Overview
Austria packs imperial cities, Alpine scenery and some of Europe's best classical music into a country you can cross by train in about seven hours. Vienna and Salzburg are the classic pair, two and a half hours apart by fast train, and the lakes of the Salzkammergut and the mountains of Tyrol are easy additions. It's a year-round destination: summer for lakes and hiking, winter for skiing and some of Europe's most atmospheric Christmas markets. A week covers Vienna, Salzburg and Hallstatt; ten days adds Innsbruck or the Wachau Valley.
Main regions
Vienna. Start with our Vienna destination page. Schönbrunn and the Hofburg palaces, St Stephen's Cathedral, the Belvedere's Klimts, the MuseumsQuartier, the Naschmarkt, and the city's famous coffee houses. Evenings bring the State Opera (with cheap standing tickets on the day) and wine taverns (Heurigen) in the vineyards on the city's edge.
Salzburg and the Salzkammergut. Mozart's birthplace, with its baroque old town, the Hohensalzburg fortress, and *Sound of Music* locations. The lake district east of the city includes Hallstatt, Wolfgangsee and Gosau.
Tyrol. Innsbruck, with the Nordkette cable car rising from the city center into the Alps; world-class skiing in resorts such as St Anton, Kitzbühel and Ischgl; and summer hiking in the Zillertal and Ötztal valleys.
The Wachau Valley. A UNESCO-listed stretch of the Danube west of Vienna, with apricot orchards, terraced vineyards, the hilltop Melk Abbey and the village of Dürnstein. It's an easy day trip by train and river boat.
Styria and Carinthia. Graz, Austria's second city, known for its food and old town; and the warm swimming lakes of Carinthia, such as Wörthersee, in the far south.
Best time to visit
- May to September: the best time for cities, lakes and hiking. July and August are the busiest months; the Salzburg Festival (late July to August) pushes hotel prices up sharply.
- Late November to 24 December: Advent markets in Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck and small towns. Cold, often around freezing.
- December to March: ski season in the Alps, with the snow most reliable from January.
- April, October and November: quieter shoulder months, good for city breaks and wine harvests, though some mountain lifts close between seasons.
Hallstatt is overwhelmed by day-trippers in summer. Visit early in the morning or stay overnight.
Getting around
- Trains: Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) and the private Westbahn run fast, comfortable trains: Vienna to Salzburg takes about 2.5 hours and Salzburg to Innsbruck about 2. Book ÖBB "Sparschiene" fares in advance for big savings.
- In Vienna: trams, the U-Bahn and buses share one ticket system. A single ticket costs €3.20 in 2026, with digital tickets slightly cheaper; day and week passes pay off quickly.
- Hallstatt: reachable by train to Hallstatt station and a short ferry across the lake, or by bus from Salzburg. Drivers must park at the car parks outside the village.
- Driving: a vignette toll sticker is required on motorways (a 10-day vignette costs €12.80 in 2026; from 2027 it's digital only). Mountain passes can close in winter, and winter tires are compulsory in snowy conditions.
Visa basics
Austria is in the Schengen Area. Citizens of the US, UK, Canada, Australia and many other countries can visit visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period, counted across all Schengen countries together. Since April 2026 the EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) records your fingerprints and photo on your first entry. The planned €20 ETIAS authorization has been delayed and has no confirmed start date, so check the official EU site before you go.
Typical daily costs
Prices as of September 2026, at about $1.14 to the euro:
- Budget (€70–100, about $80–115): hostel dorm, bakery breakfasts, sausage stands and set lunches, public transport.
- Mid-range (€170–260, about $195–295): a 3–4 star hotel, restaurant meals with wine, a palace or museum a day.
- Comfort (€380+, about $435+): historic grand hotels, fine dining and opera tickets.
Vienna's accommodation tax rose from 3.2% to 5% of the room price on 1 July 2026 and is set to rise to 8% in July 2027. Schönbrunn's State Apartments tour costs €28, or €38 for the longer Grand Tour; timed tickets sell out on summer days, so book online. Ski passes are a big extra in winter, often €70 a day or more at major resorts. Tip 5–10% by telling the server the rounded-up total as you pay, rather than leaving money on the table.
Top destinations
- Vienna: start with the Vienna destination guide and the full Vienna travel guide for palaces, coffee houses and neighborhoods.
- Salzburg: the old town, the fortress and Mozart.
- Hallstatt: the lakeside village, best early or late in the day.
- Innsbruck: Alpine views straight from the city center.
- The Wachau Valley: Melk Abbey and Danube wine villages.
Austria is well connected by rail: Prague is about four hours from Vienna, and a Nightjet sleeper runs from Vienna to Venice. Or let our trip planner build a day-by-day Austria route around your dates.