Austria attractions

It’s hard to miss Vienna’s Haus des Meeres - Aqua Terra Zoo, which is housed in a World War II antiaircraft tower. With more than 10,000 animals, the family-friendly zoo features sharks, tropical fish, and monkeys, among other wildlife. Kids especially love to watch the feedings.

Opened in 1913 in a beautiful Art Nouveau building, the Wiener Konzerthaus is one of the largest and most artistically progressive musical institutions in the world. After World War II, it played a crucial role in reviving the Austrian musical scene and soon became the leading organizer of contemporary music in the country, as well as a popular stage for international jazz performances. The original Konzerthaus was home to three concert halls in which concerts could be played simultaneously and featured a historic organ installed in 1913. A complete renovation of the building between 1998 and 2001 added a fourth hall and made updates to make the Konzerthaus one of the most modern concert houses in the world. The four halls have capacities ranging from 336 to more than 1,800 and together they host more than 700 different events during the season, which runs from September to June. The Kozerthaus also hosts several festivals throughout the year, including the Early Music Festival Resonanzen in January, the Vienna Spring Festival in April and May, the Internationale Musikfest in May and June and the Wien Modern in the fall.

Franz Schubert’s 18th-century birthplace is now a small but excellent museum dedicated to the composer's life and work. Delve into Schubert’s musical training and development with Schubert Geburtshaus’ collection of first-edition sheet music, antique instruments, and listening stations with recordings of his music.

Opened in 2007, the award-winning Salzburg Museum unpacks Salzburg’s history as well as its cultural and musical heritage across six sites in the city. Its main venue is the New Residential Palace (Neue Residenz in Salzburg’s Mozartplatz, which invites visitors to trace the city’s history through artworks, artifacts, and multimedia content.

Graz City Hall sits in the heart of the Hauptplatz, flaunting a handsome 19th-century façade that masks 16th-century roots. Today, the building is the mayor’s seat, serving mainly as a city administration office, although it also has a sideline as a wedding venue. You can often see brides and grooms dressed in their finery at the hall’s doors.

Situated in south Salzburg in the Hellbrunn Palace (Schloss Hellbrunn estate, Salzburg Zoo—often called the Tiergarten Hellbrunn—houses around 1,400 animals from Eurasia, Africa, Australia, and the Americas. Around 300,000 people visit a year to view the animals and enjoy the other offerings, such as educational programs and events for kids.

Perched above Austria’s forested Inntal Valley, 16th-century Tratzberg Castle is one of the Tirol’s most impressive Renaissance and Gothic castles. Guided tours of this one-time defensive outpost take you on a journey through its history, and the lives of the Habsburg emperors and medieval merchants who once lived here.

The largest outdoor adventure park in Austria and one of the biggest in all of Europe, Area 47 offers visitors extreme adventure and adrenaline-fueled activities in a safe environment. You can journey through gorges, into deep caves, and through wild white-water rapids, and even transform yourself into a human cannonball.

Located in the east wing of Salzburg's Old Residence (Alte Residenz), where Austria’s prince-archbishops once lived, the Residence Gallery (Residenzgalerie) is now home to the state of Salzburg’s painting collection. Step inside to see an impressive array of European art dating from the 16th to the 19th centuries, including paintings by the likes of Rubens and Rembrandt.

Karwendel Alpine Park (Alpenpark Karwendel) sprawls over 270 square miles (700 square kilometers), making it the largest nature park in Austria. The park is made up of 11 protected areas, characterized by wild rivers, ancient forests, and rugged peaks, which visitors can experience on hikes and tours.

Founded in 1823 and brimming with treasures relating to Tyrolean history, cultural heritage, and art, the Tyrolean State Museum (Tiroler Landesmuseum) is Innsbruck’s most notable museum. Named after Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the sprawling Ferdinandeum is just one of five properties managed by the Tyrolean State Museum.

Devoted to the world of hearing, Audioversum—Science Center is a high-tech, interactive, family-friendly museum. Walk through core exhibits like a giant 3D ear and a virtual reality sound labyrinth, try games to test your hearing, and experience the soundproof Scream Box to measure the volume of a shout.

A must-see for classic film aficionados, the Third Man Museum (Dritte Mann Museum) plays a triple role. Its eclectic collection shines a light on post-war Vienna at the start of the Cold War, examines movie-making in the 1940s and ’50s, and features artifacts from the famous 1949 movie of the same name that was set in Vienna.

Lake Neusiedl, called the Neusiedler See in German, is a large lake on Austria’s border with Hungary. Its importance as a wetland habitat for migratory birds earned Lake Neusiedl a place on the UNESCO World Heritage list as a protected cultural landscape. During summer, it’s a popular setting for outdoor sports and activities.

