Where to Go in Austria

Austria is a country of startling contrasts, from the Austrian Alps in the west to the Danube Basin in the east. It is not only famous as one of the world’s premier skiing regions, but also for its historical buildings, world-class museums and galleries, breathtaking scenery, magnificent mountains and established hiking trails. The nine Federal Provinces (Vienna, Upper Austria (Oberösterreich), Burgenland, Lower Austria (Niederösterreich), Styria (Steiermark), Carinthia (Kärtnen), Salzburg, Tyrol and Vorarlberg) divide the country along geographical and cultural lines. After Vienna, the western provinces of Salzburg, Tirol and Vorarlberg are the most popular tourist regions, although the southern province of Carinthia (bordering Italy and Slovenia) is now taking a larger share of the trade owing to its mild climate and attractive lakes.
Austria lends itself to walking, cycling and climbing as well as skiing, with an extensive network of hiking and mountain routes carefully signposted and cross-referenced to detailed maps. Alpine huts between 915m and 2744m, with resident wardens in the summer, are available for hire. Further information can be obtained from the Austrian Alpine Club (Österreichischer Alpenverein), Wilhelm-Greil-Strasse 15, 6010 Innsbruck (tel: (512) 595 470; fax: (512) 575 528; e-mail: office@alpenverein.at). Skiing facilities can be found in over 600 wintersport resorts between Brand in the west and Semmering in the east. Skiing enthusiasts of all ages and levels have a choice of more than 400 schools and top ski-instructors. It is possible to travel leisurely by boat from Passau on the German border to Vienna; this stretch of the Danube includes some of the finest scenery of its entire course.

Vienna
The Austrian capital and one of the federal provinces is an important nexus for East–West trade and a frequent host to major congresses either in the Vienna International Center (UNO City) or at the Austria Center Vienna. Vienna is situated in the northeast of the country with the Danube River running through the northern suburbs of the city. The Ringstrasse forms the boundary of the elegant First District (the Innerstadt or Inner City), with its fine architecture, shops and hotels, much of it pedestrianized. Every major architectural style from the Baroque onwards can be found here, with especial importance given to the Art Nouveau (Secession) style which had its roots here. The Hapsburgs who ruled the country for six centuries resided in the Hofburg where the Kaiser-Appartements (Imperial Apartments) and the Crown Jewels are now open to the public. The Spanish Riding School in the Hofburg where the famous white Lipizzaner stallions perform finely executed dressage maneuvers to Viennese classical music is very popular with tourists (closed during July and August). Schloss Schönbrunn, the sumptuous Imperial summer palace, can be compared with that at Versailles; its landscaped park is also home to the world’s oldest zoo.
Many fine art collections like the Kunsthistorisches Museum, containing the works of Breughel, Dürer and Titian and the Akademie der bildenden Künste (with works by Hieronymous Bosch) are internationally renowned. There are more than 50 museums open to the public, including the Natural History Museum, the Austrian Museum of Applied Arts, the Museum of the 20th Century, the Museum of Modern Art, the Museumsquartier, the Künstlerhaus, the Clock and Watch Museum and the Technology Museum. Immortalised in the film The Third Man, the Ferris Wheel (Riesenrad) in the Prater amusement park is also a popular attraction. Well worth a visit are St Stephen’s Cathedral, the art collection at the Belvedere Palace, the Chapel of the Hofburg, the Burgtheater (known as ‘Die Burg’), the Parliament, the Rathaus (Town Hall), the University and the Votive church along the Ringstrasse. There are also memorial sites for Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert, Strauss and Freud. On the southern and western edges of Vienna are the Wienerwald (Vienna Woods), ideal for both quiet time away from the city and rather wilder times at the many local Heurigen (wineries of the local vineyards).

Burgenland
Austria’s youngest Federal Province in the easternmost part of the country is a popular tourist destination. The wooded hills in the south of the region form the foothills of the Austrian Alps. The northeast largely consists of expanses of the Central European Plain. The mild climate is especially well suited for the cultivation of wine.

