Austria

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DITTRICH

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I am doing some research on visiting Austria, Italy and Switzerland this summer on the way back from Russia. I have around 6 days to play with in Austria.

I plan...

1 Moscow - Kaunas (1n)
2 Kaunass - Wroclaw (1n)
3 Wroclaw - Zell am See (6n)

I am planning on doing things like:-

1 Hochalpentrasse
2 Gerlostrasse.
3 Werfen Castle
4 Eisreisenwelt
5 krimml Waterfall

And if time a detour into the Dolomites in Italy...

1 from Cortina d'amprezzo
2 via various passes
3 to Bolzano
4 and then Stelvio and back into Austria.

And after that...

1 Neuschwanstein Castle
2 Visiting friends in Frankfurt am Main (2n)
3 Home to London.

Has anyone done anything in these regions?
Any recommendations gratefully received!

[All I have to do now is persuade SWMBO who nearly did me in for driving her up to the 1,600m observation post overlooking Geiranger in Norway 2 years ago.]
 
Krimmler waterfall takes a good couple of hours and is a very stiff climb but worth it. Dont park at the first come carpark but carry on up the road a bit cos there are plenty more. We stayed at Zell am See which is pretty and nice approach road from the north. While at Zell do not miss the Grossglockner.


Cortina d'amprezzo is bigtime Swiss chalet type ski resort and quiet in the summer so accommodation is cheap and plentiful. Good center for touring the Dolomites. This is Gardenia on the way out of Cortina to the west. Sept 2004.

summitofGardenia.jpg



Neuschwanstein Castle is breathtaking but also a stiff climb. A lot of the interior was closed off for renovation when we were there last June. What not to miss is the Marienbrücke. Signposted from the castle it's about a 20min walk. Hope you've got a head for heights. We stayed at Hopfen am See.


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Also if you have time try to go from Italy to Switzerland over the Bernina Pass. This is the view from the summit cablecar which takes you up to the glacier. Note the road in the distance which is where the cablecar runs from. :eek:

Italyholiday032.jpg


This is where we stayed although it was in autumn so minus the snow.

Gasthaus Berninahaus

Fantastic fondue. Mountain railway at the front door. Cowbells etc etc. Yodel O hi ho.........:bannana:



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Are you driving? if so my friend when to austria through various countries, one thing he mentioned was that you need some sort of road pass to drive through the countries.. not too sure but i thoguht id mention it just incase you are not aware
 
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crockers said:
Thought Austria was in EU so why does one need a pass?
Click to expand...

It is for the same reason we have to pay tolls to use motorways in most of the rest of Europe, the only unfair part about it is foreign vehicles get to use all our roads for free.

Every service area within 50 km of the Austrian border sell the road toll ticket, and you can buy them at the border, it covers all motorways but some passes and tunnels require an extra fee, the Brenner pass being one of them iirc
 
If you are doing the Grossglockner Hochaplenstrasse do take in the ice caves: it is on the way if going South from Salzburg. Really worth it but a damn long walk from the cable car!

EISRIESENWELT WERFEN - Site

As you drive up to the car park, if the castle on the other side of the valley looks familiar that is because that is where the exteriors for "Where Eagles Dare" was filmed.
 
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Usuf_x said:
Are you driving? if so my friend when to austria through various countries, one thing he mentioned was that you need some sort of road pass to drive through the countries.. not too sure but i thoguht id mention it just incase you are not aware
Click to expand...

Switzerland - motorway sticker
Austria - will be checking this as I was aware.

I already have a german umweltplackette!

But yes, negotiating europe requires lot of stickers!
 
jimti said:
It is for the same reason we have to pay tolls to use motorways in most of the rest of Europe, the only unfair part about it is foreign vehicles get to use all our roads for free.

Every service area within 50 km of the Austrian border sell the road toll ticket, and you can buy them at the border, it covers all motorways but some passes and tunnels require an extra fee, the Brenner pass being one of them iirc
Click to expand...

I am aware that I will need to have cash to pay tolls for roads and passes.
Most of the autoroutes (fr) and autostrada (it) have accepted cc/dc cards in their toll booths.
 
Satch said:
If you are doing the Grossglockner Hochaplenstrasse do take in the ice caves: it is on the way if going South from Salzburg. Really worth it but a damn long walk from the cable car!

EISRIESENWELT WERFEN - Site

As you drive up to the car park, if the castle on the other side of the valley looks familiar that is because that is where the exteriors for "Where Eagles Dare" was filmed.
Click to expand...

Yes, this is how I became aware of werfen.
 
