26 July 2010

Itinerary: London, Austria and Munich in Two Weeks

GRUSS GOTT 2010: ENGLAND, AUSTRIA & GERMANY

LONDON, ENGLAND; VIENNA, HALLSTATT, SALZBURG & INNSBRUCK, AUSTRIA; MUNICH & DACHAU, GERMANY

Sun 20 June - Tue 6 July 2010

++BASIC ITINERARY++

+Fly Chicago to London, England (0 stop), 20-6-10 (Sun), departing O’Hare Terminal One at 6:12 PM on United Airlines Flight 928 (seats 36A, 36B), arriving in London, England at 8:25 AM on 21-6 (Mon): a 8 hr 13 min flight

+4 nights London with Optional Day Trip (Oxford? Brighton? Cambridge?), 21-6 (Mon), 22-6 (Tue), 23-6 (Wed) & 24-6 (Thu)

+Flight London to Vienna, Austria (0 Stop), departing London-Heathrow Terminal Three at 9:50 AM on British Airways Flight 700, arriving in Vienna, Austria at 1:10 PM on 25-6 (Fri): a 2 hr 20 min flight with a 1 hour time difference

+3 nights Vienna, 25-6 (Fri), 26-6 (Sat) & 27-6

+Train Vienna to Hallstatt, Austria, 28-6 (Mon), 3 hours 42 minutes with no changes

+2 nights Hallstatt, 28-6 (Mon) & 29-6 (Tue)

+Train Hallstatt to Salzburg, 30-6 (Wed) - 2 hours 40 minutes including 1 change

+3 nights Salzburg with guided Sound of Music day trip,30-6 (Wed), 1-7 (Thu) & 2-7 (Fri)

+Train Salzburg to Innsbruck, 3-7 (Sat) - 2 hours with no changes

+1 night Innsbruck, 3-7 (Sat)

+Train Innsbruck to Munich, Germany, 4-7 (Sun), 1 hour 49 minutes with no changes

+2 nights Munich, Germany with day trip to Dachau Concentration Camp, 4-7 (Sun) & 5-7 (Mon)

+Fly Munich, Germany to Chicago-O’Hare (0 stop), 6-7 (Tue), departing Munich Airport Terminal Two at 3:40 PM on United Airlines Flight 8855, operated by Deutsche Lufthansa, arriving back in Chicago at 6:20 PM: a 9 hr 40 min flight

++DAY-BY-DAY ITINERARY++

DAY ONE (MON 21.6): LONDON

Arrival at Heathrow; Transfer to Covent Garden
We’ll arrive at Heathrow Airport at 8:25 AM on Monday, and after clearing customs, take the Tube (Blue, Piccadilly Line, heading east) to Covent Garden, which is the stop right after Leicester Square. We should purchase two three-day Travelcards for the Tube, at about £17, each, before boarding. This will be direct service from Heathrow to the Covent Garden stop, where our hotel is located.

Walking Directions to The Fielding Hotel from the Covent Garden Tube stop: Exit the Covent Garden Station onto Long Acre. Turn right and walk along Long Acre. Turn right onto Bow Street. Continue along Bow Street until you reach the junction of Bow Street and Broad Court, cross over at the pedestrian crossing onto Broad Court. The Fielding Hotel is on the right.

The Fielding Hotel, at 4 Broad Court. We’ve reserved a larger queen room for four nights with early check-in, including en suite bath/shower and wireless Internet access. Our rate is £164.50 per night, including VAT (total will be £658, BUT we paid a £64.50 deposit to hold the room in February, and thus the TOTAL due will be £593.50). Telephone is 20-7836-8305; email is reservations@thefieldinghotel.co.uk; www.thefieldinghotel.co.uk. We’ll start each day with breakfast at the nearby Covent Garden market (not available at the hotel, but many great local options nearby).

Note: Small, simple little hotel, with an outstanding location and very friendly, helpful staff. Nothing fancy, and no breakfast, but a fine place. Would definitely recommend it.

Breakfast & Shopping in Covent Garden; Harrod’s Department Store; Tour Kensington Palace
After getting settled in our hotel and having breakfast in Covent Garden, we’ll proceed via Tube to the Knightsbridge stop for some browsing and shopping at Harrod’s (opens at 10:00 AM), as well as the nearby shops on Beauchamp Place. To get to Harrod’s, we’ll take the Piccadilly line (Blue) west from Covent Garden to Knightsbridge (the 5th stop from Covent Garden).

After a few hours browsing and shopping, at about 1:30 PM, we’ll head over to Kensington Palace to tour Queen Victoria’s birthplace and Princess Diana’s one-time residence (about £12 each). To get there from Knightsbridge, we’ll take the Tube from Knightsbridge to High Street Kensington.

After touring Kensington Palace, we’ll head back to the hotel (for a short siesta) via Tube from High Street Kensington (Circle Line, Yellow) to South Kensington, where we’ll change to the Piccadilly Line (Blue) to Covent Garden.

Note: We never made it to the Palace; Dana needed a siesta and John went to the National Gallery (free, Trafalgar Square), instead.

Canela Café; Old Westminster By Gaslight Walk
At about 5:15 PM we’ll head out for dinner at Canela, a Portuguese café well-liked by locals on Yelp, with great prices. To get there from the Covent Garden Tube station, we’ll head northeast on Long Acre toward James Street, and turn left on Neal Street. Then we’ll go left on Earlham Street, and Canela will be on the right. It’s a two-minute walk from the Tube station.

After dinner, by about 6:15 PM, we’ll walk a few blocks to the Leicester Square Tube station, and take the Northern (Black) line south to Embankment, and then transfer to either the Circle (Yellow) or District (Green) line west to the Westminster stop. Then we’ll proceed to Exit 4 to meet our tour guide Angela, for our two-hour walking tour from London Walks, the Old Westminster Gaslight Tour (£7, each; no pre-booking; just show up and pay your guide).

After the walking tour--at about 9:00 PM--we’ll head back to the hotel for a good night’s sleep via Tube.

DAY TWO (TUE 22.6): LONDON

Breakfast at Crème de la Crepe; Thames River Cruise to Kew Gardens
We‘ll have breakfast this morning by 8:30 AM in the basement of the Covent Garden Market at Crème de la Crepe, before taking the Tube from the Leicester Square Tube station to Westminster Bridge for our Thames River Cruise to Kew Gardens.

