Austria Travel Guide
Everything you need to know before you go — from Vienna's imperial palaces to the Alpine villages of the Salzkammergut.
Interested in visiting? View the Austria destination page →
Overview
Austria is a small country — roughly the size of Ireland — that has produced a disproportionate share of Western civilisation's cultural output. Mozart, Freud, Klimt, Wittgenstein, and Schubert were all Austrian. The Habsburg Empire, administered from Vienna for six centuries, shaped the political map of Europe more profoundly than almost any other force between the fall of Rome and the First World War. That cultural weight is not merely historical — it is present in the architecture, the museums, the concert halls, and the coffee houses that form the fabric of daily life. Geographically, Austria divides into two zones. The east — Vienna and the surrounding lowlands — is Central European in character: wide boulevards, Baroque architecture, and river plains. The west — Tyrol, Salzburg province, Vorarlberg — is Alpine: mountain valleys, glacial lakes, pine forests, and villages of extraordinary prettiness. Vienna anchors most itineraries. The museums alone could occupy a week, the coffee house culture actively discourages rushing, and the neighbourhoods beyond the Ringstrasse reveal a city more textured and less monumental than the tourist highlights suggest. The best time to visit depends on priorities. Spring and autumn offer the most comfortable weather for Vienna and Salzburg. July and August bring the Salzburg Festival — running July 17 to August 30, 2026 — but also highest prices and most visitors. Winter transforms Austria into one of Europe's best Christmas market destinations and opens the Alpine ski season.
Top Attractions
Schönbrunn Palace
The summer residence of the Habsburg emperors, with 1,441 rooms, formal French gardens, a maze, and the Gloriette colonnade offering the best panoramic view of Vienna. Franz Joseph I was born here in 1830 and died here in 1916, having ruled for 68 years. The State Apartments tell the story of an empire across six centuries. Buy tickets online to skip the queue; visit on a weekday morning before tour groups arrive.
Kunsthistorisches Museum
Built by Emperor Franz Joseph I to house the Habsburg imperial collections. Its collection of Old Master paintings — Bruegel, Vermeer, Raphael, Titian, Caravaggio — is surpassed only by the Prado and the Louvre. The building itself, facing its twin (the Natural History Museum) across the Maria-Theresien-Platz, is a monument to the Habsburg conviction that culture and empire were the same thing.
The Belvedere
Two Baroque palaces set in formal gardens. The Upper Belvedere houses Klimt's The Kiss — arguably the most recognisable painting produced in the 20th century — displayed in the room it was intended for, surrounded by Klimt's other major works and those of his Secession contemporaries Egon Schiele and Oskar Kokoschka.
Hohensalzburg Fortress
One of the best-preserved medieval castles in Europe, built in 1077 and expanded through the 17th century, it dominates the Salzburg skyline from the Festungsberg. Reached by funicular from the old town, it offers the definitive panoramic view of Salzburg — the Baroque domes and spires below, the Salzach River, and the Alps surrounding the valley in every direction.
Hallstatt
A village of 800 inhabitants that has been continuously inhabited for over 7,000 years — the Hallstatt period of the European Iron Age (800–450 BC) is named after archaeological discoveries made here. Its painted lakeside houses, the Catholic parish church with its charnel house, and the salt mine operating since prehistoric times make it one of the most historically layered small settlements in Europe.
Vienna State Opera
Opened in 1869, destroyed in 1945, rebuilt and reopened in 1955 as one of the first major cultural institutions restored in postwar Austria. The Vienna State Opera performs approximately 300 nights per year. Standing tickets (Stehplätze) are available online from 10:00 AM on performance day or at the dedicated Stehplatz-Kasse box office 80 minutes before curtain, priced €7–€23 depending on position. Every standing spot has its own electronic subtitle screen in up to 8 languages.
