Discover Austria

Immerse in Austria's alpine symphony — from waltzing Viennese halls and Sound of Music meadows to Tyrolean trails and Danube dreams, where melody meets majesty in every edelweiss embrace.

Schönbrunn Palace: Vienna's Baroque Jewel

Step into Schonbrunn, the Habsburgs' summer retreat, a UNESCO rococo resplendence with 1,441 rooms, labyrinthine gardens, and Gloriette gazes over Vienna's vine-clad hills.

Why Journey to Schonbrunn?

  • Stroll the imperial maze and tiered fountains for Versailles-like verdure.
  • Attend a marionette Mozart opera in the Orangery for summer soirées.
  • Indulge in Sisi's apartments and zoo, Europe's oldest menagerie.

Your Ultimate Schonbrunn Itinerary

Escape Epic recommends a heuriger wine hike in Grinzing vineyards, blending baroque opulence with vinous vignettes.

Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna

Explore the Magic of Austria

Austria allures with its orchestral overtures and ochre abbeys, from Salzburg's spires to Innsbruck's ice caves. Whether scaling Grossglockner, sipping Sturm in heurigers, or gliding on Salzkammergut steamers, Austria harmonizes heritage and high peaks. Escape Epic composes custom concertos for baroque boulevards, spa sanctuaries, and Wachau wonders for your Habsburg harmony.

Backpacker Travel Guides to Austria

Austria awakens adventurers with ÖBB rail romps, free opera stands, and schnitzel stalls. From Vienna's volksgarten to Carinthia's corries, navigate with budget ballets and breathtaking bergs.

Essential for Backpacking Austria

  • Budget €50-€80 daily for gasthäuser, goulash, and Eurail; grab an Interrail for alpine expresses.
  • Start in Vienna, then west to Salzburg and Hallstatt, or south to Graz's graffiti.
  • Hike the Eagle's Walk for 125km of Tyrolean panoramas and eagle eyries.
  • Pack thermals for tempests; learn 'grüß dich' and 'pfiat di' for heartfelt hellos.

Champion sustainable stays in alp huts for edelweiss ethics and zero-trace treks.

Backpackers in Tyrol

Secrets of the Villages in Austria

Unearth Austria's alpine idylls, timbered treasures tucked in valleys, where geraniums glow and goat bells tinkle, silencing the city's clamor.

Top Secret Villages to Visit

  • Hallstatt, Salzkammergut: Lakeside postcard with salt mines and bone house ossuary.
  • Dürnstein, Wachau: Riverside ruin where Richard the Lionheart was held captive.
  • Alpbach, Tyrol: Flower-boxed farms with woodcarving workshops and brass bands.
  • Stein an der Donau: Danube-dotted with vintner's cellars and baroque basilicas.
  • St. Wolfgang: Pilgrimage path with white horse legend and lakeside legends.

These tucked-away treasures twinkle with dirndl dances and krampus nights for quintessential quirk.

Hallstatt in Salzkammergut

Couple's Best Places in Austria

Austria ignites intimacy in imperial inns and ivy-clad isles. Curated for crescendos and caresses, these havens hum with honeymoon harmony and heartfelt harmonies.

Romantic Destinations for Two

  • Vienna's Prater: Ferris wheel kisses at dusk with strudel sunsets.
  • Salzkammergut lakes: Boat rides on Wolfgangsee with violin vespers.
  • Wachau Valley: Vineyard vigils with apricot apéritifs and castle silhouettes.
  • Innsbruck's Golden Roof: Altstadt ambles and alpine sunsets from Nordkette.
  • Carinthia's Wörthersee: Lakeside lidos and thermal trysts in Velden.

Indulge in strudel serenades and tandem Tyrolean treks for timeless tenderness.

Lovers in Wachau Valley

Best Alpine Retreats in Austria

Austria's Ötztal and Zillertal beckon with via ferrata vertigos, glacier gondolas, and hut-hopping highs for peak-pinnacle pleasures and pristine panoramas.

Premier Mountain Escapes

  • Kitzbühel: Ski circus with summer luge runs and medieval mint tours.
  • Zell am See: Lake-locked lifts to Schmittenhöhe's wildflower wonders.
  • Grossglockner High Alpine Road: 36 hairpin heavens to Austria's roof.
  • St. Anton: Arlberg après-ski with powder paradises and valley views.
  • Mayrhofen: Zillertal arena for paraglide plunges and penken plateaus.

From snow foxes to edelweiss hunts, these pinnacles pulse with pulse-racing heritage.

Grossglockner High Alpine Road

Best Lakes in Austria

Austria's 6,000+ lakes lap with limpid lucidity, from turquoise tarns to thermal tepidaries, luring lilos, lindy hops, and lakeside lounges amid emerald enclaves.

Top Aquatic Gems

  • Wörthersee, Carinthia: Riviera of the Alps with yacht clubs and jazz jives.
  • Attersee, Salzkammergut: Deepest dive with cliff jumps and cormorant coasts.
  • Achensee, Tyrol: Cable car cascades and windsurf whirlwinds.
  • Neusiedler See: Reed-rimmed for bird blinds and bike bands.
  • Millstätter See: Alpine amphitheater with paraglide parasols.

Seek secret strands like Plansee for pebble picnics and phosphorescent paddles.

Wörthersee in Carinthia

Culinary Specialties of Austria

Austria's table tempts with Tafelspitz tenderness to Sachertorte seduction, where each forkful evokes folklore and feasting fervor from farm to feasting hall.

Must-Try Austrian Foods

  • Wiener Schnitzel in Vienna: Veal veiled in breadcrumbs with lingonberry lingers.
  • Apfelstrudel in Salzburg: Apple eddy in flaky phyllo with vanilla vortex.
  • Kaiserschmarrn nationwide: Emperor's shredded pancake with plum preserve pools.
  • Sturm in heurigers: New wine fizz with board-bursting brettljause platters.
  • Topfenstrudel: Quark whirl in pastry puffs with poppy seed poetry.

Rummage Naschmarkt for chestnut roasts and chocolate ateliers.

Wiener Schnitzel in Vienna

Austria's Premier Wine Regions

Austria, vin vintage virtuoso, vines 50,000ha from Grüner's grassy grins to Zweigelt's zesty zing, cradled in thermen and terraced terraces along the Danube.

Top Wine Destinations

  • Wachau: Riesling and Grüner from Danube-draped Donaurieden terraces.
  • Styria: Sauvignon Blanc from sausal slopes and pumpkin seed presses.
  • Burgenland: Blaufränkisch from Neusiedlersee's noble nobles and lava soils.
  • Kamptal: Grüner Veltliner from loess-laden vineyards and fossil finds.
  • Weinviertel: Austria's largest for crisp whites and red revelations.

Embark on dégustations in Buschenschenken with heuriger harmonies and harvest hymns.

Wachau vineyards

Vibrant Festivals and Traditions in Austria

Austria alight with advent arias and asparagus fêtes, where yodelers yippee and fireworks fanfare, melding monastic masses with modern merriment in lederhosen legacy.

Unmissable Austrian Festivals

  • Salzburg Festival: Mozart masses in Mirabell marble halls and fortress fests.
  • Vienna Opera Ball: Strauss waltzes in Hofburg splendor and sequin swirls.
  • Krampuslauf, Tyrol: Horned hellions in pre-Christmas capers and chains.
  • Imst Saddle Rodeo: Water-slicked wild west on Danube banks with bull bucks.
  • Vienna Bread Fair: Artisan loaves and lentil legends in spring splendor.

These jamborees jolt Austrian joie—secure tickets for 2026 encores early.

Salzburg Festival