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🇦🇹Things to Do in Austria
From Vienna's imperial palaces to the lakeside village of Hallstatt - the essential sights, and how to keep your own record of them.
Travel guide - last updated September 2026
Austria trades on two things most visitors come for: Vienna and Salzburg's imperial and musical history, and an Alpine countryside compact enough to see a genuine mountain lake town on a day trip from either city. The rail network connects all of it without much need for a car. Here are 8 places worth building a trip around.
Top attractions
The sights most first-time visitors build an itinerary around.
Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna
The Habsburgs' summer residence, with 1,441 rooms and formal gardens leading up to the Gloriette viewpoint. Book a timed-entry ticket online to skip the walk-up queue in summer.
📍 Vienna
🚉 Nearest station: Schonbrunn on U-Bahn line U4, a five-minute walk to the palace gates; Hietzing on the same line is closer to the zoo and the Gloriette end of the gardens.
St. Stephen's Cathedral & Vienna State Opera
Vienna's Gothic cathedral anchors the old town, a short walk from the State Opera - standing-room tickets for same-day performances are a genuinely cheap way to see a world-class opera house in use.
📍 Vienna
🚉 Nearest station: Stephansplatz on U1 and U3 for the cathedral, which the exit opens directly beneath; Karlsplatz on U1, U2 and U4 for the Opera, four minutes down the Kartnerstrasse.
Mozart's Salzburg
Mozart's birthplace and childhood home are both open as museums in Salzburg's old town, itself a UNESCO World Heritage site of baroque architecture below the Hohensalzburg fortress.
📍 Salzburg
🚉 Nearest station: Salzburg Hauptbahnhof, about 20 minutes' walk or a short trolleybus ride from Getreidegasse and Mozart's birthplace in the old town.
Hallstatt
A lakeside village in the Salzkammergut region so photogenic it inspired a full-scale replica built in China. Visit early morning or as a day trip - the village itself is small and gets crowded by midday in summer.
📍 Hallstatt, Salzkammergut
🚉 Nearest station: Hallstatt, across the lake - the arriving train is met by the little ferry Stefanie, which crosses to the village square in 10 minutes and is the classic approach.
Austrian Alps & Innsbruck
Innsbruck sits directly beneath the Nordkette mountain range, reachable by cable car from the city center itself - a rare case of alpine hiking starting almost from a hotel doorstep.
📍 Innsbruck, Tyrol
🚉 Nearest station: Innsbruck Hauptbahnhof, on the main line from Munich and Vienna, with the Nordkettenbahnen funicular starting in the centre and climbing to 2,300m in 20 minutes.
Belvedere Palace, Vienna
A baroque palace complex housing Gustav Klimt's The Kiss, alongside one of the most complete collections of Austrian art from the medieval period to today.
📍 Vienna
🚉 Nearest stop: Schloss Belvedere on tram D for the Upper Belvedere, or Quartier Belvedere station on the S-Bahn, both a couple of minutes from the gates.
Vienna Christmas Markets
Running late November through December, with the market in front of the City Hall (Rathausplatz) among the largest and most central of several held around the city.
📍 Vienna
🚉 The Rathausplatz market is at Rathaus on U2; Schonbrunn, Belvedere and Spittelberg markets each sit beside their own U-Bahn stop, so the whole circuit works on a single day ticket.
Hohensalzburg Fortress, Salzburg
One of Europe's largest surviving medieval castles, overlooking Salzburg from a hilltop reachable by funicular. The fortress museum inside covers both its military and residential history.
📍 Salzburg
🚉 From Salzburg Hauptbahnhof walk or ride into the old town, then take the FestungsBahn funicular from Festungsgasse - the climb on foot takes about 20 minutes.
Mark Austria, get the stamp
In MyPassportStory, every country you mark - visited, lived in, or still on the list - becomes a stamp like these in your own travel passport. Add the cities you stopped in, draw the route between them, and turn the whole trip into a shareable passport-style image.
Open MyPassportStoryPlanning questions
How many days do you need in Austria?
A week covers Vienna and Salzburg well, with a day trip to Hallstatt or Innsbruck. Ten days lets you slow down and add a proper Alpine stay.
What's the best time to visit Austria?
May-September has the warmest weather for city sightseeing and hiking. Ski season runs roughly December-March; Vienna's Christmas markets take over the city from late November through December.
Is Austria good for a first-time visit?
Yes - Vienna and Salzburg are both walkable, well-signed cities, and the train network makes day trips to the Alps or lake country straightforward without a car.
Do I need a visa to visit Austria?
Austria is part of the Schengen Area, so citizens of the US, UK, Canada, Australia and many other countries can visit visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period; other nationalities need a Schengen visa arranged in advance. Check the official visa information for your nationality: bmeia.gv.at.
What are some things to do in Austria on a tight budget?
Vienna's Ringstrasse boulevard and most church interiors are free to see, standing-room opera tickets are inexpensive, and hiking around Hallstatt or Innsbruck's nearby trails costs nothing beyond a bit of effort.
Can I rent a car in Austria, and what licence do I need?
Yes, and it opens up the Salzkammergut lakes and the Alpine passes that trains only skirt. EU and EEA licences are valid as issued; visitors from elsewhere can drive on a home licence for up to six months and should carry an International Driving Permit with it, which is required if the licence is not in German or English. Minimum age is normally 21 with a surcharge under 25. Motorways need a vignette, included with rental cars, and several Alpine tunnels and passes charge separately on top. Austrian licence rules are published by the transport ministry at bmk.gv.at; cars come from Europcar, Sixt and Hertz.