So you’ve got Austria on the brain! Let’s scratch that itch! It’s a small country that somehow squeezes in mountains, an imperial capital, lakes that look faked, and more cake than is strictly sensible, all within a few hours of each other by train. You can have coffee under a chandelier in the morning and stand on a glacier by mid-afternoon. That combination is rare, and it’s the reason I keep coming back. I LOVE AUSTRIA!
This is my pick of the 10 wonders that make Austria worth the trip, the ones I return for again and again, plus rough costs, the best time to see each, and how to link them up without wrecking your legs or your budget. I’ve made 4 trips now! It hasn’t got old yet.
A quick heads-up before we start: a couple of these are big paid attractions with timed tickets, a couple are free and just ask for early legs and a decent pair of shoes. I’ll mention which is which as we go. If you want the wider planning picture first, our Austria travel guide covers costs, safety and getting around in more depth.
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Austria’s Top 10 Wonders: Quick Facts
Currency: the euro (EUR). I'll give every price in euros, pounds and dollars so you can eyeball it fast.
Getting around: trains are excellent between the cities. You'll want a car for the alpine roads, the lakes and the Wachau.
Language: Austrian German. English is widely spoken in the cities and tourist spots, so you'll get by easily.
Rough daily budget: backpackers around €50 / £43 / $55 a day, mid-range about €120 / £104 / $132, and luxury from €250+ / £217+ / $275+.
Best all-round seasons: late spring and early autumn. Fewer crowds, better prices, weather that still plays nice.
Good to know: you can't do all ten in a single week without it turning into a blur. Pick a region, do it properly, and save the rest for next time. Austria rewards a slower pace.
The 10 wonders at a glance
The shortlist, all in one place, before we get into the detail. Skim it, star a few, and build your trip around the ones that pull at you.
← Swipe to scroll on mobile
| Wonder | Region | Best for | Rough entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hallstatt | Salzkammergut | Lake views, photos | Village free; salt mine extra |
| Schönbrunn Palace | Vienna | Imperial history | Grand Tour ~€42 / £36 / $46 |
| Salzburg Old Town | Salzburg | Baroque streets, Mozart | Free to wander; fortress extra |
| Grossglockner Road | Hohe Tauern | Alpine driving | Toll ~€46 / £39 / $50 per car |
| Eisriesenwelt ice cave | Werfen | Ice formations, wow factor | ~€42 / £36 / $46 combined |
| Krimml Waterfalls | Hohe Tauern | Waterfall hike | Trail ~€9 / £8 / $10 |
| Innsbruck & the Nordkette | Tyrol | City-to-summit views | Cable car ~€40 / £34 / $43 return |
| Wachau Valley | Lower Austria | Wine, river, Melk Abbey | Valley free; abbey ticket extra |
| Zell am See & Kaprun | Salzburgerland | Lake plus glacier | Glacier lift from ~€41 / £35 / $45 |
| Imperial Vienna | Vienna | Coffee, opera, grand streets | Opera standing from ~€15 / £13 / $16 |
Money saver: the city cards in Vienna, Salzburg and Innsbruck bundle transport with discounted entries and usually pay for themselves in about two uses. If you’re seeing a few paid sights in a day, grab one.
1. Hallstatt, the lake village everyone has seen
You know Hallstatt even if you’ve never heard the name (it was on LG tvs homescreen for years). It’s the little village clinging to a mountainside above a mirror-flat lake, wooden houses stacked up the slope, a slim church spire in the middle. It’s probably the single most photographed spot in Austria, and here’s the annoying bit: it deserves it. The first time I stood on the lakefront it genuinely stopped me for a minute. Fairytale isn’t a word I reach for often, but it fits.
The whole thing is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and it’s older than it looks. People have been mining salt in these mountains for something like seven thousand years, which is why the Salt Mine above the village is such a good half-day. You ride up, go underground, and there’s a wooden slide the old miners used. It’s a genuinely fun way to learn something. For the classic postcard shot, head to the Skywalk viewpoint or the platform up above the village.
A few practical things. The village is tiny and it gets rammed with day-trippers, especially late morning. Cars can’t just roll into the centre, and parking fills early. My honest advice? Come first thing, or better still, stay the night. Once the coaches leave in the late afternoon the place is a different world, quiet and glowing, and you’ll have the lanes almost to yourself. It’s worth planning around. There’s a full rundown in our Hallstatt guide if you want the nitty-gritty on getting there and where to eat.
