Austria travel guide. Responsible travel guide to Austria

Austria travel guide

Austria is most definitely about mountains and music. Just like a symphony, it has everything thrown into its musical mix: Alpine peaks, with Grossglockner the highest in Hohe Tauern National Park, boom out like a rousing brass section. The serene lakes of the north are the strings section, a series of soothing, tranquil movements that you can walk or cycle through in total awe of their purity and pitch perfect beauty.

Download lots of Mozart before you come hiking here on your MP3. He does rousing well, as do his beloved native landscapes

The wind section is Seefeld, with its Olympian action filled winter sports history, but each village and valley proffering its own perfect concerto, but plenty of places to grab solo moments, cross country skiing away from the crowds. The Tyrol is percussion, quirky and independent, but totally unmissable. And the Danube is like the composer, weaving through it all masterfully, bringing together the most harmonious vacation.

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Austria is/isn't...

Austria is…

like the Swarovski Crystals that are made here. Pure, dazzling, clear and simply beautiful.

Austria isn’t…..

just for winter vacations. It has one of the most superb hiking and cycling networks in Europe.

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Austria map & highlights

As efficient and exquisite as Switzerland, but without the astronomic costs, Austria packs a pretty punch for a small country. Although it is best known for its downhill skiing vacations – hardly surprising, given that Seefeld has hosted the Winter Olympics twice – cross country skiing infrastructures here are also second to known, especially in the Tyrol region. Similarly, the country’s trails are all maintained to perfection when the snows melt, revealing Edelweiss filled meadows (and yes it is the national flower, but the Sound of Music is definitely not a national favourite) and valleys that beckon hikers and bikers, climbers and rafters.

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1. Hohe Tauern National Park
2. North Austrian Lakes
3. Oetz Valley
4. River Danube
5. Seefeld
6. Trins

Hohe Tauern National Park

1. Hohe Tauern National Park

With Grossglockner at its heart, Austria’s highest mountain at 3,797m, this is alpine arcadia. Summer and winter. In fact, it opens up to a world of high mountain activities in summer, hiking and biking, rafting and canyoning, climbing and alpinism. You don’t have to be a Bonnington to enjoy the beauty, however, with plenty of hiking trails to keep walkers of all levels happy here for days on end.

Hohe Tauern National Park

North Austrian Lakes

2. North Austrian Lakes

These are almost stupidly beautiful, with mountains reflected in the water, sailing boats and castles, cafes with cakes the size of castles, and cosy taverns. Cycling or, in winter, cross country skiing around them is the perfect way to see the likes of Attersee, with the small town of St Georgen tucked in between it and the mountains. Or watersport filled Traunsee, with the cobbled market town of Gmunden lining the shore.

Oetz Valley

3. Oetz Valley

In the Austrian Tyrol, with Oetz as the gateway, this is a mecca of mountain activity, summer and winter. Cut through a range of different peaks belonging to the Stubai Alps, it feels like this meadow and woodland filled valley goes on forever. Indeed, your days can be packed with fun forever here, with superb set ups for white water rafting, climbing, hiking, canyoning and mountain biking, making it a family favourite.

Oetz Valley

River Danube

4. River Danube

Voyaging along the Danube is a tradition that goes back generations. Hikers and cyclists still love to follow the flow of Europe’s second largest river through a variety of landscapes, although Austria’s Wachau Valley is one of the prettiest. Traveling west to east, just like the river, is to travel through history, with ancient castles, ‘heurigen’ or wine taverns, vineyards and monasteries still bordering the shores of this fine, ancient artery.

Seefeld

5. Seefeld

A Tyrolean town but also a region that is made up of five villages that are most well known because they have hosted the Winter Olympics twice. Just 17km from Innsbruck, there are over 300km of cross country skiing trails here, traveling along plateaus that overlook the River Inn valley, with two main mountain areas to play in: Gschwandtkopf and Rosshütte.

Seefeld

Trins

6. Trins

A chocolate box village and gateway to the Gschnitzal and Obernberg Valleys. Even they don’t sound real, but they will feel real as you push those calves up through the ancient Tyrolean forests, in the foothills of Habicht (3,277m high), one of the Stubai Alps. With a magnificent circuit of mountain huts to complete, as well as ancient farmlands and pastures, this is all so easy on the wandering eye. With or without snow.

More about Austria

Best time to visit Austria

Read more about the best time to visit Austria, from Christmas markets and cross-country skiing to edelweiss-covered hillsides and sublime summer cycling.

Yoga vacations in Austria

Inspirational mountain scenery with walking, meditation and steaming bowls of hot choc on the terrace make yoga vacations in Austria one of our favourite things.

Multi activity vacations in Austria

Hike along Alpine trails in the shadow of Austria’s highest mountain before white water rafting through the valleys.

Snowshoeing, Austria

East Tyrol is one of the finest destinations for snowshoeing in Austria, a mountainous landscape of spellbinding beauty and tranquillity.

More relevant guides

Written by Catherine Mack

ABTA member P7085 so you are fully protected

Photo credits: [Page banner: Robert J Heath] [Is/isnt: François Philipp] [Durnstein town: jay8085] [Seefeld: ?tefan Jurc?] [North Austrian Lakes: Schloss Litzlberg] [Trins: NH53] [River Danube: Gary Bembridge] [Oetz Valley: Bede735] [Hohe Tauern National Park: Tadas Balciunas]

Austria travel guide