EuropeAustriaAustria
Austria packs a winter trip and a summer trip into one small country. An imperial capital of coffee houses, Mozart's baroque city, swimmable lakes, hut-to-hut hiking and several of Europe's biggest ski areas sit a few hours apart by train. Most travellers fold it into a longer European journey.
AustriaAustria in a nutshell
Best places to visit in Austria
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Our travel routes through Austria
Austria is loved by culture seekers and backpackers alike. We recommend several routes through this country, here they are in full!
7 nights1 week, Arlberg ski week
St Anton am Arlberg · Lech Zürs
Deep snow and groomed pistes at St. Anton and Lech; February offers longest daylight with peak conditions.
7 nights1 week, Graz and Styrian snow
Graz · Schladming
Reliable snow cover at Schladming while Graz's lower elevation allows valley exploration between ski days.
7 nights1 week: Vienna, Salzburg and the lake village
Vienna · Salzburg · Hallstatt
Vienna blooms in May; September offers warm days without summer crowds at Hallstatt.
8 nights2 weeks, Austria's share of the Central Europe run
Salzburg · Hallstatt · Vienna
May showcases Vienna at its peak; September balances warm weather with open alpine huts near Hallstatt.
9 nights10 days: the rail spine, east to west
Vienna · Hallstatt · Salzburg
September delivers ideal conditions across all stops from Vienna's cultural sites to Innsbruck's mountains.
11 nights2 weeks, the summer alpine road trip
Villach · Saalbach · Zell am See
June opens hut season with alpine flowers; September provides warmth and dry weather across Carinthia to Zillertal.
Updated August 2026 · 14 min read · Written by the Stippl editorsWe counted 82,000+ planned stops across Austria on Stippl before writing this.
Austria rewards seven to ten days, strung along one railway, and most travellers give each stop 2 nights on Stippl. Vienna has the Habsburg palaces, Schönbrunn and the coffee houses, Salzburg its old town under Hohensalzburg, and Innsbruck a bare summit above its rooftops. Hallstatt is the lake village in between. Vienna alone takes 41.4% of every Austrian stop planned on Stippl, with Salzburg and Innsbruck next.
Austria is rarely a trip of its own. Only 10.2% of the Austria trips planned on Stippl stay inside the country, and Germany, Italy and the Czech Republic are the neighbours it shares a route with most. The short stays follow from that: 41% of Austrian stops planned on Stippl are a single night, a Salzburg or a Hallstatt taken on the way through.
So pick the season first and the route second. Winter means skiing from early December and Christmas markets from mid-November; summer means the hut network, the lakes and the cable cars from late May. In the gap between them, mid-April to late May and again in November, huts and lifts shut, and that is the window most itineraries get wrong. Take the train between the cities and book advance fares the day your dates are fixed. Skip Austria if you want to drift slowly from village to village; it is planned as cities and resorts, not as a road you wander.
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First-timers in Central Europe
Vienna gives the best single mix of culture, museums and transport, and one rail line chains it to Salzburg and Innsbruck without a flight.
Families
Every ski village runs a ski school, summer brings play mountains and toboggan runs, and up to four under-15s ride free per adult on advance trains.
Skiers at every level
The runs go from gentle blues to the Streif at Kitzbühel, and the Arlberg alone links about 300 km of piste on one pass.
Hikers and mountain bikers
Waymarked mountain paths, a dense hut network open from late May and gondolas that carry bikes make summer as big a season as winter.
Music and art lovers
Mozart's Salzburg, the Habsburg palaces and the world's largest Klimt collection in Vienna, with concerts almost every night in both cities.
Travellers on a longer loop
Only 10.2% of Austria trips planned on Stippl stay inside Austria, so it slots easily between Germany, Italy and the Czech Republic.
Winter visitors who don't ski
Snowshoeing, floodlit tobogganing, winter hiking, spas and the Christmas markets carry a whole winter trip without a lift ticket.
