Home of classical composer Mozart, neurologist Sigmund Freud, movie star and politician Arnold Schwarzenegger, and the extremely tasty apple strudel (Apfelstrudel), Austria is overflowing with culture and history. Austria is a country with something for everyone, featuring historical cities, summer holiday destinations and also countless winter skiing resorts.Vienna is the capital of Austria and this vibrant city is famous for its waltz and 'Wiener schnitzel'. St. Stephen's Cathedral (Stephansdom) lies in the very heart of Vienna's old city, the Innere Stadt. The Austrian Parliament Building is also located in Vienna, along with the Hofburg (Imperial Palace) and the Prater Amusement Park.
Salzburg may not be Austria's number two city in terms of size, but it is certainly not far behind Vienna in terms of popularity and tourism. The birthplace of Mozart, Salzburg was catapulted ever further the limelight after appearing extensively in the hit movie musical 'The Sound of Music', and continues to enjoy the endless interest that this film has created.
Come the winter months, skiers flock to Austria and take to the pistes. The Alps and Tuxer mountains around Innsbruck are home to some of the very best winter resorts in Austria, where you can ski, snowboard, toboggan and even enjoy the thrills of bob sledding. In the summer, these resorts are transformed once more and lend themselves to Alpine hiking and general open-air recreation.
 |
World Guide to Graz, Austria After Vienna, Graz is actually the second-biggest city in Austria and is also the Styrian capital. Graz is a particularly relaxed city with plenty of charm and some surprisingly funky buildings, such as the futuristic Kunsthaus (Arts Centre). |
 |
World Guide to Innsbruck, Austria The views around Austria's Olympic city of Innsbruck can be truly awesome, with a backdrop of snowcapped mountains and Alpine scenery. As you stroll around the medieval Old Town of Innsbruck, the Golden Roof will be hard to miss. |
 |
World Guide to Linz, Austria Although Linz will never really compete with Austria's two top tourist cities of Vienna and Salzburg, it has much to offer in the way of tourism. Linz lies around the River Danube and its very centre is marked by the spacious Hauptplatz. |
 |
World Guide to Salzburg, Austria Salzburg may not be one of Austria's biggest cities, but it is amongst the most popular. Salzburg is famous for being the actual birthplace of the world-class composer Mozart and featured heavily in the musical film 'The Sound of Music'. |
 |
World Guide to Vienna, Austria The city of Vienna is a glamorous, glitzy and extremely exciting destination, and a truly wonderful place to soak up some serious Austrian culture. Vienna's Stephansdom (St. Stephen's Cathedral) dominates the Innere Stadt (Inner City). |
Austria Information / Austria Fast Facts
- Country: Austria (Osterreich)
- Population: 8.5 million
- Capital: Vienna
- Language: Austria German (other official languages in southern states include Croat, Hungarian and Slovene)
- Area: 32,400 square miles / 83,900 square km
- Currency: Euro (EUR)
- Time zone: CET / GMT + 1 hour
- Visa: EU nationals do not require a visa, most other nationalities are able to stay for up to 90 days in any given half year
- Country dialing code: +43
Map of Austria
