Vienna to Venice
 

We’ll be traveling in Europe this summer/fall by car (Paris Heidelberg Munich Prague Vienna Venice Florence Rome) The Vienna-Venice leg is a little long. Can anyone recommend a place to stop overnight about half way?

You could stop in Graz, which is Austria's second largest city, and which has a pretty nice downtown. Schwarzenegger was born there...

Moving thread to Western Europe Forum
Obscure2k
TravelBuzz Moderator

only 280 miles. under 4 hours(three for some) unless high tourist season traffic.

you might consider dumping the car in venice, as cars are of negative value in venice, florence, and rome, and trains are inexpensive.

I've done something very like that drive (to Ljubljana instead of Venice) and had no problem with its length. The scenery is gorgeous, with the Julian Alps and then the Dolomites. If you do want to stop, you could take a slight (approx. 50 km) dip from Klagenfurt down into Slovenia and visit Lake Bled. Graz isn't a bad spot, either, though the area around Bled is, to my mind, prettier.

Thanks for the replys. I think it is 380 miles not 280 miles, and we don't like trains. What about Klagenfurt itself for just one night? Any nice hotels and good restaurants?

I am venetian and am married to an Austrian. We have a holiday house in Steiermark, only 1 hour north of Klagenfurt where we go as often as possible.
Venice/Klagenfurt is approx 2 ½ by car (all highway). Klagenfurt/Wien 4/5 hours.
If you plan to travel in the late summer, the lake in Klagenfurt (Wörthersee) might be a great place, but it all depends on the weather ! If you get a rainy day, it is depressive :(
Both in Graz and Klagenfurt there is not much to see, anyway. Accommodation in Klagenfurt is very simple (no 5 * hotel).
I have no idea about restaurants, but I can ask my husband for suggestions.

Remember that parking a car in Venice is expensive (30 Euros x day) and it might be cheaper parking in Mestre (Railway Station).

Anele, thanks for the reply... would you mind telling me what you think of the Hilton Molino Stucky Venice
Giudecca, 753, Venice, Italy 30133
How is the location, etc. (For us it will be hard to beat, as we are staying there using Hilton points) Thanks

The new Hilton has not opened yet and am not sure if it will open before the summer. They have a fantastic new website, with plenty of info.
You have to realise that it is located in an island (Giudecca, where I live :-) ) and while it is quiet and free from tourists (end summer is peak season here !), someone might find a waste of time to cross the canal to go to St.Mark (max 10 minutes). If the hotel provides clients with free shuttle, then I believe it would be extremely convenient !
In Giudecca there is no shopping to do, only a beautiful church to visit and a long quiet walk along the canal, until the Hotel Cipriani.

If you like city centers crowded and full of lights, bars and restaurants, perhaps the new Hilton is not the best place for you. Otherwise it is perfect and a new, different way to enjoy Venice.

Thanks for the info! Suppose I did "like city centers crowded and full of lights, bars and restaurants" what hotel would you recommmend?

That really depends on your budget - but if you're considering the new Hilton, you're thinking of pricey digs, so either the Gritti Palace or the Daniele, even the Bauer Grunewald. You'll be in the heart of city. Slightly less expensive options would be the Giorgione (landlocked but very good value) and Ca' Favretto - on the GC but further from S. Marco and thus less expensive.

As for the Hilton - I agree w/the previous post regarding the reality of it meeting the scheduled summer opening. I lived in Venice for 3 years, and experience further tells me, that even if the Hilton opens on time, their first season will be one devoted to working out problems, ranging from electrical to staff and of course, leaks/water problems of every conceivable source.

I think if you are passing through Klagenfurt, the Minimundus is really fun to see. It's a park, sort of like an outdoor museum of sorts with scale replicas of all the world's major monuments. We just thought it was great.

Previous suggestions are good for central located hotels.

I can add (5 and 4 stars, some with excelent restaurants) the Luna Baglioni, the Londra Palace, the Metropole, the Saturnia, the Monaco (ALL San Marco area), the Bonvecchiati (closer to Rialto), Ca' Pisani (Accademia).

Back to Austria, Velden am Woerthersee as well as Poertschach am Woerthersee have nice 4 stars hotels on the lake.

Thanks for the responses! We are either going to try the lake Woerthersee area, or go right to venice, add a night to our stay there and call it a travel day.