Last Updated on November 12, 2022 by gregor
Find the best sightseeing opportunities and things to do with this list of the top tourist attractions in Austria.
There are many beautiful places in Austria. In each town, there is something to see and behold. It’s ideal for both summer and winter vacation and popular with millions of visitors to enjoy the various attractions. When planning your travel, be aware that one visit is not enough to exhaust all the country’s jewels, you will come back for more best places in Austria. Many famous composers have called Austria home and the locals preserve the rich inherited history.
Top 12 Things to Do and See in Austria, Europe
Salzburg City
Lies on the border of Germany and Austria, and offers visitors backdrops views of the Alps. The city had managed to retain the vibrant urban fabric since the 19th century when it was a single city-state.
Visitors can visit the birthplace of Mozart, the most popular location in Salzburg. Inside the home is a museum for the family with items from his time as a composer and instruments. The Sound of Music Film locations are also another top destination for tourists, with beautiful gardens and fountains. The Salzburg High Fortress is another top attraction built in 1077AD and one of the largest fortresses in Europe. Visitors can see ancient items with excellent views of the Alps.
For more Info on Salzburg please read my blog post:
THE SOUND OF MUSIC – ULTIMATE TRAVEL GUIDE OF SALZBURG, AUSTRIA
Hallstatt / Salzkammergut
The Hallstatt-Dachstein is part of the Salzkammergut filled with gleaming lakes, rolling hills, and spectacular mountain views. The town of Hallstatt was previously a salt mining center, and the name Hallstatt means salt settlement. Hallstatt-Dachstein is a Unesco World Heritage site, with a rich history that has survived in the alpine region. The area has attracted famous artists, drawn by the alpine landscape and high mountains.
The small market of Hallstatt is an ideal attraction in Salzkammergut with a 15th-century Roman Church, Bone House, and the Evangelical Church of Hallstatt. The Hallstatt Salt World lies on Salzberg Mountain accessible by a cable car and a skywalk. The mine has existed for 7,000 years and is a must-visit when you travel to Hallstatt.
For more Info on Hallstatt please read my blog post:
TOP 10 THINGS TO SEE AND DO IN HALLSTATT IN 2022, AUSTRIA
Vienna
Vienna, the Capital city of Austria, has so much to offer for holidaymakers. It’s also known as the City of Music and has played host to many great composers like Mozart and Beethoven.
Visitors can visit the Naschmarkt market, which has displays spanning 1 km and a half, with world-class restaurants on the way. Museums are many, and the key ones to visit are Albertina, Leopold, and Belvedere.
The St Stephens Cathedral is a popular attraction with many towers.
When you travel to Austria, don’t miss the chance to visit Schönbrunn Palace, the most beautiful in the summertime. Classical concerts in the city happen daily since the days of Ludwig van Beethoven who worked in the city for thirty-five years. Mozart’s grave, in Habsburg gardens, is a popular attraction for many visitors. You will never get bored when you’re in Vienna, and places to visit are so many it would take months to cover.
For more Info on Vienna things to do please read my blog post:
ONE DAY IN VIENNA I THE PERFECT 1 DAY ITINERARY
TheViennaBlog has thoroughly studied all the attractions but also hidden secrets to uncover in Vienna. Please click the links below to get to the information:
Here is the Vienna Ultimate Top 50 Bucket List
Here is the Best of Vienna in 4 hours
Here is the Best of Vienna in 4 hours (Summer Edition)
Here are the Best 5 things to do in Vienna the most liveable city in the world
Here are the Vienna Old Streets in Historic Center
Here is the Spittelberg Village in Vienna
Skiing at the Arlberg
Arlberg is among the top largest skiing location in the world and the best place for alpine skiing. Many Olympians have called the Alberg home and still, offer skiers the chance to train. It’s open to Austrian visitors with runs for beginners and professionals.
When skiing in Arlberg, you can enjoy perfect views of the snow-covered slopes, and forests. It has fun parks for the kids and cableways for site seeing. In Arlberg, you are at the heart of the Alps and experience the best skiing in Austria
Please read more about the Arlberg on this BLOG Click below
Top 5 reasons why we love the Arlberg and you should too
Visit Innsbruck, Tyrol
Holidays in Innsbruck are memorable and fun. The town once hosted the Winter Olympics twice (1974 and 1976), Winter Paralympics (1984 and 1988), and the 2012 Winter Youth Olympics. You can even hike in the summer.
