Fodor's Vienna & the Best of Austria: With Salzburg & Skiing in the Alps
For over 80 years, Fodor's Travel has been a trusted resource offering expert travel...
A "blast from the past" is how one recent visitor described her journey through Austria. It remains, she explained, a place where children laugh at marionette shows in the parks, couples linger for hours over pastries at gilt-ceiling cafés, and Lipizzan stallions dance to Mozart minuets—in other words, Austria is a country that has not forgotten the elegance of a time gone by.
Fodor's Vienna & the Best of Austria: With Salzburg & Skiing in the Alps
For over 80 years, Fodor's Travel has been a trusted resource offering expert travel...
Top Destinations
Top Destinations
Vienna
One of the great European capitals, Vienna was for centuries the stomping ground for the Habsburg rulers of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The empire is long...
Innsbruck, Tirol, and Vorarlberg
The provinces of Tyrol and Vorarlberg make up the western tip of Austria with Innsbruck, the capital of Tyrol, as the natural, historic, and economic...
Day Trips from Vienna
A trip along the Austrian Danube unfolds like a treasured picture book. Roman ruins (some dating to Emperor Claudius), remains of medieval castles-in-air, and Baroque...
Salzburg
Art lovers call Salzburg the Golden City of High Baroque; historians refer to it as the Florence of the North or the German Rome; and...
Carinthia and Graz
While lesser-known than the mountainous terrain of Tyrol or the culture-rich cities of Vienna and Salzburg, the southern provinces of Carinthia and Styria with its...
Innsbruck
The capital of Tyrol is one of the most beautiful towns of its size anywhere in the world, owing much of its charm and fame...
Eastern Alps
The whole Eastern Alps region is dramatic countryside, with breathtaking scenery and great winter sports opportunities. Here majestic peaks, many well over 9,750 feet, soar...
Linz
The capital of Upper Austria—set where the Traun River flows into the Danube—is a fascinating mix of the old and new. On the one hand...
Bregenz
Lying along the southeastern shore of the Bodensee (Lake Constance) with the majestic Pfänder as its backdrop, Bregenz is where Vorarlbergers themselves come to make...
Salzkammergut
Remember the exquisite opening scenes of The Sound of Music? Castles reflected in water, mountains veiled by a scattering of downy clouds, flower-strewn valleys dotted...
Graz
Austria's second-largest city, Graz is graceful, welcoming, and far from the usual tourist routes. Instead of visitors, it's the large university population that keeps the...
Klagenfurt
Klagenfurt became the provincial capital in 1518, so most of the delightful sites here date from the 16th century or later. However, a group of...
Zell am See
This lovely lakeside town got its name from the monks' cells of a monastery founded here in about 790. It has excellent skiing and is...
Kitzbuhel
Kitzbühel is indisputably one of Austria's most fashionable winter resorts, although the town boasts a busy summer season as well. "Kitz" offers warm-season visitors a...
Krems
Krems marks the beginning (when traveling upstream) of the Wachau section of the Danube. The town is closely tied to Austrian history; here the ruling...
Zürs and Lech
Just down (literally) the road from Zürs, Lech is a fully-fledged community—and one of the most fashionable in the Alps. But there are more hotels...
Bad Ischl
Many travelers used to think of Bad Ischl primarily as the town where Zauner's pastry shop is located, to which connoisseurs drove miles for the...
Hallstatt
As if rising from Swan Lake itself, the town of Hallstatt is the subject of thousands of travel posters. "The world's prettiest lakeside village" perches...
Baden
The Weinstrasse brings you to the serenely elegant spa town of Baden. Since antiquity, Baden's sulfuric thermal baths have attracted both the ailing and the...
Bad Gastein
Though it traces its roots all the way back to the 15th century, this resort, one of Europe's leading spas, gained renown only in the...
Rust
Picturesque Rust, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site, is easily the most popular village on the lake for the colorful pastel facades of its houses...
St. Wolfgang
The town has everything: swimming and hiking in summer, cross-country skiing in winter, and natural feasts for the eye at every turn. Here you’ll find...
