Are you considering visiting Austria? you made a great choice, it has tons of fun things to offer. There are three cities, which should not be missed, if you are planning your trip.
Here is a list of Cities to visit in Austria:
1. Vienna
Vienna is the highlight of every trip to Austria, if not Europe. Because of its history as capital of the Habsburg Empire, the city is filled with impressive churches and cathedrals, beautiful palaces and fascinating museums. Some of the things that should not be missed are: Sch?nbrunn Palace, the Hofburg, St. Stephens Cathedral and the Museumsquartier. But there are loads of other things to discover, too. You can explore the Sewage Water system (which was prominently featured in Orson Wells Classic “The third man”), have a blast in the Prater (the local amusement park) or just relax in one of Viennas famous cafes.
2. Salzburg
Many people think of Salzburg first, when they think about Austria. This is because of the successful “Sound of Music” movie, which is set there. If you are one of the many people, who love that movie, you are offered tours, which will show you all the places that are featured so prominently in this classic. But even if you do not know the movie (like a lot of Austrians), you will still love Salzburg. The city is set beautifully between some hills and the famous Castle of the Archbishops of Salzburg towers its medieval city centre. A lot of parks, beautiful churches and small palaces can be visited all over the city and everything is in walking distance. Mozarts birthplace, set in busy Getreide-Gasse, is a tourist highlight. Do not forget to treat yourself with “Salzburger Nockerl” the typically dessert of Salzburg.
3. Innsbruck
The third city, that you should visit, is Innsbruck. After Vienna, located in the plains surrounding the river Danube and Salzburg, where you have the Alps in the background, you have now arrived in the centre of the Alps. If you walk down beautiful Maria Theresia Strasse you can see the rocky formation of the “Nordkette” set up like a wall behind the city. At the end of the Maria Theresia Strasse you will discover the “Goldene Dachl” – one of Innsbruck landmarks. Just around the corner is the “Hofburg” – the imperial palace, where Emperor Maximilian resided at the end the 13th century. If you are interested in Architecture, you can visit the Ski-Jumping Tower, which was planned by Zaha Hadid. You should definitely take the cable car, planned by Hadid as well, that takes you up to the Nordkette. From about 2000m above sea level you have a breath taking view over Innsbruck and into the Alps.
These cities can be easily connected – there are regular trains running between them. You can switch the itinerary and start in the West (Innsbruck) and move eastwards towards Vienna, too.
You might also want to consider visiting Graz, which lies to the South of Vienna. Friends of modern arts might want to stop in Linz (between Vienna and Salzburg) and see the Ars Electronica Center.
Gernot is a passionate traveller, who runs a tourism company in Vorarlberg, the most western region of Austria. He is blogging his insider tips and “must sees” of Vorarlberg, Austria and its surrounding regions at happyheartofeurope.wordpress.com, where he is more than happy to answer questions to all travel related questions about Austria, Switzerland, Southern Germany and Central Europe.
Photo Source: *Alejandro*
Posts related to Three Cities to Visit in Austria
Thank you Gernot for this guest Article