• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • About
  • Home Tours
  • Read By Category
  • Sources
    • Life On Virginia Street Paint Colors
    • Shop Our Home
  • Contact
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Amazon
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • HOME DECOR
    • Decorating Ideas, Tips and Trends
    • Home Tours
    • Look for Less
    • Outdoor Spaces
    • Room Makeovers + Design Plans
  • DIY Projects
    • Cleaning and Organization Tips
    • Crafts
    • Paint Projects
    • Rental Properties
    • Room Makeovers
    • Tutorials
  • TRAVEL
    • 30A Florida
    • Cruises
    • European Travel
    • Mexico & The Caribbean
    • U.S. Travel
    • Packing Ideas
  • Fashion & Beauty
    • Fashion Posts
    • Hair & Beauty Posts
    • Recent Outfit Ideas
  • Entertaining
    • Entertaining and Party Ideas
    • Food & Drink Recipes
    • Tablescapes
  • Shop
    • Shop Our Home
    • Shop My Instagram Feed
    • Gift Guides
    • My Amazon Storefront
    • Sale Alerts
    • Wednesday Watch List
Life On Virginia Street

Life On Virginia Street

DIY . Home Decor . Travel . Style . Life

Travel Files: Alps Road Trip

Travel

209 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Alpine Tourism Commission which is comprised of Austria, Germany and Switzerland for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

Kurtis turns 40 next year (?!*!?) and we were talking the other day about our favorite trips of all-time, and where we should travel for his big milestone birthday.

In 2014, my husband’s (and brother’s) company took us to Ireland and London. It was such an amazing experience and you can read more about it here. But, once the week in Europe ended, we (me, Kurtis, my brother and his wife) all knew that while we were overseas, we had to take advantage of our time there. So, we booked a flight to Munich, Germany and planned a road trip through the Austrian Alps to ultimately take us to Venice, Italy for a few days. Our trip through this area started the last few days of April and ended the first few days of May.

I have to say, the semi-planned road trip from Germany to Italy was one of the best parts of the trip! Not only was the scenery gorgeous, but we loved being in the ‘real’ towns of each of these countries. Taking a step away from things that felt really touristy and actually immersing ourselves in the culture was so rewarding.

Everything about this region of the world just oozes charm, friendliness, culture and a coziness that is hard to explain. Everything I think of with the term ‘Absolutely Alps’. It may sound a bit cheesy but I get a lump in my throat and super nostalgic when I think about the days we spent driving through this countryside. It was unlike any other trip we’ve been on and includes memories I hope I never forget.

When the Alpine Tourist Commission recently released three road trip itineraries through the heart of the Alps (Germany, Austria and Switzerland), I have to admit it pushed me to want to go back to this area for Kurtis’ 40th birthday. And he agreed. It’s one of our favorite trips ever and definitely the perfect location for the ultimate road trip. I thought I’d share a bit of our experience today.

We started our trek from Munich and drove to Salzburg, Austria. The drive was beautiful and we gave the award for “world’s cleanest highways” to the Germans.

On our way to Salzburg, we detoured for several hours at Lake Königssee in Germany. My husband is a huge history buff and his hope was that we could get up to see the Eagles Nest. Unfortunately, the pass was a few days away from opening yet (it varies that time of year depending on snow melt). Instead we took a boat ride to the other side of the lake, and to say it was gorgeous is an understatement. The water was so clear and the towering mountains were unbelievable.

germany-lake-konigssee-life-on-virginia-street

germany-lake-konigssee-boat-tour-life-on-virginia-street

germany-lake-konigssee-view-life-on-virginia-street

Once on the other side of the lake, you could get out and spend as much time as you wanted in the area. There was a place to order food and drinks and just relax. We stayed for about an hour and enjoyed the gorgeous weather and fresh air. The beauty of the Alps is so hard to capture in photos but it truly is one of the most stunning places in the world.

lake-konigssee-germany-via-life-on-virginia-street

Upon our arrival in Salzburg, we checked into our hotel (The Goldener Hirsch – loved it!) and we did our own little walking tour of the town. Salzburg is full of history and is the birthplace of both Mozart and The Sound of Music.

austria-salzburg-street-life-on-virginia-street

austria-salzburg-mozart-statue-life-on-virginia-street

After doing a little shopping, we ate dinner in a quaint little restaurant built into the side of the mountain. We also tried to snack and try the local food everywhere we went along the way. We all really enjoyed all the food.

Salzburg, Dorfgastein, Amoser Alm, Copyright www.peterrigaud.com
Salzburg, Dorfgastein, Amoser Alm, Copyright www.peterrigaud.com – image via Alpine Tourism Commission

After a salt mine tour (recommended to us as a ‘must’), we began our trek through the Austrian Alps. We spread the drive from Austria to Italy into two full days, really taking time to stop along the way as something looked interesting to us. Before starting up the mountain, we stopped in the gorgeous lake town of Zell Am See for lunch. Definitely somewhere I would like to return and I would highly recommend this beautiful town!

lake-zell-am-see-austria-life-on-virginia-street

The beauty of the drive up the Alps is undeniable.

austria-driving-through-the-alps

As we climbed closer and closer to the summit, the snow along the road got deeper and deeper and the clothes got layered and more layered.

austrian-alps-pass-via-life-on-virginia-street

Excited we almost made it to the very top!

