Travel

Whirlwind Tour of Austria:

Love Vienna, Savour Salzburg and Get Hooked on Innsbruck

By Jennifer Hartley

Vienna has long inspired thinkers, artists, philosophers and dreamers. Classical music capital of the world, it was once home to such composers as Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, Schubert and Strauss. The city is also a bastion of spectacular art and architecture thanks to the centuries-long Habsburg Empire.

Experience its richness in museums and galleries.

  • The Belvedere has incredible collection of Gustav Klimt’s art, including The Kiss.
  • The Albertina features over 600 years of art history.
  • Kunst­historisches Museum is spectacular in every way.
  • The Sigmund Freud Museum, where Sigmund Freud lived and worked for 47 years, is the birthplace of psychoanalysis.
  • The Museum of Military History includes a haunting exhibit about the Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s murder in 1918.
  • Hofburg Palace gives you a sense of the magnitude of the 600-year Habsburg Empire.
  • The MuseumsQuartier is home to modern galleries.
  • Parks are peppered with spectacular monuments and statues.
  • Hundreds of churches including St. Stephen’s, a beautiful Gothic cathedral where Mozart was married, and St. Anne’s, a Baroque stunner where concerts are held.
  • At 18th-century Karlskirche, Vivaldi is honoured. In its fabulous front plaza, people waltz and congregate.

Vienna takes coffee seriously and UNESCO added Viennese coffee houses to its Intangible Cultural Heritage List. There are few of the best:

  • Café Frauenhuber is Vienna’s oldest. It’s where Beethoven and Mozart once enchanted guests with their music, but even then it was known for its coffee.
  • The Café-Restaurant in the Kunst­historisches Museum is one of the most stunning in the city, if not the world.
  • Café Central was a favourite of luminaries such as Freud and Alfred Adler and political figures such as Trotsky and Tito.
  • Café Landtmann was another favourite of Freud’s.
  • Café Sperl is worth a stop, especially for fans of the movie Before Sunrise.

Culinary Quest

  • Sausages were added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List in 2024. Bitzinger’s are delicious. Skip the bun and add mustard for an authentic Viennese experience. Pretzels, Wiener Schnitzel and potato salads of every variation are fabulous. Eat The Austrians created them, not the French.
  • Steirereck, a Michelin-starred restaurant, presents a modern take on Austrian cuisine.

Sleep

  • The Hotel Sacher offers five-star luxury.
  • Hotel Magdas is a social business that hires and trains people who have fled their countries. Open since 2023, it has a relaxed vibe and a magnificent breakfast buffet.

Savour Salzburg in 48

Much smaller than Vienna, Salzburg is vibrant and steeped in history.

  • Mozart’s Birthplace is a must-visit museum. Seeing his childhood violin is almost a religious experience.
  • Walk around the UNESCO World Heritage old town. There’s lots of history, but also lots of shopping.
  • The 11th century Hohensalzburg Fortress is worth it, even just for the view of mountains.
  • Revel in the 400-year-old Augustiner Bräu Mülln, an immense beer hall and brewery with a food arcade, long wooden tables and beer served in large beer steins.
  • The Sound of Music bus tour is a splendid way to see the area and learn about its history and that of the movie.

Food:

 

  • Dating back to 803, the St. Peter Stiftskulinarium is the oldest restaurant in Europe. Splurge on a Mozart Dinner Concert. You’ll dine by candlelight while soaking up Mozart classics performed by opera singers dressed in era clothing.
  • Gasthof Goldgasse offers a culinary history experience with delicious takes on recipes from 1719.

Innsbruck in 48

Innsbruck beckons

Nestled in the mountains, Innsbruck is the site of previous Olympic Games.

Take the Nordkette Cable Car to the Top of Innsbruck, where you can breathe in the splendour and hike around.

Visit the 400-year-old, family-run Grassmayr Bell Foundry. You can see craftsmen at work, witness bell casting and test how different bells sound.

Don’t miss the unique Court Church, where 28 larger-than-life bronze statues guard the tomb of Emperor Maximilian I.

Culinary Experience: At die Wilderin Bar and Restaurant, you’ll dine on modern, farm-to-table Tyrolian cuisine.

Sleep: Hotel Das Innbruck has incredible mountain views, an outstanding pool and an excellent breakfast buffet.

A whirlwind tour of Austria gives you a taste of its beauty, history and cultural opportunities, whetting your appetite for more of its magic.

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