Watch out: Hallstatt’s crowds are no joke in peak summer. If your only option is a midday visit, keep expectations sensible and don’t expect solitude on that famous viewpoint. Early morning is the whole game here.
Related Article: planning a lakeside stay? Our full Hallstatt guide covers the best viewpoints, parking, and how to dodge the crowds.
2. Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna's golden showstopper
If Hallstatt is Austria’s natural showpiece, Schönbrunn is the human one. This was the Habsburgs’ summer place, a vast yellow palace on the edge of Vienna with 1,441 rooms behind that long facade. You only see a fraction inside, but that fraction is enough. The Grand Tour walks you through 40 rooms, from the private apartments of Franz Joseph and his wife Elisabeth to the state rooms dripping in gold. A six-year-old Mozart once played here for the empress, which is the kind of detail that gives me goosebumps every time.
The Grand Tour runs around €42 / £36 / $46 with an audio guide, and the shorter Imperial Tour is roughly €30 / £25 / $33 for 22 rooms. Both are on timed entry, so book ahead or you’ll be waiting. The palace has been a UNESCO site for decades and it draws millions a year, so a slot at opening time is worth its weight.
What plenty of people miss is that the gardens are mostly free. You can wander the formal lawns, walk up to the Gloriette on the hill for a cracking view back over the city, and poke around the grounds without a ticket. There’s also the Tiergarten, which is the oldest zoo in the world still running. Give it half a day minimum, and book your timed slot online before you go so you’re not stuck in the queue.
Timing tip: aim for the first entry slot of the day. The rooms are calm and the light through those windows is lovely before the tour groups pile in mid-morning.
Recommended tour: skip the ticket queue and see the state rooms with a guide who brings the Habsburg history to life. You can book a skip-the-line Schönbrunn Palace tour on GetYourGuide and walk straight in.
3. Salzburg's baroque old town
Salzburg is compact, walkable and ridiculously pretty. Mozart was born here, The Sound of Music was filmed here, and the whole old town is a UNESCO-listed jumble of domes, squares and narrow lanes. You can see the headline sights in a day on foot, which makes it one of the easiest cities in Europe to just enjoy without a plan.
Start on Getreidegasse, the old shopping street with the wrought-iron guild signs, and find the yellow house where Mozart was born. Wander through Mirabell Gardens, where they filmed the Do-Re-Mi bit, and try very hard not to hum it (you will fail). Then look up. The Hohensalzburg Fortress sits on the hill above everything, one of the largest fully preserved medieval fortresses in Europe, and the funicular up gets you views over the whole baroque sprawl to the mountains beyond.
Salzburg is also your springboard for a chunk of this list. Hallstatt, the Grossglockner, the ice caves at Werfen, they’re all within reach of the city, which is why so many people base themselves here. If you’re torn between Salzburg and the capital, our Vienna vs Salzburg guide lays out who each one suits.
Tinker’s Tip: if you love classical music, time your visit with one of Salzburg’s concerts in a historic venue. Hearing Mozart played a few streets from where he was born hits differently. Book beds early in festival season though, prices climb fast.
4. The Grossglockner High Alpine Road
There are scenic drives, and then there’s the Grossglockner. This is Austria’s highest paved road, climbing to around 2,571 metres over 48 kilometres and 36 hairpin bends, with Austria’s tallest peak looming above and a glacier below. I’ve driven it and I’d happily do it again tomorrow. It’s the sort of road you plan a whole trip around.
You pay a toll to drive it, roughly €46 / £39 / $50 for a car day ticket, with cheaper rates late in the season. That sounds steep for a road until you’re actually up there, weaving past marmots and meltwater with the whole Hohe Tauern spread out around you. Stop at Edelweissspitze and the Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe viewpoint for the big glacier panorama. Go slow. Pull over often. This is not a drive to rush.
One crucial thing: it’s a seasonal road. It opens in spring and shuts for winter around the start of November, because up at that altitude it simply fills with snow. No point turning up in January. You’ll want your own wheels for this, and honestly, a car unlocks half of alpine Austria. I usually sort mine through car hire with DiscoverCars and compare across a few pickup points. For the full route with a map, see our Austria road trip guide.