Maybe not for you: slow travellers hoping to drift from village to village, since Austria is planned as short city and resort stays; and anyone arriving between mid-April and late May, or in November, expecting open huts and running lifts.
The best time to visit Austria
Ski season
Early December to April
Most resorts open in early December and close between late March and mid April, depending on the snow. The glaciers run longer, and Hintertux opens every day of the year.
Alpine summer
Mid June to mid September
The huts are open, the gondolas run and the lakes are warm enough to swim. It is also the wettest stretch of the year in Tyrol, so leave room for rain days.
City shoulder
Late April to early June, and autumn
The best weeks for Vienna, Salzburg and Graz: warm, mostly dry, and before or after the summer crowd. September is the one month that suits the cities and the mountains together.
The gap
Mid April to late May, and November
Between the two seasons the mountain huts are shut, many cable cars run a reduced service or none, and the valley resorts close. Plan a city trip for these weeks, not a mountain one.
- Travellers plan Austria about 80 days ahead on Stippl, and only 14.3% inside a fortnight. That is plenty for the cities in the shoulder months, and too late for Hallstatt and Salzburg in summer or a ski village in the February school weeks.
- In Tyrol, summer is the wet season. Vienna stays dry, but Innsbruck's wettest months are June, July and August, the opposite of what a summer hiker expects. Keep a spare day in a hiking week; a fifteen-minute drive to the next valley often gets you out from under the cloud.
- Ski prices peak in the February school weeks. Dutch and German school holidays push rooms and passes to their highest of the year, while March brings sun, long days and groomed pistes that still hold, which makes it the better-value ski month.
- The last gondola down is not negotiable. At Dachstein Krippenstein it leaves at 16:40, against a descent of two and a half hours on foot, and outside late May to October the huts on the way are shut. Plan every mountain day backwards from the last lift.
- Winter daylight shortens a city day. In December Vienna's sun rises around half past seven and sets around four, so an itinerary written for summer needs compressing, with the museums and the coffee houses kept for after dark.
Add your Austria dates and we'll flag the weather per stop
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Festivals, and when to avoid them
Schönbrunn Christmas market
The first market to open and the last to close, because it turns into a New Year market after Christmas. It is the one to aim for on a trip after 26 December.
Vienna Christkindlmarkt
The big market on Rathausplatz, open daily until ten at night, with its own mug on a refundable deposit. Market weekends fill Vienna's hotels, so book December early.
Salzburg Christmas markets
The Christkindlmarkt in the old town and the Adventzauber in the Hellbrunn palace courtyard. Salzburg is the market city to base yourself in, rather than Hallstatt.
Krampus
A horned figure walks beside St Nicholas with bells, chains and whips through towns and villages. It is loud and genuinely frightening for small children, so plan family evenings with that in mind.
Hallstatt Christmas market
One day only, with live music, a lit tree and a life-size nativity. Do not plan a Hallstatt trip around it; Salzburg's markets run for weeks.
Ski season openers
Ischgl opens its season with a concert on the mountain and the Stubaital with a week of hut parties. Come for the party, or wait a week for quieter pistes.
Four Hills at Bergisel
Innsbruck's leg of the ski-jumping tour floods the city for the event. Book far ahead to watch it, or come the week after.
Hahnenkamm race
The World Cup downhill on the Streif fills Kitzbühel for its race weekend. Book far ahead to see it, or ski somewhere else that week.
Donauinselfest
Europe's largest free open-air music festival, three days on Vienna's Danube Island with more than three million visitors. Come for it and book early, or pick another weekend for the museums.
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Things to do in Austria
A long Viennese coffee-house breakfast
Order a Melange and stay for hours: lingering is the point of a Viennese coffee house, and the culture is on UNESCO's intangible heritage list. The Neubau cafés cost less than the grand names.
Schönbrunn and the Gloriette
The Habsburg summer palace shows 45 of its 1,441 rooms on a timed ticket, so book a slot before you go. The gardens are free, and the walk up to the Gloriette is best at sunset.
