44 Best Bars in Austria

The bar in the Romantik Hotel Krone is open, and remains quite lively, until 2 or 3 am.

In the center of town, Kuhstall (meaning cowshed) in the winter is a rocking, ultrapopular après-ski bar with a rustic theme. It also opens briefly in the height of summer.

Young people flock to this popular watering hole. It gets packed by fans and racers alike on big ski-race days, and can be just too crammed to get in.

Raucous, mind-boggling, and legendary, the Mooserwirt, on the piste side above St. Anton, has carved a reputation as one of skiing's most famous—or notorious—nightlife spots. By all accounts, owner Eugen Scalet decided to "kill the cows and milk the tourists" by turning his parents' farmhouse into one of the world's rowdiest après-ski bars. It's said to sell the second-largest amount of beer annually of any bar in Austria. It has a boutique (soundproofed) hotel next door—the ultimate ski-in, ski-out destination.

This popular live-music bar in the heart of St. Anton opens early and closes late, making it equally appealing for a post-slopes beer or a big night out. Unlike many of the bars in St. Anton, it's also open during the summer season. Try to catch a set from regular Gunar Franzoi, whose sublime guitar shredding has patrons dancing on the tables.

An Ischgl après-ski institution, this place is traditional, raucous, bizarre, and a must-visit. It regularly provides a mix of Europop and Tyrolean après-ski cheesy oompah-rock.

This hip stone-and-glass bar serves a great selection of Austrian wines and beers, including their own (superb) pale ale. They're open from early 'til late and do good food (including mean burgers) all day long—come at lunch for the bargain set menu (€12.90 for three courses).

Porgy & Bess is one of the top jazz clubs of Europe and is a fixed point on the international jazz scene.

This tiny sparkling wine bar exclusively pours bubbly from its own Szigeti vineyard in Burgenland, a wine-focused region. It's a few steps away from the popular Naschmarkt. The vibe is jovial and friendly and bartenders are walking-talking encyclopedias of sparkling wine.

The Sternbräu is a mammoth Bierkeller with eight rambling halls festooned with tile stoves, paintings, and wood beams. The chestnut-tree beer garden or the courtyard are divine on hot summer nights. If you're traveling in a group, consider booking the Sound of Salzburg Show ( www.soundofsalzburg.info), a popular evening event with unforgettable songs from The Sound of Music, traditional Salzburg folk songs, and a medley of Austrian operettas. The show costs €39 per person, including a drink, but you can combine with a Sternbräu meal for €59.

Sample the selections of this hometown-pride brew under the shade of chestnut trees as you watch the sun set over the rooftops and steeples of the Old City. The noted local architect Ceconi devised this sprawling place around 1901. The Keller is partly inside the Mönchsberg hill, right under the Festung Hochsalzburg, so its cellars guarantee the quality and right temperature of the drinks. It's a great place to stop for lunch, an afternoon snack, or an evening Prost with friends. Just beware: climbing up the relatively steep incline is easier than stumbling down after a few grosses (large beers).

The dance-club crowd moves from place to place, but check out this hot spot in the center of Kitz, right next door to Casino Kitzbühel and above Jimmy's. It has three bars and a spacious VIP area, and aims for a sophisticated atmosphere.

It might feel like an ancient timbered converted barn, but Trofana Alm is actually one of the most successful and slick après-ski bars in the Alps. Open from 3 pm, it switches at 7 pm from dance venue to romantic candlelit restaurant, then at 11 it's back to full-on nightclub and disco.

Back in 1870, Viennese used to come to the Volksgarten to waltz, drink champagne, and enjoy the night air in a candlelit garden. Today it's a nightclub where glammed-up locals flock to go clubbing, mostly to house and party music. It really puts the "night" in nightclub—hours are from 11 pm to 6 am.