Eisenstadt
The Esterhazy Palace, the Cathedral and the composer Haydn’s house (now a museum), as well as the Burgenländische Museum, the Berg and the Franciscan churches, are well worth a visit. A thoughtful atmosphere lies over the Jewish Cemetery and the area of the former Jewish Ghetto.

Excursions
The Neusiedler-Seewinkle National Park was Austria’s first World Conservation Union-approved national park, located in the area where the Austrian Alps meet the Euro-Asiatic (pannonishe) Plains. Neusiedl am See’s Local History Museum is attractive, and Mörbisch, on Neusiedl Lake, hosts an important annual operetta festival. Raiding is the birthplace of Franz Liszt. Passion plays are staged every five years in St Margarethen. Bad Tatzmannsdorf is one of Austria’s important spa centers. Storks return each year to nest in the chimneys at the wine-making center of Rust.

Styria
Styria is a popular and especially attractive holiday destination stretching from Salzburg to the Hungarian border in the East. In the Dachstein Gebirge overshadowing the Enns Valley, skiing is possible all year round. The south of the province, known as the Weinstrasse (Wine Road), is dominated by large vineyards. Styria also has a wealth of green pine forests suitable for rambles and hikes during the summer.

Graz
A recent European Capital of Culture, Graz is also capital of the Styria region. From the 15th century, it was a major bulwark against the Turks and, in the 17th century, adopted the Baroque before the rest of the Austrian empire. The city is compact and most important sights are within walking distance of the market square of the Hauptplatz. The Landesmuseum Johanneum, a large complex of museums, is one of the world’s oldest, and includes the Alte Galerie with its superb Gothic paintings. The Neue Galerie in the Herbenstrein Palace displays 19th- and 20th-century paintings, including some works by Schiele and Klimt. The Cathedral, the Mausoleum of Emperor Ferdinand II (begun in 1614), the Leech Church, the pedestrian zone of the old quarter, the Schlossberg (Castle Hill) with its Uhrtrum (clock tower) and Glockenturm (bell tower) should also be seen. Some distance west of the city is Schloss Eggenberg, the 16th-century palace noted for its state rooms and museums. More than any other provincial center Graz preserves the old Kaffeehaus culture where visitors can sit all day enjoying a leisurely coffee, watching the life of the city.

Excursions
Any itinerary should include a visit to the Museum and the Convent at Leoben and to the silver mine in Oberzeiring. Piber includes the stud farm for the famous Lipizzaner horses. Stübing/Gratwein, in the forests northeast of Graz, has an excellent open-air museum of furnished houses from all over the country.
The Weinstrasse stretches from Ehrenhausen to Elbiswald. Also worth exploring are Bruck an der Mur, Eisenerz, Murau, Oberzeiring, Schladming, Bad Aussee and Ramsau.

Carinthia
Carinthia (Kärtnen), with Austria’s highest mountain, the Grossglockner (3798m/12,457ft) to the west and the Karawanken Mountains in the south, has a mild climate. The famous lakes reach temperatures of 28°C (82°F), and earned Carinthia the European Environment Award for their superb water quality.
From the Wörther See to the Hohe Tauern National Park (which extends into Tirol and Salzburg provinces), Carinthia offers a wide variety of excursions even in winter, when the lakes become skating rinks and the 10 ski resorts with 1000km (625 miles) of pistes open their doors to the public.

Klagenfurt
The Provincial capital lies on the western edge of the Wörthersee, the largest lake in the region. The town is full of tradition, with more than 50 restored baroque arcades now housing shops and coffee houses. It is worth visiting the Dom (Cathedral), the museums and at least some of the 23 castles which encircle the town, now offering restaurants, cultural performances and even an animal sanctuary. The Naturpark Kreuzbergl overlooking the town offers trails, lakes and a way to see the Austrian hills without too much effort.