Salzburg's fortress and old town
Walk the old town from square to square, then take the funicular or a twenty-minute climb up to Hohensalzburg for the best view in the city. The DomQuartier museum sits next door.
Hallstatt before the buses
Day-trippers arrive around half past ten and leave by four, and outside that window the village is calm. Sleep nearby or arrive by seven, and save the viewpoint on your map first.
The Grossglockner High Alpine Road
Forty-eight kilometres of hairpins past glaciers between Carinthia and Salzburgerland, open in summer only and tolled separately from the vignette. Give it a full day in clear weather.
Ski the Arlberg
Ski Arlberg links St Anton, Lech, Zürs, Stuben and Warth into about 300 km of piste on one pass, the largest area in Austria. St Anton brings the après-ski, Lech the quiet.
Austrian food: what to eat
Breaded, fried veal (or pork) cutlet, usually with berry compote
Boiled beef with vegetables and horseradish
Soft egg noodles under melted cheese and crisp fried onion
Fried potato, bacon and onion hash, crisped up
Fried cheese dumplings, often served in broth
Shredded fluffy pancake, thick powdered sugar, apple or plum compote
Steamed yeast dumpling filled with plum jam, poppy seed and butter
Flaky pastry with spiced apple and raisins, vanilla sauce
Chocolate cake, two layers split by apricot jam, chocolate icing
Marzipan and nougat chocolate ball
Cold platter of bread, cheese and cured meat on a wooden board
Espresso with steamed milk, the Viennese coffee
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Austrian customs and what not to do
Linger in the coffee house
Sitting on long after the last sip is how the Viennese use a café, so nobody will move you along and there is no reason to rush.
Greet with Grüß Gott
Grüß Gott is the everyday hello outside Vienna and carries no religious weight; Servus works as hello and goodbye with people your own age.
Say the tip as you pay
Round up or add about 5 to 10% in restaurants, and say the total you want to pay as you hand over cash or card, rather than leaving coins behind.
Après-ski starts early
Austrian après-ski begins in the early afternoon with singalongs and schlager, so the evening ends early and a clear head next morning is normal.
Dress up for a concert
A classical concert, above all in a church, calls for smarter clothes, and in winter keep your coat on, because Austrian churches are unheated.
The film is for visitors
Many Austrians have never seen The Sound of Music, so enjoy the tour in Salzburg but do not expect the locals to share the enthusiasm.
Do
- Reserve dinner in Salzburg, Hallstatt and the ski valleys, and a table at the famous Vienna cafés.
- Validate your transport ticket even where there are no gates; inspections are random.
- Carry cash for mountain huts, car parks and the old beer halls.
- Ask which guest card comes with your stay before buying a gondola or museum ticket.
Don't
- Drive into Hallstatt village; visitors cannot, and the outer car parks fill by mid-morning.
- Assume the vignette covers every road; six tunnel and pass routes carry their own toll.
- Call Innsbruck part of South Tyrol; Innsbruck is in North Tyrol, and South Tyrol is Italy.
- Count on an EHIC or GHIC for mountain rescue; neither covers it.
What an Austria trip costs
Budget
€60–100
A hostel dorm or a simple guesthouse, self-catering plus one hut lunch, public transport, free sights and a guest card doing the heavy lifting.
Mid-range
€140–250
A three-star hotel or a self-catering apartment, one restaurant meal a day, one or two paid sights and intercity trains booked ahead.
High-end
€300–500+
A four- or five-star hotel with a spa, a Mozart dinner concert, private guiding, and peak-week ski accommodation with the lift pass.
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Visas, SIM cards and getting around
Entry & visa
EU free, others 90 days
EU, EEA and Swiss citizens travel on a passport or ID card. UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports get 90 days in any 180 across the whole Schengen area.
Money
Euro, and cash for huts
Cards work in restaurants, shops and sights, but mountain huts, car parks, old beer halls and village tills often want cash, and tips are usually given in cash.