austrian-alps-pass

austrian-alps-pass-life-on-virginia-street

You can see this drive wasn’t short on hairpin turns! This is only a small fraction of the drive we took up through the Alps. Needless to say, once we got to the top (which felt like it took forever), the views were stunning!

austrian-alps-pass-life-on-virginia-street

Heading back down the mountain, we got to our stop for the evening, in the beautiful mountain valley town of Heiligenblut am Großglockner. I believe this town typically survives on the ski season so it was rather barren in the early spring. The views were absolutely stunning as we drove down into town.

austria-heiligenblut-am-grosglockner-view-life-on-virginia-street

We stayed the night in Heiligenblut am Großglockner at the cutest little bed and breakfast called Pension Edelweiß. It was the perfect stop for the night and it was fun to get to chat with the local family and hosts that lived in the B&B we stayed at.

austria-heiligenblut-am-grosglockner-town-life-on-virginia-street

We still agree that we had one of the best meals of our lives in Heiligenblut am Großglockner at Casa Restaurant. It was a simple meal of incredibly fresh salad along with goulash, but it was beyond amazing. Not only that, the views from the small town and restaurant were breathtaking.

austria-casa-restaurant-life-on-virginia-street

img_3737

austria-heiligenblut-am-grosglockner-life-on-virginia-street

As we continued our drive through the Alps and down to Italy the next morning, the views as we ended our time in Austria were so beautiful!

austrian-alps-waterfall

This is a trip none of us will ever forget and we all await the day we can return!

So, where will we go for Kurtis’ big milestone birthday? It’s still undecided, but I can promise another road trip through the Alps ranks high on our wish list, and we’d love to include Switzerland the next time around, as well! It would be easy to add this in to one of the agendas, and Switzerland is another bucket list country for us.

As part of the journey through Switzerland, we would love to visit the beautiful Lausanne, the Matterhorn and would love to see some castles (like Oberhofen Castle, as shown below). Kurtis and I are also major cheese fans, so obviously we’d have seriously plans to indulge all along the way. We’d also love to spend several days exploring Zurich!

REGIS COLOMBO/diapo.ch
REGIS COLOMBO/diapo.ch
Zermatt, Matterhorn
Zermatt, Matterhorn
Thun, Schloss Oberhofen
Thun, Schloss Oberhofen

Want to learn more to plan your own ultimate Absolutely Alps road trip? Be sure to check out the 9 fun facts about the Alps, 9 best hidden gems in the Alps and 9 must-try dishes through the Alps. In the coming months, I’ll also be sharing some videos of the real-life “Alps Experience” so you can see just how amazing this region is. I can promise you’ll love this Alpine region through Germany, Austria, and Switzerland!

Have you traveled to the Alps? What were your favorite memories?

If you would like to follow along on more of my home decor, DIY, lifestyle, travel and other posts, I’d love to have you follow me on any of the following:

Pinterest / Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / Bloglovin’ / Google

Visit Sponsors Site

209 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet

October 4, 2016 · 6 Comments

free email course!

5 Secrets to Re-Designing a Room You Love

Learn my foolproof system for designing a room you’ll love that you can enjoy for many years to come!

Previous Post: « Weekend Recap
Next Post: Wednesday Watch List »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Comments

  1. Design Chic says

    October 4, 2016 at 8:40 am

    We loved the Alps and Salzburg was a favorite. I think our biggest surprise was the Sound of Music house. We visualized it surrounded by acres and acres of land completely by itself. You must include Switzerland in your next trip. It’s still my all time favorite Country…pristine! Happy Tuesday, Sarah.

    Reply
  2. mandy says

    October 4, 2016 at 8:42 am

    Absolutely stunning!! I am putting this on my travel wishlist because these photos look amazing!! What an incredible trip

    Reply
  3. sheri moore says

    October 4, 2016 at 9:23 am

    I have traveled the small towns of Germany, and Munich and Berlin, but my standout memories are of Gorlitz, a tiny town just across the river from Poland. We crossed over by car, stayed one night in Poland, and visited Auschwitz and although there is great beauty in Germany and Austria, to feel the breadth of European history, one needs to go to Poland. I do not forget the beauty of the Polish people’s spirit, and the spirit of a people—the many that died at Auschwitz-Birkenhau. Paris is the most beautiful city in the world and is my favorite,, but I love Vienna, Austria. Loved your photos of the ride through the Alps. Wow. As you have realized, to begin to know a place, one must venture the backroads. Thanks for a beautiful travelogue.

    Reply
  4. Erin @ Her Heartland Soul says

    October 4, 2016 at 11:24 am

    Omg how amazing! I would love to go there!

    Reply
  5. Amy Anderson says

    October 6, 2016 at 5:56 pm

    Holy wow – those photos are amazing! I want to see those mountains!

    Reply
  6. Katie says

    October 7, 2016 at 9:02 am

    What an amazing trip! Those photos are stunning, it’s almost hard to believe they’re real! Those mountain views are some of my absolute faves, thank you for sharing and now I’m convinced I need to see the Alps!

    Reply

Primary Sidebar

Welcome To Life On Virginia Street!

Let’s Get Social!

  • Amazon
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Subscribe By Email

Receive an email each time a new post goes live on Life On Virginia Street!

Tour Our Home

Footer

Disclosures + Photo Usage Policies
Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2025 · Farmhouse Theme by Restored 316

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
SAVE & ACCEPT