Excursions
Carinthia has a rich legacy of gothic and renaissance churches, fortresses, palaces, and museums; history is always close at hand. The Wörthersee has many good beaches and attractive campsites. The cathedrals, churches and monasteries of Gurk, Maria Gail, Maria Saal and Viktring are popular, as is the City Museum of Friesach. The hot spring at Villach is known for its curative properties. The Hohe Tauern National Park is one of the last large undisturbed mountain environments in Europe. Also worth visiting for a leisurely holiday are the towns of Heiligenblut, Millstatt, Obervellach, Ossiach, St Veit an der Glan, Velden and Pörtschach.

Lower Austria
Lower Austria (Niederösterreich), to the north and west of Vienna, is the largest Federal Province, encompassing stark mountain scenery, the Alpine foothills, the Danube Valley and the hilly country north of the Danube with its meadows, lakes and ponds. The Wachau Valley of the Danube River with its vineyards and ruins is an attractive destination, less well known than other parts of the country; the most interesting stretch between Krems an der Donau and Melk can best be explored by bicycle or by riverboat.

St Pölten
The Provincial capital is home to a Cathedral, the bishop’s residence, a Franciscan church, a church of the Carmelite Nuns, a museum and several Baroque patrician houses.

Excursions
The spa of Baden bei Wien has a casino, a sulphur bath cure, a summer theater and a harness-racing (trotting) course; the spa has long been popular with the Austrian aristocracy. Krems an der Donau has been a wine-growing town since the middle ages and the Piaristenkirche and the Winestadt Museum both feature important works of the 18th-century artist Johann Martin Schmidt. To the north of Landstrasse, much of the original town layout remains, with numerous renaissance houses and small squares. Melk an der Donau is famous for its enormous Benedictine Abbey on the bluff above the town (although it was less well known as a pilot for the next phase of Nazi concentration camps). Semmering is both a spa and an attractive ski resort. Bad Deutsch-Altenburg boasts a museum and the Roman archaeological park Carnuntum. In Dürnstein, the castle ruins where Richard the Lionheart was imprisoned, the medieval town center and the monastery church with its Baroque excess of statues of saints are part of every tour. The sights of Retz include subterranean wine-cellars, well-restored medieval city walls, windmills and a Dominican church, and Rohrau is noted as Joseph Haydn’s birthplace. The Austrian Military Academy (an old castle), the Cathedral, a Capuchin church and a former Jesuit church (now the city’s museum) can be visited in Wiener Neustadt. The abbey, library, state rooms and chapter house at Zwettl are of some interest. Burg Rosenau hosts a Museum of Freemasonry. The Thayatal National Park, on the Thaya River on the border with the Czech Republic, is a transborder protected area of what is left of the European forest. The Donau-Auen National Park to the east of Vienna is the last protected area of European rainforest.

Salzburg Province
Salzburg
An elegant and spacious baroque city, Salzburg is set against a backdrop of breathtaking mountain scenery. The snow-capped mountains of the Hohe Tauern rise in the south whereas the north offers the hills and lakes of the Salzkammergut. All sights are within walking distance of the old city center, overlooked by the fortress Hohensalzburg, which can be reached either by walking up through the narrow, winding Festungsgasse or by taking the funicular. The Altstadt (the old city) was recently granted World Heritage Status by UNESCO and has now largely been pedestrianized. Considering its reputation as a ‘typically Austrian city’ it is ironic that it was either Bavarian or an independent city state, only coming under Hapsburg rule in 1816. Interesting sights include the Peterskirche (St Peter’s Abbey, with cemetery and catacombs), the Domkirche (intended to rival St Peter’s in Rome) and the Alter Markt (old market square). Salzburg’s most famous son – although only after his death – is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who is commemorated in the yearly Salzburger Festspiele, which take place in the Grosse and Kleine Festspielhäuser (festival halls) as well as on the Cathedral square or in the University church. Mozart’s birthplace (Mozart Geburtshaus) is in the Getreidegasse, also the city’s main shopping street, while the family residence (Mozart Wohnhaus) is on the market square. Both are museums, with the residence offering a particularly detailed insight into his life and work. Like Vienna, Salzburg contains fine examples of Baroque architecture which stands second only to music in the country’s cultural history. The Franciscan church, the Nonnberg Convent, the Trinity Church, St Sebastian’s Cemetery, the Church of Parsch, the Palace of the Prince-Archbishops, the carillon, the Town Hall, the Pferdeschwemme (a fountain), the festival halls, the Mirabell Palace with its landscaped gardens, the Mönchsberg and the Kapuzinerberg, many museums, the theater, Hellbrunn Palace with the fountains, Leopoldskron and Klesshem Palaces, Maria Pein Pilgrimage Church, the Gaisberg and the Untersberg provide many possible tours and walks.

