Austria Tours, Itineraries & Daytrips

Need some suggestions on what to do in order to see the best of Austria in limited time? In this section I have outlined some of the most important attractions of the country and suggested tours and trips that will allow you to see a lot of them. Feedback is welcome!

Suggested Itineraries: Best of Austria in 2-3 Weeks

As with every place, the time you will want to spend travelling in Austria depends on your interests - some people do a "Europe in 10 days" trip with a day spent in Vienna. Some people come for two weeks every year over decades and enjoy the same area for hiking or skiing and some people just grab a couple of cheap flights to see the sights over a weekend. In this list of suggested itineraries, I will start with the assumption that you will do sort of a "experience the country" and "sightseeing" trip...more

Suggested Itineraries: Austria in 1 Week or a Single Day

One week efficiently spent will be sufficient to pick some highlights from different parts of Austria. Don′t expect to see everything, but at least you will be able to get a good overview and a teaser for coming back...more

Touring the Vineyards of the East: Division of Regions

If you decide to tour Austria off the beaten track, it is probably a good idea to find yourself something like a theme for you trip. Literature is a good one if you like to read; architecture is good or more specifically, baroque architecture. Or how about wine as a theme? The vineyards of the East date back to Celtic times and have shaped landscape, culture and cuisine of several regions...more

3 Tours across Austria's Wine Lands

Many of the Weinbaugebiete ("Wine Regions") are far from being purely agricultural land. Most of them have a distinct culture that has grown over centuries in a symbiosis with wine, which often made areas prosperous and contributed to the presence of impressive architecture...more

Touring Austria's Baroqe Heritage

Read my introduction to Austrian Baroque and off you pop to explore the country's vast heritage from this period. This guide to the most important pieces of Baroque culture is diveded into four sections...more

Part I - Part II - Part III - Part IV

Touring the National Parks of Austria

If you are travelling in Austria, you will almost certainly plan to go to some spots of natural beauty. There is no shortage of National Parks in Austria, there is a total of six in the country: Hohe Tauern, Kalkalpen, Gesäuse,  Thayatal, Donau Auen and Neusiedler See. There′s also a state park sometimes included, the Nockberge. Why not making them a theme for a tour?...more

The "Road of Castles" in Styria & the Burgenland

I have always liked castles. As a child I loved exploring them and thinking of knights in shining armour with mighty swords. I think most children are like this. Some don′t develop very far - which applies to me, still liking castles. A very good place to dive into the history of medieval warfare is the Burgenland and Southern Styria...more

Touring Austria's UNESCO World Cultural Heritage

For a long time, Austria had no UNESCO seal on any of its attractions, no proof that they are of genuine natural beauty and cultural significance. It′s not like anybody doubted that, but eventually Austria started to apply and by 1996, the desired evidence was provided. Today, Austria is almost striving with currently eight sites considered to be part of the World′s Cultural Heritage...more

Touring the Historic Monasteries of Austria

Austria has been a thoroughly Catholic nation for centuries. As such, ever since the Middle Ages monastic life was crucial for centralising intellectual, cultural and political endeavours. Many monasteries were maintained continuously for centuries...more

Most-Visited: Where to Go

Too lazy to figure out what might appeal to you? Keen on following the crowds? Despite of this being against the spirit of this website, I added a list with Austria's most heavily visited sightseeing attractions. A service for the lazy ones or those who want to know where to expect the crowds...more

Addition: A ranking of the most-visited towns of Austria.

Jewish Sightseeing Themes

The Jewish tradition of Austria is generally a bit over-estimated, but exploring the Semitic heritage of Austria can be rewarding nonetheless...more

Touring Historic Small Towns of Austria

Small towns boasting with history are hidden gems that wait to be discovered on pretty much every corner of the country. If you are willing to drive you own vehicle, this list of my favourite small towns could be a valuable guide to a vacation theme. But even if you travel by train or bus, many of them are easily accessed..more

Day-Trips from Salzburg & Vienna

If your trip to Austria is a week or so, it is worth staying in Vienna and Salzburg; from there, you can do day-trips to the rural surroundings and still cover a fair slice oft he country with relatively little effort. Here are my suggestions for Day-Trips from Salzburg and Day-Trips from Vienna.

Zoos of Austria & Wildlife Reserves

Going wild in Austria? Here you find a list with zoological gardens and deer eclosures / wildlife parks of Austria.

Palaces & Castles of Austria

A pretty extensive list of palaces, castles, fortresses and chateaux of Austria, arranged alphabetically and by province. Might help you to arrange your trip.

Basements of Horror: Austria For Freaks Tour

After the discovery of two independent cases in which women have been kept imprisoned in basements for many years, Austria got some media attention regarding its village perverts. In this tour, you find some of the country's most attractive crime sites. Part I - Part II