Note: Crème de la Crepe was never open at 8:30 AM; we went to Starbucks, instead.

To get to Westminster Bridge from Covent Garden, we’ll walk a few blocks to the Leicester Square Tube station, and take the Northern (Black) line south to Embankment, and then transfer to either the Circle (Yellow) or District (Green) line west to the Westminster stop.

Then we’ll take the Westminster Passenger Services Association boat from Westminster Pier (departing from the pier beneath Westminster Bridge at 10:30 AM) to Kew Gardens (about £11, each, one-way; a 90-minute cruise up the Thames, with 45 minutes of narration; http://www.wpsa.co.uk).

Once at the Gardens, we’ll focus on three buildings: the Palm House, the Waterlilly House, and the Princess of Wales Conservatory. After the Palm House, we’ll walk 10 minutes to the Orangery for a light lunch. Afterwards, we’ll proceed back to Victoria Gate to take the narrated 35-minute train through the park that departs on the hour (entry to the park is about £13, and the train ride will be about £4 each). See p. 95 in Steves.

After the tram ride, we’ll take the Tube from Victoria Gate (take the Green Line, District) to the South Kensington stop, where we’ll transfer to the Piccadilly Line (Blue) back to Covent Garden for an afternoon siesta before tonight’s concert.

Bon Jovi Concert at the O2 London, 6 30 PM; leave hotel at 5:00 PM
After a siesta--and maybe grabbing a snack in Covent Garden--we’ll depart the hotel by 5:00 PM to take the Tube to the London 02 to see Bon Jovi in concert (starts at 6:30 PM). To get there via Tube, we’ll walk to the nearby Leicester Square Tube station and take the Northern Line (Black) south to Waterloo, where we’ll transfer to the Jubilee Line (Grey) heading east to the North Greenwich stop (where the 02 is located). The walk from the North Greenwich underground station to the O2 is about 200 meters.

After the show, we’ll have dinner at one of the many restaurants/pubs in the O2, to wait for the crowds to die down before returning to Covent Garden via Tube (Jubilee Line/Grey west to Waterloo, transfer to the Northern Line/Black, then north to Leicester Square). If the Tube is too crowded (or closed), to get home we could take a black cab (about £30, though).

Note: The Tube from the 02 was crowded, but after a short wait, worked out fine.

DAY THREE (WED 23.6): LONDON

Sleep In; Shopping; Churchill Museum & Cabinet War Rooms; Snack at the Westminster Arms
After our long day on Tuesday and the concert Tuesday night, we’ll sleep in this morning as long as we like, eventually taking breakfast at Covent Garden market before exploring Covent Garden’s shops (consider the crepe place we visited yesterday morning, or Ben’s Cookies at 13, The Piazza, also highly recommended).

Then, at about 2:00 PM, we’ll proceed to Westminster via Tube for a tour of the Churchill Museum & Cabinet War Rooms. The War Rooms are located--once we’re at Westminster Bridge, just out of the Tube Station--away from the bridge, west, heading toward Victoria. See London map in Steves; the War Rooms are #10 on the map, and Westminster Arms, where we’ll have lunch later, is a few blocks south of there.

We’ll tour the Churchill Museum & Cabinet War Rooms on King Charles Street (about £13, each; see p. 62 in Steves). A free and excellent 60-minute audio guide is available for the site
.
Then we’ll have a drink, a snack or lunch at The Westminster Arms at 9 Storey’s Gate, a few blocks south of the War Rooms (food is served downstairs).

Afterward, we’ll head back to the hotel for a siesta before we see Billy Elliot this evening.

NOTE: For the sake of convenience and because of the nice day, we actually walked to the Cabinet War Rooms from Covent Garden, through Trafalgar Square, down Whitehall, to Parliament Square. After the War Rooms—we dined in the nice little café there instead of the pub—we strolled through St. James Park across the street, to Buckingham Palace, before walking back for a siesta.

Billy Elliot; Dinner at About Thyme
About 6:30 PM we’ll take the Piccadilly line (Blue) from Covent Garden west to the Green Park stop, where we’ll transfer to the Victoria line south, to Victoria, which will place us about 100 meters from the Victoria Palace Theatre on Victoria Street, where we’ve purchased two tickets in advance for the 7:30 PM showing of Billy Elliot: The Musical (we paid £60, each, for seats in the Stalls, Row L, Seats 35 and 36, the left of the stage). Our confirmation number is 1843. We’ll get the tickets in the mail before our trip and should bring them with us (https://www.victoriapalacetheatre.co.uk). Once in front of Victoria Station, we should proceed left on Victoria Street for the theater (about two minutes’ walk). The show runs for 3 hours, including a 20 minute intermission.

After the show, we’ll have a snack and drinks at About Thyme (we will have made a reservation for 10:45 PM; web is www.aboutthyme.co.uk). About Thyme is located 200 meters south of Victoria Station on Wilton Road, on the junction with Warwick Way. It is a short walk from the Victoria mainline train station, and Victoria Underground Station on the Victoria, District and Circle lines. Comes highly-recommended on Trip Advisor.

After dinner we’ll return to Covent Garden via Tube from Victoria to sleep!

DAY FOUR (THU 24.6): LONDON (WITH OPTIONAL DAY TRIP)

Sleep In; To Do TBA
We’ll sleep in today until about 10:00 AM, and then make a plan over breakfast. We should be sure to order a cab to Heathrow for a 7:15 AM pickup tomorrow morning.

Among the options to consider today is the following:

+Vinopolis: London’s museum of wine (on South Bank; open noon until 9:00 PM on Thursdays; about £16 each; last entry 7:00 PM; includes tastings; located between the Globe and Southwark Cathedral (London Bridge Tube); might be fun at night
+The National Gallery features some of the greatest European paintings anywhere, and is free of charge; walking distance from Covent Garden; free entry; overview tours at 11:30 AM and 2:30 PM - see p. 65 in Steves
+We could take the Tube to Marble Arch and take a walk through Hyde Park - see p. 79 in Steves
Shopping and strolling Covent Garden
+Optional Day Trip via train to Oxford or Cambridge (classic university towns) or Brighton on the sea: trains include 10:06, 10:36 and 11:06 AM, from Victoria Station to Brighton (52 min, 0 stop; about *40 each?); 10:22, 10:50 and 11:22 AM, from Paddington to Oxford (1 hr, 0 stop; about *40 each?); and 10:15, 10:52 and 11:45 AM, from King’s Cross Station to Cambridge (just under an hour, 0 stop; about *40 each?)

