Austria – Scribbles and Snapshots

September 11, 2025

The next morning we packed up our bags and hopped in the car for our next destination – Liechtenstein! If you haven’t heard of it, it’s a small nation nestled between Switzerland and Austria, which was a perfect pit stop on our roadtrip!

We didn’t have long to stop there before moving on to Zürich. We stopped for a quick walk through town and lunch in Vaduz, the capital, where castle views rise above quaint streets lined with cafes and little shops. Though our visit was short, it felt like stepping into a Hallmark movie: clean, peaceful, and surrounded by stunning Alpine scenery. It’s the perfect place to stretch your legs, grab a bite, and check another country off your list!

We hopped back into the car and finished the drive to Zürich. We wanted to drop our luggage at the hotel before heading to the Lindt factory for the tour, yes, that Lindt factory!

We were staying at the Central Plaza Hotel – and I can’t recommend it enough. We were within walking distance to so many restaurants and the sightseeing destinations, plus the service was exceptional. Our room wasn’t ready, but they helped stow our luggage and get us sent on our way in time for our tour.

A coworker of Andy’s had recently returned from Switzerland and had recommended this tour, so we were glad we had gotten tickets. They tend to sell out – for obvious reasons!

From the moment you walk in, it smells like heaven. You also walk in to see the largest free-standing chocolate fountain at 30 feet tall! The tour starts with a fun and interactive look at how chocolate is made and how it became so popular in Switzerland.

Of course, the best part is the tasting. As you explore the exhibits, you can sample different kinds of chocolate – and do a blind tasting to try to guess what kind it is. It is a true test of willpower to stop at just one bite.

At the end, you get to take a bunch of different samples home with you. And just like any amusement park, they pop you out in a gift shop at the end where you can shop for treats to take home. You can shop for classic gold foil truffles to special flavors you will not find anywhere else. The Lindt factory tour is part museum, part candy dream, and all sweetness. We had a blast exploring the factory!

We made our way back to the hotel and this time our room was ready for us! Andy had to run payroll, so I spent some time mapping out how we would capitalize on our time in Zürich since we just had the one night and a few hours the next morning.

Our friend at the front desk had recommended a restaurant that locals (in addition to tourists) frequented, and once Andy was at a good stopping point we made our way there. There was a small line, but because the tables were so large and we were willing to share a table we got seated really quickly.

It sort of made the experience a bit more fun sharing with strangers, unfortunately our table mates didn’t speak much English. Nearby tables were getting to know each other – and sharing fun stories. (You could see the philosophy worked out well in most cases!)

On our walk back to the hotel we stopped by to admire Grossmünster, St. Peter Church, Fraumuenster, and some of the other picturesque sights that the city had to offer. We really loved it there! It felt really clean and safe, and definitely had some of the friendliest people we had encountered on the trip!

Up Next:
– Sightsee around Zürich
– Fly to London
– Meet up with Kim & Craig!

Accommodations:
– Central Plaza Hotel Zürich

September 9, 2025

We had another early morning of travel. Of course these are all self-inflicted because I want to squeeze as much as I can out of a trip. We had to return our car rental and get shuttled over to the airport and we weren’t sure how long any of that would take, since honestly, every airport is so different.

Thankfully, all of that went without a hitch. A lot of reviews talked about how poorly organized the Florence airport was… we didn’t experience that at all. Maybe during peak travel season (July/August) it’s worse? But we got through luggage drop and security quickly and even had enough time to impulse another leather purse before boarding our plane.

When we had woken up Jon and Yvonne had text us saying they were on their way to Florence from Austria. We had thought it would be fun if we could have seen each other in the airport, but the timing was slightly off. But then our flight got delayed for some unknown reason, and then we were just sitting on our plane. I told Andy, “I bet we are waiting for Jon and Yvonne’s plane to land.”

Sure enough, an Austrian Air plane landed and then our plane was allowed to move. I promptly took a quick video and picture and text them and text them, “Is this you?” And we were up in the air. Sure enough, it was indeed them. So that was a lot of fun that we got to “see” them on this trip.

It was a short flight to Munich. Once we landed we picked up our car rental. Our first car unfortunately had low tire pressure in all four tires, we discovered this after we had loaded all of our luggage. So we had to swap the car for a new one.

We made our way to our hotel to drop our luggage off before starting our road trip to Salzburg, Austria. And as soon as we made it to our hotel, we were quickly met with some of the worst customer service we experienced on the trip. We knew our room wouldn’t be ready, and had no expectation that we would be let into our room. But the girl seemed to think I was asking for that? But I was simply asking for our bags to be stored – and Andy was asking about parking.

The couple before us (Europeans – not Germans though) had asked about it as well. She had given them a form to fill out and explained in great detail some information and sent them on their way. When Andy approached she simply stated, “We’re full.” And offered no other information. Andy had to ask a few other ways about where else we could park, what other options we had, etc. before we found out the neighboring hotel options.

Honestly, it was a really poor experience and the only reason we booked that hotel is because one of their affiliate hotels was incredible last year in Sitges, Spain. Keep in mind, this is where I decided to spend my birthday. And at this point, I had even joined the Meliá loyalty program and had points. None of this was even acknowledged.

ANYWAY… bags were dropped. Parking was sorted and we were on our way to Salzburg! Austria requires that you have a vignette for tolls. So if you get a car rental make sure you either get the sticker or a digital one or you can get fined. Not fun.

But we made our own Sound of Music tour. We did our own version of the Do-Re-Mi steps. We tried to visit the nunnery. And we got to see where they had moved the gazebo to, meticulously groomed gardens, fountains, and ponds.

It was a lot of fun! The city was clean and beautiful. We got there before the rain started (we did bring umbrellas from the hotel – they begrudgingly loaned them to us) and only needed them for dinner.

I had picked out a restaurant that had opened in 1663, Bärenwirt. When we were originally going to go, we had thought we were going for lunch. But because things had taken so long, we had revamped our plans and were now doing an early dinner. We found ourselves with no reservation and a very popular restaurant. Thankfully because we were a party of two, and it was early enough – the host said as long as we were okay sharing and willing to be done before 7pm we could join them, needless to say, we received a much more welcoming time in Austria than at the hotel.

I had some of the best dumplings I’ve had in my life – and Andy was happy as a clam with a sausage, potatoes, and sauerkraut. It was such a delicious meal! The atmosphere was wonderful as well.

We made our way back to Munich and turned in for the evening.

Up Next:
-Neuschwanstein Castle
-Schloss Linderhof

Hotel:
– Hotel München City Center Affiliated by Meliá

Tag: Austria

Liechenstein & Switzerland

Salzburg & The Sound of Music