Vienna (Wien)
Vienna (Wien)
Imperial Habsburg palaces, Ringstraße coffee houses, world-class opera, and hillside Heuriger vineyards on the Danube
Independent Austria Travel Guide · 2026 Edition · 2,092 Cities & Towns
Plan a calm, well-paced trip to Austria.
Clear ÖBB Railjet Sparschiene vs. Westbahn comparisons, Digital Autobahn Vignette & Salzburg Card calculators, Viennese Kaffeehaus tips, and complete guides to all 9 Austrian Federal States (Bundesländer) and 2,092 cities, market towns, and alpine villages.
Where to go
12 Flagship Destinations in Austria
Salzburg (SalzburgerLand)
Salzburg
Baroque domes beneath Hohensalzburg Fortress, Mozart's birthplace, and gateway to the Salzkammergut lakes
Upper Austria (Oberösterreich)
Hallstatt
16th-century alpine houses clinging between the fjord-like Hallstätter See and the 2,995m Dachstein massif
Tyrol (Tirol)
Innsbruck
Capital of the Alps where medieval arcades and the Golden Roof meet a 2,256m cable car in 20 minutes
Lower Austria (Niederösterreich)
Wachau Valley
UNESCO Danube river gorge of dry-stone Grüner Veltliner terraces, Dürnstein's blue abbey spire, and Melk Abbey
Styria (Steiermark)
Graz
Austria's Culinary Capital: Renaissance courtyards, the Schlossberg clock tower, and southern Styrian wine hills
Salzburg (SalzburgerLand)
Zell am See-Kaprun
Crystal-clear Lake Zell peninsula beneath the 3,029m Kitzsteinhorn glacier and Hohe Tauern peaks
Tyrol (Tirol)
St. Anton am Arlberg
Cradle of alpine skiing with 300 km of interconnected Arlberg slopes, the 2,811m Valluga peak, and direct ÖBB Railjet trains
Carinthia & Salzburg (Hohe Tauern)
Grossglockner High Alpine Road (Großglockner Hochalpenstraße & Heiligenblut)
Austria's highest peak (3,798m), the Pasterze Glacier, and 48 km of 36 legendary hairpin bends across the Hohe Tauern
Salzburg (SalzburgerLand)
Bad Gastein
'Monte Carlo of the Alps': Belle Époque grand hotels perched on a vertical cliff split by a roaring 341m waterfall
Carinthia (Kärnten)
Klagenfurt & Wörthersee (Klagenfurt am Wörthersee)
Austria's sunniest southern lake: Caribbean-turquoise Wörthersee waters (up to 27°C), Maria Wörth, and the Pyramidenkogel tower
Vorarlberg
Bregenz & Vorarlberg (Bregenz & Bodensee)
Floating opera on Lake Constance, four-country cable car views from the Pfänder, and Bregenzerwald timber architecture
9 Federal States (Bundesländer) · 2,092 municipalities (Gemeinden)
Explore Austria's 9 Federal States
Bundesland
Vienna (Wien)
Habsburg imperial palaces (Schönbrunn & Hofburg), UNESCO Viennese Kaffeehaus culture, State Opera, MuseumsQuartier & Heuriger wine taverns
Bundesland
Salzburg (SalzburgerLand)
Hohensalzburg Fortress, Mozart's birthplace, Salzburg Festival, Zell am See-Kaprun glacier lake & Bad Gastein Belle Époque waterfall town
Bundesland
Tyrol (Tirol)
Innsbruck's Golden Roof & Nordkette cable car, St. Anton am Arlberg, Kitzbühel Streif downhill, Zillertal, Ötztal & Lienz Dolomites
Bundesland
Upper Austria (Oberösterreich)
UNESCO Hallstatt & Dachstein Salzkammergut, Bad Ischl imperial spa, St. Wolfgang cog railway, Traunsee Lake & Linz Ars Electronica
Bundesland
Lower Austria (Niederösterreich)
UNESCO Wachau Valley terraced Grüner Veltliner vineyards, Dürnstein & Melk Abbey, Baden bei Wien thermal spa & UNESCO Semmering Railway
Bundesland
Styria (Steiermark)
Graz UNESCO Renaissance Old Town & Uhrturm clock tower, Schladming-Dachstein Alps, Admont Abbey Library & South Styrian Wine Road
Bundesland
Carinthia (Kärnten)
Turquoise Wörthersee (up to about 27°C in summer), Velden & Maria Wörth, Pyramidenkogel tower, Grossglockner peak & Hochosterwitz Castle
Bundesland
Vorarlberg
Bregenz Floating Opera Stage on Lake Constance, Lech-Zürs am Arlberg, Bregenzerwald contemporary timber architecture & Montafon Alps
Bundesland
Burgenland
Austria's sunniest region with around 300 days of sunshine a year, Esterházy Palace in Eisenstadt, UNESCO Lake Neusiedl, Rust stork nests & Blaufränkisch red wines
Free interactive calculators (€ EUR)
15 Austria Trip-Planning Tools
Interactive tool
ÖBB Railjet vs. Westbahn & Vorteilscard Calculator (€)
Compare ÖBB Sparschiene advance fares, Standard-Ticket prices + €3 seat reservations, €73 Vorteilscard 50% discount, and Westbahn fares across Austria in € EUR.
