Austria is a super choice for a holiday any time of year, offering incredible landscapes, especially in the winter sports paradise of the Alps, amazing buildings, culture and history. Classical music and fine wines flow in equal measure while outdoor activities compete for your attention with the art and architectural treasures on display.
Vienna, on the River Danube, is Austria's elegant capital, famous for its musical culture. Salzburg, the birthplace of Mozart, and the backdrop for the film The Sound of Music, offer aother stunning mix of music, art and architecture.
As well as skiing in the Alpine Ski Resorts hiking remains a popular activity in Austria. There are thousands of miles of hiking trails that offer a perfect way of seeing the Alps and its stunning views.
The 18th Century Austrian National library is the oldest in the world. The vast room is regarded as one of the most beautiful library rooms. It includes ceiling paintings by Daniel Gran and stores six million artefacts.
The Belvedere palaces were built for Prince Eugene of Savoy in the Rococo style. They now house two museums of Austrian art from the middle ages to the present.
Home to one of the world's finest collection of drawings. Over 14,000 drawings and 200,000 prints dating from the 15th to the early 19th Centuries. 60,000 works on show include art by Leonardo da Vinci, Cezanne, Raphael, Michelangelo, Rubens, Manet and Schiele.
Ruined castle of Künringerburg High on a hill, offering a marvellous view of the Danube River. King Richard the Lionheart was imprisoned here from 1192 to 1193.
Thirteenth Century Hofburg Imperial Palace is a testament to the wealth and power of the Hapsburg dynasty and was home to Austria's royal family until 1918. Today it houses the Austrian president, an international convention centre, a concert hall, museums, state rooms and various prestigious bodies.
Originally a Romanesque sanctuary this 13th Century cathedral this is one of the greatest Gothic buildings of Europe. The interior is rich in wood carvings, altars, sculptures and paintings and its steeple rises over 450 feet above Vienna.
Beautiful neo Renaissance building includes Stone Age exhibits.
Major Vienna tourist attraction, an 18th Century 1,440-room former summer palace of the Habsburgs. Amazing interior and building surrounded by beautiful formal gardens.
Building where psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud worked and lived for 50 years. The museum has been open since 1971 and includes various displays, personal possessions, original furniture, Freud's antiques and the greatest psychology library in Europe
Popular tourist destination with old winding streets, music festivals and museums. Attractions include the Mirabell Palace, whose gardens featured in The Sound of Music, and the Mozarteum - the famous college of music where Mozart composed The Magic Flute.
The Hohe Tauern National Park is one of the great wilderness areas of Europe popular with both skiers and hikers. About 1,000 sq km at the foot of Austria's high mountain range, the area is also a sanctuary for wildlife, including mountain goats, ibex and deer and a variety of other animals and birds.
The Benedictine Abbey was founded in 1074 by Archbishop Gebhard of Salzburg and features a baroque museum and the largest ecclesiastical library in the world. It's also an architectural masterwork and is full of rare manuscripts and works of art.
Tour the world's largest accessible ice caves in the mountains near Salzburg and be amazed by the elaborate ice formations.
17th Century castle is known for its clever trick fountains and water figures.
Vienna is the main air destination but international airports exist at Salzburg, Linz, Innsbruck, Graz and Klagenfurt. Austria has excellent rail connections to all major European destinations. Getting to Austria by road is easy and there is the fast Autobahn to all surrounding countries. Hydrofoils on the Danube between Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest during spring and summer plus other boat trips of the more scenic variety.
Austria is a central European country surrounded by Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Italy and Switzerland. The Alps occupy the southern and western parts. The upland forests of the Bohemian Massif run north to the Czech border while Danube Valley and lowlands are to the east. There are lakes in Carinthia and the Salzkammergut. Lower Austria, Burgenland and Styria are major wine country.
Austria has four distinct seasons and mainly a moderate central European climate. Summers are hot with cool nights. In Vienna and other low lying areastemperatures during the day are very hot during July and August. Winters are cold and below freezing in January and February.