Cortina is OK, but there are better places to use as a base in the Dolomites imo. Last summer we stayed at the Hotel Gran Paradis in Campitello di Fassa which I can thoroughly recommend as a great family-run hotel and excellent value. They even provide you with a pack of route cards for circular tours covering some of the best roads in the area! PM me if you're interested and I'll scan them to a pdf.

We've also stayed in the Tramserhof Hotel in Landeck which is another place that offers excellent value and is well situated for exploring the Sud Tirol. I have a great day trip route from there that takes in the Stelvio - again, PM me if you're interested and I'll send it you.

Finally, Motorcycle Journeys Through the Alps and Beyond by John Hermann has some excellent tour routes and is an invaluable resource for planning trips on some superb roads in the mountains.
 
@st13phil
Thanks for the recommendations.
No need to scan stuff but kind of you to offer.
I am using the motorcycle websites to choose some of the routes and am checking them out (and other places) on youtube.
Les
 
No problem, Les. Motorcycle websites and forums are a great resource for finding the best roads in the Dolomites and the Alps :thumb:

If you've never been over the Stelvio before it's worth thinking about which way you want to drive it as it gives a very different experience, either from Bormio in the west or from Prato in the east.

The toughest, and to me the most spectacular, climb is the one from Prato. On this side there are 48 hairpins to negotiate (each one numbered on the guard walls as they count down to the top) and it is deservedly regarded as one of the finest continuous hairpin sectors in the Alps. The climb is steep and pretty bumpy as the ground here shifts a good deal and the hairpins are nearly all blind and extremely steep. However, the combination of sense of achievement (and relief?) upon reaching the summit and the scenic views on the way up make it – for me – all worthwhile.

The top of the pass is normally very busy – packed with bikes and a bit touristy – and has the usual selection of tacky souvenir shops. There's also a würst-stall operated by a highly animated character who can verbally entice passers-by to buy from his stall in seemingly every European language. The würsts are great by the way.

The western side (from Bormio) is less steep and has a much better surface. It runs through pretty dreary scenery on the whole (that is far less spectacular than that on the east side), but the road has been widened in places and doesn't suffer from the often uneven surface of the east side. It's mostly wide and flowing, has generally good visibility and only a few short bumpy bits but it's worth slowing down significantly for the tunnels which are unlit, generally wet, with corners and serious potholes. There’s a great series of wide hairpins by the waterfall and although less steep than the eastern side it is still steep in places, especially just before the top where the Umbrail / St. Maria pass joins from Switzerland. The attraction of climbing from Bormio and making the descent to Prato is that you get better visibility on the tight hairpins of the descent on the eastern side.
 
DITTRICH said:
Switzerland - motorway sticker
Austria - will be checking this as I was aware.

I already have a german umweltplackette!

But yes, negotiating europe requires lot of stickers!
Click to expand...

What's that? We're off to Oberammagau June 12th - planning to go on to Austria and then to Lake Constance - will we need one of these German thingies? If so what are they and where do I get one?

I have just discovered via this thread that I will need to but the token for the Austrian motorways.
 
No Crockers, Germany's free unless you have an HGV. And you can get a short term Austrian one. 10days iirc.

Go and see this in the Zeppelin Museum at Friedrichshafen on Bodensee while you're there.

eng4.jpg
 
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crockers said:
What's that? We're off to Oberammagau June 12th - planning to go on to Austria and then to Lake Constance - will we need one of these German thingies? If so what are they and where do I get one?

I have just discovered via this thread that I will need to but the token for the Austrian motorways.
Click to expand...

Quite a few German cities have "low emissions zones" because the "green" party is quite big there. In order to enter the zones in these cities you need one of these stickers or you get fined EUR40 each time you are noticed by police and traffic wardens (or I understand grassed on by the locals). The AA foreign advice section has full details. I bought mine at an MB dealership near Berlin using my original V5C for EUR5.50. The stickers are valid for the life of the car. Some cars are "green", some "orange" qand some "red". If you haven't got a green sticker then basically you can't enter the zones but it is complicated by the fact that the zones did not all start at once...(I have vastly simplified the actual situation).

http://www.umwelt-plakette.de/int_england.php?SID=534855a484657287752c8269cafc417f
 
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Damn - I see Augsburg needs one - we are booked in there for a night and no-one told us. Oh well now to see what I can sort out in just under 2 weeks.

Why don't we issue passes to foreign cars to use our roads etc too...
 
crockers said:
Damn - I see Augsburg needs one - we are booked in there for a night and no-one told us. Oh well now to see what I can sort out in just under 2 weeks.

Why don't we issue passes to foreign cars to use our roads etc too...
Click to expand...

It depends on whether your hotel is inside the zone and whether you have cause to enter the zone whilst driving a car.
 
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