traveling to Austria!

from Wiki Commons, photographer Hans Peter Schaefer, http://www.reserv-a-rt.de

I've never been to Austria. I grew up admiring the Austrian composer W.A. Mozart, being a fan of the Sound of Music, and even liking the Blue Danube Waltz — but I've never been there. Now, after well over a dozen trips to Europe (I've lost count), I'm finally traveling to Austria. I'm not sure even what to expect, but as our trip has been planned by our Virtuoso on-site in Austria, I'm confident that we'll have an interesting itinerary, great guides, and access to the must-see attractions during our eight days there.

Our trip begins in Vienna where I'll be staying at Hotel Imperial. After four nights in Vienna (I find it takes a bit of time to get over jet lag - expresso helps!), we'll enjoy an all-day drive along the Danube, eventually landing that afternoon at Schloss Fuschl, a castle on a lake a bit to the east of Salzburg. Our one full day there will be a time for rest and relaxation, enjoying the scenery, and perhaps even indulging ourselves at the spa. Our last two nights will be spent in Salzburg at Hotel Goldener Hirsch.

I'll also be doing hotel site inspections, which will not surprise my readers. While these are all Starwood properties, we'll also get a chance to do site inspections at the other Virtuoso hotels in Vienna and Salzburg. For those who do not know, Virtuoso amenities provide you with complimentary daily breakfast, room upgrades when available, and other valuable amenities, all at the room-only rate that everyone else books online. Just contact your Virtuoso travel consultant.

And after Austria, we're on to Berlin and Prague... Be watching this space during our trip as I update with my own pictures and highlights of the trip.

traveling to Austria (search here on Google)

copyright (c) 2013 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.