Almost 20 years ago, I went abroad for the first time as an exchange student in American Studies at the Universität Innsbruck. I absolutely loved my 5 months in Austria and have been dreaming of returning ever since. This past fall, I finally made it back! Although, sadly, I didn't have enough time to return to Tirol. Originally, I hoped I'd be able to make a loop, but as I calendared out my itinerary, it just didn't work out.
So on this particular trip to Austria (because I'm sure there will be more), I focused my week on Vienna and Salzburg, two cities I barely scratched the surface of during my study abroad and always regretted not exploring more.
how I spent 7 days on a solo trip to austria
Days 1-3: Vienna
My very first plan for this trip was to spend a whole leisurely week just in Vienna, touring museums, enjoying the café culture, strolling the streets and just soaking up this incredible city. But then I got greedy to include more of Austria so only gave myself 3 days.
Day 4: Wachau Valley
The Wachau Valley is famous for its wineries. As a non-drinker, this wasn't a big draw for me, but the beautiful terraced vineyards and charming villages definitely were! I needed to get to Salzburg somehow, so why not take a scenic route? And scenic it was!
Days 5-6: Salzburg & Hallstatt
One of my biggest questions was - how long to spend in Salzburg? Because of driving times, I really got about 48 hours, spread over 3 days, which ended up being just enough time to do my own Sound of Music tour and see some of the highlights. Then I spent a night in Hallstatt.
Day 7: Hallstatt & drive back to Vienna
I also spent a morning in Hallstatt (giving me almost a full day), and then I had a scenic drive back to Vienna, stopping at St. Gilgen, Mondsee, and the ruins of a castle in Aggstein.
Lessons Learned
I was really happy with my itinerary! Of course, I would have loved more - more time in Vienna... more time in Salzburg... just more time in Austria! But for one week, it was enough. As much as I desperately wanted to revisit some of my favorite places in Innsbruck and the surrounding areas, I'm glad that I limited myself geographically. It provided a much more leisurely pace so I felt like I could really experience being there rather than trying to cram it all in.
As for returning to Innsbruck... I have two ideas to revisit in the future. I could either return over Christmas for the Christkindlmarkt and Krampus parades, two things I got to experience during my study abroad that I think about all the time. Or I also would love to include Innsbruck in a summer adventure to the Dolomites for Alpen picnics and just maybe some hiking. You know... why not both of these options!
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