NOTE: We chose a day-trip to Cambridge via train, and had a lovely day strolling the town and the various colleges that make up the university. For some it was graduation day.

Dinner at The Sherlock Holmes; South Bank Stroll
At about 6:00 PM we’ll proceed via Tube from Covent Garden to the Embankment station, for dinner at The Sherlock Holmes Pub, 10-11 Northumblerand Street, Westminster. We’ll exit Embankment at Villiers Street, and follow Villiers Street away from the station. We’ll go through The Arches, which run underneath Charing Cross station, straight across Craven Street and down Craven Passage to Nothumberland Street: http://www.sherlockholmespub.com. We want seating in the casual ground floor pub, not upstairs in the restaurant.

After dinner we’ll return to Embankment, cross the pedestrian Jubilee Bridge, and proceed on foot along London’s South Bank, people watching and shopping, until we reach Westminster Bridge (visit Vinopolis?). There we’ll cross the bridge and take the Tube from Westminster back to Covent Garden to pack for our morning departure via Heathrow to Vienna, Austria.

NOTE: Changed our minds, and instead of visiting the South Bank, we had a taxi take us to the site of a Florence Nightingale hospital and to Conan Doyle’s home, before dropping us in Hyde Park for a sunset stroll around the lake there.

DAY FIVE (FRI 25.6): FLIGHT - LONDON TO VIENNA, AUSTRIA

Fly London to Vienna, Austria
We’ll rise at 6:15 AM this morning and meet our taxi to Heathrow in front of the hotel at 7:15 AM. We’ll depart England at 9:50 AM on British Airways Flight 700, arriving in Vienna, Austria at 1:10 PM (a 2 hr 20 min flight plus 1 hour time difference).

Arrival in Vienna; Taxi to Pension Suzanne
Upon arrival at Vienna International Airport at 1:10 PM, we’ll head just outside of the arrival hall to catch a taxi to our hotel, the Pension Suzanne, located just yards from the historic opera house. The taxi should run about 40 from the airport, including the airport surcharge.

At the Pension Suzanne, we’ve reserved a quiet apartment room (queen) with shower, toilet and breakfast buffet--and arranged for an early check-in today--for 127 per night for three nights: 381 TOTAL). Also has free WI-FI, elevator, and fans upon request. Located a few yards from the opera house at Walfischgasse 4; phone is 01/513-2507; info@pension-suzanne.at; www.pension-suzanne.at.

NOTE: Nice little hotel. Good size room. Old-fashioned décor and an average breakfast, but clean, with a helpful staff. Great location, near the opera house and the main pedestrian street. We could even hear the opera through our window. The outside of the place is not much to look at, and in fact, is easy to miss completely, but we would stay here, again.

RS Self-Guided Walk of Vienna (strolling/shopping); Visit St. Stephen‘s Cathedral
After getting settled in the room (by about 2:30 PM), we’ll head outside to the opera building to begin the RS self-guided walk of Vienna’s old town, beginning at the opera and ending at the Hofburg Palace, not far from our hotel (the guided walk can be found on p. 78 in Steves). If we want lunch, we could, when we reach Neuer Markt, have something to eat at Kurkonditorei Oberlaa, which also has outdoor seating in the summer (p. 83). While we shop as we stroll, when we get to stop ten, Stephansplatz, we’ll visit St. Stephen’s Cathedral (while it’s free to enter, we’ll pay about 5 each to take the elevator up the tower). See p. 91 in RS. After completing the rest of our “get acquainted” tour of the old city center, we’ll return to our hotel for a siesta.

Horse Drawn Carriage Around Old Town Vienna and the Ring; Dinner at Kurkonditorei Oberlaa
Then after our siesta, we’ll have dinner at Kurkonditorei Oberlaa near our hotel (see p.159 in Steves), with outdoor seating on Neuer Markt. Located at Neuer Markt 16. Great pastries! For location, see map p. 155, location #20.

After dinner, we’ll stroll to Stephensplatz, to the north side of the Cathedral, to find the horse-and-buggy guides (called Fiakers in Austria), and splurge, at twilight or after dark, for the 40 minute horse-and-buggy tour through the old town and around the ring. Should be beautiful and memorable. Note: They may also be available for hire in front of the nearby Hofburg. About 70.

DAY SIX (SAT 26.6): VIENNA, AUSTRIA

Sleep in; Lipizzaner Stallions at Spanish Riding School; Stroll Naschmarkt
We’ll sleep in this morning until about 9:30 or so (after yesterday’s early start) have breakfast at the hotel, and then visit the Spanish Riding School for the 11:00 AM show (80 minutes in length). We’ll ask for standing room tickets at the door (20-28 each). The school is located near our hotel at Vienna’s Imperial Palace Hofburg, the main entrance Michaelerkuppel.

After the performance ends at about 12:30 PM, we’ll head over to Naschmarkt for shopping and strolling, having lunch at one of the many eateries there (see p. 62 in RS).

Then we’ll take a siesta back at the hotel, perhaps enjoying a slice of the world famous sacher torte (cake) with coffee at Café Sacher (about 8, each), first. See map p. 79; it’s located right near our hotel.

Heurigen: Dinner in a Vienese Wein Garten
After a long siesta, we’ll take Tram D to the last stop (Beethovengang) to the Nussdorf neighborhood, to have dinner in an Austrian Heurigen (a family-owned wine garden on the outskirts of town). The ride is only about 30 minutes. There is a tram stop near our hotel, just south of the opera (see map p. 42). Will cost under e2 per ticket, one way. Buy tickets from Tabak-Trafik shops, station machines, offices marked Vorverkauf in the stations, or on tram (but it’s more expensive to do that, so avoid it if possible).

Once off the tram, we’ll find three places from which to choose, all skinny and side-by-side: if open, choose Schubel-Auer Heuriger (open 4:00 PM to Midnight Mon through Sat). Here we’ll find we can fill our plates with a self-serve cold-cut buffet (about 6 to 10 each). Food is sold by the 10-dag: 10-dag is about a quarter pound. Other dishes to look for, per Steves, include Stelze (grilled pork knuckle), Fleischlaberin (fried ground meat patties), Schinkenfleckerin (pasta with cheese and ham), Kummelbraten (crispy roast pork with caraway). Servers will then take our wine order (about 3 per glass, with each glass about 8 oz). The wine is homemade new wine…and strolling musicians playing traditional Austrian music may show up at anytime.