Excursions
The original wealth of Salzburg and the province was based on the salt trade, and the mines and the Celtic Museum of Hallein are well worth a visit. Badgastein is a popular spa and winter resort, with a large casino, whilst Kaprun offers glacier skiing even in the summer. The Zell-am-See skiing area has an active nightlife. The Open-Air Folklife Museum at Grossgmain is also worth visiting, as are the Eisriesenwelt (ice caves, with wonderful ice sculptures) near Werfen. Kremsmünster Monastery is one of the country’s oldest; founded in 877, the buildings are full of paintings, frescos and Renaissance statues. The monastery is also famous for its white wines.

Upper Austria
The south of this Federal Province is dominated by the Salzkammergut lake district and the Salzkammergut peaks lie across the border of Upper Austria (Oberösterreich) and Salzburg province. This is an area less well known to tourists and, with its slower pace, is ideal for restful holidays. The north offers a relaxed holiday in the many quiet villages and farms – the Mühlviertel. Rolling plains, densely wooded highlands and lush meadows are interspersed with rocks of natural granite. The Pyhrn-Eisenwurzen region is more mountainous, while Innviertel (in the west) is an area of endless farmlands, rivers and forests. The many spas and convalescence centers of this region offer treatment for a wide range of illnesses.

Linz
The Province’s capital is an attractive town with a Baroque center, straddling the Danube. Any tour should take in the 15th-century Schloss (castle) with its excellent museum, the numerous churches and museums, especially the Neue Gallerie. However, there are far more attractive offerings in the Urfahr suburb, with its interactive new technology, Ars Electronica Center, and the narrow-gauge train, the Pöstlingbergbahn, which travels to the pilgrimage church of Pöstlingberg with its excellent views over the valley. The Augustinian Monastery of St Florian 7km (4 miles) from Linz was sponsored by the Hapsburgs and is an attractive day trip for Linz. The major Nazi concentration camp at Mauthausen, 20km (12 miles) east of Linz, is difficult to access by public transport but is well worth a day trip.

Excursions
Bad Ischl, a 19th-century spa town, is the hub of the region, near the three most scenic lakes (Wolfgangsee, Traunsee and Hallstättersee); the town offerings include a salt mine, several museums and the summer villa of Emperor Franz Josef. Hallstatt lent its name to a whole era in the Iron Age; surrounded by mountains, it is known for its tranquility and scenery. The Mondsee is one of the warmest lakes in the Salzkammergut. St Wolfgang does not only offer an impressive altar, but a steam railway as well. Gmunden, the Nice of Upper Austria, is known for its many cultural festivals; located at the northern end of the Traunsee, the largest of the area’s lakes, it has been famous for centuries for its porcelain. The old city centers of Braunau and Schärding are not to be missed. Freistadt has medieval forts, whilst Grein offers a navigation museum, Clam Castle and the old theater. Steyr, with its old inner city, delights visitors with its Working-World Museum and the Christkindl pilgrimage church. The National Park Kalkalpen in the Pyhrn-Eisenwurzen region is primarily a mountainous environment; Windischgarsten is an attractive town from which to explore the park. Much of the interior of Upper Austria is little known to foreign tourists and many towns including Bad Goisern, Gosau, Hinterstoder and Spital am Pyhrn are attractive destinations for a quiet vacation. There are excellent skiing facilities throughout the province, mainly at smaller resorts.

