August 4, 2021, 12:45 pm | Read time: 8 minutes
Austria is one of the most popular travel destinations for Germans. But Austria is not just Austria; not everyone warms up to every region. Here you can find out which region might suit you.
Many Germans particularly appreciate Austria’s vacation spots in winter for skiing. However, Austria’s beauty and diversity are also revealed in summer when the snow has melted and nature is exposed: The country shows its best side with its mountains, meadows, forests, and lakes, its romantic imperial and royal culture, and its excellent cuisine.
But which region in Austria is the perfect vacation destination for YOU? TRAVELBOOK offers a little guidance.
Vorarlberg
Hiking, climbing, and alpine camping are the activities in the mountainous region of Vorarlberg. It goes high up and down into the valley. In the north, Vorarlberg borders Lake Constance, and in the south, at the Swiss border, the Piz Buin (10,869 feet). Green forests and meadows as far as the eye can see–and above, the white on the many glaciers, so you can even ski in summer if you’re up for it. Additionally, it’s family-friendly here: In Kleinwalsertal or Bregenzerwald, the hiking trails are designed for families, there are nature adventure trails and childcare for the little ones, numerous lifts, and accessible hiking trails–some even suitable for wheelchairs–for older visitors. For adventure families, you can camp under the starry sky at Silvretta Montafon at 6,561 feet: A guide leads you up, there’s a campfire, dinner, and sunset before the spectacular mountain scenery.
Vorarlberg is the right vacation destination in Austria for you: If you love nature, are a family person, and have a strong urge to be active.
Don’t go to Vorarlberg: If you love luxury, shopping, gourmet restaurants, wellness, and nightlife.
Tyrol
The most well-known region in Austria is Tyrol, with Innsbruck at its center. Once the European center under Emperor Maximilian I, it remains a bustling travel region today due to its excellent infrastructure and offers a bit of everything. Hiking and mountain biking are possible everywhere, as well as paragliding, rafting, sailing, and climbing. There are magnificent wellness hotels, numerous gourmet restaurants, museums, and theme parks. A highlight is the concerts in the festival arena of Kufstein Fortress. There, the Heroes’ Organ plays daily at noon, with 4,948 pipes, the largest outdoor organ in the world! If you like: Tyrolean hats and custom-made traditional costumes, classic from deer leather or off-the-rack, are available in Tyrol at a good price.
Tyrol is the right vacation destination in Austria for you: If you like variety, are interested in history, but also enjoy hiking or outdoor sports.
Don’t go to Tyrol: If you seek absolute seclusion, prefer simplicity and pure nature experiences.
Salzburg
Do you love Sisi? Do you like Mozart? The beauty of the Salzburg region is inseparable from these two historical, world-famous figures. The Imperial Villa in Bad Ischl–the place where Sisi fell in love–and the UNESCO World Heritage Salzburg Old Town, including the fortress and the birthplace of the great composer, make the hearts of all fans of the romantic side of the monarchy and baroque art beat faster.
Also interesting: The best travel tips for the Salzburg region
But the flip side is also worth seeing: The charnel house–one of the most significant and oldest burial sites in the world at Lake Hallstatt with 1,200 skulls–and in the adjacent salt mine lies the over 2,000-year-old “Man in Salt.” The open-air museum in Großgmain is iconic, with 70 farmhouses, barns, mills, craft houses, and alpine pastures from five centuries. And: The most famous panoramic road in the Alps leads over a wonderful 48 kilometers to Austria’s highest mountain, the Grossglockner (12,460 feet).
The Salzburg region is the right vacation destination in Austria for you: If you love the “Little Night Music,” cry at Sisi movies, enjoy stories of land and people, and can’t get enough of Palatschinken and Mozartkugeln.
Don’t go to the Salzburg region: If you can’t stand kitsch and royal houses, prefer modernity and understatement, and reject travel groups and city tours on principle.
Carinthia
Nature, vastness, and authenticity are your thing? Then head to Carinthia! The Hohe Tauern National Park at the foot of the Grossglockner is an experience even for seasoned nature lovers. The most impressive waterfalls in the Alps (Jungfernsprung, Fallbach, and Grössnitz Waterfall)–which you can hike and climb to–plunge here from up to 656 feet into the valley. You can climb over impressive gorges (Ragga and Barbarossa Gorge) and onto mountains.