Weather note: mountain weather flips fast up here. Blue sky at the bottom can be cloud soup at the top. Check the road status before you set off and pack a layer even in high summer.
Related Article: the Grossglockner works best as part of a loop. Our epic Austria road trip and map strings it together with the lakes and the best mountain stops.
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Browse the shop5. Eisriesenwelt, the world's largest ice cave
This one still feels a bit mad to me. Up in the mountains near Werfen, about 45 minutes from Salzburg, there’s a cave system that runs more than 42 kilometres into the rock, and the first stretch is packed with ice. Not slushy winter ice, proper ice palaces, frozen waterfalls and formations metres thick that stay frozen all year round. It’s the biggest ice cave on the planet, and you explore roughly a kilometre of it on a guided tour by the light of old miners’ lamps.
A combined ticket for the cable car and the cave runs around €42 / £36 / $46. Two things to know before you go. First, it’s a workout: there are hundreds of steps, and the tour takes just over an hour. You don’t need to be an athlete but a basic level of fitness helps. Second, it stays close to freezing inside no matter how hot it is outside, so bring warm layers. I’ve seen people in shorts absolutely regretting their life choices halfway up.
It’s a seasonal spot, open roughly from May into late October and closed through winter. Getting there by public transport is fiddly with a couple of changes, so a lot of people do it as an organised trip. You can book guided ice cave day tours from Salzburg on GetYourGuide if you’d rather not wrestle with the logistics.
Good to know: warm layers and proper shoes are non-negotiable here, and there’s a decent walk from the car park to the cable car before you even reach the cave. Give yourself at least three hours for the whole e
Where to Stay in Austria
Recommended Tours & Tickets
6. Krimml Waterfalls, the tallest in the country
Krimml is the highest waterfall in Austria and one of the highest in Europe, tumbling 380 metres down the mountain in three big drops. You hear it long before you see it, a low roar that builds as you climb. It sits inside the Hohe Tauern National Park, the largest protected area in the Alps, and the whole setting is forest, rock and endless spray.
There’s a small fee for the waterfall trail, around €9 / £8 / $10, and the path zigzags up alongside the falls for a bit over four kilometres, with viewing platforms at each stage. It takes roughly an hour and a half to the top at a steady pace. It’s steep in places but well made, and the payoff is one of those hits of pure nature that reminds you why you left home. Bring a light waterproof, you will get misted.
It pairs beautifully with Zell am See and Kaprun, which are only about 50 minutes away, so a lot of people fold the two into one alpine base. More on that combo shortly.
Quick win: the lowest viewpoint is a short, easy walk from the entrance, so even if you’re not up for the full climb you still get a proper eyeful of the falls. Families with little legs can do just the bottom section and call it a win.
7. Innsbruck and the Nordkette
Innsbruck is my kind of city. A colourful medieval old town with the famous Golden Roof, cafes and mountain gear shops, and then this wall of Alps rising straight up behind it. What makes it special is how quickly you can go from a coffee in the centre to standing on a proper summit. The Nordkette cable car does it in about 20 minutes.
You ride the sleek Hungerburgbahn funicular out of the old town (the stations were designed by Zaha Hadid, and they look like frozen waves), then two cable cars carry you up to Hafelekar at around 2,256 metres. From the top it’s a 360-degree view, the city laid out on one side and the wild Karwendel Nature Park on the other. A return trip is roughly €40 / £34 / $43, and there’s a stop at the alpine zoo on the way down if you’ve got kids. For the price and the ease, I think it’s one of the best value big views in the Alps.
Wrap up warm even in summer. The summit can be 10 to 15 degrees colder than the city, and there’s not much shelter up top, just the platform and the start of the hiking trails. Which is rather the point.
Fact: on the first Friday of most months, the Seegrubenbahn runs into the night, so you can ride down from around 2,000 metres by starlight. It’s a lovely, slightly surreal way to end an evening.
8. The Wachau Valley
Not everything in Austria is snow and altitude. The Wachau is a gentle stretch of the Danube in Lower Austria, an hour or so west of Vienna, and it’s all terraced vineyards, apricot orchards and little wine villages tucked into the riverbank. It’s a UNESCO cultural landscape, and it’s the antidote to a fortnight of mountains.
