UK to Austria- any suggestions?

[Ullevi]

The wife and I are looking to go to Kitsbuhel in Austria in October.

I've never been to Germany or Austria before so would appreciate any advice/ recommendations.

We have up to 9 days to play with including travel and could stay 4-5 days in Austria. Probably using the Channel Tunnel.

Any ideas as to the best route?

Obviously would like to make good progress and push the motor on the Autobahns but would also like to stop a night or two in Germany and have a look around.

Any suggestions for nice places to stop over in Germany. Nice small comfortable hotels would be ideal.

Is Mercedes World Stuttgart worth a stop even if I've been to Brooklands?

Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

[BTB 500]

The M-B museum in Stuttgart is nothing like Brooklands and is definitely worth a visit:

http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/events/29221-mercedes-museum-stuttgart-pictures-trip-last-week.html

Sinsheim is not far away and also well worth going to:

http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/general-discussion/74857-pictures-sinsheim-auto-technik-museum.html

http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/ot-o...-sinsheim-auto-technik-museum-aeroplanes.html

Channel tunnel is excellent - we wouldn't go across any other way now. You can save a lot on the tickets by booking early. Best thing for us is the flexibility - you can nearly always get on an earlier train if your timings are 'on the safe side' and you turn up early.

Can't really help with where to stay ... we always stop with the in-laws

We popped over to the Alps for a day this year - fantastic

Etc.

 

[jaymanek]

Where abouts in the alps is that Bill?

 

[SportsCoupeRich]

amazing photos.

dont get followed by or witness any professional assassins!

 

[BTB 500]

Where abouts in the alps is that Bill?

We started at Oberstdorf, on the German side of the border. The river is at Breitachklamm ... it's a ravine that goes right back into the mountain.

I posted some more pics in this thread:

http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/general-discussion/134601-germany-vito.html

 

[Ullevi]

amazing photos.

dont get followed by or witness any professional assassins!

Beautiful photos indeed. Mercedes World looks like its on a different level to the Brooklands one, having said that, those pictures are so good i probably don't need to go now!

The Alps look amazing.

Could I do to just North of Stuttgart in one day if I get a very early Channel crossing?

Oh, yes, definitely try to avoid assassin types, just seen Transporter 3 on TV so I'll know the types to avoid!

 

[BTB 500]

Could I do to just North of Stuttgart in one day if I get a very early Channel crossing?

Certainly, the in-laws are about 30 mins past Stuttgart and we normally arrive mid/late afternoon (remember they're an hour ahead of UK time). It's typically about 11 hours door-to-door from where we are (via Eurotunnel). We have breakfast on the train then make a single fuel/lunch/toilet stop about mid-way. When the kids were younger we often travelled overnight, but that's pretty tough on the driver!

 

[Ullevi]

Thanks, Bill, will probably do that. Get to North of Stuttgart, then next day MB World and drive into Austria. First time we're leaving the "kids" at home- well they're 18 and 22, so I hope the house will still be standing when we get back!

I'll take some photos and post them if we finally go.

 

[Chrishazle]

Swop your Tesco clubcard vouchers 3 for 1 for eurotunnel vouchers and get your eurotunnel costs at 1/3rd price! We've done it twice so far this year and had 2 day trips for £20 of Tesco vouchers each trip! Just have to allow time for booking by phone instead of online.

Drive through the Rhine Gorge on the main road instead of the autobahn across the top - maybe divert through the Moselle vally at Koblenz. Also consider the Schwarzwald Hochstrasse from Heidelberg via Titesee to Austria - fabulous.

 

[ghibbett]

Don't forget to buy a vignette if your planning on driving on the Austria autobahns. I used to live in Austria and have regularly commuted back and forth from Warwickshire to Graz (southern Austria) in the car.

Also highly recommend Berchtesgaden just south of Salzburg (German side). This is where Hitler had has Alpine retreat and it's well worth a visit. The town of Berchtesgaden is lovely too.

 

[Ullevi]

Don't forget to buy a vignette if your planning on driving on the Austria autobahns. I used to live in Austria and have regularly commuted back and forth from Warwickshire to Graz (southern Austria) in the car.

Also highly recommend Berchtesgaden just south of Salzburg (German side). This is where Hitler had has Alpine retreat and it's well worth a visit. The town of Berchtesgaden is lovely too.

Thanks for the suggestions, had forgotten about Berchtesgaden.

Where do you get the vignette for Austrian autobahns? If we're there just 3-4 days are prices sensible?

 

[BTB 500]

Ah ... don't foget you'll need an emissions disc for your car if you go through any of the German cities where this is mandatory (Stuttgart is one of them):

http://www.umwelt-plakette.de/umwel...7-01.pdf?SID=d4dfe8de8075f45b57966a8804275f46

PS just saw your car ... my father-in-law also has an SLK280

That's the emissions disc in the corner of the windscreen btw.

 

[ghibbett]

Thanks for the suggestions, had forgotten about Berchtesgaden.

