Austria Travel Guide

Austria offers a wide range of experiences and most importantly skip everything that vaguely touches "Sound of Music." (Nobody in Austria knows Sound of Music - it was a mediocre movie - one of hundreds in this style - only known in the United States for it's actress and a highly overrated story about Nazis and a guy ending up marrying the nanny of his kids). Stunning scenery, amazing art and great people define a country the size of Maryland.  World-class skiing and backpacking in the West are among the allure of this country.

St Anton is a major skiing and boarding resort, and was one of the birthplaces of alpine skiing nearly a century ago. In the summer you can travel along the famous alpine Grossglockner road. You will catch views of the Grossglockner glacier, and trek along what was once an important trading route in the Middle Ages. Cave lovers need to visit the Eisriesenwelt caves – at an elevation of 1640m (5380 ft), the caves are the largest approachable ice caves in the world – over 40km (25 miles of passages). The caves are frozen almost year round, and can be visited even in the summer. The caves are too cold even for ice wine, but wine lovers should stop over at the Danube Valley to get their fix.

After you're done with the outdoor excursions, stop over in the capital city of Vienna. Once the seat of power for the Habsburg Empire and one of the world’s leading cities, Vienna is the home of several ornate palaces, including Schloss Schonbrunn, the former imperial palace, the Hofburg Palace with its amazing Treasury, and the baroque Belvedere Palace. Linger over a coffee for hours at one of Vienna’s famous cafes or spend a few minutes taking in one of the classical music street performances. Art buffs will find an impressive array of museums and galleries including the world-class Kunsthistorisches Museum.

Music lovers will enjoy Salzburg, famous for the “Sound of Music” and being Mozart’s birthplace. In addition to all the sights related to those two, Salzburg also has a number of interesting historical buildings (Hohensalzburg Fortress) that are worth a visit. Also be sure to check out the Salzburg (music) Festival around August. For another excursion, one can visit Hallstatt to tour the world’s oldest salt mine and take a ride into the tunnels.
Last edited Oct 19, 09 9:40 PM. Contributors: Gert G. Flo B.
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Vienna, Vienna State, Austria
The imperial palace complex of Schonbrunn is considered to be one of the most important cultural monuments in Austria, and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. While the estate has been occupied since at least the..
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Vienna, Vienna State, Austria
This apartment house was designed by Austrian artist and architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser in 1977, after he received a letter from Vienna's mayor offering him a property for him to build a house according to his..
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(37 reviews)
Vienna, Vienna State, Austria
This palace is one of the greatest I have ever seen. I visited on a beautiful summer day when the sun was shining strong. After visiting the actual palace, I wandered through the perfectly manicured garden up to the..
4.4 star rating
(41 reviews)
Vienna, Vienna State, Austria
The Stephansplatz is a square at the geographical centre of Vienna. It is named after its most prominent building, the Stephansdom, Vienna's cathedral and one of the tallest churches in the world. Before the 20th..
4.5 star rating
(25 reviews)
Vienna, Vienna State, Austria
This amusement park has a number of roller coasters, rides and a ferris wheel. While entry into the park is free, the rides are not, and visitors must pay as they go (prices vary from 1-10 Euros per ride). The..
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Travel Tips for Austria

Salzburg, Salzburg State, Austria
A couple of things you should do if you have a little more time in Salzburg; Go to the Museum der Moderne on the Monchsberg. Go to the AugustinerBrau for really good Austrian food, good beer and cheap prices in a great environment. Go to the Steinterrassencafe in the Hotel Stein, just next to the main bridge- you get a great view over the centre. Sit in Mirabell Gardens for a bit, you'll see all the locals sunning themselves. Have Sacher Torte, the Hotel Sacher cafe has the best but it's quite expensive. Mozart Kugeln obviously- but buy the ones from the Konditorei Furst (the silver ones) because they're the originals. Mozart's Geburthaus is quite boring, his Wohnhaus is quite cool. In summer, go to the Eisgrotte on Getreidegasse for amazing ice cream. Cafe Tomaselli isn't really that expensive; if you go have the apfelstrudel. It's immense. If you have half a day to spare go up to the Untersberg (a mountain), on a sunny day the view is amazing. Failing that the view from the Hohensalzburg Fortress good. Get a Salzburg Card- you can get in pretty much any touristy place free plus you don't have to pay for buses.
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Kanzelhohe, Karnten State, Austria
Excellent in winter for skiing, for beginners and in summer for hiking.
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Vienna, Vienna State, Austria
Superbe ville il faut trios jour pour la visiter. À faire impérativement allé dans une pâtisserie du quartier de l’opéra et y dégusté un gâteau au chocolat avec un chocolat chaud un peu chère mais pour les gourmands à ne pas passé à coté. Superb city one needs trio’s day for the visited. To make gone imperatively in a pastry making of the district of the opera and y tasted a chocolate cake with a hot chocolate a little expensive but for the greedy ones with not passed to with dimensions.
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Mairhofen, Tyrol State, Austria
nice ski resort, great mountains
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Vienna, Vienna State, Austria
If you're looking for something else for a change when visiting Vienna, you might want to consider a stay at the Austria Trend Event Hotel Pyramide in Wien Vösendorf. It is a 4-star hotel with a wonderful tropical swimming pool inside (and outside) a large pyramid structure. There are also inside tennis courts and other sportive activities. Also a great place for your conference or business meetings! http://www.tagungsplaner.de/en/hotel/austria-trend-eventhotel-pyramide-wien-voesendorf
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Vienna, Vienna State, Austria
Looking a place to spend night or few in Vienna? I recommend Wombat's Hostel - The Base. Nice clean rooms, warm atmosphere, and crazy bar. It's the best place to meet other travelers like You from all around the world.
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Vienna, Vienna State, Austria
Beautiful City and nice people! Schönbrunn Palace is spectacular but I love Sisi museum more. That's so gorgeous and interesting. Christmas markets were brilliant! Romantic and unforgetable.
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Linz, Upper Austria, Austria
Linz is situated in the north of Austria approximately 4 hours from Wien by train. It is an industrial city and this is reflected throughout however it is aesthetically pleasing with lovely people and brilliant hostels. However there is not much to do except for their excellent technology museum. The still intact concentration camp a short bus ride away (can no longer remember the name) is a must see! Perched on a hill side it has brilliant views and a chilling atmosphere. Although most of the written information is in German an audio guide is provided free of charge however be warned that they will ask for your passport as security!!
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Vienna, Vienna State, Austria
A truly gorgeous city with fantastic architecture and history throughout! The museums are fantastic esp the main art museum, where you could literally spend all day. However when the sun is shining a visit to the river is a must although you may wish to avoid the artificial beach as it gets quite crowded. However if you fancy a swim there is a boat down river from the city centre where there is a swimming pool on board! The Kaffe houses are also a must see and a day trip to the nearby slovakian capital should be a priority.
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Salzburg, Salzburg State, Austria
You can't go to Salzburg without going into a salt mine. The boat ride deep underground was pretty cool.
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