286 Best Sights in Austria

From Klagenfurt, bypass the autobahn and instead take Villacher Strasse (Route 83) to the Wörther Lake, Austria's great summer resort area. You'll pass by the entrancing Minimundus, literally "miniature world," 165 1:25 scale models and a 4D cinema. Structures include copies of the White House, the Taj Mahal, the Eiffel Tower, and the Gur-Emir Mausoleum from Uzbekistan, all built when possible from the original materials. Net proceeds support needy children and families in Carinthia.

Minoritenplatz is named after its centerpiece, the Minoritenkirche, a Gothic affair with a strange stump of a tower, built mostly in the 14th century. The front is brutally ugly, but the back is a wonderful, if predominantly 19th-century, surprise. The interior contains an impressive and gigantic mosaic reproduction of Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper, commissioned by Napoléon in 1806 and later purchased by Emperor Franz Josef.

In the center of Mozartplatz, on a marble plinth, stands this impressive bronze statue of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Sculpted by Ludwig Schwanthaler and unveiled in 1842 in the presence of the composer's two surviving sons (how's that for pressure?), it was the first sign of public recognition Mozart received from his hometown since his death in Vienna in 1791. The statue, the first for a non-noble person in Austria, is very much a 19th-century stylized view of the composer, draped in a mantle and holding a page of music and a copybook.

In a sleek edifice constructed of dark stone, the Museum moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien (mumok) houses the national collection of 20th-century art. Spread over eight floors, the collection is largely a bequest of billionaire industrialist Peter Ludwig. The top works here are of the American pop-art school, but all the trends of the last century, from Nouveau Réalisme to Viennese Actionism, vie for your attention. Names include René Magritte, Max Ernst, Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock, Cy Twombly, and Nam June Paik.

Just a 30-minute walk from the Old Town but a whole world away, Linz's old industrial Hafenviertel (Harbor Quarter) is home to one of Europe's largest open-air graffiti galleries. Almost every inch of the area's old warehouses, containers, and other industrial facades have been taken over by colorful and evocative works by international and local street artists like Aryz, Lors, Nychos, and Roa. There are about 300 artworks, and you can see them all on a series of guided tours, though these are only in German. Alternatively, just stroll up and down Industriezeile yourself—many of the most impressive artworks are visible from the street.

There are two branches of the Museum der Moderne in Salzburg: Mönchsberg and Rupertinum. The former enjoys one of Salzburg's most famous scenic spots, atop the sheer cliff face of the Mönchsberg. Clad in minimalist white marble, the modern art museum has three exhibition levels, with graphics and paintings by Austrian and international artists like Oskar Kokoschka and Erwin Wurm, and a focus on large-scale installations and sculptural works. In the Altstadt below, the Rupertinum offers changing exhibitions of modern graphic art and interactive special exhibits within a lovely early-Baroque-era building. Both branches have superb dining options, but the Mönchsberg restaurant edges it out for the spectacular city views (come in the evening to see the city illuminated).

This fascinating museum contains a large collection of Austrian furniture, porcelain, art objects, and priceless Oriental carpets. The Jugendstil display devoted to Josef Hoffmann and his Secessionist followers at the Wiener Werkstätte is particularly well done. The newest permanent collection is based on Asian design, showcasing Japanese woodcuts, lacquer work, color stencil plates, and Chinese porcelain. The MAK also showcases changing exhibitions of contemporary works, and the museum shop sells furniture and other objects (including great bar accessories) designed by young local artists.

Go back 7,000 years and discover the origins of Hallstatt and its salt mines at this museum. The exhibits include holographic representations, video animations, and a 3D journey through time.

The late-Gothic secular building that now houses the Zeughaus Museum was once the arsenal of Maximilian I. Today, displays include cartography, mineralogy, music, hunting weapons, coins, aspects of Tyrol's culture, and the province's wars of independence.

In what was once the old Jewish ghetto, construction workers discovered the fascinating remains of a 13th-century synagogue while digging for a new parking garage. Simon Wiesenthal (a former Vienna resident) helped to turn it into a museum dedicated to the Austrian Jews who died in World War II. Marking the outside is a concrete cube whose surfaces are casts of library shelves, signifying a love of learning. Downstairs are three exhibition rooms devoted to medieval Jewish life and the synagogue excavations. Also in Judenplatz is a statue of the 18th-century playwright Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, erected after World War II.

This museum displays works by modern and contemporary artists. It pays special attention to avant-garde artists with roots in Carinthia. Maria Lassnig, Arnulf Rainer, and Bruno Gironcoli, some of the heavyweights of post–World War II art, hail from the region. The "Burgkapelle," with its backdrop of Baroque frescoes by Josef Ferdinand Fromiller, is reserved for projects by contemporary artists. The upper floor arcade houses a permanent display of sculpture and objects.