Connectivity
EU roams, others eSIM
EU travellers roam at home rates and everyone else buys an eSIM. Download offline maps, because high alpine areas have gaps where no call can be made.
Getting around
Trains, then a car
ÖBB links Vienna, Salzburg and Innsbruck, and advance Sparschiene fares beat any pass. A car needs a vignette, and some tunnels and passes charge a toll on top.
Health
Insure for mountain rescue
No vaccinations are needed. The EHIC and GHIC cover state care but not mountain rescue or a helicopter, so hikers and skiers need a policy that names it.
Water
Drink from the tap
Tap water is safe everywhere, and alpine towns run public fountains of drinkable spring water, so carry a refillable bottle instead of buying bottled.
Tipping
Round up, 5 to 10%
Service is included, so the tip is a small extra: round up in cafés and taxis, add 5 to 10% in restaurants, and say the total as you pay.
Power & plugs
Type F, 230 volts
The standard European two-pin plug fits, so nothing is needed from mainland Europe. UK and Irish travellers need a Type G adapter, and US travellers should check the voltage.
Language
German, English widely spoken
Austrian German has its own words, from Jänner for January to Sackerl for a bag. English is spoken widely wherever there is tourism, and nobody expects fluent German.
Useful phrases
Nobody expects you to speak the language, which is exactly why a handful of words goes so far.
grooss got
Hello, the default greeting outside Vienna · Grüß Gott
ZER-voos
Hi / bye, informal, works both ways · Servus
owf VEE-der-show-en
Goodbye, formal (Austrians say *schauen*, not *sehen*) · Auf Wiederschauen
BIT-uh
Please, also "you're welcome" and "pardon?" · Bitte
DUN-kuh shern
Thank you · Danke schön
tsoom vohl
Cheers: the more formal, very Austrian toast · Zum Wohl
TSAH-len BIT-uh
The bill, please · Zahlen, bitte
ine me-LONZH BIT-uh
A Viennese milk coffee, please · Ein Melange, bitte
ine ZUK-erl BIT-uh
A bag, please · Ein Sackerl, bitte
YEN-uh
January: the Austrian word, not *Januar* · Jänner
Austria questions, answered
Along the railway, east to west, with no car until the mountains. Lay the three cities out in Stippl and give each the nights it needs; most travellers give an Austrian stop 2 nights on Stippl, so ten days carries all three and a lake day. Then show the route to people who have been, in subreddits like r/austria, and say how you like to travel when you ask.
Almost all of them do. Only 10.2% of the Austria trips planned on Stippl stay inside Austria, and Germany and Italy are the neighbours added most often, with the Czech Republic close behind. Decide which neighbours are on the route before fixing where you fly in and out, because that choice decides where Austria starts.
Because the rail line makes a quick stop easy. 41% of the stops in the Austria trips people build on Stippl are one night, usually Salzburg, Hallstatt or Innsbruck taken on the way through. Give Vienna and your mountain base two nights or more, and let the smaller places be day trips or one-night stops.
For most people a day trip works, and an overnight is what changes it. Day-trippers arrive around half past ten and leave by four, so Hallstatt is calm at breakfast and after dinner. If you stay, Obertraun across the lake has its own station and rooms that are bigger and cheaper, and it makes the onward journey easier.
No. The EHIC and the UK GHIC cover state healthcare on local terms, not mountain rescue, a helicopter evacuation or repatriation, and a helicopter lift off an Austrian mountain is billed to the casualty. Join the Alpenverein, whose membership includes rescue cover, or buy a policy that names helicopter rescue and off-piste skiing.
No. The vignette covers the motorways and expressways, but six tunnel and pass routes in Austria, including the Brenner, the Tauern and the Arlberg, charge a separate toll, and the Grossglockner High Alpine Road is a private road with its own ticket. Driving a motorway without a vignette brings a substitute toll that grows into a larger fine if left unpaid.
Every guide is written by the Stippl editors and checked against the trips our travellers actually plan. Spotted something out of date? Let us know.
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