St. Anton am Arlberg
St. Anton is known as a cult destination for good skiers and boarders from around the world because of its extensive slopes full of character...
Solden
Sölden is a skier's paradise, home to the only lift system in Austria to boast skiing on three mountains more than 9,800 feet high. Its...
Eisenstadt
Burgenland's provincial capital, Eisenstadt, is a really small town. Nevertheless, it has an illustrious history and enough sights to keep you busy for a half...
Heiligenblut
One of the most photographed places in the country, Heiligenblut remains one of Austria's most picturesque Alpine villages. With the majestic Grossglockner—Austria's highest mountain—for a...
Friesach
The oldest settlement in Carinthia, romantic Friesach is great for wandering. The town is peppered with red-roofed buildings encircled by an old stone wall. There...
Ischgl and Galtur
Ischgl, the best-known resort in the Paznaun Valley, has become as renowned for its party scene as for its excellent skiing—it links with the Swiss...
Hall in Tyrol
A few minutes by road east of Innsbruck is what many say is the most beautiful town in Tyrol—ancient Hall, wonderfully preserved and with a...
Carnuntum and Hainburg an der Donau
Until a few years ago, the village of Carnuntum was a yawning backwater on the Austrian plain and, along with its slightly larger neighbor, Hainburg...
Durnstein
If a beauty contest were held among the towns along the Wachau Danube, chances are Dürnstein would be the winner—as you'll see when you arrive...
Melk
One of the most impressive sights in all of Austria, the abbey of Melk is best approached in mid- to late afternoon, when the setting...
Neusiedl am See
At the north end of the lake for which it is named is a pleasant resort town with good facilities. Direct hourly commuter trains from...
Werfen
The small size of Werfen, adorned with 16th-century buildings and a lovely Baroque church, belies its importance, for it's the base for exploring three extraordinary...
Zell am Ziller
Zell is the main town of the Zillertal, one of the many beautiful Alpine valleys of the Tyrol, and a real working community rather than...
Landeck
Landeck is a popular place to pause while traveling from Tyrol into Switzerland and Italy...
St. Johann im Pongau
St. Johann has developed into a full-fledged year-round resort, with its own small local ski area and a more extensive ski network starting 4 km...
Klosterneuburg and Korneuburg
The quiet, moderate-size town of Klosterneuburg, on the south/west (Vienna) side of the Danube, feels much farther from the big city than just a few...
Schruns-Tschagguns
Author Ernest Hemingway spent many winters at the Schruns–Tschagguns skiing area in the Montafon Valley. Today neither of the towns—across the Ill River from each...
Filzmoos
One of the most romantic villages in Austria, Filzmoos is still something of a well-kept secret. Though skiing in the nearby Dachstein mountains is excellent...
Fuschlsee
Nothing powered by more than a trolling motor is allowed on the crystalline waters of the peaceful alpine Lake Fuschl, and the emperor's Schloss Fuschl...
Gosau am Dachstein
Lovers of scenic beauty should not leave the Hallstatt region without taking in Gosau am Dachstein, considered the most beautiful spot in Austria by 19th-century...
Steyr
...
Gurk
Gurk is located in central Carinthia in the Gurk Valley, surrounded by high mountain meadows and magnificent forests. The actual center of the valley is...
Marchegg
This tiny corner of the lower Weinviertel is known as the Marchfeld, for the fields stretching east to the March River that form the border...
Stuben
Traveling from Feldkirch to the Arlberg Pass you'll come to the village of Stuben, poised right above the 14-km (8.6-mile) -long Arlberg Tunnel. From the...
Barnbach
...
Hochosterwitz
Like the impenetrable fortress it is, Burg Hochosterwitz looms over the surrounding countryside. This medieval building sits at 564 feet high, and on a clear...
Stubing bei Graz
...
Heiligenkreuz
...
Mayerling
Scenic Route 210 takes you through the quiet Helenental valley west of Baden to Mayerling—the scene of a tragedy that is still passionately discussed and...
Zurs
The chosen resort of the rich and fashionable on this side of the Arlberg, Zürs is little more than a collection of large and seriously...