Tirol
Situated in the heart of the Alpine region, this is the most mountainous province, with forests, hamlets and alpine pastures, beautiful valleys and mountain lakes. In summer it is a popular destination for hikers; in winter, all winter sports are on offer. Traditional Tirolean architecture is reflected in the villages, churches and castles.

Innsbruck
The Tirolean capital, and twice home of the Winter Olympics, is the center of another internationally renowned ski complex comprising six major resorts. An 800-year-old university town, it has numerous fine buildings dating from Austria’s cultural Renaissance in the 16th to 18th centuries, and a 12th-century castle. When Kaiser Maximilian based the imperial court here in the 1490s, the city became a European center of culture and politics. For spectacular views over the town and southern Alps, take the funicular to Hungerburg and then the cable car to Hafelekar at 2334m (5928ft). Do not miss the Goldenes Dachl (Golden Roof), Helbling House, the City Tower, the Hofburg with its Cenotaph of Kaiser Maximilian, and the Court Church, the parish Church of St Jakob, Mount Isel, the important Tiroler Landesmuseum Ferdinandeum and the Tiroler Volkkunstmuseum, the Landestheater, a conference center and the Seegrube.

Excursions
Passion plays take place every five years in Erl (next staging: 2007) and Thiersee (recent staging on May 29 2005). A sight not to be missed is the Mint Tower at the Hasegg Castle in Hall in Tirol. In Rattenberg, a medieval atmosphere prevails from the glass factories which date back to this period. A visit to the Cathedral Chapter of Stams and its basilica is recommended. 15km (9 miles) from Innsbruck lies Swarovski Crystal Worlds, a museum/exhibition center featuring unusual displays of crystal. Kitzbühel rose as a 16th-century silver and copper mining town and is now an exclusive resort with a lovely central area. Seefeld in Tirol is an attractive year-round sports destination. The Schneewinkel Area is excellent for all winter sports; St Johann in Tirol in particular is an old market town offering a wide variety of sports and fitness centers, with a good nightlife as well.

Vorarlberg
Situated at the far western tip of Austria, the scenery of the Vorarlberg is dramatically diverse. The glaciers of the Silvretta mountain ranges drop dramatically to the shores of Lake Constance with its lush vegetation. Vorarlbergers speak a dialect close to Swiss German; in 1918 they declared independence and requested union with Switzerland but this was refused by the Allied Powers.

Bregenz
Bregenz in the summer lends itself to bicycle tours, swimming, sailing or sightseeing, whereas, during the winter season, visitors populate the numerous slopes and hiking trails of the Vorarlberg. The town is noted for its Upper City with the St Martinstrum (St Martin’s Tower), the world’s largest floating stage for summer opera productions, the Congress Center, the Mehrerau Abbey Church, the Vorarlberger Landesmuseum with its superb 16th-century paintings and works by late 18th-century artist Angelika Kauffmann. A cable car runs to the viewing platform on Mount Pfänder where one can watch the flight of birds of prey as well as scenic views over Lake Constance.

Excursions
The historical old quarter of Feldkirch contains the Cathedral St Nicholas, the Schattenburg housing the Local History Museum, and the excellent National Conservatoire. In Levis, near Feldkirch, the Castle Amberg and the Hospital should not be missed. Tosters’ sights include the castle ruin and the St Corneli Church with a 1000-year-old yew tree. Visitors should pay a visit to the famous Renaissance palace of Hohenems; the town is also known for its Jewish Museum and the only Jewish Cemetery in the Vorarlberg. A picturesque, completely restored farming village, Schwarzenberg im Bregenzerwald is the birthplace of the painter Angelika Kauffmann; the Landesmuseum and the church there are worth a visit. Ischgl is an attractive unsophisticated Tirolean village, with excellent après-ski in the winter.


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