Austria

Classic routes

• 🏰Munich to Prague by Train12 days · Munich → Salzburg → Vienna → Budapest → Prague

🎻 Vienna & the Danube

The capital of palaces, museums, coffee houses and concerts, where every flight from India lands, and an hour west the Wachau: Melk Abbey, Dürnstein and terraced vineyards along the Danube, with boats between them from spring to autumn.

• ViennaPalaces, Coffee Houses and the City of Music3 days · best April – June, September – October; late November – December for the Christmas markets
• Wachau Valley (Melk & Dürnstein)Baroque Abbeys, Vineyards and the Danube by Boat1 day · best April – October (apricot blossom in late March – April; wine harvest in September – October)

🕰️ Graz & Styria

The green south-east: Graz, a relaxed university city with a UNESCO old town, the Schlossberg clock tower and Eggenberg Palace, 2.5 hours from Vienna by train, and the South Styrian wine hills beyond it.

• GrazRed Roofs, a Clock Tower and a Friendly Alien2 days · best April – October; Advent for the markets

🎼 Salzburg & the Salzkammergut

Mozart's baroque city under its fortress, and east of it the Salzkammergut lakes: Hallstatt on its lake and salt mine, St Wolfgang with the Schafberg railway, and St Gilgen and Mondsee. South along the Salzach, Werfen's ice cave and castle (May to October).

• SalzburgMozart, the Fortress and The Sound of Music2 days · best May – September; late November – December for Advent
• HallstattThe Lakeside Village on Every Postcard1 day · best May – June, September – October (calmer than July – August)
• St Wolfgang & the Salzkammergut LakesLake Villages and the Schafberg Steam Railway2 days · best May – September; Advent weekends for the lake Christmas market
• Werfen (Eisriesenwelt & Hohenwerfen)The World's Largest Ice Cave and a Clifftop Castle1 day · best May – October

🏔️ Zell am See & the Hohe Tauern

The high mountains of Salzburger Land: Zell am See on its lake and the Kitzsteinhorn glacier at Kaprun with snow all year, the Grossglockner road over Austria's highest mountain (May to October), the spa town of Bad Gastein, and the Krimml falls, Austria's highest.

• Zell am See & KaprunA Lake, a Glacier and Year-Round Snow2 days · best June – September (summer); December – March (snow)
• Grossglockner High Alpine Road (Heiligenblut)Austria's Highest Mountain and its Glacier Road1 day · best June – September (the road is open early May to early November)
• Bad GasteinBelle Époque Spa Town Over a Waterfall2 days · best June – September; December – March (snow)
• Krimml WaterfallsAustria's Highest Waterfalls1 day · best May – October (most water in June – July)

🚡 Innsbruck & Tyrol

The Alpine west: Innsbruck under the Nordkette with the Swarovski Crystal Worlds nearby, the medieval ski town of Kitzbühel, and the Ötztal's glaciers, Sölden and the Aqua Dome. Trains run on to Zurich and over the Brenner to Italy.

• InnsbruckAlpine City with the Mountains at the End of the Street2 days · best May – October; December – March (snow)
• KitzbühelMedieval Ski Town of the Hahnenkamm2 days · best December – March (ski); June – September (summer)
• Ötztal & SöldenGlaciers, a Bond Film Set and Thermal Pools2 days · best December – April (ski); July – September (summer)