Rick Steves Vienna, Salzburg & Tirol

Rick Steves and his staff have done it again. They have provided practical, useful information to help one decide whether to go or not, how long to stay and what attractions one wants to see out of the many available. This book is practical in estimating how much the vacation will cost which these days, particularly, is a very important consideration. My wife and I were very impressed with the help we had when traveling to Italy using Rick's guide and decided to buy this one on Austria. We are impressed. The book was purchased at a reasonable cost and shipped very quickly. All in all, we could not be more pleased.

Visiting Austria last September we found the book very helpful during the week in Vienna. Leaving Vienna by car to see something of the rest of the country, I would have appreciated finding something about suggested scenic routes en-route to Tirol.

We used this book on our recent trip to the Bavarian Region. It was very good for Salzburg, Innsbruck, the Berchtesgaden region, and the Fussen/Garmich region and it is a great packing size. However, Rick's books focus on traveling by train, so if you are traveling by car they do not include other good options. So you may want to consult other books. I used both Frommer's for good towns to visit and Karen Brown's books for good driving itineraries. Karen provides good info on lots of small towns, beautiful scenery, and pretty lakes to visit. We didn't do all of her itinerary since it would take too much time. I do wish Rick had included Munich as part of the book, as it is part of Bavarian Germany and would have been perfect for our use (I didn't want to carry around the larger Germany book for just that info). I do agree with the other reviewer that didn't feel that Hallstatt was worth so much fuss. It is nice, however there are many beautiful lakes and towns in this region and if I did it again, I would not go out of my way just to see Hallstatt. The hotel we stayed in was not very comfortable and I am not sure there are any really good options. A couple of general notes on the area. The drive between Innsbruck and Fussen was incredibly scenic through the mountains and not too difficult to drive (it is windy). Also the Alpenstrasse is very nice. The boat ride at Lake Koenigssee near Bertesgaden is nice, but slow. The boat is not gas powered and moves pretty slowly so it takes 35 minutes one way to the church. It doesn't bother you too much on the way there, but the trip back seems slow. They have a good guide giving funny commentary but it was all in German. Just remember when you go to this area that there will be so many scenic spots that you don't have to focus on just one. Also be aware that it can rain and be fairly cloudy over the mountains.

Rick Steve's Vienna, Salzburg, and Tirol has been a great guide to me on my trip. I highly recommend this book.