Austria Travel Guides & Information

With the city-break allure of Vienna and a swathe of ski resorts, Austria’s appeal is as varied as it is accessible. You’ll rarely feel classier than when strolling beneath the capital’s grand imperial palaces or queuing for the illustrious opera house, stepping rosy-cheeked into a warm cafe to escape the winter chill with a hot coffee or taking a bite of Sachertorte on the sun-dappled city squares in summer.

The culture continues with a journey south for views of the romantic Renaissance architecture of Graz, built around an outsized cuckoo-clock tower, or west to the cobbled streets of alpine Innsbruck and the baroque resplendence of fairytale Salzburg, birthplace of Mozart. If you’re feeling more adventurous you can take to the world-renowned slopes of the Alps on ski, snowboard, or foot for spectacular hiking trails, or follow the Danube into bucolic villages, lush countryside, and forests shrouded in mystery.

With a year-round tourist season catering for any and all tastes, whether it’s relaxation, history, or excitement, Austria always has a surprise up its sleeve.

• About a quarter of the population of Austria lives in the capital, Vienna.
• The sewing machine was invented in 1818 by the Austrian Josef Madersperger
• Over 60% of Austria’s electricity is supplied by renewable sources.
• The oldest zoo in the world, founded in 1752 is located in Vienna.
• 62% of the country’s land area is occupied by the Austrian Alps.