My daughter put together this itinerary. Her goal was to experience "The Sound of Music", Bavarian castles, World War II history, and, oh, there happened to be a Formula 1 race in Austria that weekend!
The route was Vienna, Salzburg, and then Munich. Vienna isn't an easy place to get to from Memphis. It took us 3 legs - Memphis to Detroit, Detroit to Amsterdam, and Amsterdam to Vienna. Total travel time was 26 hours.
I had spent an afternoon in Vienna in 2006 so we at least had some idea of what to see. These included Schönbrunn Palace, St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Haus des Meeres, Museum der Illusionen, Spanish Riding School, and Mauthausen concentration camp on the way to Salzburg.
In Vienna, we stayed at the Marriott Bonvoy which was the only building in the ENTIRE trip that had an air conditioned public area, i.e. the lobby. The temperature in Vienna hovered around (sometimes above) 100°.
The Formula 1 race was in Spielberg, just over a 2 hour drive with no traffic. Three of us helicoptered to the race and the others visited museums and horses in Vienna.
We rented an 8 passenger van and headed out to Salzburg, about a 3 hour drive. We found a McDonald's on the way for a eagerly anticipated hamburger.
On the way to Salzburg, we visited the Mauthausen Concentration Camp.
In Salzburg, we stayed at the Hotel Sacher. The rooms were great and the service even better. Our rooms overlooked the Salzach River.
Salzburg was the general area where "The Sound of Music" was set. We found that the filming locations were not always as they were represented in the film which is probably typical. Still, we got to see many of the iconic sights and pose at most of them.
Salzburg is much smaller than Vienna and has a beautiful Old Town just across the river. The Old Town is full of restaurants, shops, and historic buildings.
The Berchtesgaden Salt Mine is just outside of Salzburg.
We then tried to visit the Eagle's Nest but it was pouring down rain which would have impaired the view.
The next day we drove to Hallstatt. Someone compared it to Eze without the stairs.
Our next leg was to drive to Munich. You knew you were in Germany when the speed limit signs disappeared from the Autobahn.
In Munich, we stayed in the Platzl Hotel in the central city. One block away was what could have passed for Bourbon Street - beer halls, gelato stands, sidewalk restaurants.
We hit several sights in central Munich including the Glockenspiel, the Viktualienmarkt, and St. Peter's Church.
Our last day of sightseeing was a drive to Hohenschwangau Castle and Neuschwanstein Castle. I don't think we could have made it without our great tour guide.
After an exciting night of returning the van, we turned in for a good night's sleep before the long journey home. At least on the return leg, we only had one stop in Atlanta after a 10 hour flight from Munich.
Other Posts:
Vienna
Salzburg
Munich
Geotracks
My Daughter's Posts:
Munich
