne schmetterlinghaus[:]

  Taking a bike to ride along the Donaukanal and preferably up to Kahlenberg – the highest point of Vienna. Probably it will come as a surprise for you, but wine is not only reserved for France and Italy – the Austrian wine is really good too!

 Or a walk (preferably cycling!) to Prater. It’s not only a space with attractions like roller coaster and Riesenrand – a local Ferris Wheel. If you go further, you’ll discover an almost wild park – a perfect place to spend a half day.

 Hundertwasserhaus – the peculiar building of the local Gaudi – no idea how people still manage to live in a house besieged by tourists from dawn till sunset.

[:en]Austria Wienn prater[:fr]Autriche vienne prater[:]
hundertwasserhaus, vienna

There are so much more museums and sights to see – Mozarthaus, Freud’s Museum, the old streets of Ring (the old centre) – we made a definite conclusion: we must come back for Vienna only.

Vienna, Vienne, Wien

Day 4: Krems an der Donau (the Wachau Valley)

It wasn’t easy to leave Vienna, but we didn’t have to go far – the next stop was just 77 km away. Krems is the gateway to numerous vineyards, but our main interest was a super easy cycling trail along Danube – that’s why we took a whole day for a cycling trip Krems – Melk, the entrance to the Wachau Valley (36 km one way). The Wachau is a valley formed by the Danube River, which also is listed in the UNESCO World Heritage. No wonder, as it is dotted with beautiful villages and vineyards.

Wachau Austria
Wachau Austria
Wachau Austria
Wachau Austria

Melk is famous for its Abbey, partly owing its glory to the novel “The Name of the Rose” by Umberto Ecco, whose one of the characters was the Adso of Melk. Once again, the cycling trail was very easy, so don’t be scared by the big distance – just do it, enjoy the views of the old castles and picturesque villages.

Where we stayed

It was that case when we just put a tent near the road…

Wachau Austria
Melk
Wachau Austria
Melk

Day 5: Krems > Linz > Hallstatt

The next stop was Linz – the main industrial city of Austria, but you won’t see a trace of it. Even if it’s not the most beautiful city of the country, one spends easily there several hours walking.

Salzburg
Salzburg
Salzburg

Hallstatt. Not only Hallstatt is the most famous view of Austria, but it is definitely in the top of the most recognizable travel pictures. Which means, that expectations were very high. And the disappointment more bitter. Hallstatt used to be the ancient point of salt extraction, now it is listed in UNESCO and attracts a lot of tourists. By “a lot” I do mean a lot. The car can be left only on the parking (around 10€ for the day), but be ready to see numerous coaches with tourists parked… directly in front of the iconic view.

What is even more curious, is the fact how popular Hallstatt is among the Chinese tourists. Again, the signs in Chinese with the most characteristic attributes. Which is slightly weird. They say, that being so much in love with Hallstatt some Chinese enthusiast has recreated piece by piece the exact copy of this iconic town. Apparently it has only stimulated the interest to the real Hallstatt.

To cut the long story short, it was difficult to find authenticity in a place so much spoiled by tourism.
By the way, the best moment to take pictures of Hallstatt is in the morning, as it faces the East. So put your alarm clock on!

Hallstatt
Hallstatt
Hallstatt
Hallstatt
Hallstatt
Hallstatt
Hallstatt
Hallstatt

Where we stayed

We spent a night in the camping directly in Hallstatt. Fortunately for us, it was still off-season, so we didn’t need to book in advance or to enjoy the crowd at its maximum.

Hallstatt
Hallstatt
Hallstatt

Day 6-7: Hallstatt > Salzburg

The nobility and beauty, the splendor and the ball, the sounds of the classic music – this is what Salzburg is associated with. The city owns the biggest part of its interest to the one of the few geniuses of humanity – Wolfgang Mozart. Everything in Salzburg is about Mozart, but, surprisingly, it doesn’t feel oppressive.

The Alps, the House of Mozart, the Fortress (Festung Hohensalzburg) and Alter Markt – Salzburg’s must-sees, but it is that kind of the city where loosing yourself is the best way to explore. Genuinely loved it.

Salzburg
Salzburg
Salzburg
Salzburg
Salzburg
Salzburg

Where we stayed

As it was my birthday we treated ourselves to a room in Altstadthotel Amadeus (told ya!) – We immersed even deeper to the spirit of the city.

[:en]Austria salzburg window book[:fr]Autriche Salzbourg fenêtre livre[:]
Salzburg
Salzburg

Day 8: Innsbruck > Liechtenstein

The most scenic and the scariest part of the trip – crossing Tyrol with its serpentine roads. Amazing how the blossoming spring of the valleys was turning progressively into busy ski resorts. Just look at it!

Tyrol is famous for its traditional side – everybody has heard at least once in life about the folklore songs – jodler, tyrolian cows and cozy wooden houses in the mountains. This is the reason why Tyrol is the unofficial symbol of Austria and receives the biggest number of tourists who come for skiing or cycling.

Austria road trip
Austria road trip
Austria road trip

Innsbruck is the capital of Tyrol, in a certain way it resembles Grenoble in France – a town with a direct access to the all outdoors activities you can imagine. Ski, snowboarding, cycling – Innsbruck is a real heaven for the amateurs of active sports. Even if the city is relatively big, you still feel the spirit of holidays.

We had a crush on Innsbruck for this exactly. A short walk (it’s not that big after all) was sufficient to see the tiny city-centre, but ideally we should have stayed for some skiing, exploring of the sights around and definitely taking in a cable car to Hafelkarspitze  to enjoy the stunning view. (if the photos don’t lie!)

Where we stayed

Couchsurfing worked perfect for us!

Innsbruck
Innsbruck
Innsbruck
Innsbruck
Innsbruck

Our final post-Austria and pre-Germany stop was in Liechtenstein. A mythic country which looks to feel very good between Austria and Switzerland. I can’t say though that there is anything particular to see, but this way you can cross another country on the Been app.

Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein
Day Where
Day 1-3 Vienna
Day 4 Vienna – Krems an der Donau / Cycling day
Day 5 Krems – Linz – Hallstatt
Day 6 Hallstatt – Salzburg
Day 7 Salzburg – Innsbruck
Day 8 Innsbruck – Liechtenstein

Have you ever been to Austria? What are your impressions?

If you wonder, what we were eating during the whole trip, the answer will be very sad. The supermarket food and occasional cafés. Make sure to check out the articles about Austria by All the Places You Will Go – their trips and photos are incredible!