14 Best Places to Visit in Austria
Boasting the rugged tips of the Eastern Alps and the glacial caps of the Hohe Tauern, quaint
medieval towns built with timber and set in the shadow of soaring mountaintops, regal
cities forged by the hands of Habsburgs and Holy Roman Emperors, the world’s most famous
coffee culture and sweeping forests of fir, beach and hornbeam, there’s no question
that Austria is one of the handsomest countries on the European continent! Here, we delve
into its major metropolises and backcountry spots to spy out all the must-see destinations
this glorious nation of ski fields and strudels has to offer. Enjoy our list of the best places
to visit in Austria!
1 Vienna
The glorious imperial home of the old Habsburg dynasty that once reigned supreme over the
heartlands of Central Europe, Vienna is a medley of majestic Baroque facades, elaborate
palaces and romantic parks. In the centre of town the mighty Hofburg spreads its grand
and neoclassical wings around the manicured Heldenplatz, while the totemic institutions
of the Museumsquartier stand nearby, bursting with works by Klimt, Picasso and Warhol. Then
there’s the winding web of streets that forms the Vienna Innere Stadt (old town);
home to vaulted cafes and art deco teahouses where the spectres of Freud, Wittgenstein
and Trotsky still lurk in the alcoves. Yes sir, Vienna’s simply not to be missed!
2 Hochosterwitz Castle
Soaring more than 170 meters above the rolling fields and pine-clad hills that bubble up
so beautifully on the Zollfeld plains between the Julian Alps and the Eastern Alps proper,
Hochosterwitz Castle is a Game of Thrones-esque symphony of crenulated bulwarks, spiked turrets
and formidable gatehouse keeps. It’s hailed as one of the most magnificent citadels in
all of Europe, and boasts a history going back more than 1,000 years, encompassing tales
of Carinthian dukes, Habsburg emperors and the fear of Turkish invasions from the east.
Travellers can scale to the top of Hochosterwtitz along the old fortified entrance path, passing
no fewer than 14 defensive gates as they go and watching as panoramas of Slovenia and
East Austria unfold on all sides
3 The Grossglockner
The veritable roof of Austria as a whole makes its home amidst the chiselled summits and
rugged peaks of the Hohe Tauern massif. Here, on the very divide between Carinthia and the
Zillertal Alps of the Tyrol, the mighty Grossglockner soars to a whopping 3,798 meters above sea
level. A symphony of peaks and glacial valleys that rises to the Kleinglockner sub-summit
before hitting its highest point on the Grossglockner proper, the mountain is now the second most
popular tourist attraction in the country (second only to the Schönbrunn in Vienna).
People come to hike in the glorious Alpine landscapes all around the peak, or to traverse
the iconic High Alpine Road that hairpins around the Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe viewpoints
and 2,500-meter-high mountain passes.
4 Alpbach
Oft hailed as the most handsome of Austria’s many winter resorts, Alpbach sits more than
1,000 meters up in the midst of the Tyrolean Alps. Surrounded by blooming meadows of buttercups,
poppies and rock jasmine by summer and more than 145 kilometers of groomed skiing runs
by winter, travelers can explore a medley of timber chalets and traditional Austrian
homes adorned with cascading bougainvillea and carved balconies, not to mention the gorgeous
St Oswald Church, where the eminent Erwin Schrödinger lays resting.
5 Finkenberg
The charming little Tyrolean town of Finkenberg can be found cascading down a hillside in
the depths of the magnificent Zillertal Valley, a medley of rustic timber homes and Austrian
taverns that’s draped in pillows of packed snow by winter and enfolded by evergreen Alpine
peaks during the warmer months of the year. And aside from its pretty appearance, the
quaint little village is also home to the Finkenberger Almbahnen, which transports skiers
and boarders to the celebrated pistes of Mayrhofen, while just a little further down the Zillertal,
the mighty Hintertux glacier offers year-round snow sports and fantastic panoramas over the
Trentino-Alto Alps in Italy to the south!
6 Imst
Nestled in the very heart of the western Tyrol on the central valley of the River Inn, pretty
little Imst clings to the base of the Austrian Alps and the downhill pistes of the Hoch-Imst
ski area. The town itself is a charming affair of tight-knit roadways watched over by the
occasional Germanic church spire or snow-dusted onion dome, while the bucolic surroundings
consist of rolling farm fields, soaring limestone summits, sweeping spruce and fir forests,
the occasional timber barn and countless winding hiking and mountain biking trails to boot!
7 Innsbruck
Centred on one truly gorgeous Old Town of Baroque palaces and Tyrolean mansions, Innsbruck
is every inch the onetime residence of revered Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I. Weaving between
the cobbled lanes and old imperial palaces left over from Habsburg rule, visitors here
can spy out sights like the Golden Roof and the grand whitewashed Hofburg. And then there
are armouries to see, and glorious Ambras Castle on the ridges above the city, not to
mention the wealth of lively little Bavarian-style beer halls and energetic apres joints touting
schnitzel and strudel near the base of the nearby pistes!
