Austria travel guide: how to plan your trip
Travelling in Austria means combining elegant cities with high mountains in one compact, easy-to-navigate country. Vienna and Salzburg offer imperial palaces, classical music and coffee-house culture, while the Alps, the Salzkammergut lakes and the Danube's Wachau Valley bring hiking, skiing, swimming and wine. Trains are reliable and distances are short.
When to go
Austria works all year, but the season shapes the trip. Late spring and early autumn, roughly May to June and September to October, are ideal for cities, the Wachau grape harvest and mountain hikes with fewer crowds. July and August bring warm lake water and open alpine huts, though also busier roads. From December to March, Tyrol, Salzburg province and the Arlberg turn into ski country, while Vienna and Salzburg fill with Christmas markets during Advent.
Where to go
Vienna
The capital mixes Habsburg grandeur with a relaxed, green everyday life. See Schönbrunn Palace, the Hofburg and St. Stephen's Cathedral, browse the Naschmarkt, spend an afternoon in the MuseumsQuartier and finish with a glass of local wine at a Heuriger on the edge of the Vienna Woods.
Salzburg
Mozart's birthplace sits on the Salzach river beneath the Hohensalzburg Fortress. Its baroque old town, the Mirabell Gardens and the Getreidegasse are easy to explore on foot, and day trips lead to the Untersberg, the salt mines of Hallein or the lakes of the Salzkammergut.
Hallstatt and the Salzkammergut
A lake district east of Salzburg with villages pressed between water and steep mountains. Hallstatt is the famous postcard, but Gosau, St. Wolfgang, Bad Ischl and the shores of the Attersee and Traunsee are just as rewarding, and calmer if you arrive early or stay overnight.
Innsbruck and Tyrol
Innsbruck is a university city where the Nordkette range rises straight behind the streets; a funicular and cable car reach high alpine terrain in minutes. Around it, valleys such as the Zillertal, Ötztal and Stubaital offer glacier views, summer hiking trails and major ski areas.
Wachau Valley
This stretch of the Danube between Melk and Krems is lined with terraced vineyards, apricot orchards and small wine villages such as Dürnstein and Spitz. Visit Melk Abbey, cycle the riverside path, take a boat and taste Grüner Veltliner and Riesling at family wineries.
What to do
An afternoon in a Viennese coffee house
In Vienna, the coffee house is a living room for the whole city. Order a Melange, read the newspapers on their wooden holders and take your time; Café Central, Café Sperl and Café Hawelka each show a different side of a tradition that is more about lingering than about coffee.
An evening at a Heuriger
A Heuriger is a wine tavern where winemakers serve their own young wine with a cold buffet of cured meats, cheeses, spreads such as Liptauer and dark rye bread. Find them in Grinzing, Stammersdorf or Nussdorf in Vienna, and throughout Lower Austria and Styria.
Hut-to-hut hiking
Austria's alpine clubs maintain a dense network of marked trails and mountain huts. A day hike to a hut for Kaspressknödel or Kaiserschmarrn is a classic, and multi-day routes in the Zillertal, the Hohe Tauern or the Dachstein let you sleep high in the mountains.
Skiing in the Alps
Winter sports are part of Austrian identity. The Arlberg around St. Anton and Lech, Kitzbühel, Ischgl, Saalbach and Schladming offer large linked ski areas, ski schools for every level and a lively après-ski scene, while smaller family resorts are quieter and gentler on beginners.
Thermal spas in Styria
Eastern Styria has a cluster of thermal spas built over warm springs, such as Bad Blumau with its Hundertwasser architecture, and Loipersdorf. Combine a day in the pools with the region's pumpkin seed oil, orchards and wine roads winding through the hills near Slovenia.
Practical tips
- Trains are the easiest way to travel between cities: ÖBB links Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck and Graz, and regional buses reach most mountain valleys and lake villages.
- Driving on motorways and expressways requires a vignette, sold as a sticker or as a digital toll. Some alpine roads and tunnels charge their own separate tolls.
- Most shops, including supermarkets, close on Sundays, so buy groceries the day before; shops in train stations and petrol stations are the usual exceptions.
- Mountain weather changes fast, even in summer: carry a waterproof layer, check the forecast and ask at the hut or tourist office before setting off on high routes.
As a couple, family or with friends
Austria suits mixed groups because one base can serve different paces: a Salzkammergut lake village or a Tyrolean valley lets hikers go high while others swim, cycle or visit towns. Families do well with farm stays and gentle cable-car walks. Use the Gata app to share stay options and day ideas so everyone can weigh in before anyone books.
Save ideas and stays and decide as a group with the Gata app.
Frequently asked questions
How many days do I need in Austria?
A week covers Vienna, the Wachau and Salzburg, with a day in the Salzkammergut. With ten to fourteen days you can add Innsbruck and a Tyrolean valley, or a couple of nights at a mountain hut. Trains make it easy to link these places without a car.
Is Austria worth visiting in summer, or only for skiing?
Summer is just as rewarding as winter. Many alpine lifts run for hikers, lakes such as the Wolfgangsee, Attersee and Wörthersee are warm enough to swim in, and cities host open-air concerts and festivals. Many travellers find the mountains more varied without snow.
Do I need a car to travel around Austria?
Not for the main cities, which are well linked by train and have good public transport. A car helps for remote valleys, wine roads and lake villages, although post buses reach many of them. If you do drive, remember the motorway vignette.
What food should I try in Austria?
Try Wiener Schnitzel, Tafelspitz (boiled beef with horseradish and apple sauce), Käsespätzle in Tyrol and Vorarlberg, and desserts such as Sachertorte, apple strudel and Kaiserschmarrn. In Styria, look for pumpkin seed oil, and in the wine regions, a glass of Grüner Veltliner.