Korneuburg
Aside from Burg Kreuzenstein, a castle a short distance outside the town, Korneuburg has a few attractions, including sections of a town wall, a Trinity...
St. Florian
...
Vienna
One of the great European capitals, Vienna was for centuries the stomping ground for the Habsburg rulers of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The empire is long...
Salzburg
Art lovers call Salzburg the Golden City of High Baroque; historians refer to it as the Florence of the North or the German Rome; and...
Innsbruck
The capital of Tyrol is one of the most beautiful towns of its size anywhere in the world, owing much of its charm and fame...
Linz
The capital of Upper Austria—set where the Traun River flows into the Danube—is a fascinating mix of the old and new. On the one hand...
Bregenz
Lying along the southeastern shore of the Bodensee (Lake Constance) with the majestic Pfänder as its backdrop, Bregenz is where Vorarlbergers themselves come to make...
Graz
Austria's second-largest city, Graz is graceful, welcoming, and far from the usual tourist routes. Instead of visitors, it's the large university population that keeps the...
Klagenfurt
Klagenfurt became the provincial capital in 1518, so most of the delightful sites here date from the 16th century or later. However, a group of...
Zell am See
This lovely lakeside town got its name from the monks' cells of a monastery founded here in about 790. It has excellent skiing and is...
Kitzbuhel
Kitzbühel is indisputably one of Austria's most fashionable winter resorts, although the town boasts a busy summer season as well. "Kitz" offers warm-season visitors a...
Krems
Krems marks the beginning (when traveling upstream) of the Wachau section of the Danube. The town is closely tied to Austrian history; here the ruling...
Hallstatt
As if rising from Swan Lake itself, the town of Hallstatt is the subject of thousands of travel posters. "The world's prettiest lakeside village" perches...
Zürs and Lech
Just down (literally) the road from Zürs, Lech is a fully-fledged community—and one of the most fashionable in the Alps. But there are more hotels...
Bad Ischl
Many travelers used to think of Bad Ischl primarily as the town where Zauner's pastry shop is located, to which connoisseurs drove miles for the...
Bad Gastein
Though it traces its roots all the way back to the 15th century, this resort, one of Europe's leading spas, gained renown only in the...
Baden
The Weinstrasse brings you to the serenely elegant spa town of Baden. Since antiquity, Baden's sulfuric thermal baths have attracted both the ailing and the...
Rust
Picturesque Rust, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site, is easily the most popular village on the lake for the colorful pastel facades of its houses...
St. Anton am Arlberg
St. Anton is known as a cult destination for good skiers and boarders from around the world because of its extensive slopes full of character...
St. Wolfgang
The town has everything: swimming and hiking in summer, cross-country skiing in winter, and natural feasts for the eye at every turn. Here you’ll find...
Solden
Sölden is a skier's paradise, home to the only lift system in Austria to boast skiing on three mountains more than 9,800 feet high. Its...
Friesach
The oldest settlement in Carinthia, romantic Friesach is great for wandering. The town is peppered with red-roofed buildings encircled by an old stone wall. There...
Heiligenblut
One of the most photographed places in the country, Heiligenblut remains one of Austria's most picturesque Alpine villages. With the majestic Grossglockner—Austria's highest mountain—for a...
Eisenstadt
Burgenland's provincial capital, Eisenstadt, is a really small town. Nevertheless, it has an illustrious history and enough sights to keep you busy for a half...
Ischgl and Galtur
Ischgl, the best-known resort in the Paznaun Valley, has become as renowned for its party scene as for its excellent skiing—it links with the Swiss...
Hall in Tyrol
A few minutes by road east of Innsbruck is what many say is the most beautiful town in Tyrol—ancient Hall, wonderfully preserved and with a...
Carnuntum and Hainburg an der Donau
Until a few years ago, the village of Carnuntum was a yawning backwater on the Austrian plain and, along with its slightly larger neighbor, Hainburg...
Durnstein
If a beauty contest were held among the towns along the Wachau Danube, chances are Dürnstein would be the winner—as you'll see when you arrive...
Zell am Ziller
Zell is the main town of the Zillertal, one of the many beautiful Alpine valleys of the Tyrol, and a real working community rather than...
