19/10/2026
🇦🇹✨ SAM’S AUSTRIAN ADVENTURE – 9 DAY AUSTRIAN TYROL & FAIRYTALE CASTLE TRIP! 🏰🏔️
Having recently travelled on the 9-day Austrian Tyrol & Fairytale Castle trip, I thought I’d write a little review of our experience! 😊
In short… IT WAS ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC! ❤️
Yes, there is a LOT of travelling involved, especially on the way there and back, BUT believe me, it is 100% worth it! 🇦🇹✨
🚌 THE JOURNEY THERE
We left Wakefield at 6:50am on our feeder coach and met our main coach at Woodhall before travelling down to Dover for the ferry. Once across in France, we continued to our overnight hotel in Metz.
The hotel was basic, but clean and spacious, and the continental breakfast was good. 👍
The following day, we travelled across Germany towards Austria, with everyone’s excitement building as we got closer to our destination! 🇩🇪➡️🇦🇹
🏨 OUR HOTEL – HOTEL KIRCHENWIRT, ZELL AM ZILLER
We stayed here for six nights, and honestly, I really couldn’t fault the hotel!
Check-in was smooth, the rooms were clean, spacious and comfortable, and we even had a lovely wraparound balcony to enjoy the beautiful, warm October weather. ☀️🍂
The food was decent (not a massive choice, but we were more than happy with it), and the all-inclusive drinks were spot on! 🍻🥂
Overall, a really lovely base for exploring Austria! ❤️
🚂🚤 MONDAY – COG RAILWAY & BOAT TRIP
Both were fantastic experiences and definitely worth doing!
⚠️ A LITTLE WORD OF WARNING: The cog railway gets VERY busy, and you can be quite cramped on the train. Getting off can also be tricky, with a steep step down and small, shallow steps.
Unfortunately, I actually fell getting off the train, hurting myself and landing on my mum, who unfortunately hurt her leg quite badly too! 😬 Not exactly the start we wanted, but luckily, we both managed to enjoy the rest of the holiday! ❤️
🏰✨ TUESDAY – THE FAIRYTALE CASTLE
What a stunning place! 😍 The castle itself is absolutely beautiful and well worth visiting.
However, WORD OF WARNING: It’s a very long day and involves LOTS of walking and plenty of steps, so I wouldn’t recommend this trip for anyone with limited mobility.
If you’re comfortable with the walking, though, the scenery and the castle are incredible! 📸🏰
🏞️ WEDNESDAY – FREE DAY
There was an optional trip to Kitzbühel and Zell am See, and both were lovely little towns! ❤️
The scenery was beautiful throughout the day, but the journey back through the mountain pass was absolutely JAW-DROPPING! 🤩🏔️
One of those moments where you just sit there looking out of the window thinking, “Wow!”
🚠🏔️ THURSDAY – MAYRHOFEN & RATTENBERG
We spent the morning in Mayrhofen and then had the option of visiting Rattenberg in the afternoon.
We took the ski lift in Mayrhofen, and honestly, THIS WAS THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE ENTIRE HOLIDAY FOR ME! 😍❤️
At €40 per person, the views from the top of the mountain were out of this world. You honestly have to see them to believe them! 🏔️❄️
A real pinch-me moment and worth every penny!
Afterwards, we took a short drive to Rattenberg, known as Austria’s smallest town, famous for its beautiful glass shops. 🪟✨
Such a charming little place, with plenty to look at, and I’d definitely recommend doing this optional excursion!
🏙️🇦🇹 FRIDAY – INNSBRUCK
Our final full day in Austria took us to the gorgeous city of Innsbruck.
It has so much old-world charm, fantastic shops and absolutely beautiful scenery. A lovely way to round off our Austrian adventure! ❤️📸
🚌🇫🇷 THE JOURNEY HOME
The final couple of days were spent travelling home, with another overnight stop in Metz.
This time, there was the option to head into Metz city centre for a lovely evening meal, which was a nice way to break up the journey before heading back to the UK. 🍽️🍷
⭐️😂 A SPECIAL MENTION TO OUR COACH DRIVERS – GRAEME & STUART!
These two deserve a mention of their own!
They were like a comedy double act from start to finish! 😂👏 They really did make the trip even more enjoyable, keeping everyone entertained along the way.
They are an absolute credit to the company, and we couldn’t have asked for better drivers! ⭐️🚌
❤️🎂 MY FINAL THOUGHTS
All in all, this is THE BEST TRIP MY FAMILY AND I HAVE EVER BEEN ON! 🇦🇹🏔️
It was a fantastic way to celebrate my dad’s upcoming 60th birthday early, making memories that we’ll remember for years to come. ❤️🎉
Yes, there’s a lot of travelling, and some excursions are physically demanding, but the scenery, experiences, towns, mountains and overall atmosphere make it so worthwhile.
I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS TRIP ONE MILLION PERCENT TO ANYONE! 🙌🇦🇹
If you’re thinking about booking it, I honestly don’t think you’ll regret it!
💬 If anyone has any questions about the trip, the hotel, excursions or anything else, please feel free to ask in the comments! 😊👇
❤️🏔️🇦🇹
