📷 Hasmik Ghazaryan Olson / Unsplash (Unsplash License)
Alpine country in the heart of Europe — birthplace of Mozart, rich coffeehouse culture, magnificent palaces, and world-renowned opera houses. Vienna is the capital, but Salzburg, Innsbruck, and Hallstatt offer a unique combination of natural beauty and historical charm.
Seven days of Advent from Vienna to Salzburg, without a car: train, local bus, and an Advent boat. Two days of Viennese Christmas markets, a scenic railway to Mariazell and one of the largest traditional Advent celebrations in Austria, two nights on the Wolfgangsee travelling from village to village by boat, and a finale in Salzburg. The route is designed for a Tuesday departure, as the Advent market in Mariazell operates Thursday to Sunday and the Wolfgangsee boats run Wednesday to Sunday. The Advent season on the Wolfgangsee ends on 20 December, so the last possible departure is Tuesday, 15 December. The first departure is Tuesday, 24 November, as the Mariazell Railway is closed for maintenance until 20 November. The Schafbergbahn journey depends on weather and is not guaranteed; if it is not running, that day can be used to visit Hallstatt. Check the boat and train timetables for your chosen date.
Austria beyond the alpine postcard: imperial Vienna, the Danube and the Wachau vineyards, Linz, the pilgrimage town of Mariazell, Styrian Graz, and finally the flatlands around Lake Neusiedl. Seven days of culture, wine, and water, all by car.
Seven days without changing hotels every morning or retracing your steps. The route starts in the east, at Alpbach, then heads west: Innsbruck holds two days as a city where you can see the mountains from the main square, the Ötztal offers a valley to breathe in, and the journey ends at Lake Constance. You travel by car, through valleys — not through a checklist of towns.
Seven days through the Austrian Alps, where fairy-tale towns, mountain villages, thermal springs and snow-capped peaks follow one another on a journey that requires no car. The trip begins in Salzburg — a city of music, baroque streets and romantic atmosphere — before continuing to Hallstatt, a picture-perfect village nestled between a lake and the mountains that looks as though it has stepped straight out of a fairy tale. In Bad Gastein, the pace slows. Surrounded by grand historic hotels, mountain summits and a waterfall that tumbles through the very heart of the town, the days are reserved for enjoying nature, taking in panoramic views and unwinding in the thermal baths. Next come Zell am See and Kaprun, where the stillness of the lake meets the high Alps. The ascent to the Kitzsteinhorn glacier reveals an entirely different world — mountain panoramas, snow and the feeling of being above it all. The journey ends in Innsbruck, where historic streets and lively squares sit within easy reach of the impressive Tyrolean mountains. Trains, combined with local boat and bus connections, link these diverse alpine experiences together. Without the need to drive on winter roads, there is more time for what travel is really about: discovering new places, savouring the moment and creating memories that linger long after the journey home.
Eight days from the imperial capital to the Alpine lakes, without repacking your suitcase every morning. Vienna gets two full days, the Wachau unfolds along the Danube and its vineyards, and the second half of the journey belongs to Salzburg, the Salzkammergut, and the mountains. You travel by car, so you set the pace yourself.
Eight days travelling from Salzburg through the lakes of the Salzkammergut to the alpine valleys and Carinthia. This is not a city tour but a succession of landscapes: lakes, villages, salt, snow on the peaks, and finally water that is warm again. The route is driven by car.
Alpbach is a small Tyrolean village frequently cited as one of the most beautiful in Austria. Its distinctive wooden houses adorned with flowers on the balconi…
Bad Gastein is a spa town in the Gastein Valley in the Salzburg region, built on steep slopes around a waterfall that plunges through its very centre. Belle ép…
Vienna is a city where imperial history, art, and modern life merge in a unique way. The former capital of the Habsburg Monarchy is known for its magnificent p…
The capital of Vorarlberg sits between Lake Constance and the Pfänder, so the city unfolds across two levels: up above lies the Oberstadt with its medieval cor…
Zell am See – Kaprun is the twin heart of Austria's Pinzgau region, whose history stretches back to Roman times, and today stands as one of the most visited mo…
Dürnstein is a small wine-growing town on the Danube, in the Wachau valley. Above it stand the ruins of the fortress where the English king Richard the Lionhea…
Gmunden is a enchanting small town on the shores of Lake Traunsee, in the heart of the Austrian Salzkammergut, whose history stretches back to the Roman Empire…
Graz, Austria's second-largest city, conceals the soul of a true medieval gem — its Old Town is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List and delights visito…
Hallstatt is a fairy-tale Alpine village nestled between the mountain slopes of Austria's Salzkammergut and the serene waters of its namesake lake — a place wh…
Nestled in the heart of the Austrian Alps, Innsbruck seamlessly blends a rich Habsburg heritage with breathtaking mountain scenery. Once an imperial residence,…
The capital of Carinthia sits in a broad plain, with a Renaissance heart at its core: pedestrian streets lead into arcaded courtyards, and the central square i…
Linz is the capital of Upper Austria and the country's third-largest city, situated on the Danube on the site of the Roman fortress of Lentia. The twentieth ce…
Mariazell is a small Alpine town in Styria and one of the most well-known pilgrimage destinations in Austria. Its centre is dominated by a basilica featuring t…
Rust is a charming little town on the shores of Lake Neusiedl in Austria, known since the Middle Ages for its exceptional white wine, which was once so prized …
Salzburg, nestled in the heart of the Alps, is one of Europe's most beautifully preserved Baroque cities, its rich history shaped by the powerful prince-archbi…
St. Wolfgang is a fairytale Alpine village nestled on the shores of the emerald Lake Wolfgangsee, with a history stretching back to the Middle Ages, when it be…
Sölden is a picturesque alpine resort in the heart of Austria's Ötztal valley, with a history stretching back centuries as an important hub along mountain hiki…
