Austria Guide
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.
1 Hochosterwitz
• Stunning hilltop castle that looks like something out of a fairy tale.
2 Skiing in the Arlberg
• The Arlberg region is Austria's top destination for off-piste skiing and snowboarding.
3 Kunsthistorisches Museum
• A spectacular late nineteenth-century building housing one of the world's greatest art collections, famous above all for its Breughels.
4 Schönbrunn
• By far the most magnificent of the Habsburgs' many palaces, Schönbrunn also boasts wonderful gardens, fountains, mazes, hothouses and a zoo.
5 Innsbruck
• This dramatically located Gothic and Baroque city offers some wonderful options for outdoor activity, as well as a gem-like medieval core.
6 Schubertiade
• Schubert lieder, top classical talent and the idyllic alpine surroundings of Vorarlberg make for an exceptional cultural experience.
7 Neusiedler
• Shallow steppe lake that's one of central Europe's top birding destinations and a major Austrian watersports centre.
8 Zentralfriedhof
• One of the world's most awesome municipal cemeteries, with over two and a half million corpses, including Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, Schönberg and the entire Strauss family.
9 Melk
• Spectacularly perched on a woody bluff overlooking the Danube, Melk's Baroque monastery is one of the country's most rewarding to visit.
10 Lentos Kunstmuseum Linz
• A stunningly modern piece of architecture, lit at night by a galaxy of bulbs.
11 Schloss Ambras
• One of Austria's great Renaissance palaces offers an insight into sixteenth-century court life.
12 Altenburg
• Benedictine monastery transformed in the 1730s into one of the country's most stunning Baroque abbeys.
13 Hallstaat
• Picturesque lakeside village that clings to the steeply wooded slopes of an old salt mine in the Salzkammergut.
14 Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse
• A mountain pass that's one of the most spectacular routes across the Alps.
15 Schatzkammer
• The imperial family may have gone, but their hoard of crown jewels is full of absolute gems.
16 Sound of Music
• Devise your own itinerary or take an organized bus tour round the locations used for the world's greatest musical movie.
17 Paragliding in the Zillertal
• The best way to experience this breathtaking valley is from the air, strapped in tandem with your experienced pilot.
18 Mauthausen
• Austria's most notorious concentration camp is a chilling reminder of the country's dark history.
19 Salzburg
• Austria's Baroque jewel is filled with beautiful architecture and kept busy by the interest in its most famous son, Mozart.
20 Watersports: Carinthia & Salzkammergut
• Rafting, windsurfing, waterskiing or just plain old swimming – it can all be done against a backdrop of craggy mountains in Carinthia and the Salzkammergut. See also "Salzkammergut outdoor activities".