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- Where To Go
Austria Where to Go
Where to go
There's a lot to be said for concentrating on just one or two regions, rather than trying to cover a bit of everything in one trip – you could happily spend a week or two in any one of the Austrian provinces, or Länder. Austria's unique combination of outdoor attractions and classic urban centres ensures that you can pack a lot of variety into your stay: take in some fresh air at a high altitude, linger over one of the country's world-class art collections, make the most of a musical heritage second to none, or select any number from the list of recommended highlights below.
Without a visit to Vienna you'll return home with only half the picture. Built on a grand scale as seat of the Habsburg Empire, it's a place that positively drips with imperial nostalgia. The pickings are rich, with the old palaces of the Hofburg and Schönbrunn high on the list, as are the cultural offerings from the gargantuan art collections of the Kunsthistorisches Museum and the MuseumsQuartier to the hi-tech applied-arts displays of the MAK. Equally compelling, nowadays, are the ghosts of Vienna's golden age at the end of the nineteenth century, when the likes of Freud, Klimt, Schiele and Schönberg frequented the city's cafés. The city boasts some wonderful Jugendstil and early modernist buildings and a bevy of traditional fin-de-siècle cafés patrolled by waitersin tuxedos. Last, but by no means least, Vienna is by far the best place in the country for nightlife, and that means everything from top-class opera to techno.
Salzburg is no less intoxicating. Its Altstadt contains the country's most concentrated ensemble of Baroque architecture, and the Hohensalzburg fortress is arguably the country's most impressive medieval castle. A substantial musical pedigree is ensured by the city's status as the birthplace of Mozart and venue of the Salzburg Festival, one of the world's most renowned celebrations of classical music and theatre. Of Austria's other regional capitals, Innsbruck combines both a buzzing nightlife and close proximity to some of the Tyrol's highest peaks to make it one of Austria's most popular destinations. Its attractive and largely medieval city centre focuses on the Hofkirche, site of the memorial to sixteenth-century Habsburg strongman Emperor Maximilian I. In the Styrian capital, Graz, the main attractions are the Altstadt, the fine-art collections of the Landesmuseum Joanneum and the Baroque Eggenberg Palace. Austria's second largest city is also a good base from which to venture out into the vineyards and pumpkin fields of the rural southeast.
Explorations down back streets of Austria's small medieval towns, many of which are still enclosed by their original walls, will reward you with hidden arcaded courtyards, tinkling fountains and overflowing flower boxes: Freistadt in Upper Austria, Hall in the Tyrol and Friesach in Carinthia present the pick of the bunch. Lower Austria has the country's highest concentration of monasteries, ranging from the Baroque excess of Melk, Altenburg and Zwettl to the likes of Heiligenkreuz, built on the cusp of the stylistic transition from Romanesque to Gothic. For unadulterated Romanesque architecture, head for Gurk in Carinthia; for Rococo floridity, Wilhering in Upper Austria is hard to beat. Austria also holds a bewildering variety of castlesandchâteaux, from fortified seats such as Forchtenstein in Burgenland to luxury aristocratic piles like Artstetten in Lower Austria. The two finest imperial palaces are the magnificent Baroque residence of Schönbrunn, on the outskirts of Vienna, and Schloss Ambras, the archduke Ferdinand of Tyrol's Renaissance treasure-trove near Innsbruck.
Musical pilgrimages are possible to the birthplaces or resting places of such luminaries as Beethoven, Bruckner, Haydn, Liszt, Mozart, Mahler, Schönberg and Schubert. The country's top music festivals, among them the Salzburg Festival, the Haydn Festival in Eisenstadt and the chamber music festival in Lockenhaus, draw international performers and audiences alike. At both the Bregenz Festival and the operetta festival in Mörbisch, floating stages host top-class performances against a shimmering backdrop.
Austria's main lakelandarea is the Salzkammergut, where the Wolfgangsee, Mondsee, Traunsee and Hallstättersee offer a combination of water-based pursuits and stunning scenery. To the south, the Carinthian lakes of the Wörthersee, Ossiachersee and Millstättersee boast good bathing, boating and windsurfing facilities. In the far east of the country, the reed-encircled Neusiedlersee, Austria's only steppe lake, provides a total contrast, and an opportunity to marry beach culture with a spot of bird-watching.
Austria forms one of Europe's most mountainous countries, yet an excellent network of transport links puts even the dizziest of heights within reach. Key summer hiking areas are the alpine regions of western Austria, stretching from northeastern Styria and eastern Carinthia through the Salzkammergut, Salzburger Land, Tyrol and Vorarlberg. For snow sports, the Salzburger Land, Tyrol and Vorarlberg boast the highest concentration and widest range of modern, fully equipped resorts.