Then we’ll return home after dinner, a few drinks, music, and strolling this non-touristy Austrian neighborhood.

NOTE: We opted against the tram out of town, and instead took a guided bus tour of the city and after dinner strolled the beautiful Stadtpark.

DAY SEVEN (SUN 27.6): VIENNA, AUSTRIA

Vienna Boys’ Choir (Anton Bruckner’s Mass in D Minor) at Hofburgkapelle; Café Braunerhof
This morning we’ll rise early to attend the 9:15 AM Mass in D Minor performed by the world-renowned Vienna Boys’ Choir in the nearby Hofburgkapelle (we have already reserved ticket through http://www.hofburgkapelle.at, at a cost of 26, each). We have arranged to collect our tickets at the chapel‘s booking office at 8:30 AM, paying cash (the tickets are being held for us under Reservation No. 48806). We’re supposed to take our seats by 8:50 AM. Our tickets include a good view of the altar, which will be important at the end, when the choir comes down to perform one song at the front of the chapel (all other songs are performed from the balcony behind us). The performance will run about one hour. It takes place in the Hofburg Palace’s imperial music chapel; the entrance is at Schweizerhof--we can get there from In der Burg Square or by going through the tunnel from Josefsplatz. See RS color map of Vienna.

After the performance, we can have a coffee and read or relax in a Vienese café. We can try Café Braunerhof, located between the Hofburg and the Graben, at Stallburgasse 2 (see item #23 on map in Steves, p. 155). We could also stroll and shop, before we take the U-Bahn (subway) to visit the Hapsburg’s Schonbrunn Palace, second to only Versailles in terms of European royal grandeur.

Karlsplatz; Schonbrunn Palace
To avoid the huge summer crowds visiting the palace and a long wait for our entry time, we’ll book our tickets in advance online and visit at 2:00 PM, when most tourists are departing. At about 1:00 PM, then, we’ll take the U-4 (U-Bahn 4, subway) to the palace (will cost under 2 per ticket, one way. Buy tickets from Tabak-Trafik shops, station machines, or offices marked Vorverkauf in the stations--you cannot buy U-Bahn tickets on the train). To get the U-Bahn from our hotel, we’ll head just south of the opera to Karlsplatz (see color map of Vienna). Note that Karsplatz is picnic friendly square--we could enjoy a sandwich or sausage here for lunch before heading to Schonbrunn on the U-4. For a description of the buildings on this square, see p. 56 in RS.

Once we’re on the other end and exit the U-Bahn station, we’ll walk about 400 yards to the palace (just follow the crowds). The main entrance will be on our left-hand side, as we face it. We will have booked, in advance, the Grand Tour (13 each, takes about 60 minutes), including the Imperial Apartments (about 40 rooms). We’ll also explore the palace gardens, which offer a fine city view (we’ll skip the coach museum). The visit will probably take about two hours, including the guided tour, exploring, and the gift shop. If we arrive early, we can explore the gardens before entering the palace.

Then we‘ll return to the old city center the way we came, and to our hotel at about 5:00 PM, for a short siesta.

NOTE: Decided to visit Belvedere Palace, instead, and skip Schonbrunn on this visit. Saw Belvedere, including Klimt’s “The Kiss,” the palace gardens, and the view of the old city from the gardens, and then The Secession, which holds Klimt’s “Beethoven Frieze.”

Our Last Night in Vienna: Dinner at Reinthaler’s Beisl; Haus der Musik
After our siesta, we’ll have dinner at around 6:45 PM at Reinthaler’s Beisl, located near St. Stephen’s Cathedral, a block off the Graben, at Dorotheergasse 4, and one of the few restaurants open in the old town on Sundays (open until midnight; see #4 on map, p.155 in RS). Afterwards, we could get gelato from an Italian gelateria behind St. Stephen’s, Zanoni & Zanoni.

Then, by about 8:30 PM, we’ll stroll back along Karntner Strasse (the main pedestrian drag connecting the south end of the old town and opera with the north end and St. Stephen’s) toward home, turning left on Annagasse (and then taking the first right on the next street) to visit Vienna’s Haus der Musik (open until 10:00 PM, but last entry is at 9:00 PM, so we need to get there by about 8:50 PM, at the latest, to have a solid hour to explore this fun, hands-on museum on Vienna’s rich musical history--and on music itself). Will cost about 10 each to enter: www.hdm.at.

Afterwards, we’ll return to our hotel to pack and prepare for our morning departure from Vienna for Hallstatt.

DAY EIGHT (MON 28.6): TRAIN VIENNA TO HALLSTATT

Checkout of Hotel; Train to Hallstatt, Austria
We’ll checkout of the hotel after breakfast this morning by 9:00 AM and taxi to Westbahnhof (west train station) to board our 9:44 AM train to Hallstatt (a direct 3 hour 42 minute journey; note that this one train does NOT require a change in Attnang-Puchheim, as all others do). We’ll arrive in Hallstatt at 1:26 PM.

Austria Rail Pass
We will have purchased, in advance of the trip, two Austria Passes (Saver, 2nd Class…Saver is for 2 or more people traveling together), at about $180 each--which will save us money versus buying individual tickets as we go. The Austria Pass entitles us to ride anywhere in Austria for 4 days during the span of one month: during our 10 nights in the country, we’ll use the three days this way: Vienna to Hallstatt on 28.6; Hallstatt to Salzburg on 30.6; and, Salzburg to Innsbruck on 3.7; and Innsbruck to the German border on 4.7. We’ll have to have our passes filled out and validated at Westbahnhof before boarding the train (see instructions that accompanied the rail passes). Note that on 4.7 we’ll have to buy German rail tickets from the border to Munich, since the Austria passes become invalid at the Austrian-German border. Remember to buy in advance, or risk a huge fine on the train.

In terms of which train take, be sure to take the first available ICE train (white with red trim, and streamlined noses; avoid R and REX, very slow, uncomfortable regional trains). The ICE trains will be air-conditioned and quite comfortable, and nearly always run on time.

Important Note: If, for whatever reason, we do have to change in Attnang-Puchheim, the schedules won’t say Hallstatt, but trains to Bad Ischl AND Ebensee stop in Hallstatt.