The area between Linke and Rechte Wienzeile is home to the Naschmarkt, Vienna's largest and most famous outdoor produce market. Packed rows of polished and stacked fruits and vegetables compete for visual appeal against stacks of fragrant spices, redolent of Asia or the Middle East. Come for the atmosphere, but note that prices for meats, fruits, vegetables, and cheeses here tend to be higher than other places in the city. Wine stores and gourmet food shops round out the offerings. In winter, many stalls shorten their hours. On Saturday, a lively flea market takes place at the tail end of the market. Be sure you get the correct change and watch the scales when your goods are weighed.

The palatial 19th-century museum, twin of the celebrated Kunsthistorisches Museum, is the home of the Venus of Willendorf, a tiny statuette (actually, a replica—the original is in a vault) thought to be some 20,000 years old. This symbol of the Stone Age was originally unearthed in the Wachau Valley, not far from Melk. The reconstructed dinosaur skeletons draw the most attention, especially among kids. Also not to be missed is the Meteorite Room, which holds the largest and oldest collection of meteorites on the planet. A 3D simulator allows you to stage a powerful meteor strike. The digital planetarium, with its state-of-the-art Fulldome technology, offers shows several times a day on biology, astronomy, prehistory, and the deep sea.

Built in 1757 to serve the city's fishermen and sailors, the Chapel of St. John of Nepomuk has a richly decorated high altar and several paintings in the rococo style.

In 1862, the bishop of Linz engaged one of the architects of Cologne cathedral to develop a design for a grand cathedral in the French neo-Gothic style to accommodate 20,000 worshipers, at that time one-third of the population of Linz. According to legend, the tower was not to be higher than that of St. Stephen's in Vienna. The result was the massive 400-foot tower, shorter than St. Stephen's by a scant 6½ feet. Nevertheless, the "New Cathedral"—also known as the Mariendom or Maria-Empfängnis-Dom—was, and remains, the largest cathedral in the country. It contains gorgeous stained-glass windows depicting scenes from Linz's long history, and you can also climb the tower for lovely views over the city. There are also regular organ recitals held here; check the schedule online.

The city museum's extensive collection of art, photography, and archaeology follows local history from pre-Roman times to the mid-1880s.

From 1671 until 1938, the streets Wertheimergasse and Unterbergstrasse formed the boundaries of the Jewish ghetto. During that time Eisenstadt had a considerable Jewish population; today the Österreichisches Jüdisches Museum recalls the experience of Austrian Jews throughout history. A fascinating private synagogue in the complex survived the 1938 terror and is incorporated into the museum, while there's an old Jewish cemetery just around the corner.

The restored imperial subway station known as the Hofpavillon is just outside the palace grounds (at the northwest corner, a few yards east of the Hietzing subway station). Designed by Otto Wagner in conjunction with Joseph Olbrich and Leopold Bauer, the Hofpavillon was built in 1899 for the exclusive use of Emperor Franz Josef and his entourage. Exclusive it was: the emperor used the station only twice. The exterior, with its proud architectural crown, is Wagner at his best, and the lustrous interior is one of the finest examples of Jugendstil decoration in the city.

The apartment houses that line the Wienzeile are an attractive, if rather ordinary, lot, but two stand out: Linke Wienzeile 38 and 40—the latter better known as the "Majolica House"—designed (1898–1899) by the grand old man of Viennese fin-de-siècle architecture, Otto Wagner. A good example of what Wagner was rebelling against can be seen next door, at Linke Wienzeile 42, where decorative enthusiasm has blossomed into Baroque-revival hysteria. Wagner banished classical decoration and introduced a new architectural simplicity, with flat exterior walls and plain, regular window treatments meant to reflect the orderly layout of the apartments behind them. There the simplicity ended. For exterior decoration, he turned to his younger Secessionist cohorts Joseph Olbrich and Koloman Moser, who designed the ornate Jugendstil patterns of red-majolica-tile roses (No. 40) and gold stucco medallions (No. 38) that gloriously brighten the facades of the adjacent house—so much so that their Baroque-period neighbor is ignored. The houses are privately owned.

Not really a palace, this commercial complex dating from 1856 is named for its architect, Heinrich Ferstel. The facade is Italianate, harking back in its 19th-century way to the Florentine palazzi of the early Renaissance. The interior is unashamedly eclectic: vaguely Romanesque in feel and Gothic in decoration, with a bit of Renaissance or Baroque sculpted detail thrown in for good measure. Such eclecticism is sometimes dismissed as derivative, but here the architectural details are so respectfully and inventively combined that the interior is a pleasure to explore. The 19th-century stock-exchange rooms upstairs are now gloriously restored and used for conferences, concerts, and balls.

