# Exploring Austria's Stunning Landscapes on a Lads Holiday Road Trip *By James Hills — Updated June 2026* Austria packs more good driving into a country roughly the size of Scotland than just about anywhere in Europe - alpine passes, Danube wine towns, and lakeside villages all within a few hours of each other. For a guys trip, that density is the whole point: you fly in, pick up a car, and string together cities, mountains, and beer halls without ever burning a full day behind the wheel. Here's the loop worth flying for, the one drive you can't skip, and the stuff nobody tells you about renting a car once you land. **Questions****The Austria Loop, From Vienna's Bars to the Glacier Road****Article Index** ** No answer selected. Please try again. Please select either existing option or enter your own, however not both. Please select minimum {0} answer(s). Please select maximum {0} answer(s). /polls/travel-and-trip-ideas/what-do-you-prefer-to-call-your-guys-trips.html?task=poll.vote&format=json 1 Guys Trips (567 votes / 44.16%) 44.16% votes Guys Getaways (130 votes / 10.12%) 10.12% votes Mancations (118 votes / 9.19%) 9.19% votes Brocations (167 votes / 13.01%) 13.01% votes [{"id":5,"title":"Guys Weekends","votes":302,"type":"x","order":1,"pct":23.519999999999999573674358543939888477325439453125,"resources":[]},{"id":6,"title":"Guys Trips","votes":567,"type":"x","order":2,"pct":44.159999999999996589394868351519107818603515625,"resources":[]},{"id":7,"title":"Guys Getaways","votes":130,"type":"x","order":3,"pct":10.1199999999999992184029906638897955417633056640625,"resources":[]},{"id":8,"title":"Mancations","votes":118,"type":"x","order":4,"pct":9.1899999999999995026200849679298698902130126953125,"resources":[]},{"id":9,"title":"Brocations","votes":167,"type":"x","order":5,"pct":13.0099999999999997868371792719699442386627197265625,"resources":[]}] ["#ff5b00","#4ac0f2","#b80028","#eef66c","#60bb22","#b96a9a","#62c2cc"] ["rgba(255,91,0,0.7)","rgba(74,192,242,0.7)","rgba(184,0,40,0.7)","rgba(238,246,108,0.7)","rgba(96,187,34,0.7)","rgba(185,106,154,0.7)","rgba(98,194,204,0.7)"] 350 ** Vote Now** Vote Form** ResultVotes A week in Austria can be one loop - cities, wine country, lakes, and a glacier road - if you know the order to drive it and what to sort before you do. - Vienna pairs imperial palaces with a compact bar district and hillside taverns pouring their own young wine. - An hour west, the Wachau Valley lines the Danube with Gruner Veltliner cellars and a castle where Richard the Lionheart was held for ransom. - Salzburg hides a monastery beer hall that's been pouring since the 1600s a short walk from Mozart's birthplace. - The Grossglockner High Alpine Road climbs three dozen hairpins to a glacier and gates shut all winter. - Renting a car here trips up American and British drivers in completely different ways. 1. [The Loop, From the Danube to the Glacier Road](https://www.mantripping.com/travel/exploring-austrias-stunning-landscapes-on-a-lads-holiday-road-trip.html#the-loop-from-the-danube-to-the-glacier-road)[Vienna and the Wachau Wine Valley](https://www.mantripping.com/travel/exploring-austrias-stunning-landscapes-on-a-lads-holiday-road-trip.html#vienna-and-the-wachau-wine-valley) 2. [Salzburg and the Salzkammergut Lakes](https://www.mantripping.com/travel/exploring-austrias-stunning-landscapes-on-a-lads-holiday-road-trip.html#salzburg-and-the-salzkammergut-lakes) 3. [Innsbruck and the Tyrol Alps](https://www.mantripping.com/travel/exploring-austrias-stunning-landscapes-on-a-lads-holiday-road-trip.html#innsbruck-and-the-tyrol-alps) 4. [The Grossglockner High Alpine Road](https://www.mantripping.com/travel/exploring-austrias-stunning-landscapes-on-a-lads-holiday-road-trip.html#the-grossglockner-high-alpine-road) [What to Know About Renting a Car in Austria](https://www.mantripping.com/travel/exploring-austrias-stunning-landscapes-on-a-lads-holiday-road-trip.html#what-to-know-about-renting-a-car-in-austria)[Plan Around the Glacier Road, Not the Cities](https://www.mantripping.com/travel/exploring-austrias-stunning-landscapes-on-a-lads-holiday-road-trip.html#plan-around-the-glacier-road-not-the-cities) If you did [Europe guys trip](https://www.mantripping.com/international/europe.html) in your twenties, you probably did a version of this on a budget - an Interrail pass, a duffel bag, a hostel in a city you can't quite place anymore, and a night somewhere in the Alps your liver still resents. That trip is great, even as a solo trip for a young man looking to explore the continent, and this isn't a knock on it. But