Arrival in Hallstatt; Checkin Hotel Gruner Baum
We will arrive in Hallstatt at about 1:30 PM. Hallstatt’s so-called train station is no more than a wide spot along the tracks across Lake Hallstatt from the town. Stefanie (the name of the boat) meets each train at the ‘station’ and carries passengers and bags across the lake to the town, for under 3 per person. Note that Stephanie stops running at about 6:30 PM--be absolutely certain to arrive much earlier than that (we will arrive in plenty of time, by 1:30 PM).

Once across the lake, exit the boat and go left about 20 yards to reach our hotel in town, the Hotel Gruner Baum, a pricey but beautiful inn with stunning views of Lake Hallstatt (and the Market Square). We’ve reserved Room 103, a Junior Suite, with a separate bedroom, a big living room, a big bathroom and a terrace to the lake. breakfast and Internet access (in the bar) at a rate of 210 per night for two nights: 420 TOTAL). Our confirmation number is 19687. Also offers laundry service for guests--we will have the hotel do laundry for us upon arrival today; contact@gruenerbaum.cc; www.gruenerbaum.cc.

NOTE: This was our splurge hotel, and IT WAS AWESOME. Room 103 was one of the most beautiful rooms and room balconies we’ve ever seen. Worth every penny. Wish we could live here! At the hotel restaurant with waterside dining, ask for the Austrian waiter who lived in Nashville, TN trying to make it big in American country music. Funny, with a dry sense of humor—and quite talkative, even if a little slow with service. But what’s the hurry? Relax, you’re in Hallstatt, Austria.

Lakeside Picnic Lunch; Self-Guided Tour of Hallstatt; Bone Chapel
After getting settled and freshening up a bit, we’ll return to the boat dock to have a lakeside picnic lunch from the snack stand at the dock (tables and other lakeside seating are easy to find), before taking Steves’ self-guided tour of the town, which begins at the boat landing, right where we’ll be sitting (p. 282).

After the short tour, we’ll return again to the dock to hike up the covered wooden stairway, following the Kath. Kirche signs (Catholic Church). After viewing the church itself, we’ll go behind it to the 12th Century Chapel of St. Michael, to see the bone chapel (1, each; see ps. 285-86 in RS). Then we’ll return to the hotel for a nice, long siesta.

Stroll to Lakeside Park; Dinner, Gasthouse zur Muhle
After our siesta, we’ll take a short walk south of town to a grassy public park on the lake, before returning for dinner at Gasthouse zur Muhle, which serves good pizza, other Italian fare, and good Austrian, too, at great prices. Afterwards, we can have a drink on the Market Square and watch nightfall, or call it an early night and return to the hotel to relax.

DAY NINE (TUE 29.6): HALLSTATT

Sleep Late; Rent Boat on Lake Hallstatt
This morning we’ll sleep in as late as we like, before having breakfast at the hotel and renting an electric boat from Riedler, next to the main boat dock, 75 yards past Braugasthof (about 17 per hour for a faster 500-watt boat…still pretty slow). Open until 7:00 PM. We’ll spend about 1.5-2 hours on the lake, relaxing, talking, reading. It is possible that tonight one of the companies will run a candlelit boat ride on the lake, something we can ask about, if interested.

Lunch on Market Square; Hallstatt Museum
After our time on Lake Hallstatt, we’ll grab a bite to eat in the Market Square (consider fresh sandwiches to go from the Zauner bakery/butcher/grocer, if open), and we can visit the Hallstatt Museum (p. 286 in Steves; about 8, each; open until 6:00 PM; located next to the TI at Seestrasse 56). Then we’ll take a siesta back at the hotel.

Lakeside Dinner & Stroll; Prepare for Morning Departure for Salzburg
We’ll enjoy dinner tonight in our hotel, with lakeside tables, elegant service and upscale food @ 15-20 per plate; open until 10:00 PM. Note: If we prefer something other than our hotel restaurant tonight, our last in Hallstatt, we should dine on the lakeside terrace at Gasthof Simony’s Restaurant am See (10 entrees until 9:00 PM). See map p. 280 in Steves (it’s close to our hotel, cheaper than our hotel, and the views are supposed to stunning, as well).

NOTE: Chose Gasthof Simony for dinner—wow. Great food, great views. Fresh whitefish caught that morning in Lake Hallstatt.

After dinner, we could grab an outdoor table at Ruth Zimmerman’s, on the square, open from 10:00 AM to 2:00 AM in the summer, for a drink or pastry. We could also take an after-dinner walk along the lake before returning to the hotel to pack and prepare for our morning departure for Salzburg.

Important: We should be certain to confirm the departure times of the boats to the train station for tomorrow, to ensure we make our 10:32 train from Hallstatt to Salzburg, Austria.

DAY TEN (WED 30.6): TRAIN HALLSTATT TO SALZBURG

Checkout of Hotel; Take Boat Across Lake to Train Station; Board 10:32 AM train to Salzburg
We’ll rise early today, have breakfast, checkout, and take the TBA boat across Lake Hallstatt to the train station (under 3, each for Stephanie; first boat leaves for the station at 6:50 AM, but we won’t need to leave that early).

Then we’ll board our 10:32 AM train to Salzburg (show our Austria Passes once aboard, and fill out dates. etc; there is no station in Hallstatt). This train will take us to Attmang-Puchheim, where we’ll arrive at 11:47 AM, to transfer to our 12:02 AM train to Salzburg, arriving in Salzburg at 12:49 PM, a total journey time of 2 hrs and 17 minutes, including the one change.

Arrival in Salzburg: Bus to Old Town Center
Upon arrival at Salzburg’s train station just before 1:00 PM, we should visit the TI at track 2A and purchase two 72-hour Salzburg Cards (about 37 each), which will cover our public transport in town and all of the sites we’ll visit, before heading to the parking lot, where we’ll find a variety of buses. Any bus marked Zentrum stops near the main bridge in the old town, near our hotel, including bus numbers 1, 3, 5, 6, 25 and 26. We will simply show our Salzburg Cards to board the bus. Be sure to exit the bus at the Mirabellplatz for our hotel. Once off the bus, we should walk straight on and after the traffic lights, take the first turning on the left to the Hotel Trumer Stube at Bergstrasse 6 (see map p. 256).

Check-In Hotel Trumer Stube
At Hotel Trumer Stube we’ve reserved a comfortable double with en suite bath and breakfast at a rate of e105 per night for 3 nights (315 TOTAL, minus 10% if we pay cash and show RS Book, so will be about 285 TOTAL). The hotel also has WI-FI; http://www.trumer-stube.at; info@trumer-stube.at. We’ve requested a room with WI-FI (not the top floor, where it won’t work).