The star is Melk Abbey, a huge baroque monastery glowing yellow above the river, with a library and church interior that’ll make your jaw drop. From there you can cruise or cycle down the valley to Dürnstein, a postcard village with a blue-and-white church tower and castle ruins on the hill (legend has it Richard the Lionheart was once held prisoner up there). Stop for a glass of crisp local Grüner Veltliner or Riesling at a village tavern. That’s a proper afternoon.
You can do the Wachau as a day trip from Vienna by train and boat, or fold it into a road trip. If you’re doing the wider circuit, our Austria road trip covering Vienna, Hallstatt and Salzburg shows how it slots in.
Must do: in late summer, look out for Wachau apricots (Marillen). The dumplings, jam and schnapps made from them are a regional thing worth going out of your way for. Ask at any village bakery.
9. Zell am See and Kaprun
These twin towns in Salzburgerland are my quiet favourite on this list, the one I’d send you to if you wanted mountains without the queues. Zell am See sits on a crystal-clear lake with the Schmittenhöhe rising behind it. Kaprun, just up the road, gives you the Kitzsteinhorn glacier at over 3,000 metres, where there’s snow even in August. A glacier and a swimmable lake, in the same afternoon. Not many places pull that off.
I first went planning a single overnight stop on a road trip and ended up rearranging my whole itinerary to stay longer. That almost never happens to me. There’s a summit cable car up the Kitzsteinhorn from around €41 / £35 / $45, boat trips on the lake, and the Grossglockner and Krimml Falls both within easy reach. It works just as well in July as it does in January.
Self-catering apartments are brilliant here for keeping costs down, and if you stay at a participating property you’ll often get a regional summer card that covers cable cars, boat trips and buses. Always check before you book. There’s a lot more in our full Zell am See and Kaprun guide.
Tinker’s Tip: book an apartment with a kitchen and shop at the local Spar or Billa. Cooking breakfast and packing lunches for mountain days is the easiest way to keep a lakeside-and-glacier trip from getting pricey. Lock in a base early on Booking.com as the good apartments go fast.
10. Imperial Vienna, beyond the palaces
Schönbrunn earned its own spot, but Vienna as a whole is a wonder in its own right, and it’s about far more than one palace. This is a city built to impress. The Ringstrasse, the grand boulevard looping the centre, strings together the Hofburg (the old imperial palace), the parliament, the opera house and a run of museums, all of it heavy and golden and a bit theatrical. I never get tired of just walking it.
Then there’s the coffee house culture, which is taken so seriously it’s on a UNESCO list of its own. The idea is you order one coffee and a slice of cake and stay for hours with a newspaper, and nobody rushes you. It’s civilisation, basically. Pair that with a night at the Vienna State Opera, where standing-room tickets go for around €15 / £13 / $16 if you’re willing to, well, stand. For the price of a sandwich you get a world-class performance. And do not leave without a proper slice of Sachertorte.
Two or three days barely scratches Vienna. If you’re weighing it against Austria’s other cities, or trying to work out how long to give each, the Vienna vs Salzburg comparison is a good place to start.
Money saver: standing-room tickets at the State Opera are one of the great cultural bargains in Europe. Get there early, they’re first come first served, and you’ll be watching the same show as people who paid ten times as much.
What the headline attractions cost
Here are the paid wonders side by side so you can budget without flipping back and forth. Prices are a guide and vary by season, ticket type and demand, so treat these as ballpark rather than fact, always check the official channels.
← Swipe to scroll on mobile
| Attraction | Entry (a guide) | Open | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schönbrunn Grand Tour | €42 / £36 / $46 | Year-round | Timed entry, book ahead |
| Grossglockner (car toll) | €46 / £39 / $50 | Spring to early winter | Closed once snow arrives |
| Eisriesenwelt ice cave | €42 / £36 / $46 | Late spring to autumn | Cave plus cable car, dress warm |
| Krimml Waterfalls trail | €9 / £8 / $10 | Mid-spring to autumn | Steep but well made |
| Innsbruck Nordkette (return) | €40 / £34 / $43 | Most of the year | City centre to summit in 20 min |
Where to stay in Austria
Austria does accommodation well right across the board, from grand city hotels to snug alpine apartments with a balcony and a mountain staring back at you. What you pick comes down to the kind of trip you’re building. Cities suit a central hotel or apartment so you can walk everywhere and skip the transport faff. The mountains and lakes are where self-catering earns its keep, both for the extra space and for keeping a lid on costs.
