10 Destinations to Visit in Austria

Austria is a country known for its scenic beauty and its cultural activities. Located in the Alps, it is a very popular place with skiers and hikers, but it is also a country that has given the world an important musical heritage, ranging from the classical composer Mozart to the waltzes of Strauss and the Von Trapp family whose story was told in The Sound of Music. An overview of the best places to visit in Austria:

10Bad Gastein

Located in the Hohe Tauern National Park, the spa town of Bad Gastein is renowned for its Belle Époque-style buildings, surrounded by mountains and fog-free air. At 1,000 metres above sea level, visitors flock to Bad Gastein to breathe the pure mountain air, bathe in its hot springs and take part in spa treatments. Bad Gastein is also popular with outdoor enthusiasts, who love to ski in winter and hike or mountain bike in summer.

9Wörthersee

The largest lake in Carinthia, Wörthersee is one of Austria's most famous summer destinations. It appeals not only to those who want to canoe across the lake, but also to cavers who will want to visit various caves, including the Griffen stalactite cave, considered Austria's most colourful cave. Those who love visiting cathedrals won't want to miss Gurk Cathedral, which dates back to the 12th century, while vintage car enthusiasts can visit Gmünd, the birthplace of Porsche, or the great Villach Automobile Museum with its collection of cars, motorcycles and more.

8Graz

Students will find a Mecca in Austria's second largest city, Graz, which is known as a student city, with its six universities enrolling more than 44,000 students. It also has one of the best-preserved historic centres in Central Europe, reflecting the culture of the Balkan states and Italy. The city is full of numerous museums, from art to the armoury. Thanks to its reputation as a City of Culinary Delights, Graz offers a wide range of international cuisines. Cooks might want to take home a bottle of pumpkin seed oil, a local product, after visiting a summer farmers' market.

7St Anton am Arlberg

St Anton am Arlberg is considered Austria's leading ski resort. Located in Tyrol, this village offers serious and legendary ski terrain that caters to a mixed level of ability. Often attracting adventurous young people, St Anton is famous for living up to the saying "work hard, play hard". The vast panorama welcomes the faithful winter crowd, as well as its summer mountaineers, who visit the landscape every year.

6Wachau

With the Danube river running through it, the Wachau valley is a popular tourist destination in the south of Austria. The town of Dürnstein is known as the place where Duke Leopold V held the British king, Richard the Lionheart, prisoner for several years in the late 12th century, while the town of Melk is renowned for its splendid Benedictine abbey. The Wachau is also known for its wines and for fruits such as apricots. The valley has more than 500 historic monuments, so tourists will have to make hard choices about which to see.

5Zell am See

Zell am See, located in the state of Salzburg, is another famous tourist destination, known for its mountains and lakes. Once ruled by French troops in the early 19th century, Zell am See has hosted several international ski competitions. Away from the ski slopes, one of its most famous attractions is the Romanesque church of St. Hippolyte, with a raised walkway dating back to the early 16th century. Zell am See is also a good starting point for the Grossglockner alpine road, a scenic road famous for its high alpine landscape.

4Innsbruck

Innsbruck, with a name that translates as "bridge over the inn", is a tourist destination for all seasons. It is known internationally for its winter sports, having hosted the Winter Olympics in 1964 and 1976. But this Tyrolean city offers more than just a skiing panorama. It offers a good mix of cathedrals, such as the Hofkirche, which houses the tomb of Emperor Maximilian I; the Schloss Ambras, which has a collection of paintings and armour; and the Bell Museum, a nod to 400 years of bell-making.

3Salzkammergut

The Salzkammergut is a beautiful tourist area that begins in Salzburg and heads east into a land of lakes. Fantastic clean lakes, green hills, wonderful mountains and romantic towns such as St. Wolfgang and Hallstatt form this region. Travellers who have seen the film The Sound of Music will know what this lake region is like, because that film was shot in Salzburg and the nearby Salzkammergut region. The resort area is popular with sun lovers and those seeking spa treatments. Visitors can join the relaxing mood by wearing the ever-popular attire, lederhosen for men and dirndl dresses for women.

2Salzburg

Located in central Austria, near the border with Germany, Salzburg is probably best known as the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Travellers arrive in Austria's fourth city to see the places that inspired such unforgettable music. With its hilltop medieval fortress, the picturesque old town of Altstadt and breathtaking alpine scenery, Salzburg is one of the best places to visit in Austria. For those seeking to relive scenes from the film "The Sound of Music", the unmissable attractions are the 17th-century Baroque Mirabell and its gardens and the von Trapp family home, which is now a hotel. Mozart fans can visit his birthplace and tour his house

1Vienna

Elegant waltzes and the composer Johann Strauss immediately come to mind when one thinks of Vienna, Austria's capital and its largest city; the city still holds more than 200 balls a year. But the city is also known for other classical composers such as Mozart, Brahms, Beethoven and Schubert. Travellers can take a break from music by visiting the Hofburg, which houses the imperial jewels of the Habsburg rulers, and the Kunsthistorisches, a museum with an extraordinary collection of old master paintings. Vienna is also famous for its coffee houses where travellers can rest while deciding which museum or park to visit next.