I hear you about it being a very FULL itinerary. We're still working it out.

I'm getting resistance from my wife on going all-rail (since I found that great '2-fer' pass on the DB website) as she's SO fond of little, impromptu side trips when the inspiration strikes. The insurance plan I have from AmEx makes rentals more reasonable than usual but I *really* like the idea of the Autozug and I may just use a discount pass for that to get the river trips (which my wife would LOVE) as an added, relaxing bonus.

On a side note, is there anyplace in Germany that is similar to Hallstat?