Republic of Austria

Tourists often make the mistake of classifying Austrians as Germans, which despite a common language (well at least on paper), they are not. Arguably, Southern Germany, especially Bavaria, is a close cultural relative of Austria in many ways.

Contrary to popular perceptions, Austria is not all about mountains. Glaciers, meadows, alpine valleys, wooded foothills, gently rolling farmland, vineyards, river gorges, plains and even semi-arid steppes can be found in Austria.

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Visits to Austria mostly include trips to Vienna with its St. Stephen’s Cathedral (map). Salzburg, birthplace of Mozart, Innsbruck, capital of Tyrol surrounded by the Alps. Linz, capital of Upper Austria with the largest Cathedral of Austria and modern cultural highlights. *Danube valley with its vineyards, for example the *Wachau (map) or *Dunkelsteinerwald (map), which are between *Melk (map) and Krems (map).

In the western part of the country the province Vorarlberg (map) reaches the Lake Constance (map), in the eastern part Neusiedler See (*Lake Neusiedl). The three most visited landmarks in Austria are Schönbrunn Palace (map), Tiergarten Schönbrunn (map) and Mariazell Basilica (map).

In the winter season, a number of winter sport resorts in western Austria overtake Salzburg in the number of tourist overnight stays: Sölden (map), Saalbach-Hinterglemm (map), Ischgl (map), St Anton am Arlberg (map), and Obertauern (map).

Salzkammergut – the region is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site as “Salzkammergut Cultural Landscape“. Lower Austria, Wachau — inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2000 with the towns *Melk, *Spitz, *Dürnstein and Krems. Salzburg (state) – the most important forms of income are tourism and agriculture.

Tyrol – is a multi-national historical region in the heart of the Alps. South Tyrol, despite its German-speaking majority, has been part of Italy since the end of World War I. It makes up the northern portion of the alpine Italian autonomous province Trentino-Alto Adige with its capital in Bolzano / Bozen.

Vorarlberg – the state is almost entirely mountainous and enjoys one of the highest standards of living and income levels in Austria due to its proximity to Switzerland. It is also is home to an Alemanic alpine culture, quite different to the rest of Austria making it a special place in the country even to other Austrians.

Journeying to and through Austria by rail is easier than ever before. What better way to travel than through stunning alpine scenery, lush valleys, historic towns and picturesque villages on comfortable trains?

⇒ Getting There & Around (austria.info)