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With international travel finally on the rebound, everyone asks themselves the same question: “Where do we go?” Let’s go to Austria!
Austria is a small country, compact, easy to get to know, delightful to see. It boasts a spectacular scenery and a rich cultural heritage. In some way, one could say: Austria is Europe in a nutshell. With its central location (8 neighbouring countries!), Austria has always been Europe’s melting pot - of cultures, of landscapes, and of people.
Austria can pride itself with its outstanding natural beauty: crystal clear lakes with drinking water quality ringed by deep green hills and domineering mountains. Wooded hills rising out of lush farmland, Alpine peaks reaching for the sky, peaceful pastures and quaint villages resting at their feet as well as vineyards, ancient castles and grand abbeys.
The towns are as varied as the landscape: beautiful cities with architectural sights from the last six centuries, narrow, cobbled stone lanes, market towns that have barely changed since the Middle Ages, mountain villages with neat little houses, and flowers overflowing from their balconies.
During any season, Austria’s cities are abuzz with festivals, performances, new exhibitions or markets. Think of Vienna, the city of music & culture. Here, you can attend a concert every night, and see some of the world’s most important and stunning art collections: immerse yourself in contemporary art or the works of old masters like Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele at Vienna’s countless museums and galleries.
Walk in the footsteps of the Habsburg monarchy and visit magnificent Baroque palaces such as Schönbrunn and Belvedere. Or head to Salzburg, the birthplace of Mozart and home of the acclaimed Salzburg Festival and the Sound of Music, where 25 years as a UNESCO world heritage site were celebrated in 2022.
No other city combines outdoor adventure and city life better than Innsbruck, the “Capital of the Alps”, where you can reach the top of Innsbruck with the Nordketten cable cars within 20 minutes from Innsbruck’s old town. Graz, the ‘Capital of Culinary Delights’, is a Foodie’s paradise celebrating the regions produce with numerous food festivals throughout the year.
During winter Austria meets the image of a winter wonderland and, dare we say, surpasses the expectations. Known for warm hospitality, stunning scenery, pristine slopes and top-quality infrastructure, Austria's Alps are blessed with a long and lavish snow season and Austria is well known as popular winter sport destination and for having some of the world's best Skiing resorts in the world.
Pamper yourself in a world-class thermal spa, soaking outdoors in the healing waters surrounded by snowy landscapes or enjoy other snow activities like a horse drawn ride or ice-skating. From mid-November until the end of the year, Austria is the place to explore romantic Christmas markets. Glistening lights, the scent of roasted chestnuts & mulled wine and stands with handcrafted goods & local treats will spread across the country.
And the one thing you can be sure to find wherever you go is ‘Gemütlichkeit’ (pronounced guh-MOOT-lih-kite): the Austrian way of living. Its essence hangs somewhere between relaxed well-being, an open attitude, and a feeling of profound comfort. Mingle with the locals to experience the feeling – in traditional coffee houses, beer gardens, wine taverns or in one of the alpine huts.
And of course don’t miss out on the delicious Austrian dishes: Wiener Schnitzel, Apple Strudel and Kaiserschmarrn are an absolute must-try during your visit to Austria!
For more information:
Website: www.austria.info/en
Facebook: www.facebook.com/feelaustria
Instagram: www.instagram.com/visitaustria/