Austria rewards a slower, sharper version too, and the move that unlocks it is the same one you'd make for a Europe guys trip at any age: a few buddies, a rental car, and no fixed plan past the first night. I've planned enough group trips to know the route is rarely the hard part - getting everyone to agree on the pace is. The party's still there if you want it. So is a glacier road, a cellar full of Gruner Veltliner, and a schnitzel that hangs off both sides of the plate. You just get to choose the speed. ## The Loop, From the Danube to the Glacier Road Fly into Vienna, loop southwest through Salzburg and the lakes, climb into the Alps around Innsbruck, then drop south for the Grossglockner before circling back. Around 1,000 kilometers - about 650 miles - and it fills a full week only because you'll keep stopping. ### Awesome UAE Mancation Ideas in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Beyond Here's why the United Arab Emirates (UAE) makes a great place for a mancation. Legendary cities like Abu Dhabi and Dubai have everything guys could imagine. ManTripping [Read More](https://ads.flowmediamarketing.com/go/3ABS4bbiaY_Jras2U-21gQ.1104) ### Six-Course Whiskey Pairing Dinner at High West's Nelson Cottage High West's Nelson Cottage delivers six-course prix fixe dinners with expert whiskey pairings in historic Park City home. $110 per person, $80 for elevated pairing. Laid back atmosphere, creative cuisine, exceptional value. ManTripping [Read More](https://ads.flowmediamarketing.com/go/3ABS4bbiaY_Jras2U-21gQ.1480) ### 8 Days in Mallorca Classic Discover the Balearic Islands at your own pace. Sea or mountain, culture or beach, quite coves or crowded clubs, it´s all here in the beautiful Mallorca. Your stay will be splitted in two different hubs so you'll be able to make the most of it. Viator (affiliate) $1,444.94[See Current Price](https://ads.flowmediamarketing.com/go/3ABS4bbiaY_Jras2U-21gQ.1305) ### 6 Days 5 Nights Northern Vietnam Tour 6 day Northern Vietnam tour with hidden gems, local cuisine and passionate guides. Ideal for curious travelers seeking more than the typical tourist route. Viator (affiliate) $621.12[See Current Price](https://ads.flowmediamarketing.com/go/3ABS4bbiaY_Jras2U-21gQ.561) Promoted by FlowAds ### Vienna and the Wachau Wine Valley Start in Vienna, Austria, where the imperial palaces fill a good morning but you stay for the night. The compact bar district locals call the Bermuda Triangle packs decades of late nights into a few blocks, and the hillside taverns up in Grinzing - Heurigen, where growers pour their own young wine by the quarter-liter - are where you want to end up. An hour west, the Wachau Valley follows the Danube past terraced vineyards, the castle ruins above Durnstein where Richard the Lionheart was held for ransom in 1193, and the yellow Baroque bulk of Melk Abbey. This is Gruner Veltliner country - crisp, peppery, poured straight from the cellar door for three or four euros a glass. ### Salzburg and the Salzkammergut Lakes Two hours west, Salzburg, Austria is the postcard: Hohensalzburg Fortress over the rooftops, Mozart's birthplace on Getreidegasse, the Sound of Music tour your group will pretend not to enjoy. ## Man Gear Pick of the Month September's Pick Amazon (affiliate) ### Kenyon City Grill Portable Stainless Steel Electric Grill Why we picked it: a grill you can actually carry to the campsite, the tailgate or the cabin without borrowing a truck. Stainless, no propane tank to wrestle, and hot enough to cook for four guys rather than reheat for one. [Check The Price](https://ads.flowmediamarketing.com/go/vnrVgBJdjeeKfY9730BVQQ.2144) [August's Pick LiberNovo Maxis Electric Big and Tall Ergonomic Office Chair, Graphite 52cm $1,466.00](https://ads.flowmediamarketing.com/go/vnrVgBJdjeeKfY9730BVQQ.2350) [July's Pick Powerful Propane Torch Gun, Adjustable Flame Thrower Gun, Kitchen Torch with Detachable Design, Flamethrower Blow Torch for BBQ, Searing Steak, Welding, Camping Charcoal Lighter(Tank Not Included) $41.99](https://ads.flowmediamarketing.com/go/vnrVgBJdjeeKfY9730BVQQ.2397) [June's Pick OYASUMI Funny BBQ Man Hot Dog Holders, 4 PCS Reusable Stainless Steel Sausage Stands, Portable Hot Dog Roasters, Barbecue Grill Accessories for Camping & Party Gifts $14.98](https://ads.flowmediamarketing.com/go/vnrVgBJdjeeKfY9730BVQQ.2396) Promoted by FlowAds The move here is the Augustiner Braustubl, a monastery beer hall in the Mulln district that's been pouring since the 1600s - you rinse your own stone stein, fill it from the tap, and drink in a chestnut-shaded courtyard