Vienna, Hallstatt, Salzburg, Innsbruck
Austria is a beautiful country, with mountains, hills, lakes, charming cities, and tasty pastries alongside Viennese soup and coffee! Travel Austria by car, train, subway, and bus.
Vienna
Walking through Vienna was easy. And riding the Ringstrasse tram was helpful in seeing sights within the old city. Much of Vienna history, and the sights, revolve around the Habsburg family and their 600-year reign. The Hofburg complex of buildings, is dedicated to the Habsburgs; they are the Hofburg Imperial Apartments, New Palace Museum, Hofburg Treasury, and the Lipizzaner stallions.
We researched each of these sights to decide which to visit. The Treasury was our favorite and we skipped the New Palace and Imperial Apartments.
The Imperial Apartments display the lavish rooms of Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elisabeth (“Sisi”). The New Palace Museum contains musical instruments, arms and armor, and ancient artifacts. The Treasury holds royal relics dating back centuries, including Empress Elisabeth’s jewels, noble garments, the imperial crown, and royal orb.
Schonbrunn Palace
The Schonbrunn Palace, which is the Habsburg’s summer home, is a 15-minute train ride outside Vienna. We preferred the Schonbrunn over the Imperial Palace, as we weren’t interested in seeing the Sisi’s museum within the Imperial Palace.
We purchased our grand tour tickets in advance. There were three different ticket choices, the best ticket option to see the most was the grand. It was a 50-minute tour that led us through 40 eloquent apartments and opulent royal salons. The palace is quite extensive with 1,441 total rooms.
After the palace, we strolled through the immaculate gardens. We had time to spare and decided to visit the carriage museum, located behind the palace. The museum held simple and extravagant coaches that served the royal family. These included winter sleds, children’s buggies, a black funeral coach, and an elaborate golden carriage with embellished horses. There were brief descriptions along each item that explained the carriage purpose.
Kunsthistorisches Museum
The Kunsthistorisches or the “Kunst” Museum, was massive in size, with extensive exhibits of European art, ancient treasures, and centuries of Greek and Roman antiquities. The exterior of the building itself is imposing, and the interior is quite large, with multiple floors. As one of the largest museums in the world, the Kunst is decorated with marble, gold filigree details, and beautiful staircases. It is easy to dedicate three hours to the museum
Hallstatt
The picturesque town of Hallstatt is located on the shores of a lake by the same name (Hallstatt). It’s a 3.5-hour drive by car or train from Vienna. Since the weather was perfect, we took advantage of the outside activities. We rented an electric boat for a leisurely lake ride, hiked the nearby hills, and rode the funicular to the mountaintop to take in the spectacular view and relax with an expresso. Had the weather been rainy, there was a salt mine and ice cave to tour. And for dinner, we had delicious locally caught fish, fresh from the lake.
Salzburg
Salzburg is about an hour car ride from Hallstatt, which lies close to the Austria and Germany border. From Hallstatt by train to Salzburg was over two hours. It was much faster to drive. We liked Vienna; although we preferred the smaller Salzburg. Separating the pedestrian friendly old town from the new town is the Salzburg River. Within the old town were tourist attractions; museums, restaurants, and our favorite Boutique am Dom hotel. On one of our visits, we joined in the Austria Oktoberfest celebration located in the center square.
A main attraction in Salzburg is the Hohensalzburg Fortress, located on top of the Monchsberg Mountain. We purchased the full ticket in advance and visited all the captivating and historical small-scale museums. By accessing the highest point within this amazingly preserved medieval castle, we were rewarded with a fascinating panoramic view of Salzburg and beyond. It’s worth a two to three hour visit and was a highlight of our day.
Additional points of interest were Mozart’s birthplace, Hellbrunn Palace, Salzburg Cathedral, and Salzburg Museum. And special tour buses were available to visit the various Sound of Music sights.
From Salzburg, we could travel to Innsbruck or drive back to Munich. We have done both.
Innsbruck
The town of Innsbruck, within the Austrian Tirol, was a stopping point from Salzburg on our way to the Dolomites in Italy. Suited for pedestrians, the old town district was nice for just strolling around, and with a beautiful mountainous landscape, it’s a perfect location for hiking. If visiting in the winter, there are excellent skiing opportunities.