Local Culture & Cuisine
Viennese culture moves at a deliberately unhurried pace. The coffee house — the Kaffeehaus — is the institution that defines this most clearly. A Viennese coffee house has marble tables, bentwood chairs, newspaper racks with current editions in multiple languages, and waiters who will bring a glass of water with your coffee without being asked. You are expected to sit for as long as you like. UNESCO inscribed Viennese coffee house culture on its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2011. The coffee vocabulary is worth learning: a Melange is espresso with steamed milk and foam. A Kleiner Brauner is small black coffee with cream on the side. An Einspänner is black coffee in a glass with whipped cream on top. Asking for "a coffee" without specification will produce confusion. Wiener Schnitzel — thinly pounded veal, breaded and fried in clarified butter until golden — is the national dish. Tafelspitz is boiled beef — simple and, when made correctly, extraordinary. Kaiserschmarrn is the definitive Austrian dessert. Sachertorte should be eaten at the Café Sacher with a Melange. Austrian wine is underappreciated internationally. The Wachau, a UNESCO-listed river valley 80 kilometres west of Vienna, produces Grüner Veltliner and Riesling of genuine world-class quality. The Heurigen (wine taverns) in Vienna's northern wine villages — Grinzing, Nussdorf — serve the current vintage with cold buffet food in garden settings and are one of the most distinctly Viennese experiences available.
Practical Information
- Visa
- Austria is a member of the Schengen Area. Citizens of the EU and many other nationalities enter visa-free for stays up to 90 days. ARTA confirms current requirements per passport at time of booking.
- Currency
- Euro (EUR). Credit cards accepted in most restaurants and shops; some traditional establishments prefer cash. ATMs widely available.
- Language
- German. English is widely spoken in Vienna, Salzburg, and tourist areas throughout Austria.
- Getting Around
- Austria's train network (ÖBB) is excellent — punctual, comfortable, and comprehensive. Vienna to Salzburg takes approximately 2.5 hours by Railjet express; Salzburg to Innsbruck takes approximately 2 hours. The Vienna Airport Train (CAT) connects the airport to Wien Mitte in 16 minutes. ARTA arranges all inter-city connections and airport transfers.
- Best Time to Visit
- April–June and September–October for cities and Alpine scenery. December–February for Christmas markets and skiing. July–August for the Salzburg Festival — the 2026 Festival runs July 17 to August 30; book accommodation many months in advance.
- Safety
- Austria is one of the safest countries in Europe.
Suggested Itineraries
3-Day Itinerary
Day 1: Ringstrasse — Kunsthistorisches Museum, Hofburg, Burggarten. Evening at the State Opera. Day 2: Schönbrunn Palace and gardens, Belvedere and The Kiss, Naschmarkt. Day 3: Coffee house morning, Prater and the Riesenrad (giant Ferris wheel), departure.
7-Day Itinerary
Day 1–3: Vienna — Schönbrunn, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Belvedere, Ringstrasse, State Opera, Heuriger evening. Day 4: Train to Salzburg — old town, Mozart's birthplace, Hohensalzburg Fortress, Mirabell Gardens. Day 5: Day trip to Hallstatt and the Salzkammergut lakes. Day 6: Train to Innsbruck — Golden Roof, old town, Nordkette cable car. Day 7: Return to Vienna by train or fly home from Innsbruck Airport.
Travel Tips
- The Vienna City Card covers unlimited public transport and museum discounts — worth purchasing for stays of two days or more.
- Standing tickets at the Vienna State Opera: buy online from 10:00 AM on performance day, or at the Stehplatz-Kasse box office 80 minutes before curtain. Prices €7–€23. Dress smartly.
- Hallstatt is extremely crowded in summer — arrive early morning or visit in shoulder season. The ferry from Hallstatt Bahnhof across the lake is the most beautiful arrival.
- The Salzburg Festival 2026 runs July 17 to August 30 — book accommodation a year in advance for Festival visits.
- Schönbrunn Palace: buy tickets online to skip queues. Visit on a weekday morning before tour groups arrive.
- Austrian tipping: round up to the nearest convenient amount and tell the waiter when paying — do not leave cash on the table.
- The Wachau valley is best visited by bicycle along the Danube Cycle Path — ARTA can arrange cycle hire and luggage transfer between villages.
- Pack layers for Alpine excursions regardless of season — mountain weather changes quickly and temperatures drop significantly with altitude.
Let ARTA build the itinerary around what you've just read.