with a few hundred of your new closest friends. If your crew leans into the history, we've gone deeper on [how to build a Salzburg trip around Mozart](https://www.mantripping.com/travel/celebrate-the-legacy-of-mozart-on-a-salzburg-guys-getaway.html) - the period concerts, his old haunts, and the drinks he actually put away. Just east, the Salzkammergut lake district holds Hallstatt - the village so photogenic a Chinese developer built a full-scale replica of it - plus quieter water at Wolfgangsee and the old spa town of Bad Ischl for a slower afternoon. ### Innsbruck and the Tyrol Alps Drive the A12 west into Tyrol, where Innsbruck, Austria sits ringed by peaks you can reach without leaving town. The Nordkette cable car climbs from the old town to the Hafelekar station at 2,256 meters in about twenty minutes - coffee in a medieval square, snow under your boots before lunch. The arcaded old town and the Golden Roof handle the sightseeing; the bars along the Inn River handle the rest. Tyrol is also the jump-off for the party-ski crowd - Ischgl, the self-styled Ibiza of the Alps, and Mayrhofen - in winter, when the snow's down. ### The Grossglockner High Alpine Road If you do one drive in Austria, do this one. The Grossglockner High Alpine Road climbs three dozen hairpin bends past 2,500 meters, and the spur out to Franz-Josefs-Hohe ends at a terrace facing the Grossglockner itself - at 3,798 meters, Austria's highest peak - above the Pasterze, the country's longest glacier. The Pasterze is shrinking fast, too; the viewing terraces have been rebuilt lower as the ice pulls back, and marmots work the parking lot while the air bites even in July. Two things to know: it's a seasonal toll road - roughly 46.50 euros per car, open early May to early November, gated and snowed-in the rest of the year - and it has nothing to do with the motorway vignette. Budget ninety minutes to drive the High Alpine Road, then double that, because you will want to stop and take photos of this amazing destination. ## What to Know About Renting a Car in Austria Most guys fly in, which means the trip really starts at the rental counter - and that counter trips up American and British drivers in different ways. First, the car is almost certainly a manual. European fleets run on stick shift; automatics cost more, sell out early, and are easiest to find at the big airport branches. If nobody in the group wants to row through six gears on an alpine pass, reserve an automatic the day you book, not the day you land. Then the license. An American driver's license isn't enough on its own here - Austria wants an International Driving Permit alongside it, which is a fifteen-dollar form from AAA you handle before you fly, not something you can sort once you're there. A UK photocard license needs no permit at all. Rental desks set their own rules on top of the law, so read the booking fine print either way. Next, the money traps. Drivers under 25 pay a young-driver surcharge, usually six to fifteen euros a day - worth a line in the budget if the trip skews toward the actual lads-holiday age bracket. The vignette, Austria's motorway toll, is now digital and tied to the plate; it's usually handled on the rental, but confirm it, because running the autobahn without one is a fine, not a warning. And it doesn't cover everything - the Grossglockner, the Brenner Pass, and a few tunnels charge their own tolls on top. One more nobody mentions: if your loop dips into Italy or Slovenia, easy to do south of the Grossglockner, tell the rental desk - plenty of Austrian agencies add a cross-border fee or limit where the car can go. Last, the rules that bite. Austria's blood-alcohol limit is 0.05, lower than the 0.08 most of you drive under at home, and effectively zero - 0.01 - if you've held your license under two years. With beer halls and Heurigen on the itinerary, that means a designated driver or a taxi, every single time. And British drivers, give yourself the first hour to recalibrate: you'll be driving on the right, and the instinct to drift left out of a roundabout takes a few junctions to unlearn. ## Plan Around the Glacier Road, Not the Cities Lock one thing before anything else: the Grossglockner's calendar. Vienna and Salzburg run year-round, but the glacier road gates shut from roughly November to early May, and nothing kills a guys trip like driving all that way to a closed barrier. Set your dates to that open window first, then slot the cities around it. After that, the loop bends to whatever crew you brought - a wine-and-schnitzel week for four guys in their