Austria
Visit Austria in winter to ski the Alps or arrive in summer for cycling along the Danube River. Enjoy the charms of Austria’s outdoor delights, historic palaces and metropolitan cities.
Start your visit in Vienna on a tram tour around the Ringstrasse, where most of the city’s museums, galleries and opulent Habsburg palaces and government buildings are located. Look for Gustav Klimt artworks around the city. Stop for coffee and a slice of delicious Sachertorte at one of Vienna’s coffee houses. These spots were once meeting places for Vienna’s intellectuals and creative types. Complete your visit with a night of Mozart and Strauss music played by the Vienna Mozart Orchestra.
Follow the Danube out of the city to the grape-growing countryside and verdant landscapes of the Wachau region. Rent a bicycle and follow riverside bike paths with stop-offs to tour historic monasteries and castles and sample Riesling wines from the welcoming vineyards.
For delicious cheeses to accompany your wine, head to the Bregenzerwald and stay in alpine villages tucked amid lush pine forests. The forests and wildflower-covered hills are fantastic for hiking or cross-country skiing. Melting snow from the Bregenzerwald Mountains feeds into Lake Constance on the border of Germany and Switzerland. Enjoy watersports and boat cruises on the lake or cycle around it to discover fruit farms, abbeys and villages where you can enjoy freshly caught fish.
From November through April, enjoy skiing and snowboarding, cozy chalets and hearty cuisine in the Tirol region in the Alps. Relax tired muscles in outdoor thermal baths surrounded by snowy peaks or meet local residents on a farm stay where you can help with tending livestock before a meal of home-grown produce. Visit Tirol’s capital, Innsbruck, to explore more castles, museums and galleries and sample strudel and sausages.
Visitors to Austria can fly into Vienna International Airport. Discover Austria’s charms by rail. Trains run between the city, countryside and mountains and offer a scenic and fast way to get around the country. Trains also connect Austria with its neighboring countries.