Where do you get the vignette for Austrian autobahns? If we're there just 3-4 days are prices sensible?

You need to buy one before you enter Austria (if you enter on the Authbahn). They are sold at petrol station / services and are easy to get hold of. Of course you can also buy them at the border. I imagine you'll get a 10 day vignette which is about €10. But don't forget - the fines are BIG!!

 

[Ullevi]

Any one got any tips on nice places to stay on route?

Probably plan to drive past Nuremburg on the way out with one stop and probably go past Stuttgart and take 2 days on the way back, probaly last stop being near the Belgian border so less driving left to the Eurotunnel.

Do they have equivalent to Travelodges? Although I would prefer small traditional type hotels.

 

[Georgina101]

Amazing

Austria is one of my favorite places in the whole world! As it borders Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west it makes the perfect location, to move around in too! The closest I have got by that would probably be by ferry UK-France-Italy-Germany , or by flying directly from France! Both of which I would suggest browsing around for, when it comes to prices,always best to check price comparison websites too as I have found them to come out slightly cheaper than the carrier itself, try Book cheap ferries to France and across Europe | ferrysavers.com and Cheap flights | Free flight comparison from Skyscanner.net , or even by rail.com We spent hours in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna and the Tiergarten Schoenbrunn Zoo, the little one loved it.

 

[V12]

Lived there for 2 years and recently visited in may for a road trip to show my wife Austria for the first time.

We found the Star Inn in Salzburg to be £50 a night and although it wasn't exactly traditional, the quality, cleanliness and service would out do some hotels at more than twice the price.

It made an excellent base for 2 nights as we explored some of the lakes, most notably Konigssee (as Berchtesgaden has already been mentioned.)

My Favourite area is Kaernten (Carinthia), so we spent 3 nights just outside Klagenfurt, took the woertersee lake "taxi" which is a cheap way to travel the lake and includes a guided tour over the tannoy (although only in german - which was no problem for me, but had to translate everything for the wife)

This is the route i would recommend if you don't want to stop a million times on the way
https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?saddr=London&daddr=49.5096901,8.311079+to:Berchtesgaden,+Upper+Bavaria,+Bavaria,+Germany&hl=en&ll=49.567978,6.459961&spn=8.081222,21.51123&sll=48.79239,9.931641&sspn=8.208449,21.51123&geocode=FaHzEQMd-wv-_yl13iGvC6DYRzGZKtXdWjqWUg%3BFTp18wIdJ9F-ACmV1cdlsTOWRzGepXF0ehOuVw%3BFWTH1gIdil3GACnTndeoXet2RzFwtzcJpCUdBA&oq=london&mra=ls&t=m&z=6&via=1

Museum in Stuttgart is worth every penny for any MB enthusiast.
Munich has lots to offer if you want another stop over on your way down.

If you want a little more scenery, take the main road down to donaueschingen. Beautiful black forest scenery, worlds largest cuck coo clock and largest waterfall in germany all easy to find and nice little stops.

Cut across the north border of bodensee for ease and travel along the alps past garmisch-partenkirchen and down to innsbruck. Excellent mountain roads with lovely switch backs and loads of safety if you are inclined to push it a little bit.

From innsburck, head towards zell am see. This road is amazing! Best views of the tallest mountain in Austria and one of the biggest in Europe.

In my opinion, the east side of austria is generally flat and boring. There are some good historical sites in Vienna, but i'm not a fan. Living there for 7 months was enough for me!
That said, took the wife there for 3 days and she was reasonably impressed.

 

[V12]

Should have looked before I lept...I've just repeated what some others have said.
Got so excited thinking about austria i didn't even read your post properly.
You're staying in Kitzbühel, you'll have excellent views of the mountains from there, not too far from zell am see at all.
Make sure you take good hiking boots...and plenty of spare memory cards!

 

[bing]

Porsche museum in Zuffenhausen well worth a visit too and you're minutes from stuttgart for MB .. Check this hotel : Abacco Hotels GmbH: Abacco Hotel it's a porsche theme hotel and great facilities, pool, spa and cheap enough.

 

[st13phil]

Any one got any tips on nice places to stay on route?

...and take 2 days on the way back, probaly last stop being near the Belgian border so less driving left to the Eurotunnel.

A couple of suggestions for the stopover on the way home:

1. Hotel Heintz in Vianden. No restaurant, but a comfortable place run by nice people and a few good restaurants to choose from nearby (this one which is a five minute walk up the road was pretty good)

2. Alstadt Hotel in Trier. Lots to see in Trier, and plenty of eateries to choose from.

Worth arriving in Luxembourg with an empty tank to take advantage of the cheapest fuel in Europe, too

 

[Satch]

Done that many times now and in terms of getting there get Eurotunnel around 23.00 and drive through to Munich.

Even with a couple of stops easily there for breakfast

In terms of places to go in October a lot depends on the weather but this is well worth doing if you can, not far from Kitz.

Grossglockner High Alpine Road

This is a bit further away, more or less directly South of Salzburg

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