8 Zell am See
Austria’s quintessential Alpine lake town, Zell am See hugs its eponymous cobalt-blue
waters right on the edge of the mighty Hohe Tauern ranges. From its enclave of fir-clad
ridges and snow-mantled peaks, the spot has become a veritable outdoorsy paradise, drawing
millions of adventure travelers each year with the promise of some of Austria’s finest
sailing, hiking, mountain biking, scenic driving and – of course – skiing, which takes
place mainly on the icecaps of the Kitzsteinhorn above nearby Kaprun. And as if that’s not
enough, Zell am See is also home to one seriously handsome centre of ice-cream coloured chalets,
while rhododendron and edelweiss bloom from the timber verandas and earthy eateries of
Dreifaltigkeitsgasse (the town’s main drag).
9 Mondsee One of the jewels of the north Austrian lake
district that straddles the borders of the Salzburgerland and Upper Austria regions,
Mondsee will be recognisable to some as the backdrop to some of the central scenes in
The Sound of Music (the famous wedding took place in the historic and beautiful Mondsee
Abbey). Gloriously located along the banks of its eponymous lake, shrouded by a phalanx
of Alpine peaks – the Drachenwand and the hills of Innerschwand – and loaded with
everything from UNESCO-attested cave dwellings to golf courses and sailing clubs, it’s
easy to see why this postcard-perfect retreat remains uber-popular amongst locals looking
to escape the city.
10 Graz
A glorious Old Town heart and a lively student vibe make Graz one of Austria’s best-loved
and most fun-loving cities. Anchored on one seriously attractive Innere Stadt that fuses
everything from Renaissance to Gothic to Slavic architectural styles between its cobbled streets
and sea of red-tiled roofs, the centre here is awash with fascinating historical sites,
like the Schlossberg hill, complete with one curious clock tower, and the Styrian Armoury,
where a whopping 32,000 guns, swords, suits of armour and more stand testimony to the
city’s onetime place on the frontier between the Ottoman Empire and Western Europe.
11 Hallstatt
The stuff of postcards and travel brochures, Hallstatt has been risen from its valley amidst
the gorgeous Salzkammergut to become something of the poster boy for Alpine Austria and its
charming medieval towns. It comes complete with terraces of ivy-clad, half-timbered chalets
that glow in hues of pink and wood-brown against the reflections of the shimmering Hallstätter
See, and is oft hailed as the single most beautiful town in the country. But it’s
not all about the looks here: during the first millennium BC the town figured as the centre
of a salt mining boom in the Upper Austrian region, and today visitors can spy out the
tunnels of the 2,500-year-old Hallein Salt Mine, and a fantastic Heritage Museum that
chronicles the ancient history of the town to boot!
12 Feldkirch
Visitors who delve into the alleys and archways, cobbled squares and tight-knit side streets
of Feldkirch on the edge of the Austrian Vorarlberg region discover a unique blend of Swiss, Francophone
and Germanic heritage. The action centres on fairy-tale Marktgasse, which bustles with
authentic beer houses and Rhineland eateries, while it’s the soaring Schattenburg Castle
crowning the hillsides just on the edge of town that really draws the eye; a formidable
collection of four keeps and fortified bulwarks that was once the home of the Montfort Earls.
13 Bad Gastein
Something of a more regal and straight-laced alternative to the usual Tyrolean timber towns
and chalets that pepper the Austrian Alps, Bad Gastein bursts forth from the deep valleys
of the Hohe Tauern National Park in an elegant and irresistible medley of Belle Époque and
Art Deco. In the middle of the town, the gushing cataracts of the Gastein Waterfall crash around
the pretty facades of 19th-century hotels and restaurants, while fir forests rise on
all sides and enfold the whole centre in a symphony of green. Of course, many head here
for the fantastic skiing during the winter, while others will come in the footsteps of
the Empress Sisi, in search of the bubbling spas and natural springs that first made the
Gastein valley a major international destination.
14 Salzburg
No list of Austria’s must-see destinations could possibly be complete without a mention
of Salzburg; a melange of magical Baroque and medieval architecture that hits its stride
with one chocolate box of a UNESCO-attested Old Town. It was here that Mozart found his
romantic muse, here that Julie Andrews yodelled in the valleys; here that the Salzburger bishops
raised the mighty Hohensalzburg Castle to command the salt-rich hillsides that roll
out towards Bavaria in the distance. But it’s not all history either, because students now
party away in Irish pubs along the banks of the Salzach, backpackers sip Stiegl in brewhouses
and culture vultures come in their droves for opera, classical concerts and daily renditions
of The Sound of Music!