NOTE: Would NOT stay at the Trumer Stube, again. While it was clean and friendly enough, there were issues. First, we specifically requested in writing prior to the trip—twice, in fact—a room not on the top floor, and a room with wireless access. Upon arrival, we were given a top floor room without wireless access. We asked for a change, which they did make, although with odd comments like, “But we prepared this special room for you,” which made no sense at all: it was too small to move in, brutally warm with a low, dormer style ceiling, and as I said, was the complete opposite of what we had booked. In addition, the room we did get, while a bit better, on the first floor, had some issues, too. Dana cut her foot on the metal piece on the floor covering the seam from the room floor to the bathroom tile. The location was good, ½ block from Linzergasse, a crazy pedestrian drag running down to the river and across to the old town. But—and this is no fault of the hotel’s—there was major construction going on next door the entire stay, a huge development sure to take considerable time to finish, throwing up dust and making noise. The new owners seem eager to put things right in this place, and it sure could use a remodel, and so we wish them well. But overall, it wasn’t a good experience for us (the quality of the food at breakfast really needs an upgrade, too, with processed cold cuts, cheap rolls and watery juice served daily). Just not possible to recommend the Trumer Stube at this time.

Lunch at Café Bazar; Old Town Walk
After getting settled in the hotel (at about 2:30 PM), we’ll head out for lunch at Café Bazar, a coffee house with light meals and great views, near our hotel (see map p. 265).

Then we’ll cross the Salzach River and head to Mozartplatz (see map p. 265) to embark on Steves’ Self-guided Old Town Walk (p. 230), which will include: a visit to the Salzburg Panorama 1829 painting (about 2 each, to see); the town’s famous glockenspeil; Salzburg Cathedral; a giant chessboard; a waterfall and bakery; the festival hall where Captain von Trapp sang before he and his family made their escape; an open air market; Getreidagasse (once the city’s colorful main drag); and Mozart’s birthplace.

Then, after some browsing and shopping, we’ll return to the hotel for a siesta.

Steingasse Stroll; Dinner & Views at Stein Terrasse Café at the Stein Hotel
After a nice long siesta, we’ll stroll Steingasse, once the only road proceeding south over the Alps to Venezia (in the Middle Ages), and today an area known for it‘s quiet, beautiful sites (the home of the man who wrote the lyrics to Silent Night, World War II tank marks, the school Maria (Sound of Music) taught in, and some commanding, gorgeous views of the town (see p, 246 in Steves for directions and commentary).

Then, as part of this stroll, we’ll enjoy a light meal and drinks at Stein Terrasse Cafe, inside the Stein Hotel, and up via elevator. A wonderful place with the best views of the city. Indoor and outdoor seating available. Open until midnight.

DAY ELEVEN (THU 1.7): SALZBURG

Sound of Music Minivan Tour
We’ll get up early this morning (around 7:30 AM), have breakfast by 8:30 AM, and meet the Bob’s Special Tours minivan outside our hotel between 8:45 and 9:15 AM for the four-hour Sound of Music Tour (also includes some city sites): already booked at www.bobstours.com at 40 each (bring confirmation email with us). Our reservation number is iYx2V. The tour will bring us back to Salzburg by 1:00 PM.

Upon our return to town at around 1:00 PM, we’ll have lunch and do some strolling and shopping, before returning to our hotel for a siesta.

NOTE: The tour was nice, the guide professional, friendly, and well-versed in behind-the-scenes details of the movie and various locations we visited. The luge ride was an added bonus! On the other hand, after we paid our guide cash, which he required, the company billed our credit card, charging us twice for the same tour. We contacted them when we got home, and while they said they would fix it, they added that “It wasn’t our fault.” Not sure what the hell that meant, but we were satisfied they agreed to fix it. Then, instead of taking away the charge, they accidentally added a THIRD charge. However, they quickly informed us of the mistake via email, and ultimately took both over-charges off the card. In the end it was a good tour at a fair price, and we only paid once for it. It’s the attitude about the double-charge that still makes no sense to me, but maybe something was lost in translation. We do recommend this tour.

Sound of Salzburg Show
After our siesta, at about 7:00 PM, we’ll grab a quick bite to eat somewhere and proceed to the Sternbrau Inn (enter from Getreidegasse 34; it’s a sprawling tourist complex of food options, with one air-conditioned room for the shows; see #5 on map p. 256) for the Sound of Salzburg show, feature talented singers in costume singing songs from The Sound of Music and Austrian folk songs (we won’t eat dinner there, but come for the show, which reduced our ticket price, to be booked in advance online, to 30.00, each, including one drink; the food is supposed to be poor, while the show is good). The show begins at 8:30 PM. We booked our tickets in advance in early May. Our e-ticket is in our papers on the trip.

NOTE: Cheesy dinner theater at its absolute best! The “international” cast of very good singers did a fine job, but there’s something about a Japanese guy and a Russian girl dressed in traditional Austrian garb singing Rogers and Hammerstein’s imaginary Austrian songs to a crowd of American tourists eating apfel strudel that’s just so damn surreal…and goofy. The film interview with Maria (the real deal) is very interesting. A fun night.

DAY TWELVE (FRI 2.7): SALZBURG

Funicular & Lunch at Hohensalzburg Fortress/Castle
After sleeping in a bit this morning (10:00 AM?), we’ll take the funicular high above the town for lunch at the café between the Funicular exit and the castle, followed by a tour of the castle and grounds. The commanding views of Salzburg and the Salzach River are supposed to be stunning. Both the Funicular and our entry to the castle will be covered by our Salzburg Cards. See p. 241 in Steves for a self-guided tour of the castle and grounds (open until 7:00 PM).

NOTE: Ended up walking from Hohensalzburg across the heights that surround the town to Monchsberg and the art museum for lunch. Took about 30 minutes, and was a lovely walk with wonderful views of the city and river.

Shopping Getreidegasse & Mozart House
Then we’ll stroll and shop a characteristic and picturesque old shopping lane called Getreidegasse, a street we surveyed on our self-guided walking tour on Thursday, before visiting the Mozart house museum (Wohnhaus, located in the New Town, north of the river; p. 245; entrance covered by our Salzburg Card; allow about 90 minutes for the visit, including a nice 30-minute film…you need the audio guide to have the soundtrack to the film…the soundtrack is track 17 on the guide; open until 8:00 PM).

