Marktbar Studio, Innsbruck

Previously:

Liechtenstein

Okay, so the next place we went to was a town in Austria called Innsbruck.  You might have seen those colourful buildings lined up along the river with mountains in the background.  The kind of view that pops up in travel magazines a lot.  Yep, that's the one... and yes, we were actually there.

Honestly my photos don't even do it justice.  When you see it with your own eyes, every corner just makes you go 'WOW'.  It's one of those places that feels effortlessly beautiful without even trying.

We only spent a night there, which, in hindsight, wasn't enough.  I definitely wish we had at least one more day.  Innsbruck is perfect for just walking around, chilling and casually strolling through the city without any strict plans.

The place we stayed at was called Marktbar Studio.  Super convenient location!  There's no parking inside the building, but there's a public parking spot literally just a 2-minute walk, so it wasn't an issue at all.

It's a self-service apartment, so there's no reception - pretty standard.  We got the code to access the key right before check-in and everything went smoothly.  We stayed in the attic room.  There wasn't much of a view since the windows were quite high up, but the space itself was clean, roomy and well equipped with a kitchen and all the utensils.

Right above the parking area, there's a bakery and a supermarket, which was super handy.  The next morning, we grabbed some pretzels and this soft, sweet bread (I wish I remembered the name!)  It was so fluffy and delicious.  Perfect little snack before hitting the road again. 

Stay tuned for the next blog still in Innsbruck:

Liechtenstein

Previously:

A Vignette for Driving in Europe

On the way to Austria, we made a little visit to one of the tiniest countries in Europe: Liechtenstein.  Blink and you might miss it on the map, but this small alpine country is surprisingly charming.  

Liechtenstein sits snugly between Switzerland and Austria, stretching only about 25 km from North to South.  It's actually one of the world's smallest countries, but also one of the richest.  The country is a constitutional monarchy, ruled by the Princely Family of Liechtenstein and the royal residence still sits proudly above the capital.

The capital city, Vaduz, is a small, peaceful and perfect for a quick wander.  Even if you're just passing through on a road trip.  You can walk around the town centre for some visit of museums, sculptures along the streets or some cafes if you want to grab a coffee.  Another a must activity here is to visit Vaduz Castle, the official residence of the prince.  You can't go inside though because the royal family actually lives there, they open only once a year allowing people to go in.  However, the view below is fantastic.  

One of the best photo spots is along the road heading up toward the castle parking area.  From there you get a perfect angle looking down over Vaduz with the castle above and the Alps in the background.  Definitely worth a quick stop for photos.

Also, a fun little souvenir, is that you can get a special Liechtenstein stamp in your passport from Liechtenstein Center in Vaduz.  It is not an official border stamp, but it's a unique memento that a lot of travellers collect.  

If you are not rushing, of course you can stay longer and Liechtenstein offers something more than that, here is great for hiking and cycling too.

Then to drive from Vaduz to our next stop which is Innsbruck in Austria, took about two hours.

Stay tuned for the next blog in Austria:

Marktbar Studio, Innsbruck

A Vignette for Driving in Europe

Previously:

Zermatt - Switzerland

The next place we stay for this Europe trip was Austria.  That day's drive was one of the most challenging parts of the trip.  The fog was incredibly thick - the kind where you can barely see what's in front of you.  Felt like we entering into a spooky mystical world. 

When you cross certain borders by car in Europe, like from Switzerland to Austria, you need to buy a motorway pass called a vignette.  We paid CHF 12.96.  Though, it depends on the duration and you can usually buy it at petrol stations near the border.

Super foggy day

Love this picture - It likes heaven peaking through from the clouds

We stopped at this Shell petrol station what seemed like the last petrol station along the Autobarn, hoping to buy the vignette there.  Unfortunately, they didn't sell it, but the stop turned out to be worth it anyway because I found something unexpectedly delicious.

At the resting area, there was a Marche restaurant and we ordered the kalbsbraten or roast veal.  It came with gravy and was incredibly tender - slightly fatty but in the best way possible.  Honestly, it was so good.  Their sausages were also really tasty.

Another little travel tip: toilets at many European service stations usually require a small payment.  But here, if you buy something from the food court, you get a toilet voucher that allows two people to use the restroom, which is a nice bonus.

In the end, we continued driving and managed to buy the vignette at the last petrol station before the border, just in time before crossing into Austria.  Before heading to our next hotel, we stopped for a few hours in a Medieval country that is often overlooked.  Curious what it is? See you all in my next post 🛫

Stay tuned for the next blog in Liechtenstein:

Liechtenstein

Zermatt - Switzerland

Previously:

Grindelwald and Lunch at Hirschen, Switzerland

We set off from Interlaken today on a little mission: find the famous Toblerone peak, better known as the Matterhorn, in Zermatt.  As usual, we did a bit of research before heading out, but once we plugged the route into the GPS, something felt a little off... After driving for more than half hour, we figured it out why (thanks to our bro who was ahead of us).  We returned to the correct way, such a detour.

We should have set the way via the Lotschberg car transport tunnel.  Instead of driving the long way around the mountains, cars can actually board a train that carries you through the mountain.  The car shuttle runs between Kandersteg and Goppenstein, takes about 15 minutes and costs CHF 31 for a standard car. 

You can only drive and park your car in Tasch.  Then catch the train into Zermatt since the village is completely car-free.  The train runs frequently and takes about 12 minutes. 

Ticket locket for car transport tunnel

Car transport tunnel

Matterhorn terminal - Tasch

Unfortunately, the weather had other plans for us.  The sky was overcast and light snowing too.  The Matterhorn was completely hidden behind the clouds.  No Toblerone peak in sight today!!!

Still the trip was far from a waste.  The alpine scenery around Zermatt was beautiful as expected, even under the moody sky.  We wandered around, took in the atmosphere and warmed up with a rich Lindt hot chocolate and freshly baked pretzel from a local Backerei.  Honestly, sometimes those simple moments - warm drinks, mountain air, good views and lovely companions - make the whole trip worthwhile.

Matterhorn or not, it was still a pretty lovely day in the Swiss Alps.

Stay tuned for the next blog still in Swiss:

A Vignette for Diving in Europe