Besides skiing the town has more to offer to people visiting Austria. You can go up to the mountains and enjoy the silence of nature and food. The most famous thing in Innsbruck is the Golden Roof or the Goldene Dachl. Yes, the roof is covered with gold and has a museum on the inside. For history lovers, the Hofkirche church is a must-visit, and 28 bronze statues of soldiers stand around the main hall.
To learn more about how people lived in the Alps, the Tyrolean Folk Art Museum has a collection of items and cultural artifacts. The Ferdinandmuseum has art spanning 30,000 years and is the most visited in Innsbruck. For animal lovers and kids, the Alpenzoo on the mountain has animals that the children can feed.
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Bad Gastein
Bad Gastein is a great place for spa and ski holidays located in the High Tauern Mountains. The town has opulent hotels with hot spas where Franz Joseph I the Emperor of Austria came to relax.
The high slopes offer sporting opportunities, and visitors can go snowboarding. In the summer the mountains are excellent for hiking or mountain biking, and spectacular beauty is everywhere. You can go paragliding up the Eldorado Dorf Gastein with a professional and enjoy the mountains. The local community is vibrant with the food you can savor, and in the summer times Jazz events, open studios, and workshops are open to everyone. Holidays in Bad Gastein are among the best you will have.
Get yourself more inspiration, please read here (CLICK below)
Top things to do in Bad Gastein – Austrian Alps
Fairytale Postcards from Bad Gastein – Austrian Alps
Lake Neusiedlersee, Burgenland
Austria has diverse geographic features, and in addition to mountains, it has the largest endorheic lake in Central Europe that lies at the border with Hungary.
Visitors to the lake, get to see the abundant wildlife and hundreds of birds that breed in the area. Sailing, swimming, and windsurfing are among the numerous things to do at the lake. However, the lake is shallow, and boats tend to hit the ground a lot. Swimming beaches east of the lake attract many visitors and host an annual freestyle swimming competition. Families will enjoy their stay in the area, and more fun activities like cycling are available. Holidays at the lake are ideal for wine connoisseurs, with the best wines made in their environs.
Please read my Blog Post for more Information and Inspiration (Click below)
Enjoy a sunny day at the Lake Neusiedlersee
Zell am See
It’s the administrative capital of the Zell am See District, located in the state of Salzburg, Austria. The village is a top tourist destination with snow-capped mountains and blue lakes and is an important transit hub. In this regard, the area is easily accessible by train or road and offers visitors many more activities than Hallstatt.
During the day visitors can take boat rides on the lake and enjoy the clear blue waters. In winter visitors can ski on the slopes of the Schmittenhöhe which has many slopes. Among the various mountains in the region is the Ronachkopf ideal for skiing. You rent Icelandic horses, also suitable for beginners, and gallop through the town. You can go paragliding in the Schmittenhöhe or go on snow hikes.
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Wachau Valley
Visitors to Vienna can take day trips to Wachau Valley located between the Krems and Melk. The Danube River passes the valley on its way to Vienna, and the area is accessible by road or simply by taking a steamboat.
Along the river, there are Gothic Churches, wineries, and castles with an additional 5,000 historic monuments in the area, which make it a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Melk Abbey (Benediktinerstift) is a top historic site to visit in the area.
Visitors staying in Vienna must experience wine tasting, a favorite daytime activity to do in the area. There are bike riding trips to access the wineries, and you don’t have to bring a car along. Locals have cultivated wines for centuries, and the region still produces the best wines in the world. Steamboats allow visitors to behold views of the Schönbühel Castle and the town of Dürnstein as they travel down the Danube River to the towns of Melk and Krems.
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Grossglockner High Alpine Road
The Grossglockner High Alpine Road gives visitors, access to the highest mountain in Austria the Grossglockner. On the 30-mile road, you can take in the majestic views of the mountain as you travel up the mountain. At the end of the road, you reach the foot of the Grossglockner, to start the final ascent up the mountain. There are thirty-minute guided walks by the Tauern National Park rangers or go on a self-guided trip through a well-marked trail. On the trail, visitors can catch sightings of rare alpine animals like the Alpine Ibex, a species of wild goat.
On the hike drive up the mountain, you pass ice fields, glaciers, cliffs, and various vegetation zones such as mountain forests. The road has a rich construction history that kids can learn about. The Grossglockner is the best place to end holidays in Austria.
More Info about the Grossglockner High Alpine Road CLICK
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