Perched 1,181 feet (360 meters) above sea level, Hallstatt Skywalk offers unparalleled views of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed town of Hallstatt, Lake Hallstatt, and the Dachstein Mountains. Accessible via cable car, this platform captivates with its panoramic Alpine vistas. Nearby, an open-air restaurant is perfect for a scenic break before or after your skywalk adventure.

Hallstatt Salt Mine is known for being one of the world's oldest salt mines; it dates back more than 7,000 years. You can soar down wooden slides, enjoy a train ride, and see one of the oldest wooden staircases in Europe. The mine also has an underground lake, ancient mining tools, and exhibits about Hallstatt’s pivotal role in the salt industry.

One of the many imperial residences built across Vienna in the 17th and 18th centuries, Palais Auersperg stands apart as the city’s oldest Baroque palace, dating from 1710. Its ornate halls once hosted Vienna’s most outstanding musicians for royal balls and weddings, and today it remains one of Vienna's most lavish concert venues.

Lush greenery surrounds artistic gravestones in the sprawling grounds of the Vienna Central Cemetery. Many famous names from the city’s history grace its monuments, including composers as celebrated as Ludwig Van Beethoven and Johannes Brahms. Joggers and other creatures, such as deer and squirrels, bring life to this tranquil corner of the city.

Stretching east of Salzburg, the Austrian Lake District—the Salzkammergut—is home to some of Austria’s most stunning scenery. This is an idyllic spot for a summer vacation, with picturesque alpine villages, lush green valleys framed by snow-dusted peaks, and dozens of glittering lakes. These dazzling landscapes, coupled with thousands of years of salt-mining heritage, have earned the Hallstatt-Dachstein region UNESCO World Heritage status.

This magnificent baroque palace is a showstopper inside and out, home to the private art collection of Prince Hans-Adam II and surrounded by sweeping landscaped grounds. Join a guided tour to admire the sumptuous interiors, masterpieces from the early Renaissance to the high baroque, and stately gardens.

Once a humble mining village, today this town cradled between the lush alpine tarns and valleys of the Dachstein massif and the Schladminger Tauern range in the Styrian Alps is one of Austria’s premier ski resorts. Ski its nine peaks in the winter or explore the trails and Sky Walk on the Dachstein Glacier in the summer months.

Storybook sights abound in Hallstatt Old Town, the name given to the area around the Marktplatz that looks like it popped out of a fairy tale. Here and on the main street, restaurants, souvenir shops, and sightseers converge. Hallstatt’s charm can sometimes feel swallowed by the crowds, so try to catch it in a quiet moment if you can.

The Vienna Technical Museum (Technisches Museum Wien) is the place to play with science and discover technological developments. In a maze-like fashion, collections are spread over several floors with transport, music, and daily life themes—enough for a day of browsing. Tech nerds and aspiring engineers of all ages will be in their element.

With over 500 years of history and a big reputation, the Vienna Boys Choir brings Vienna’s musical traditions to the world. They’re globe-trotting singers, but watching the Vienna Boys Choir perform in their hometown is especially remarkable, whether they’re singing at Sunday Mass at Hofburgkapelle or giving a show at the choir’s concert hall.

Kahlenberg is a 484-meter (1588-foot) high mountain in Vienna’s 19th district. Its historical importance dates back to 1683, when an army led by Polish King Sobiesky marched through the mountain and freed Vienna from its Turkish occupation. Today, visitors and locals visit this summit in the Vienna Woods to see the viewing tower, panoramic terrace, pilgrimage church, cafe, and restaurant.

One of Austria’s most important baroque palaces, Eggenberg Palace is a must for Graz visitors. Created in the 17th century along with elegant gardens, the site was once home to Austria’s influential Eggenberg dynasty. Today, tours cover the curiosities of the state rooms and their frescoes, plus stories about the Eggenberg family.

With the mountains always in the backdrop, Innsbruck Old Town (Altstadt) is a lively, picturesque part of town, which has history, too. Emperor Maximilian I housed his Imperial court here in the 15th century, leaving a legacy of landmarks including the famous copper-tiled Golden Roof. This jumble of cobbled streets beside the River Inn is crammed with Tyrolean boutiques, cafés, and souvenir shops.

Connecting Linz with the hilltop community of Pöstlingberg, a historic pilgrimage site, the Pöstlingbergbahn is among the world's steepest adhesion railways. Today it's used both for local transportation and as a tourist attraction. There's even a museum dedicated to the Pöstlingbergbahn right by the train's terminus station in Linz.

Linz's Ars Electronica Center offers innovative ways to engage with science, technology, and new media, showcasing the interplay of art, technology, and society now and in the future. Since it was founded in 1979, the center has grown to be one of the premier attractions in the city, drawing guests of all ages interested in learning more about the digital revolution.

Occupying the Castle of Linz in the city's Old Town, the Castle Museum contains a wealth of information about the history and cultural treasures of Upper Austria. Here you'll find a mix of permanent exhibits and special exhibitions on topics ranging from natural history to fine art.