Interactive tool
Austria Digital Autobahn Vignette & Special Alpine Toll (Sondermaut) Calculator (€)
Calculate 2026 ASFINAG motorway Vignettes (1-Day €9.60, 10-Day €12.80, 2-Month €32.00) plus Brenner A13, Arlberg S16, Tauern A10, and Grossglockner High Alpine Road tolls.
Interactive tool
Wiener Linien Transit, Salzburg Card & Innsbruck Card Calculator (€)
Compare Vienna 24-hour (€10.20) & 7-day (€28.90) passes, Vienna Airport ÖBB €5.50 vs. CAT €14.90, and the all-inclusive Salzburg Card & Innsbruck Card.
Interactive tool
Euro (€ EUR) Currency, Austria 20% MWSt Tax-Free (>€75.01) & Kaffeehaus Tipping Calculator
Convert Euros (€ EUR) to USD, GBP, CHF, JPY, CAD & AUD, calculate Austria 20% MWSt tax-free refunds (€75.01 threshold), and compute Viennese Kaffeehaus 'Aufrunden' tips.
Interactive tool
Austrian German (Österreichisches Deutsch) & Viennese Kaffeehaus Phrasebook
Search 100+ essential Austrian German phrases, Viennese coffee house terms (Melange, Verlängerter, Kaiserschmarrn, Schlagobers), and EU 14-allergen show-cards with de-AT audio.
Interactive tool
Learn Austrian German: Viennese Coffee, Heuriger & Alpine Trail Signs Trainer
Master Austrian vs. Standard German words (Jänner, Erdäpfel, Paradeiser, Marille, Topfen, Semmel, Bim), Blue/Red/Black alpine trail markers, and a 15-question quiz.
Interactive tool
Austria Trip & Alpine Ski/Summer Budget Calculator (€ EUR & $ USD)
Estimate your daily and total Austria trip cost in Euros (€ EUR) across accommodation, ÖBB trains, Wirtshaus dining, museum passes, and alpine cable cars.
Interactive tool
Austria Imperial Cities & Salzkammergut Day-by-Day Itinerary Builder
Generate a custom 5-to-14-day Austria rail or alpine road route across Vienna, Salzburg, Hallstatt, Wachau Valley, Innsbruck, and Graz.
Interactive tool
12-Month Austria Christkindlmarkt, Ball Season, Ski & Alpine Hiking Calendar
Interactive month-by-month guide to Vienna Ball Season, Advent Christmas markets, Arlberg/Kitzbühel ski snowpack, and Grossglockner summer hiking.
Day-by-day routes
Sample Austria Itineraries
Balanced (ÖBB Railjet & Scenic Regional Rail)
10-Day Classic Austria by Rail: Vienna, Wachau, Salzburg, Hallstatt & Innsbruck
Austria's signature first-time rail route linking Habsburg Vienna and the UNESCO Wachau Danube vineyards with Baroque Salzburg, lakeside Hallstatt, and the 2,256m Nordkette peaks above Innsbruck.
Relaxed (Single Hotel Change)
7-Day Imperial Vienna, Wachau Danube Vineyards & Salzburg
A relaxed one-week itinerary with only one hotel change, pairing four nights in Vienna with two nights in Baroque Salzburg via high-speed rail.
Scenic Alpine Explorer
7-Day Austrian Alps Panorama Loop: Salzburg, Hallstatt, Grossglockner, Zell am See & Tyrol
The ultimate alpine road or rail-and-bus loop combining Salzkammergut fjord lakes, the 36 hairpins of the Grossglockner High Alpine Road, the Kitzsteinhorn glacier, and Tyrol.
Culinary & Lakefront Leisure
8-Day Southern Austria: Semmering Railway, Graz, Styrian Wine Road & Turquoise Wörthersee
Discover Austria's sun-drenched south via the UNESCO Semmering Alpine Railway and new Koralmbahn high-speed line: Renaissance Graz, Styrian Sauvignon Blanc vineyards, and 27°C turquoise Lake Wörthersee.
