Austria has few peers as a year-round holiday destination, with plenty
of winter sports in the Alps, some of the most impressive and overblown
architecture in Europe and an unrivalled musical tradition that even
The Sound of Music couldn't sully.
The cities have plenty to engage visitors. Vienna is the capital, hub
of the country's musical life and littered with beautiful buildings.
Music, art and architecture reach baroque perfection in Salzburg, Mozart's
birthplace. Innsbruck's snow-capped peaks frame its fascinating historic
buildings.
Throughout Austria, you'll find the rhythm of daily life has a musical
beat; music festivals fill its calender. There's also a wonderful range
of outdoor activities, from lounging on lakeside beaches to paragliding
from mountains. The skiing is some of the best in the world.
Summer sightseeing and winter sports make Austria a year-round destination.
In the summer high season (July to August) crowds are bigger and prices
higher. Winter sports are in full swing from mid-December to late March.
Spring in the Alps is in June, when the Alpine flowers start coating
the mountains with colour.
The cycle of music festivals is unceasing. In January, New Year concerts
consist of lavish balls in Vienna. February brings Fasching (Carnival)
which celebrates the return of spring with masked processions and dances.
Corpus Christi (the second Thursday after Whitsun) is heralded with
more carnivals, some held on lakes in the Salzkammergut. The Vienna
International Festival (from mid-May to mid-June) has a wide-ranging
programme of arts and is considered the highlight of the year. Midsummer
night's celebrations on 21 June light up the sky with magnificent bonfires.
The Salzburg International Festival takes place in late-July and August
and includes plenty of music by the city's favourite son, Mozart. National
Day on 26 October involves lots of patriotic flag-waving. St Nicholas
Day, on 5 December, marks the beginning of the Christmas season with
parades.
Grandiose Vienna was the showpiece of the all-conquering Habsburg dynasty.
Monumental edifices line the city centre, world-class museums burst
with treasures, white stallions strut their way down mirrored halls
and renowned orchestras and angelic choirboys perform in lavish concert
halls.
Most of Vienna's main sights are crammed into the Innere Stadt (inner
city). The district is adorned with the outstanding Gothic heights of
Stephansdom, the massive Hofburg (Imperial Palace), the cultured history
of the Jewish quarter (Judenplatz) and a scattering of historic streets
and squares.
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