Then, by about 4:30 PM, we’ll take a siesta back at the hotel before tonight’s Mozart concert. We’ll have a cheap, casual dinner near the hotel at about 6:30 PM.

Mozart Concert at Mirabell Palace; Prepare for Journey to Innsbruck in the Morning
Tonight we’ll attend a Baroque chamber music concert at the Mirabell Palace (Schlosskonzerte), offering a lavish Baroque setting and high-quality musicians. The show begins at 8:00 PM. We have already purchased our tickets online at a cost of 35 each (row one, with reserved seats): www.salzburger-schlosskonzerte.at. The performers will be the Ensemble of the Salzburger Schlosskonzerte. We will collect our tickets (already paid for) by giving our name at the Evening Box Office on the first floor of the palace, right in front of the Marble Hall. The box office opens at 7:00 PM, and the doors to the hall open at 7:30 PM for the 8:00 PM performance. The concert will end at about 9:40 PM.

NOTE: Wonderful show in a stunning setting at Mirabell Palace. Highly recommend, even if not a classical music aficionado.

Afterwards we’ll return to the hotel to prepare and pack for our morning departure for Innsbruck, in the Alps.

DAY THIRTEEN (SAT 3.7): SALZBURG TO INNSBRUCK

Checkout of Hotel; Journey to Innsbruck by Train
We’ll rise by 8:30 AM this morning, have breakfast, and take a taxi (ask the hotel to order one for a 10:00 AM pickup) to the Salzburg train station to board our 10:53 AM train to Innsbruck, Austria (a direct, non-stop train; a 1 hour 59 minute journey). We’ll arrive in Innsbruck at 12:52 PM.

Arrival in Innsbruck; Check-in Hotel Weisses Kreuz
Upon arrival at Innsbruck’s Hauptbahnhof station (if our train stops at Westbahnhof, stay on for Hauptbahnhof), we’ll proceed 10 minutes on foot to the old town center. We’ll leave the station by veering right to Brixnerstrasse, and follow it past the fountain at Boznerplatz where it turns into Meranerstrasse. Go straight until it dead-ends into Maria-Theresien-Strasse. Turn right and proceed 300 yards into the old town. We’ll pass the TI on our right, where we’ll also see the Golden Roof and our hotel, the Hotel Weisses Kreuz.

HOTEL WEISSES KREUZ
Hotel Weisses Kreuz * A-6020 Innsbruck * Herzog-Friedrich-Strae 31 * Tel.: +43 512 59479 * Fax: +43 512 5947990 hotel@weisseskreuz.at; www.weisseskreuz.at

NOTE: An amazing, historic hotel, opened in the 16th Century. Stunning Alpine interiors, beautiful rooms, a staff that goes out of their way to make you welcome and comfortable, and a tremendous breakfast spread. Located right on Innsbruck’s main pedestrian street, just steps from the Golden Roof. Having spent just one night here, we were sad to leave. Highly recommend.

Lunch; Cable Car Ride into Alps; Shopping
After getting settled by about 2:00 PM, we’ll proceed out of our hotel for quick lunch (two choices nearby include Mama Mia, with pizza by the slice, or Martin Reformhaus Vegetarian Deli, with salads and sandwiches; see map p. 304 for directions).

Then, no later than about 2:30 PM, we’ll head to the Nordkettenbahn (the three lifts from the center of town that will carry us thousands of feet above the Golden Roof and Innsbruck (25 round trip, each). We start with the Hungerburg-bahn funicular, which leaves from the Star Trek-looking station outside of the Congress Innsbruck, right behind Hofburg (see map p. 309). They leave every 15 minutes. See p. 309 for the additional lifts from there, We’ll have a drink at the café on the very top, Hafelekar. The last lift down from the top is at 5:00 PM.

NOTE: Don’t miss this climb if in Innsbruck. The view of the town, river, and the Karwendel Alps—mountain sheep and all—is stunning, and something we’ll never forget. A fine experience, with decent food/drink options at each stop during your ascent via cable car. It’s not cheap, but it’s worth the cost, and then some. A comfortable ride to the top, at about 7,000 feet.

Once back in town, we’ll shop and explore Innsbruck’s compact old town center for about 90 minutes before taking a siesta at the hotel.

Dinner at Cammerlander
After our siesta, we’ll have dinner at 8:00 PM at Cammerlander (we’ll ask our hotel to make a reservation for us in advance of the trip), featuring great steaks and a fine variety of Austrian and international dishes (we should choose between the glassed-in veranda with candlelight OR riverside dining with a mountain view; dishes are 8-22; also offers a good salad bar at about 5; open until 11:30 PM; see #7 on map, p. 304, near river).

Then we‘ll return to the hotel to prepare for our early morning departure for Munich. Note: we should purchase a few snacks and beverages for our guided day trip to Dachau tomorrow, since, per the tour company, such items are not available on the site.

DAY FOURTEEN (SUN 4.7): TRAIN INNSBRUCK TO MUNICH, GERMANY; DAY TRIP TO DACHAU

Checkout; Train to Munich, Germany
We’ll rise by 6:00 AM today, checkout and taxi or walk to the train station to validate our passes and board the 7:36 AM train to Munich, Germany (a 1 hour 39 minute ride; covered by the final day of our Austria rail pass). We’ll arrive in Munich at 9:15 AM. IMPORTANT NOTE: We must also buy tickets from the German border to Munich, since our Austria pass will only get us to the border, and the fine for being on board with no German ticket could be very high.

Check-in Alpen Hotel Munchen
Upon arrival, we’ll proceed to our hotel to either check-in early or drop off our luggage. We’ll proceed on foot (it‘s located right near the station) to the Alpen Hotel Munchen.

Walking directions from Munich Hauptbahnhof (main railway station) to our hotel: Exit the station via the main exit. Walk south along Bahnhofplatz for approximately 100 metres. Continue walking south along Schillerstraße for approximately 100 metres. Walk left on to Adolf-Kolping-Straße and continue for approximately 70 metres. The hotel is located at Adolf Kolping Strasse 14.

The Alpen Hotel Munchen is at Kolping Strasse 14; phone is 49 (0) 89 55 93 33 33; info@alpenhotel-muenchen.de; http://www.alpenhotel-muenchen.de. We’ve reserved a comfort double room with WC, shower, LAN Internet, mini-bar, room safe, complimentary mineral water upon arrival and full buffet breakfast for two nights for a TOTAL of 256,00 (we’ve paid about $167.00 US in advance, and we’ll pay the balance in cash; the excellent rate we secured was based on a non-refundable offer).

