Austria pulls you in like a Mozart concerto. Hapsburg palaces along the grand lanes of history; The Sound of Music in Salzburg and the smell of cake in a decadent Vienna coffeehouse; glorious winter ski slopes and picture-perfect lakeside villages. Like the great orchestral concerts of old, the beauty is found in the harmony between individual parts. Few other countries offer such a euphonic mix of urban legacies, and the great outdoors. One moment you are exploring fine art and the remains of the empire, admiring the innate attention to detail, the next you are standing amid glorious mountains, humbled by the towering scale of nature.
The strings still echo through palaces and opera halls, in the country of Mozart, Strauss, Haydn, and Schubert. The Alps rise high, carving glaciers, ski slopes, riverine valleys and intrepid adventures. Hapsburg villages deliver pomp and excess, while the Gothic and baroque continue history’s journey. Look further, and Austria has a contemporary side that is carrying the love for fine art and architecture into the 21st century. The destinations are diverse, yet they come together easily, connected by stunning alpine train journeys and a sense of grandeur that is synonymous with Austria. It is this harmony that pulls you in, slowly, elegantly, and effortlessly.
Modern Austria is a slither of what was once the House of Habsburg, and later the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Much of Europe bares evidence of this long-standing legacy, with imperial Vienna the glorious centerpiece that has hardly changed since those times of worldly prosperity. The 21St-century Vienna is a journey through the lanes of history. You can spend many days immersed in the illustrious pomp of yesteryear. This old capital city is the typical starting or ending point to any Austrian vacation. There is no question that the city deserves its status as one of Europe’s ultimate destinations. It is located in the far northeast of the country, close to the borders with Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary.
Travel beyond Vienna and its immediate surroundings, and you enter the mountains. Central Austria is packed with pretty towns and soporific scenery. Castles and vineyards rise above calm lakes. Musical odes are found in Salzburg, with Mozart and the hills Julie Andrews sang about in The Sound of Music. Find a monastery in Melk, modern art in Linz, vibrant historic streets in Graz, then onwards to a village of wooden houses beneath mountain peaks.
It is to the west where the Alps really rise. Railways and rivers twist through the valleys, far below the snow-dappled peaks. This is where you visit for some of Europe’s best winter skiing, and some of its finest summer hiking. The landscapes inspire, and the towns have retained the air of tradition, from butchers and bakers to grandiose monasteries and castles. Innsbruck is both a jumping off point for an adventure, and a dazzling overnight stop, with its medieval center backdropped by dramatic mountains.
Yet for all the famous names and images of beauty, Austria has a surprisingly restrained level of tourism. Perhaps it is because visitors are spread thinly, and everyone makes their own route, especially outside Vienna. It could be that Austria is too old-world; there are certainly fewer backpackers and student visitors than in neighboring countries. None of this should be off-putting. Austria has a well-developed tourist infrastructure, and it can be a relief to explore such alluring destinations without fighting through queues and crowds.
As you might expect in a country of mountains, Austria makes the journey as memorable as the destination. An excellent railway network connects both major and minor destinations; sit back and watch the landscapes unfold as you weave through the Alps. There is a good international airport in each corner of the country, so you can travel onwards or back home without looping back to where you started. The roads are in superb condition, and traveling overland means stopping at an array of lesser-known sights. These transport connections tie Austria’s orchestral pieces together and make the vacation as ambitious as your imagination.