Why Austria rewards city-hoppers
Austria packs imperial palaces, alpine peaks and coffee-house culture into a country smaller than Maine. Train links are fast and reliable, so you can string several cities into one trip. Here are the best to base yourself in.
Vienna
The grand capital is Austria at its most imperial - Habsburg palaces, the State Opera and ringstrasse boulevards.
- Highlight: Schonbrunn Palace and its gardens, the summer residence of the Habsburgs
Salzburg
Mozart's birthplace and a baroque jewel wrapped around a hilltop fortress, Salzburg is pure old-world charm and the home of The Sound of Music.
- Highlight: the Hohensalzburg Fortress, one of Europe's largest fully preserved castles
Innsbruck
Ringed by the Nordkette mountains, Innsbruck is the alpine capital where city sightseeing meets ski lifts minutes away.
- Highlight: the Golden Roof (Goldenes Dachl) with its 2,657 gilded copper tiles
Graz
Austria's laid-back second city blends a UNESCO old town with bold modern design and a buzzing student scene.
- Highlight: the Kunsthaus Graz, a biomorphic blue "friendly alien" art museum
Hallstatt
Tiny but world-famous, this lakeside village clings to a mountainside above the Hallstattersee in the Salzkammergut.
- Highlight: the Skywalk viewpoint above the village, with the postcard view down the lake
Linz
Once industrial, Linz has reinvented itself as a UNESCO City of Media Arts on the Danube.
- Highlight: the Ars Electronica Center, a museum of the future lit up along the river
Practical tips
- The OBB Railjet links Vienna, Linz, Salzburg and Innsbruck efficiently
- A Vienna or Salzburg card bundles transit and museum entry
- Summer suits the lakes; December is magical for Christmas markets
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