Travel: what to do in Austria ?
May 14, 2006 10:19 AM Subscribe
Travelling: Gruβ Gott ! What could I do in Austria and Southern Germany near Munich?
I found a previous Mefi post on Vienna.
I will probably spend a couple weeks in Austria and southern Germany during august. The cities I will certainly visit are Vienna, Innsbruck, Salzburg, maybe also Graz and Linz. I already visited Munich, but I will probably come back to see again the Musum of Science and Technique.
I will go with my car, I don't mind driving an hundred kilometers per day if it's on highway.
I like the following: visiting technical museums or supremely fantastic museums like Louvre , industrial-archeology sightseeing, famous monuments, architectural oddities like Le Courbousiers Unité d'Habitation in Marseille, La Defence in Paris and so on, middle and big farmer markets, visiting artisans while they work, taking more pictures then a Japanese couples, and Disney of Geeks such as Akihabara (sorry for the spelling)
Yet any kind of suggestion is welcome !
I also like easy trekking, relaxed biking, but other people may come with me that really don't like biking so it's not a first choice. Thanks for any help !
I found a previous Mefi post on Vienna.
I will probably spend a couple weeks in Austria and southern Germany during august. The cities I will certainly visit are Vienna, Innsbruck, Salzburg, maybe also Graz and Linz. I already visited Munich, but I will probably come back to see again the Musum of Science and Technique.
I will go with my car, I don't mind driving an hundred kilometers per day if it's on highway.
I like the following: visiting technical museums or supremely fantastic museums like Louvre , industrial-archeology sightseeing, famous monuments, architectural oddities like Le Courbousiers Unité d'Habitation in Marseille, La Defence in Paris and so on, middle and big farmer markets, visiting artisans while they work, taking more pictures then a Japanese couples, and Disney of Geeks such as Akihabara (sorry for the spelling)
Yet any kind of suggestion is welcome !
I also like easy trekking, relaxed biking, but other people may come with me that really don't like biking so it's not a first choice. Thanks for any help !
Salzburg was the first city I visited in Europe. Be sure to see Mozart's Geburtshaus and Hohensalzburg. A nice side trip might be to the monastery at Melk. If you want to get out of doors or at least into the country-side I found the area around Zillertal to be charming. It is a big skiing destination so there might be off-season deals in August. May I also give my highest recommendation to Bamberg. It is a couple hours north of Munich (by train, no idea with a car). It is simply one of the most beautiful cities I've ever been to, literally alive with history and culture. Have a Rauchbier. I'm jealous now. I want to go, too.
posted by fantastic at 11:58 AM on May 14, 2006
posted by fantastic at 11:58 AM on May 14, 2006
arco beat me to Dachau.
The salt mines in Salzburg are interesting.
If you've seen Hostel or EuroTrip, you might have heard of Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. Fortunately, it's nothing like either movie, is only an hour drive from Vienna, and is worth at least a day trip.
posted by cactus at 1:51 PM on May 14, 2006
The salt mines in Salzburg are interesting.
If you've seen Hostel or EuroTrip, you might have heard of Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. Fortunately, it's nothing like either movie, is only an hour drive from Vienna, and is worth at least a day trip.
posted by cactus at 1:51 PM on May 14, 2006
supremely fantastic museums ... , industrial-archeology sightseeing, famous monuments, architectural oddities ...
Right up your Allee would be the loontastic 19th c. castles of Mad King Ludwig II of Bavaria. The castles are Neuschwanstein (inspiration for Sleeping Beauty's Castle in Disneyland), the Rococo pocket fantasy Linderhof, and Herrenchiemsee, intended to outdo Versailles, but incomplete at Luddy's demise.
posted by rob511 at 5:13 PM on May 14, 2006
Right up your Allee would be the loontastic 19th c. castles of Mad King Ludwig II of Bavaria. The castles are Neuschwanstein (inspiration for Sleeping Beauty's Castle in Disneyland), the Rococo pocket fantasy Linderhof, and Herrenchiemsee, intended to outdo Versailles, but incomplete at Luddy's demise.
posted by rob511 at 5:13 PM on May 14, 2006
If you're going to be there between the 12th and 21st of August, I'd highly recommend spending a day or two in Straubing, which is about an hour drive from Munich (map). The Gäubodenvolksfest(Click on the 4th link down to see photos of the glorious weirdness), an Oktoberfest type event with agricultural exhibits, takes place during that time. It's a lot of fun -- about a quarter of the size of the Munich Oktoberfest, and relatively free of tourists. Definitely a great place to get a feel for the culture of rural Bavaria.
There's also an interesting collection of Roman artifacts (discovered in Straubing during the reconstruction after WWII) at the Gäubodenmuseum. And an old local brewery sometimes offers tours that are heavy on details about the technical aspects of beer brewing -- worth checking out if that sort of thing interests you.
posted by nixxon at 7:04 PM on May 14, 2006
There's also an interesting collection of Roman artifacts (discovered in Straubing during the reconstruction after WWII) at the Gäubodenmuseum. And an old local brewery sometimes offers tours that are heavy on details about the technical aspects of beer brewing -- worth checking out if that sort of thing interests you.
posted by nixxon at 7:04 PM on May 14, 2006
For sheer scenery, might I suggest Passau. It's on the German/Austrian border and near the Czech border. Three major european rivers converge in the center of the city and a large cathedral (featuring the worlds largest church organ) was built on the small jetty inbetween the rivers. Just above the city on a large rock outcropping is an impressive fortress built during the 11th century. It is a fantastic place to take a river cruise down the Danube into Austria.
I would also suggest trying to catch a soccer game at the fantastic new Allianz Arena in Munich. I believe they have guided tours during the day as well.
If you're looking for a beautiful drive, take the back roads from Fussen (Castle Neuschwanstein) towards Liechtenstein. The drive follows the shore of two beautiful glacial lakes (Plan See and Heiterwanger See) as you meander through the sheer cliffs in the heart of the Austrian Alps. There are at least a dozen or more medieval castles that can be seen from the road. You also get to experience the modern marvels of the Austrian and Swiss tunnel system, passing through countless kilometers of tunnels, including one that is nearly 20km long.
posted by fatbobsmith at 7:53 PM on May 14, 2006
I would also suggest trying to catch a soccer game at the fantastic new Allianz Arena in Munich. I believe they have guided tours during the day as well.
If you're looking for a beautiful drive, take the back roads from Fussen (Castle Neuschwanstein) towards Liechtenstein. The drive follows the shore of two beautiful glacial lakes (Plan See and Heiterwanger See) as you meander through the sheer cliffs in the heart of the Austrian Alps. There are at least a dozen or more medieval castles that can be seen from the road. You also get to experience the modern marvels of the Austrian and Swiss tunnel system, passing through countless kilometers of tunnels, including one that is nearly 20km long.
posted by fatbobsmith at 7:53 PM on May 14, 2006
The Ars Electronica Center in Linz is great. It's a museum of the future featuring novel computer interfaces, art projects, simulations and the like.
posted by cerbous at 1:23 AM on May 15, 2006
posted by cerbous at 1:23 AM on May 15, 2006
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posted by arco at 11:34 AM on May 14, 2006