Water plays a significant role in Carinthia: There are 200 bathing lakes. Around the large lakes Wörthersee, Millstätter See, Ossiacher See, and Weißensee, there are wonderful lake baths with charming hotels and picturesque campsites, behind which the limestone walls of the Carinthian Alps provide a magnificent panorama. The beautiful Seinerzeit is idyllically located at the Nockberg Biosphere Reserve and is a top-notch hotel secret tip. Like in the old days, but with all comforts, a beautiful wooden cabin village has been created here–with breathtaking views of mountain slopes, forests, and the valley far, far below…
Carinthia is the right vacation destination in Austria for you: If you want to slow down, enjoy being alone, seek peace, and appreciate genuine, untouched nature.
Don’t go to Carinthia: If you want to be among people, love entertainment programs and nightlife, find sports rather bothersome, and want to see more than the color green on vacation.
Burgenland
If you like castles, then you’re in the right place. The most beautiful fortifications in Austria, such as Lockenhaus Castle or Güssing Castle, and the absolutely worth-seeing Esterhazy Palace can be visited here. The Liszt House, the birthplace of the famous composer, is also beautiful and now an impressive museum. Additionally, there are many wineries, suitable climate, naturally plenty of good wine, and a modern, minimalist-elegant architectural style that more and more winemakers (such as Esterházy Wine in Troisdorf, Heinrich Winery in Gols, or Leo Hillinger in Jois) are adopting. This alone is worth a trip if you’re interested in architecture.
Burgenland is the right vacation destination in Austria for you: If you like aesthetics and enjoy surrounding yourself with beautiful culture. You’re in the right place if you love discussing the finish, oak note, body, and acidity over a glass for hours.
Don’t go to Burgenland: If you like action, climbing mountains, want to experience something, seek adventure, are full of energy, and can gladly do without cultured entertainment on vacation.
Vacation in Austria–The Perfect Destination for Everyone
The Perfect Road Trip Through Austria
Styria
Vacation on the pasture? Milking cows in the morning? If you’ve always dreamed of that, head to Styria! Secluded and rustic, it is in the rural areas of Austria’s second-largest state by area, with the beautiful capital Graz. In winter, with a total of 497 miles of slopes, it is one of the largest and most popular ski areas in the country, with an extensive glacier landscape that never completely recedes even in summer.
Even in Graz, time seems to have stood still. Idyllic alleys and enchanted marketplaces, with the Graz Castle and Cathedral towering above, the Hundertwasser Church of St. Barbara is worth seeing. In the south, there are excellent wellness hotels around the hot bubbling thermal springs, such as in Bad Waltersdorf, Loipersdorf, Bad Gleichenberg, Bad Radkersburg, and Bad Blumau, where the wonderful Hundertwasser Spa is also located.
Styria is the right vacation destination in Austria for you: If you like to take it slow, long for peace, simplicity, and relaxation, and love nostalgia.
Don’t go to Styria: If you appreciate modernity, like risk, and hunger for stimulation and inspiration.
Federal Capital Vienna
Have you never been to Vienna? Then go! Because the capital is one of the most beautiful in Europe. Imperial from the Kaiser era, Art Nouveau, Baroque, new architecture–all architectural styles of the last centuries have been preserved in their most beautiful creations. More than 100 museums, St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Prater, Burgtheater, Schönbrunn Palace, Hermesvilla, Ringstrasse palaces, Spanish Riding School, the Fiaker.
You don’t need a program or a city guide in Vienna. Just stroll through the city center, and you won’t stop being amazed. Then have a piece of the famous cake at Hotel Sacher, with a melange and the Viennese sing-song in your ear.
Go shopping on Linden and Kirchgasse, on Mariahilfer Straße, or–luxuriously–in the Golden Quarter. In the evening, head out to Grinzing and let the day end under arbors with music and a glass. Night owls start at Café Europa, where there’s warm food even after midnight, and then party at Roxy or Flex.
Vienna is the right vacation destination in Austria for you: If you long for beauty and culture, enjoy Viennese humor, love to let yourself be carried away by the city bustle, and crave inspiration.
Don’t go to Vienna: If you have no desire for people and prefer the quiet nature.