THE ROMANTIC ROAD FROM TO VIENNA

SELF-DRIVE TOUR

ITINERARY

The following itinerary is an example of a possible route with various activities. It can reorganized to fit your interests, budget and schedule. It can also be combined with any of the other programs on our website.

Itinerary is subject to change with or without notice. The sequence of day trips may vary. The final itinerary will be given at the start of the trip.

Day 1 – Arrive in Salzburg Airport

Welcome to ! Upon arrival in Salzburg, you will be met and transferred to your downtown hotel. The rest of the day is free for exploring this vibrant Austrian town.

Day 2 – Salzburg

A whole day is more than enough to fall head over heels in love with Salzburg. This short stay should begin with a delightful breakfast at one of the many coffee houses with their cozy niches and picturesque terraces.

Fortified by a plentiful breakfast you are ready to spend the day enjoying a myriad of activities: if you want shopping you'll stroll along the Getreidegasse, full of some great shops. For those who "aim high", they have two city mountains to choose from the Mönchsberg or the Kapuzinerberg, different from each other for what they offer to their visitors: while the Kapuzinerberg promises especially peace and tranquility of nature, the Mönchsberg has various attractions including the Museum of Modern Art, the m32 Restaurant and . Or you can head south to Hellbrunn Palace with its Trick Fountains or take a cable car to the top of the Untersberg.

A long walk necessarily includes these attractions: Hohensalzburg Fortress, the Cathedral, the Franciscan Church, St. Peter's Monastery, Church and Cemetery, Mozart's Birthplace in Getreidegasse, the Residence and its magnificent State Rooms and the Mirabell Gardens on the other side of the Salzach River with its Pegasus Fountain, Dwarves Garden, Hedge Theater and Rose Garden.

All those who want to end the evening in peace and in a pleasant atmosphere, you can enjoy a glass of wine at one of the bars or eat a würstel at one of the sausage stands or stroll through the Romantic Old City at night. Days 3 - 4 – Salzburg - Mondsee - Sankt Wolfgang

After breakfast at your hotel, pick up your rental car in the city center. Depart for Mondsee, one of the lakes of the Salzkammergut, a holiday resort located only 27 kilometers from Salzburg where you can practice any kind of sports. Many events enrich the allure of the place. A short change of direction southwards will take you to Sankt Wolfgang, one of the pearls of the lakes region where you will find an old-fashioned atmosphere that restores serenity and peace from which let yourself become simply intoxicated.

Day 5 – Bad Ischl - Traunkirchen - Kremsmünster - Steyr

Today you continue to drive to Bad Ischl, set like a precious stone, between two rivers, Traun and Ischl. Here too, lakes and mountains embrace the small town, famous for the villa of Emperor Franz Joseph and the Marmorschlössl, the marble castle, one of the dwellings of Princess Sissi. After a while, you will reach the picturesque village of Traunkirchen, where stands out the baroque church of Maria Krönung, and later Gmunden, famous for its ceramics.

After about 127 kilometers from Salzburg, you will reach Scharnstein, an uncontaminated pre- alpine area with forests, a castle and many great trails. Driving ever further north, you will cross Grunau, a bucolic village delimited by the National Park of Almsee, after a short drive of half an hour you will reach Kremsmünster. This small town surrounded by hills was a center of culture since ancient times.

The road passes over and, after crossing the rivers Krems and Enns, after about 30 kilometers, it leads you to Steyr, also located between the same rivers. Among bridges and old fountains not to be missed to visit its medieval square that is composed of buildings and old houses adorned with frescoes facades including the Gothic Bummerlhaus. From a high ground, the Lamberg Castle stands out.

Day 6 – Seitenstetten - Maria Taferl - Schallaburg -

Today you leave Steyr behind and drive to Seitenstetten, where the spectacular Benedictine abbey awaits you with its baroque church and the works art collection. From Ybbs you will reach the Danube, you'll cross it for arriving at Maria Taferl, a well-known pilgrimage site and then continue towards Schallaburg. Here stands the , considered one of the most beautiful castles in the north of the Alps.

Not far from Schallaburg there is the famous Benedectine abbey of Melk, founded by Leopold II in 1089 and has always been an important spiritual and cultural center. Precious manuscripts were produced and archived inside the library of the abbey.

Day 7 – Melk - Danube cruise - Krems

After breakfast at your hotel in Linz, drive to the town of Melk where you can visit its magnificent abbey. The Melk Abbey is the symbol of the Valley and its steep, terraced vineyards overlooking the Danube.

In the evening step aboard a ship and enjoy a round-trip cruise between Melk and Krems on the Danube to admire the amazing UNESCO Wachau Valley, blanketed with vineyards and ornamented with cute villages.

Day 8 – Melk - Vienna

After breakfast at your hotel, you will drive towards your final destination: Vienna. Drop off your rental car and check-in at your new downtown hotel. After lunch, you can start to visit this amazing capital, home of the mighty Habsburgs, the waltz and delicious Wiener Schnitzel. Located on the banks of the Danube, Vienna was once an ancient Roman village and grew to become one of Europe's greatest empires during the 19th century.

Day 9 – Vienna

You have two entire days to visit Austria capital. Built on the fortifications of a medieval city, Vienna is one of Europe's most vibrant and cosmopolitan cities. With an astounding array of monuments, churches and cathedrals as well as a multitude of fine restaurants, chic stores and glittering nightlife, Vienna will surely satisfy all your senses!

Day 9 – End of your Tour

Today after your breakfast at your hotel, transfer to Vienna International Airport in time to check-in for your departure flight.

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