Vignette
We’ve been to Austria a few times and on one of our first trips we ended up getting a €250 euro fine. When traveling outside of Germany several other countries require vignettes. A vignette is a sticker you pay for before crossing the border to place on your windshield. They have several different types: 7 days, 30 days, and yearly vignettes.
We never saw signs to purchase this vignette back in 2013. This time, in 2021, we purchased the vignette beforehand with ADAC (kind of like AAA in the US).
Where to visit
Kehlsteinhaus (Hitler’s Eagles Nest)
In 2013, we went to the Eagles Nest (Kehlsteinhaus), one of Hitler’s hideouts. It’s a historic landmark now and was absolutely interesting to see. It was built in 1937 and you are able to view the underground tunnels and rooms. We were able to see all around when on top of the mountain. We did not spend much time at the location but to be able to view the history was amazing and we highly suggest going there.
Innsbruck
We went to Innsbruck in September 2021. We visited the downtown area and walked the streets. Because of COVID, we did not do much else. However, we still had a good time and enjoyed ourselves.
Places to stay
Edelweiss
Edelweiss is where we stayed the time we went to Eagles Nest. Edelwiess is nesstled in the Garmisch area. The scenery is gorgeous. I’ll cover this hotel more in another post.
Hotel Mondschein
The hotel was easy to find… parking was not. We ended up in their parking garage but barely made it before it was full. The hotel room was HUGE. We ended up in a two-bedroom two-bath suite and it was very spacious. Breakfast was a usual European breakfast with teas, coffee, meats, and cheeses. We only stayed one night. The customer service was great.
Overall Austria is a great country to visit and we do highly suggest scoping out your route before driving. Enjoy!