Must-see attractions in Austria

  • Renaissance Schloss Ambras (castle).

    Schloss Ambras

    Innsbruck

    Picturesquely perched on a hill and set among beautiful gardens, this Renaissance pile was acquired in 1564 by Archduke Ferdinand II, then ruler of Tyrol,…

  • Staatsoper (Opera House), Innere Stadt.

    Staatsoper

    Vienna

    Vienna's foremost opera and ballet venue, the neo-Renaissance Staatsoper, is one of the finest concert halls in the world. Even if you can't get tickets…

  • Christmas Market, Christkindlmarkt Hellbrunn Palace, Hellbrunn Advent Magic, Salzburg, Austria, Europe, 19. December 2017
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    Schloss Hellbrunn

    Salzburg

    A prince-archbishop with a wicked sense of humour, Markus Sittikus, built Schloss Hellbrunn in the early 17th century as a summer palace and an escape…

  • Detail of Stephansdom Cathedral roof.

    Stephansdom

    Vienna

    Vienna’s Gothic masterpiece Stephansdom – or Steffl (Little Stephan), as it’s ironically nicknamed – is Vienna's pride and joy. A church has stood here…

  • Festung Hohensalzburg

    Festung Hohensalzburg

    Salzburg

    Salzburg's most visible icon is this mighty, 900-year-old clifftop fortress, one of the biggest and best preserved in Europe. It's easy to spend half a…

  • Austria, Werfen, Eisriesenwelt, snow covered building in front of cave

    Eisriesenwelt

    Salzburg & Salzburgerland

    Billed as the world’s largest accessible ice caves, Eisriesenwelt is a glittering ice empire spanning 30,000 sq metres and 42km of narrow passages…

  • VIENNA, AUSTRIA - APRIL 19: Many people enjoy a sunny afternoon at the Museumsquartier on April 19, 2011 in Vienna. It is the eighth largest cultural area in the world and a very important for Vienna; Shutterstock ID 202273378; Your name (First / Last): Josh Vogel; Project no. or GL code: 56530; Network activity no. or Cost Centre: Online-Design; Product or Project: 65050/7529/Josh Vogel/LP.com Destination Galleries

    MuseumsQuartier

    Vienna

    The MuseumsQuartier is a remarkable ensemble of museums, cafes, restaurants and bars inside former imperial stables designed by Fischer von Erlach. This…

  • Kaiserliche Schatzkammer

    Vienna

    The Hofburg's Kaiserliche Schatzkammer contains secular and ecclesiastical treasures (including devotional images and altars, particularly from the…

  • Austria, Vienna, view to lighted Hofburg Palace at twilight

    Hofburg

    Vienna

    Nothing symbolises Austria's resplendent cultural heritage more than its Hofburg, home base of the Habsburgs from 1273 to 1918. The oldest section is the…

  • Schloss Schönbrunn

    Vienna

    The Habsburgs' opulent summer palace is now a Unesco World Heritage site. Of its 1441 rooms, 40 are open to the public; the Imperial Tour takes you into…

  • 500px Photo ID: 124014183 - The outside of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna at Sunset

    Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna

    Vienna

    A highlight of any trip to Vienna is a visit to the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna, brimming with works by Europe’s finest painters, sculptors and…

  • Graz, Austria - June 18, 2016: Kunsthaus Graz, an exhibition centre for contemporary art. The Kunsthaus with its futuristic design is also called the Friendly Alien by its architects Peter Cook and; Shutterstock ID 439401436; Your name (First / Last): Daniel Fahey; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: Nice and Graz POIs

    Kunsthaus Graz

    Graz

    Designed by British architects Peter Cook and Colin Fournier, this world-class contemporary-art space is known as the 'friendly alien' by locals. The…

  • Waterfalls

    Krimmler Wasserfälle

    Hohe Tauern National Park

    Enshrouded in mist, arched by a rainbow, frozen solid – this waterfall always looks extraordinary, no matter what time of year. The Wasserfallweg …

  • People are passing around the palace Hofburg in Innsbruck, Austria.; Shutterstock ID 550745233; Your name (First / Last): Daniel Fahey; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: Hofburg Innsbruck POI

    Hofburg

    Innsbruck

    Grabbing attention with its pearly white facade and cupolas, the Hofburg was built as a castle for Archduke Sigmund the Rich in the 15th century, expanded…

  • Hofkirche

    Innsbruck

    Innsbruck’s pride and joy is the Gothic Hofkirche, one of Europe’s finest royal court churches. It was commissioned in 1553 by Ferdinand I, who enlisted…

  • Kaiserappartements

    Vienna

    The Kaiserappartements, once the official living quarters of Franz Josef I and Empress Elisabeth, are dazzling in their chandelier-lit opulence. The Sisi…

  • Gasteiner Wasserfall

    Hohe Tauern National Park

    Bad Gastein’s star attraction is this 341m waterfall, which rages over rugged cliff faces and through thick forest to tumble into three turquoise pools…

  • Seeschloss Ort

    The Salzkammergut

    This castle, set just beyond the lake's edge and reached by a walkway, is believed to have been built on the ruins of a Roman fortress. It dates from 909…

  • First courtyard of Baroque Benedictine Abbey Stift Melk.

