Beautiful Austria. Picturesque green fields, surrounded by rocky, snow topped mountain ranges. It is undoubtedly one of the most peaceful and naturally stunning places to visit in the world. My last visit to Austria was a cold, snowy stopover in Vienna whilst on a European tour. This time, with only 24 hours in Austria, we packed in two major towns, Innsbruck and Salzburg.
So why only 24 hours you may ask? Well, once we finished our cruise in Rome, my family would only have two weeks to explore Europe before they would have to head back home to Australia. We decided to hire an RV – Camper van to trek around with, to get the most out of our short time. I will do more posts on Camper-vanning across Europe in the coming weeks.
Austria is a great destination for a getaway, especially in the summer months. It is less crowded than it’s popular neighbors Germany and Switzerland, cheaper than Switzerland (due to the Swiss Franc currency doing very well) but undoubtedly just as beautiful.
As we drove into Austria from over the Italian border (also equally as stunning), you could tell right away you were in the country, famous for its hills and yodeling locals. The quaint houses are just what you would expect them to be like and everywhere you turn there is something to marvel at.
Salzburg
This was our first stop, arriving nice and early in the morning. Salzburg is most famous for its role in that classic movie we all know and love and yes, the hills are definitely alive here… with The Sound of Music of course. The stunning mountain ranges surround the town and you can gaze at the Hohensalzburg Castle all day long from all across the town.
The castle, Salzburg Cathedral as well as the famous gardens around Mirabell Palace which were featured in the famous film were highlights here.
After getting up early and spending our morning in Salzburg, we drove through the beautiful countryside to get to Innsbruck by the afternoon.
Innsbruck
This town has to be one of my favorite towns. I am a big fan of color, and this town had it by the bucket load. The buildings along the river, caressing the sides of the mountains, were all shaded pinks, blues, greens and yellows. The snow sitting a top the mountains was definitely not felt at ground level as it was a sunny and warm day.
Walking the streets of this town just added more charm to what was already charming the pants off me as soon as we drove in. Cute cafes, people riding around on their bicycles, a huge open square and just a lot of color!
And that was it for our stop in Austria. On to the equally as magnificent hills of Switzerland to continue our journey, but Austria had already stolen my heart in just a day. For a trip around Austria, Hallstatt and Vienna are the other places you must see, as well as the WHOLE countryside.
Hire a car here. Just do it, you won’t regret it.