Finally, a great deal of Austria's industrial heritage has been put to good touristic effect, and many of the show-mines count among top attractions. If you have time to visit only one of them, pick from the following: the iron-ore workings at Eisenerz in Styria, the salt mine at Bad Dürrnberg in the Salzburger Land, the salt mine above Hallstatt in the Salzkammergut, the lead mine at Bad Bleiberg in Carinthia, and the silver mine at Schwaz in the Tyrol.
28 things not to miss
It's not possible to see everything that Austria has to offer in one trip – and we don't suggest you try. What follows is a selective and subjective taste of the country's highlights: vibrant cities and shimmering lakes, top mountain resorts, Baroque monasteries and secluded alpine hideaways. They're arranged in five colour-coded categories to help you find the very best things to see, do and experience. All entries have a page reference to take you straight into the guide, where you can find out more.
01. Kunsthistorisches Museum
• A spectacular late nineteenth-century building housing one of the world's greatest art collections, famous above all for its Breughels.
02. Heuriger
• These traditional taverns are the places to head for some local wine and self-service buffets of simple peasant fare. A Buschen, or bunch of evergreen boughs, signifies that it's open.
03. Salzburger Festspiele
• Since starting in 1920, this summer festival has packed in the crowds with innovative productions from ground-breaking artists.
04. Kaffeehaus
• With their tuxedoed waiters, calorific cakes, copious newspapers and unhurried air, the Kaffeehaus is the city's most important and enduring social institution.
05. Skiing in the Arlberg
• The Arlberg region is Austria's top destination for off-piste skiing and snowboarding.
06. Watersports: Salzkammergut & Carinthia
• Rafting, windsurfing, waterskiing or just plain old swimming – it can all be done against a backdrop of craggy mountains in the Salzkammergut and Carinthia.
07. Schatzkammer
• The imperial family may have gone, but their hoard of crown jewels is full of absolute gems.
08. Schönbrunn
• By far the most magnificent of the Habsburgs' many palaces, Schönbrunn also boasts wonderful gardens, fountains, mazes, hothouses and a zoo.
09. Christkindlmarkt
• In the weeks leading up to Christmas, market places across the country fill with stalls selling arts, crafts and, more importantly, mulled wine and punch.
10. Cakes
• The locals have a sweet tooth and you're never very far from a mouth-watering selection of freshly made cakes.
11. Ars Electronica Linz
• Austria's most unfashionable city boasts the country's most cutting edge museum, dedicated to the world of virtual reality.
12 . Halstatt
• Picturesque lakeside village that clings to the steeply wooded slopes of an old salt mine in the Salzkammergut.
13. Sound of Music
• Devise your own itinerary or take an organized bus tour round the locations used for the world's greatest musical movie.
14. Hochosterwitz
• Stunning hilltop castle that looks like something out of a fairy tale.
15. Salzburg
• Austria's Baroque jewel is filled with beautiful architecture and kept busy by the interest in its most famous son, Mozart.
16 . Heilingeblut & the Grossglockner
• Austria's highest mountain, the Grossglockner, dominates this pretty village.
17 . Melk
• Spectacularly perched on a woody bluff overlooking the Danube, Melk's Baroque monastery is one of the country's most rewarding to visit.
18 . Cycling in the Wachau
• Cycle along the country's prettiest section of the Danube.
19 . Schafberg
• Take the antique mountain steam train up this peak for a panoramic view over the Wolfgangsee.
20 . Altenburg
• Benedictine monastery transformed in the 1730s into one of the country's most stunning Baroque abbeys.
21 . Zentralfriedhof
• One of the world's most awesome municipal cemeteries, with over two and half million corpses, including Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, Schönberg and the entire Strauss family.
22. Paragliding in the Zillertal
• The best way to experience this breathtaking valley is from the air, strapped in tandem with your experienced pilot.
23. Kitzbühel
• Kitzbühel's unique blend of medieval buildings, designer boutiques and posey bars attracts a suitably slick crowd.
24. Pumpkinseed oil
• Southern Styrian pumpkins are the source of this delicious oil, added to many local dishes to give them a distinct, autumnal flavour.
25. Schloss Ambras
• One of Austria's great Renaissance palaces offers an insight into sixteenth-century court life.
26 . Neusiedler See
• Shallow steppe lake that's one of central Europe's top birding destinations and one of Austria's major watersports centres.
27 . Mauthausen
• Austria's most notorious concentration camp is a chilling reminder of the country's dark history.
28 . MuseumsQuartier
• Vienna's new arts complex houses the city's chief modern art museum, a welter of works by Schiele, and a host of funky cafés and bars.
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