    Stift Melk

    The Danube Valley

    Of the many abbeys in Austria, Stift Melk is the most famous. Possibly Lower Austria's finest, the monastery church dominates the complex with its twin…

  • Rathaus, Vienna

    Rathaus

    Vienna

    Vienna's neo-Gothic City Hall, completed in 1883 by Friedrich von Schmidt (who designed Cologne Cathedral) and modelled on Flemish city halls, with lacy…

  • Mozarthaus Vienna

    Vienna

    The great composer spent close to three happy and productive years at this residence between 1784 and 1787. Exhibits include copies of music scores and…

  • Front view of the Albertina museum.

    Albertina

    Vienna

    Once used as the Habsburgs' imperial apartments for guests, the Albertina is now a repository for an exceptional collection of graphic art. The permanent…

  • In 1713, one year after the last great plague epidemic, Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor, pledged to build a church for his namesake patron saint, Charles Borromeo, who was revered as a healer for plague sufferers.  .<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/worldtowalk/8108140070/in/set-72157631782023868/lightbox/"> To see my complete set of Austria, click here. </a>..Follow me on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/worldtowalk"> Facebook </a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/KAM0S"> Twitter</a>.

    Karlskirche

    Vienna

    Built between 1716 and 1739, after a vow by Karl VI at the end of the 1713 plague, Vienna's finest baroque church rises at the southeast corner of…

  • Dinosaur model inside the Naturhistorisches (Natural History) Museum in Vienna.

    Naturhistorisches Museum

    Vienna

    Four billion years of natural history are covered at Vienna's Naturhistorisches Museum. Among its minerals, fossils and dinosaur bones are exceptional…

  • Boardroom, Salzburg Residenz Palace (16th century), Salzburg, Austria

    Residenz

    Salzburg

    The crowning glory of Salzburg's DomQuartier, the Residenz is where the prince-archbishops held court until Salzburg became part of the Habsburg Empire in…

  • Secession

    Vienna

    In 1897, 19 progressive artists swam away from the mainstream Künstlerhaus artistic establishment to form the Wiener Secession (Vienna Secession). Among…

  • Golden Roof, Innsbruck, Austria

    Goldenes Dachl

    Innsbruck

    Innsbruck's golden wonder and most distinctive landmark is this Gothic oriel, built for Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I (1459–1519), lavishly festooned…

  • Literaturmuseum

    Vienna

    An 1844 Biedermeier building houses Austria's literature museum, which opened in 2015. It contains books, manuscripts, letters, photos, illustrations and…

  • Europe, Upper Austria, Linz, ARS Electronica Center tram

    Ars Electronica Center

    Linz

    The technology, science and digital media of the future are in the spotlight at Linz' biggest crowd-puller. In the labs you can interact with robots,…

  • Schloss Eggenberg

    Graz

    Graz' elegant palace was created for the Eggenberg dynasty in 1625 by Giovanni Pietro de Pomis (1565–1633) at the request of Johann Ulrich (1568–1634)…

  • Haus der Musik

    Vienna

    The Haus der Musik explains the world of sound and music to adults and children alike (in English and German) in an amusing and interactive way. Exhibits…

  • Dachstein Caves

    The Salzkammergut

    Climb to the Dachstein caves (Dachsteinhöhlen) and you’ll find yourself in a strange world of ice and subterranean hollows, extending 80km in some places…

  • Festung Kufstein

    Tyrol

    Lifted high on a rocky crag like an offering to the alpine peaks that surround it, Kufstein's turreted castle provides a fascinating insight into the town…

  • Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe

    Hohe Tauern National Park

    One of the high points (in every sense) of the Grossglockner Road, the 2369m Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe viewpoint takes its name from the Austrian emperor…

  • Rosengartenschlucht

    Tyrol

    An easygoing family hike is the 5km (approximately three-hour) loop through the dramatic 200m-high Rosengartenschlucht, where boarded walkways make for a…

  • K-Hof

    The Salzkammergut

    A double act that combines with one of Austria’s most unusual and refreshing museums, the Museum for Sanitary Objects (Klo & So), the K-Hof museum complex…

  • Schlossberg

    Graz

    Rising to 473m, Schlossberg is the site of the original fortress where Graz was founded and is marked by the city's most visible icon – the Uhrturm. Its…

  • Landeszeughaus

    Graz

    If you have a passion for armour and weapons, you'll especially enjoy the Landeszeughaus, where more than 30,000 pieces of glistening weaponry are housed…

  • Salzwelten

    Salzburg & Salzburgerland

    During Salzburg’s princely heyday, the sale of salt filled its coffers. Today, at Austria’s biggest show mine, you can slip into a boiler suit and descend…

  • Neue Burg Museums

    Vienna

    Three Neue Burg museums can be visited on one ticket. The Sammlung Alter Musik Instrumente (Collection of Ancient Musical Instruments) contains a…

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