A rough steer on styles:
Wherever you land, I’d start on Booking.com for hotels and self-catering apartments across Austria, since the map view makes it easy to see what’s actually walkable from the sights. If you’re travelling on a tighter budget or solo, compare hostels and budget beds on Hostelworld, which has the best coverage of Austria’s social, well-run places. And the good news for peace of mind: Austria is one of the safest countries in Europe, so you can choose your neighbourhood on convenience and vibe rather than fretting over which areas to dodge. Our is Austria safe guide digs into that properly if it’s on your mind.
- City hotels and apartments for Vienna and Salzburg, where staying central saves you a heap of time and tram fares.
- Self-catering apartments for Zell am See, Kaprun and the Tyrol, so you can cook breakfast and pack lunches before a big day on the mountain.
- Lakeside guesthouses around Hallstatt and the Salzkammergut, and I’d push hard for staying over so you get the village to yourself once the day crowds clear out.
- Hostels and guesthouses if you’re solo or watching the budget, which Austrian towns do cleanly and to a high standard.
← Swipe to scroll on mobile
| Base | Best for | Stay style |
|---|---|---|
| Vienna | Palaces, coffee houses, culture | Central hotel or apartment |
| Salzburg | Baroque old town, day trips | Old town guesthouse or hotel |
| Innsbruck | City and mountains in one | Hotel near the old town |
| Zell am See & Kaprun | Lake plus glacier days | Self-catering apartment |
| Hallstatt & Salzkammergut | Lakes and pretty villages | Lakeside guesthouse, stay over |
Check this first: rooms disappear fast around the Salzburg Festival, the Christmas markets and peak ski weeks, and prices climb right along with demand. If your dates land in one of those windows, book your bed as early as you can and you’ll thank yourself later.
Ready to start planning?
Ten wonders, one small country, and honestly not a dud in the bunch. Whichever ones pull at you, my advice is the same: don’t cram. Pick a region, give it room to breathe, and let Austria do its thing. It has a habit of turning a quick visit into a much longer love affair, as more than a few of my trips can testify.
When you’re ready to lock things in, sort your beds on Booking.com, line up the big sights and day trips with tours and skip-the-line tickets on GetYourGuide, and dig into the rest of our Austria travel guides for the finer detail. Now go tinker your own perfect Austrian trip.
FAQs
Is Austria expensive to visit?
It’s mid-range for Western Europe, cheaper than Switzerland but pricier than the east of the continent. Backpackers can manage on around €50 / £43 / $55 a day, mid-range travellers spend about €120 / £104 / $132, and it climbs from there. Cooking some meals, booking trains early and using city cards keeps it sensible.
How many days do you need to see Austria's top wonders?
A week lets you do a couple of cities plus one alpine region without rushing. Ten days to two weeks is the sweet spot if you want Vienna, Salzburg, a mountain loop and a lake or two. Trying to bag all ten wonders in seven days will just leave you frazzled, so pick a cluster and go deep.
When is the best time to visit Austria?
Late spring and early autumn give you good weather, thinner crowds and lower prices. Summer is peak for the lakes and hiking, winter is for skiing and Christmas markets. Just remember the alpine roads and ice caves are seasonal, so warmer months suit this particular list best.
Can you see the best of Austria without a car?
Partly, yes. The cities and many towns are superbly connected by train, and Innsbruck’s cable car and Vienna’s palaces need no car at all. But the Grossglockner, the ice caves and the more remote lakes are far easier with your own wheels, so a mix of train and hire car is my go-to.
Which wonder is best for a first-time visitor?
If it’s your first trip, I’d pair Salzburg with Hallstatt. Salzburg gives you the classic baroque-and-Mozart city on foot, and Hallstatt delivers that jaw-dropping lake scene an easy trip away. Add Vienna if you’ve got the days. It’s a gentle, hugely rewarding introduction to what the country does best.
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Nick Harvey
Hi, I’m Nick. I take the photos, book the wrong hotel occasionally, and write it all up so your trip goes better than mine did. The Travel Tinker exists because I got tired of guides that had clearly never been anywhere.
Everything here comes from trips I’ve actually taken. LinkedIn | Editorial and AI policy
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