Werfen
The small size of Werfen, adorned with 16th-century buildings and a lovely Baroque church, belies its importance, for it's the base for exploring three extraordinary...
St. Johann im Pongau
St. Johann has developed into a full-fledged year-round resort, with its own small local ski area and a more extensive ski network starting 4 km...
Melk
One of the most impressive sights in all of Austria, the abbey of Melk is best approached in mid- to late afternoon, when the setting...
Neusiedl am See
At the north end of the lake for which it is named is a pleasant resort town with good facilities. Direct hourly commuter trains from...
Landeck
Landeck is a popular place to pause while traveling from Tyrol into Switzerland and Italy...
Klosterneuburg and Korneuburg
The quiet, moderate-size town of Klosterneuburg, on the south/west (Vienna) side of the Danube, feels much farther from the big city than just a few...
Filzmoos
One of the most romantic villages in Austria, Filzmoos is still something of a well-kept secret. Though skiing in the nearby Dachstein mountains is excellent...
Schruns-Tschagguns
Author Ernest Hemingway spent many winters at the Schruns–Tschagguns skiing area in the Montafon Valley. Today neither of the towns—across the Ill River from each...
Gosau am Dachstein
Lovers of scenic beauty should not leave the Hallstatt region without taking in Gosau am Dachstein, considered the most beautiful spot in Austria by 19th-century...
Fuschlsee
Nothing powered by more than a trolling motor is allowed on the crystalline waters of the peaceful alpine Lake Fuschl, and the emperor's Schloss Fuschl...
Steyr
...
Barnbach
...
Gurk
Gurk is located in central Carinthia in the Gurk Valley, surrounded by high mountain meadows and magnificent forests. The actual center of the valley is...
Marchegg
This tiny corner of the lower Weinviertel is known as the Marchfeld, for the fields stretching east to the March River that form the border...
Stuben
Traveling from Feldkirch to the Arlberg Pass you'll come to the village of Stuben, poised right above the 14-km (8.6-mile) -long Arlberg Tunnel. From the...
Hochosterwitz
Like the impenetrable fortress it is, Burg Hochosterwitz looms over the surrounding countryside. This medieval building sits at 564 feet high, and on a clear...
Stubing bei Graz
...
Heiligenkreuz
...
Zurs
The chosen resort of the rich and fashionable on this side of the Arlberg, Zürs is little more than a collection of large and seriously...
Mayerling
Scenic Route 210 takes you through the quiet Helenental valley west of Baden to Mayerling—the scene of a tragedy that is still passionately discussed and...
Korneuburg
Aside from Burg Kreuzenstein, a castle a short distance outside the town, Korneuburg has a few attractions, including sections of a town wall, a Trinity...
St. Florian
...
Innsbruck, Tirol, and Vorarlberg
The provinces of Tyrol and Vorarlberg make up the western tip of Austria with Innsbruck, the capital of Tyrol, as the natural, historic, and economic...
Day Trips from Vienna
A trip along the Austrian Danube unfolds like a treasured picture book. Roman ruins (some dating to Emperor Claudius), remains of medieval castles-in-air, and Baroque...
Carinthia and Graz
While lesser-known than the mountainous terrain of Tyrol or the culture-rich cities of Vienna and Salzburg, the southern provinces of Carinthia and Styria with its...
Eastern Alps
The whole Eastern Alps region is dramatic countryside, with breathtaking scenery and great winter sports opportunities. Here majestic peaks, many well over 9,750 feet, soar...
Salzkammergut
Remember the exquisite opening scenes of The Sound of Music? Castles reflected in water, mountains veiled by a scattering of downy clouds, flower-strewn valleys dotted...
Grossglockner Highway
One of the best-known roads in the Alps, the Hochalpenstrasse—rising to more than 8,000 feet and containing 36 hairpin bends, with spectacular views the whole...
All Destinations
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Shop NowFodor's Vienna & the Best of Austria: With Salzburg & Skiing in the Alps
For over 80 years, Fodor's Travel has been a trusted resource offering expert travel...