High-Alpine to Lakeside
7-Day Western Austria by Rail: Innsbruck, St. Anton am Arlberg, Lech & Bregenz (Lake Constance)
Ride the historic ÖBB Arlberg Railway from Tyrol's capital across the 2,811m Valluga peaks of St. Anton and Lech to the shores of Lake Constance in Vorarlberg.
Festive & Cozy
6-Day Austria Christmas Markets (Christkindlmärkte) & Alpine Winter by Train
Experience Austria's most atmospheric Advent markets—from Schönbrunn Palace and Karlsplatz in Vienna to Salzburg's Cathedral Square, lakeside St. Wolfgang, and snow-rimmed Innsbruck.
Practical logistics
Essential Austria Travel Guides
Planning & Logistics
First-Time in Austria Checklist: 20 Things to Know Before You Go
Essential preparation for your first trip to Austria: ÖBB Sparschiene vs. Westbahn train booking, ASFINAG digital Vignette rules, Viennese Kaffeehaus etiquette, Sunday shop closures, and Euro cash tips.
Trains & Transit
ÖBB Railjet vs. Westbahn & Vorteilscard: Complete Austria Train Guide (€ EUR)
How to ride Austria's railways like a local: ÖBB Sparschiene advance fares vs. Standard-Ticket, €3 seat reservations, Westbahn double-decker trains, and when the €73 Vorteilscard pays for itself.
Driving & Alpine Passes
Austria Digital Vignette & Special Alpine Tolls (Sondermaut) Explained
Avoid the €120 ASFINAG automatic camera fine: 1-Day (€9.60) and 10-Day (€12.80) digital Vignette rules, the 6 Sondermaut tunnels, and scenic passes like the Grossglockner High Alpine Road.
Trains & Transit
Wiener Linien Transit, Salzburg Card & Austrian Regional Guest Cards Guide
How to navigate Vienna's U-Bahn, trams, and buses for €10.20/day, why the Salzburg Card and Innsbruck Card save €30–€60 per person, and how free regional hotel Guest Cards work.
Food & Culture
Viennese Kaffeehaus & Heuriger Wine Tavern Guide: How to Order Like a Local
Never ask for 'regular coffee' in Vienna: decode Melange, Verlängerter, Einspänner, and Franziskaner, plus how to order at a Grinzing or Wachau Heuriger buffet.
Money & Costs
Money in Austria: Euro (€) Cash vs. Card, >€75.01 Tax-Free VAT Refunds & Tipping
How much Euro cash to carry in Austria, avoiding Euronet dynamic currency conversion traps, claiming 20% MWSt VAT refunds on receipts over €75.01, and 'Aufrunden' tipping.
Regional Deep Dive
How to Visit Hallstatt & the Salzkammergut Lakes Calmly (Without Crowds)
Timing the Hallstatt Bahnhof Stefanie ferry, why staying overnight in Hallstatt, Bad Ischl, or St. Wolfgang transforms the trip, and the best Salzkammergut lakes beyond Hallstatt.
Outdoors & Hiking
Hiking the Austrian Alps: Trail Colors (Blue/Red/Black), Almhütten & Summer Lift Cards
Understand Austria's Alpine Club (ÖAV) trail difficulty dots, grazing cattle safety on mountain pastures, and how summer hotel cards cover €50+ cable car rides.
Food & Culture
How to Attend the Vienna State Opera, Musikverein & Salzburg Festival on Any Budget
Book €13–€18 standing-room tickets at the Wiener Staatsoper, avoid costumed street-hawker tourist concerts, and secure Golden Hall seats at the Musikverein.
Available in 9 languages
Read AustriaStarter in your language
DE
🇦🇹 Deutsch
Österreich Reiseführer 2026: Alle 9 Bundesländer, 2.092 Gemeinden, ÖBB Railjet & € EUR Rechner
FR
🇫🇷 Français
Guide de Voyage Autriche 2026 : 9 États (Bundesländer), 2 092 Communes, Trains ÖBB & Outils € EUR
ES
🇪🇸 Español
Guía de Viaje de Austria 2026: 9 Estados Federados, 2.092 Municipios, Trenes ÖBB y Calculadoras € EUR
IT
🇮🇹 Italiano
Guida di Viaggio Austria 2026: 9 Länder, 2.092 Località, Treni ÖBB Railjet e Calcolatori € EUR
NL
🇳🇱 Nederlands
Oostenrijk Reisgids 2026: Alle 9 Deelstaten, 2.092 Gemeenten, ÖBB Railjet & € EUR Calculators