forties, or a beer-hall-and-snow blowout for a younger group. The route never changes; only where the nights land does. Lock the drive, then sort the hotels over the first round. Top Picks Flow Voyages ### Book your next cruise with Heather at Flow Voyages Flow Voyages is a travel advisor specializing in cruises and resorts. [Contact Flow Voyages](https://ads.flowmediamarketing.com/go/bXZ0JDFpFJjjLbXmtbFHZw.617) Promoted by FlowAds Details Written by: James Hills Last Updated: 03 June 2026 ### 🚢Ready To Book A Vacation? Let us help you plan a cruise, all-inclusive resort, or tour for your next guys trip, family vacation, or romantic getaway. Click here to [**Book Your Next Vacation**](https://www.mantripping.com/vacation-planning.html). #### Which Style Of Amazon Cruise Should You Pick To Explore World's Largest River? Aug 17, 2026 [Which Style Of Amazon Cruise Should You Pick To Explore World's Largest River?](https://www.mantripping.com/travel/amazon-river-cruise-planning-ship-options.html) [Plan Your Next Vacation Today!](https://www.mantripping.com/vacation-planning.html) ### Products & Gift Ideas #### LiberNovo Maxis Chair Review - Finally A Seat That Lets Big Dudes Feel Comfortable At The Desk Sep 10, 2026 [LiberNovo Maxis Chair Review - Finally A Seat That Lets Big Dudes Feel Comfortable At The Desk](https://www.mantripping.com/stuff/libernovo-maxis-big-and-tall-office-chair-review.html) #### FRESKO 4-in-1 Immersion Hand Blender Review Sep 09, 2026 [FRESKO 4-in-1 Immersion Hand Blender Review](https://www.mantripping.com/stuff/fresko-4-in-1-immersion-hand-blender-review.html) #### UGREEN Air Review: Four Slim Chargers And Power Banks I Traveled With This Summer Aug 25, 2026 [UGREEN Air Review: Four Slim Chargers And Power Banks I Traveled With This Summer](https://www.mantripping.com/stuff/ugreen-air-chargers-power-banks-review.html) ### Top Guys Trip Ideas: #### Is Vegas Overrated As A Guys Getaway Destination? Dec 20, 2024 [Is Vegas Overrated As A Guys Getaway Destination?](https://www.mantripping.com/travel/is-vegas-overrated-as-a-guys-getaway-destination.html) #### The Off-Road Trip You Didn't Know You Needed - Craters, Volcanoes, and Dead Sea Cliffs in Israel Apr 06, 2026 [The Off-Road Trip You Didn't Know You Needed - Craters, Volcanoes, and Dead Sea Cliffs in Israel](https://www.mantripping.com/travel/offroad-mancation-jeep-tours-israel.html) #### Top Golf Trips for Guys: Florida Resorts For an Awesome Weekend Getaway Jul 13, 2024 [Top Golf Trips for Guys: Florida Resorts For an Awesome Weekend Getaway](https://www.mantripping.com/travel/top-florida-golf-resorts-for-a-guys-weekend.html) ### Related Articles #### Paris Catacombs: What Guys Need to Know Before You Go : Updated After 2026 Reopening [Paris Catacombs: What Guys Need to Know Before You Go : Updated After 2026 Reopening](https://www.mantripping.com/travel/paris-catacombs-guide.html) #### 8 Things Guys Should Do in Split, Croatia (Not Just the Cruise Stop) [8 Things Guys Should Do in Split, Croatia (Not Just the Cruise Stop)](https://www.mantripping.com/travel/things-guys-should-do-in-split-croatia.html) #### How to Rent the Right Car for an Iceland Road Trip [How to Rent the Right Car for an Iceland Road Trip](https://www.mantripping.com/travel/renting-a-car-in-iceland.html) #### Castles, Cheese And The Concorde - Bristol Is The Perfect Basecamp For A South West England Getaway [Castles, Cheese And The Concorde - Bristol Is The Perfect Basecamp For A South West England Getaway](https://www.mantripping.com/travel/bristol-basecamp-south-west-england-guys-trip.html) #### European River Cruises Made for a Guys Trip: Rhine, Bordeaux, Douro, and Rhône [European River Cruises Made for a Guys Trip: Rhine, Bordeaux, Douro, and Rhône](https://www.mantripping.com/travel/european-river-cruises-guys-trip.html) - [**](https://www.mantripping.com/search.html) - [**](https://www.mantripping.com/sitemap.html) - [** Polls](https://www.mantripping.com/polls.html) - [Community Login](https://www.mantripping.com/registration/login.html) - [Brand Engagement Newsletter](https://www.mantripping.com/pr-ops-newsletter.html) - [Links](https://www.mantripping.com/links.html) - [Pitch Portal](https://www.mantripping.com/pitch.html) - [Men's Travel Survey](https://www.mantripping.com/the-mantripping-guys-trip-report-spring-2026.html) --- *Source: [Exploring Austria's Stunning Landscapes on a Lads Holiday Road Trip](https://mantripping.com/travel/exploring-austrias-stunning-landscapes-on-a-lads-holiday-road-trip.html)* **Tags:** Europe Guys Trip Ideas, Lads Holiday, Road Trip