Mozart and his sister Nannerl performed here as children for Count Ferdinand Bonaventura during their first visit to Vienna in 1762. The palace, next door to Palais Ferstel, was altered after 1845 and severely damaged during World War II. Some of the state rooms have lost their historical luster, but the Marble Room, set with gilt boiseries, and the Red Gallery, topped with a spectacular ceiling painting, are sometimes used for events. Shops, a restaurant, and a federal office now occupy the building. A chapel with a wooden Madonna can be seen through a large window.

This 17th-century former city residence of the ruling princes houses the Cultural History Collection. In addition to a Baroque interior, the permanent collection of 35,000 items features items related to the political history of Graz and Styria. Palais Herberstein has a special focus on the status symbols that defined the time, and as visitors walk down a red carpet they question the equivalent in the world today.

This was the birthplace in 1863 of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, whose assassination in Sarajevo in 1914 led directly to the outbreak of World War I. The palace is now home to the Graz Museum, whose focus is temporary exhibitions that present history from a current perspective. The permanent exhibition traces the history of Graz.

Just one of the architectural treasures that comprise the urban set piece of the Freyung, the Palais Kinsky is the square's best-known palace, and is one of the most sophisticated pieces of Baroque architecture in the whole city. Built between 1713 and 1716 by Hildebrandt—and returned to its former glory in the 1990s—it now houses Wiener Kunst Auktionen, a public auction business offering artwork and antiques. If there's an auction viewing, try to see the palace's spectacular 18th-century staircase, all marble goddesses and crowned with a trompe-l'oeil ceiling painted by Marcantonio Chiarini.

On the grounds of Schönbrunn Palace is this huge greenhouse filled with exotic trees and plants.

Just around the corner from the foot of the Meissnerstiege (Meissner steps) lies the parish church of St. Gallus, the oldest in the lower part of Vorarlberg, which combines Romanesque, Gothic, and Rococo elements. The interior is decorated simply but beautifully with pastel coloring and subtle stuccos and paintings, instead of the usual excessive gilding. Look out for the multiple depictions of legendary Irish monk St. Gallus with his bear companion, particularly on the remarkable silver altar in the left side chapel. Empress Maria Theresa donated the money for the main altarpiece; see if you can spot the monarch's features on one of the shepherdesses depicted there.

Reminiscent of an ancient Greek temple, this sprawling building is the seat of the country's elected representative assembly. An embracing, heroic ramp on either side of the main structure is lined with carved marble figures of ancient Greek and Roman historians. Its centerpiece is the Pallas-Athene-Brunnen, a fountain designed by Theophil Hansen that is crowned by the Greek goddess of wisdom and surrounded by water nymphs symbolizing the executive and legislative powers governing the country. Free tours are available from the visitor center, but people should register online in advance.

Eerie but intimate, this is the oldest Christian graveyard in Austria, dating back to 1627. Enclosed on three sides by elegant wrought-iron grilles, Baroque arcades contain chapels belonging to Salzburg's old patrician families. The graveyard is far from mournful: the individual graves are tended with loving care, decorated with candles, fir branches, and flowers—especially pansies (because the name means "thoughts"). In Crypt XXXI is the grave of Santino Solari, architect of the cathedral; in XXXIX that of Sigmund Haffner, a patron for whom Mozart composed a symphony and named a serenade. The final communal Crypt LIV (by the so-called catacombs) contains the body of Mozart's sister Nannerl and the torso of Joseph Haydn's younger brother Michael (his head is in St. Peter's church). The cemetery is in the shadow of the Mönchsberg mount; note the early-Christian tombs carved in the rock face.

One of Vienna's most well-known churches, St. Peter's Church stands on what was once the site of a church built in the latter half of the 4th century, making this spot the oldest Christian sacred site in the city. A few centuries later, Charlemagne built another church here, and finally St. Peter's Church was constructed between 1702 and 1708 by Lucas von Hildebrandt, who also built the Belvedere Palace. The facade has angled towers, graceful turrets (said to have been inspired by the tents of the Turks during the siege of 1683), and an unusually fine entrance portal. Inside, the Baroque decoration is elaborate, with some fine touches (particularly the glass-crowned galleries high on the walls on either side of the altar and the amazing tableau of the martyrdom of St. John Nepomuk). Just before Christmas each year the basement crypt is filled with a display of Nativity scenes. The church is shoehorned into tiny Petersplatz, just off the Graben.

Despite being one of the town's most visible landmarks, and one of Tyrol's largest village churches, the Pfarrkirche in Neustift im Stubaital has a relatively plain whitewashed exterior. But cross the threshold and you'll discover a highly decorative rococo interior, complete with extraordinary ceiling frescoes, a grand Baroque high altar, and a sparkling new three-manual organ.