Austria Holidays

Imperial palaces, Alpine peaks and coffee so good it's basically an art form. Austria is one of those destinations that works brilliantly whether you're after a cultured city break, a snow-covered ski trip or a summer spent hiking through mountain scenery that looks almost offensively beautiful.

Holidays to Austria 2026/2027 Highlights

• 🏰 Imperial cities with serious wow factor from Vienna's grand palaces and world-class museums to Salzburg's baroque old town and Mozart connections

• 🏔️ The Alps on your doorstep with Innsbruck putting you within minutes of dramatic mountain scenery, cable cars and year-round outdoor adventures

• ☕ Legendary cafe culture where sitting down for a Sachertorte and a Wiener Melange is practically a national sport

• 🎶 The birthplace of classical music with Mozart, Strauss and Beethoven all calling Austria home, and concert halls and opera houses still going strong

Good to Know

• ☀️ Summers are warm and sunny at 23-25°C, perfect for city exploring and Alpine hiking. Winters drop to around 0-5°C with snow in the mountains, ideal for skiing and Christmas markets

• 💶 A pint of beer costs around €5-7 in a bar, a main course at a mid-range restaurant around €12-18 and a coffee with cake in a traditional cafe about €8-10. Not cheap, but not outrageous either

• 🎭 Vienna has been voted the world's most liveable city multiple years running. It's also home to the oldest zoo in the world (Schonbrunn, opened 1752) and has more than 100 museums

🏨 Top Hotels for Austria Holidays 2026/2027

💑 Couples

• 🏨 Do & Co Hotel Vienna - a boutique five-star right in front of St. Stephen's Cathedral. Just 43 rooms, a rooftop restaurant with panoramic views, and a hot tub for unwinding after a day exploring. About as central as it gets in Vienna.

• 🏨 Auersperg Salzburg Hotel & Villa - a family-run boutique gem in the heart of Salzburg, five minutes' walk from Mirabell Palace. Lovely spa area with sauna and rooftop terrace, organic breakfast buffet and 55 individually styled rooms.

• 🏨 Nala Individuellhotel - a stylish 57-room design hotel in central Innsbruck with espresso makers in every room, a rooftop terrace, garden and fitness centre. Seven minutes' walk from the main station and ten from the Golden Roof.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Families

• 🏨 Austria Trend Hotel Ananas - a big, reliable four-star by the Naschmarkt in Vienna with 522 rooms, a breakfast buffet with gluten-free and veggie options, and easy access to all the main sights. Great for families who want a solid base without fuss.

• 🏨 Hotel Untersberg - at the foot of the Untersberg mountain near Salzburg, with a kids' swimming area, playground, sauna and steam bath. The cable car station is right next door, and buses run into the city centre.

• 🏨 Alphotel Innsbruck - a 135-room hotel blending Tyrolean charm with modern comfort, set against a mountain backdrop. Sauna, steam bath, spa treatments and a restaurant serving both Austrian and international food. 3km from Innsbruck centre.

✨ Luxury

• 🏨 Hotel Sacher Wien - the iconic five-star opposite the State Opera, home of the original Sachertorte. 152 rooms, the Anna Sacher fine dining restaurant, a full spa with sauna and steam bath, and a location that's 100 metres from the nearest station.

• 🏨 AC Hotel Innsbruck - a sleek Marriott property in central Innsbruck with a full spa, sauna, casino, and rooms overlooking the mountains. Maria Theresa Street is just outside the door and the main station is six minutes away.

🎉 Groups

• 🏨 Austria Trend Hotel Congress - modern rooms and suites with Tyrolean mountain views, a gym, sauna, steam bath, massage services and a garden terrace. Five minutes' walk to Innsbruck centre with the Golden Roof and bars all within reach.

• 🏨 Stage 12 Hotel By Penz - 120 rooms with a sauna, fitness centre and bike rental, right in the heart of Innsbruck. Maria Theresa Street and the Old Town Christmas Market are a five-minute walk, and there's a bar on site for post-adventure drinks.

💰 Value

• 🏨 Scherer Salzburg - a 15-minute stroll from Salzburg's old town, with comfy rooms, a restaurant doing proper Austrian grub and a breakfast buffet. The train station is 400 metres away, making day trips a doddle.

• 🏨 Austria Trend Hotel Beim Theresianum - a clean, modern four-star a short walk from the Belvedere Palace in Vienna. Quiet location, underground garage, and the main train station is 300 metres away. Solid value for the location.

👉 See all Austria hotels

🏘️ Where to Stay on your Austria Holidays

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Families

• Vienna The best all-round base for families. Flat, walkable, with a brilliant public transport system and loads of kid-friendly attractions from Schonbrunn Palace (maze, zoo, children's museum) to the Prater fairground with its famous Ferris wheel.

• Salzburg Compact and manageable with children, with a charming old town, the Haus der Natur natural history museum (kids love the interactive exhibits) and easy day trips to the Lake District and Alpine villages.