NOTE: Nice, simple business-class hotel, close to the train station and an easy 10-minute walk to the center of old Munich (rebuilt after WW II). The area around the station and hotel is a bit seedy, with sex shops, but still feels safe, even at night. Just unusual to see so many nice hotels on the same streets with adult stores and strip clubs. But there really aren’t any problems staying here. And the Alpen Hotel had a good breakfast, very nice rooms, and a lovely little interior garden courtyard for afternoon drinks, reading, and breakfast. Was like an oasis in the city. And they allowed us to check-in hours early, making us feel welcome and comfortable.

After getting settled in the hotel--or, worst-case scenario, dropping off our luggage and using the restroom if our room isn‘t ready--we’ll walk to Marienplatz, exploring Munich’s main square, with about two hours to have a bite to eat and see the square, having to meet at the Radius Tours office in the train station by 12:15 PM for our five-hour tour of Dachau.

Dachau Memorial Tour by Radius: Departs from Station at 12:30 PM; Returns to Munich by 5:30 PM
We have already purchased two tickets (the email ticket is in our papers) for the five-hour English guided day tour of Dachau, at a total cost of €42,95 (for two adults).

To get to the tour company (located inside the Munich train station), follow these instructions: We are located in Munich Central Train Station (Hauptbahnhof), in the area just opposite from tracks 32-34. Beginning in the main hall of the station, looking along the tracks where the inter-city trains leave, follow the path to the right of track 26 to the bottom, until you come to the area with new tracks (27-36). Turn right, then right again. There we are: Radius Tours.

After returning to Munich at about 5:30 PM, we’ll return to the hotel for a much-needed siesta.

Dinner at Augustiner Braustuben
For dinner tonight, we’ll visit the Augustiner Brausteben. There are three different Augustinerbräu sponsored bierhalls. The first in this pair of reviews is the Augustiner Bierhalle. This bierhalle is located in the pedestrian area between Karlsplatz and Marianplatz at Neuhauser Straße 27. The food served in the downstairs restaurant is reasonable and excellent. The beer is inexpensive compared to a lot of the tourist places. The atmosphere is pure Bavarian. The biergarten is super with a very professional and friendly staff. Upstairs the actual bierhalle is lively and great fun. The other, the Augustinerbräuhaus, is on Landsburgerstrasse.

Afterwards, we’ll check out the city center at night, stroll and shop.

DAY FIFTTEEN (MON 5.7): MUNICH

We’ll sleep late today, even if it’s eleven o‘clock. Then we’ll grab a relaxing, leisurely breakfast at the hotel before heading out for our last day on this trip (note: the hotel breakfast ends at 10:30 AM, so if we miss it, we’ll grab a bite at a café, instead).

Free Walking Tour of Munich at 1:00 PM
At 12:40 PM we’ll head to Marienplatz, by the large column, for a free three-hour walking tour of the city. Be sure to look for the guides wearing red T-shirts. The walking tour covers all the main sites.

NOTE: We opted for an open-air bus tour of the city, instead, enabling us to see the Olympic Tower and stadium from the ill-fated 1972 summer games, and to get off at Englischer Garten, to stroll the park and enjoy lunch at a small beer garden there. We walked back toward Marienplatz afterward.

Then after the tour, we’ll see the bells ring at 5:00 PM at Marianplatz and do some shopping before returning to our hotel for a siesta.

Our Last Night
On our last night on this trip we’ll have dinner at the touristy but popular and fun Hofbrauhaus, with casual, good food, a lively crowd, and live German music (http://www.hofbraeuhaus.de). We’ll also do some final shopping around Marienplatz or anywhere interesting we saw on our walking tour this afternoon, before returning to the hotel to pack and prepare for our departure tomorrow at about Noon for the airport.

NOTE: Having had lunch at a small Hofbrau garden in Englischer Garten, we opted to visit the Old Botanic Gardens, instead, tonight, and had dinner at a Lowenbrau beer garden in that park.

FLIGHT (TUE 6.7): MUNICH TO CHICAGO- O’HARE; DEPART MUNICH AT 3:40 PM; ARRIVE HOME IN CHICAGO AT 6:20 PM

We’ll sleep until about 9:00 AM, grab breakfast and coffee near the hotel, and then checkout by 11:00 AM, before taking a taxi to the train station in time for the 12:03 PM train to the Munich Airport (43 minutes, 0 changes, arriving at 12:46 PM and costing TBA).

At the airport we’ll check-in for our 3:40 PM flight out of Terminal Two to Chicago on United Airlines Flight 8855, operated by Deutsche Lufthansa, arriving back in Chicago at 6:20 PM: a 9 hr 40 min flight, with 0 stops.

Upon arrival at Chicago-O’Hare at TBA PM we’ll take a taxi back to the city (about $45.00).

NOTE: The hotel called a taxi for us, but ended up calling a private limo service, costing us 70 Euros. We would have been better off hailing our own taxi to the airport. It was a pleasant, easy ride, but more money than we wished to spend on it. I suspect the hotels have arrangements with private drivers, and take a cut.

++FINAL TRIP BUDGET AS OF 16 MAY 2010++

Based on $1.34 US per Euro and $1.54 US per GBP

Lodging: (15 nights: 4 London; 3 Vienna; 2 Hallstatt; 3 Salzburg; 1 Innsbruck; 2 Munich): 658 GBP + 1560 Euros
Transportation (buses, trains, taxis): 100 GBP + 200 Euros
Entrance Fees/Tours: 150 GBP + 382 Euros
Per Diem (meals & shopping): 148 GBP per day x 4 = 560 GBP – 120 Euros per day x 11 days = 1,320 Euros (breakfast at hotels; 10 Euros each for lunch; 25 Euros each for dinner; 50 Euros shopping per day, or 550 Euros TOTAL shopping)

::TOTAL COST OF THIS TRIP IN US DOLLARS: $11,348.00 US, including airfare & insurance

Airfare: $3,073.00 US + $196.00 US ($98 x 2 for trip insurance) = $3,269.00
Currency Purchased (for expenses on trip, itemized above): 6,998.00
Tours, Concerts, et al Paid in Advance of the Trip via Internet: $826.00
Austria Rail Passes (4 days): $360.00

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