💑 Couples

• Vienna World-class opera, candlelit dinners in imperial restaurants, Danube river cruises and some of the most beautiful architecture in Europe. Vienna does romance with serious style.

• Innsbruck For active couples who want mountains and culture in one trip. Cable car rides to Alpine peaks, cosy Tyrolean restaurants, and a gorgeous medieval old town lit up beautifully after dark.

🎉 Groups

• Innsbruck The best pick for groups, especially in winter. Skiing, snowboarding, apres-ski and a compact city centre with great bars and restaurants. Summer brings paragliding, mountain biking and beer gardens.

• Vienna Big enough to keep everyone happy, with museums, nightlife, food tours and rooftop bars. The Naschmarkt is brilliant for group food tours and the Heuriger wine taverns on the outskirts are a properly fun night out.

🏔️ Must-Dos on your Austria Holidays

Whether you're a history buff, a foodie or someone who just wants to stand on top of a mountain and feel something, Austria delivers.

• 🏰 Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna - the Habsburgs' 1,441-room summer residence is jaw-dropping. The palace tour, the maze, the gardens and the world's oldest zoo are all on the grounds, and you could easily spend a full day here.

• 🎵 Mozart's Salzburg - visit Mozart's birthplace on Getreidegasse, wander the baroque old town (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and finish with a Salzburger Nockerl dessert in a riverside cafe.

• 🏔️ Nordkette cable car, Innsbruck - ride from the city centre to 2,300 metres in about 20 minutes. The views from the top across the Tyrolean Alps are genuinely breathtaking, summer or winter.

• 🎭 Vienna State Opera - even if opera isn't your thing, the building alone is worth seeing. Standing tickets start from a few euros and the experience is properly special.

• ☕ Viennese coffee house culture - pull up a chair at Cafe Central, Cafe Sacher or Cafe Demel and order a Sachertorte with a Wiener Melange. This isn't just a coffee, it's a UNESCO-recognised cultural tradition.

• 🎄 Christmas markets - Vienna, Salzburg and Innsbruck all run brilliant Christmas markets from late November. Mulled wine, roasted chestnuts, handmade gifts and fairy-lit squares make Austria one of the best Christmas market destinations in Europe.

🗣️ Local Lingo

• 🇦🇹 Hello - Hallo (HAH-lo) or Gruss Gott (groos got) for the more traditional Austrian greeting

• 🙏 Please - Bitte (BIT-uh)

• 😊 Thank you - Danke (DAN-kuh)

• 🍺 Cheers! - Prost! (prohst)

• 🍽️ The bill, please - Die Rechnung, bitte (dee REKH-noong, BIT-uh)

• 😋 Delicious! - Lecker! (LEK-er)

• ☀️ Good morning - Guten Morgen (GOO-ten MOR-gen)

• 🗺️ Where is...? - Wo ist...? (voh ist)

• 👋 Excuse me - Entschuldigung (ent-SHOOL-dee-goong)

👀 Austria Travel Guide 2026/2027

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Families

• 🎡 Vienna Prater - the kids will go wild for the historic giant Ferris wheel, bumper cars and theme park rides. It's free to enter the park and you pay per ride, so you can tailor it to your budget

• 🏰 Schonbrunn Palace children's activities - the maze, labyrinth, children's museum (where kids can dress up as little Habsburgs) and the zoo make this an easy full-day outing for families

• 🔬 Haus der Natur, Salzburg - a massive natural history museum with interactive exhibits, an aquarium and a science centre. Kids can spend hours here without getting bored

• 🏔️ Alpenzoo, Innsbruck - Europe's highest zoo, home to over 150 Alpine animal species from lynxes to golden eagles. The cable car ride up is half the fun

• 🎿 Family skiing in Saalbach-Hinterglemm - gentle slopes, ski schools with English-speaking instructors and a relaxed atmosphere that's brilliant for kids learning the ropes

💑 Couples

• 🎭 Vienna State Opera - even if you're not into opera, the standing room tickets are a bargain and the building is extraordinary. Dress up, grab a drink at the interval and soak it in

• 🚢 Danube river cruise - float past vineyards, castles and the rolling hills of the Wachau Valley. The wine-tasting cruises are especially good for couples

• 🏔️ Nordkette sunset, Innsbruck - take the cable car up and watch the sun set over the Tyrolean Alps. Bring a jacket and a camera

• 🎶 Salzburg Festival - if you're visiting between late July and August, the Salzburg Festival is one of the most prestigious performing arts events in the world

• ☕ Coffee house hopping in Vienna - make a day of visiting Cafe Central, Cafe Sacher and Cafe Demel. Each has its own character and its own signature cake

🎉 Groups

• 🏔️ Swarovski Crystal Worlds, Innsbruck - a weird and wonderful art installation built into a hillside, about 20 minutes from the city. Brilliant for a group day out and genuinely unlike anything you've seen before

• 🍷 Heuriger wine taverns, Vienna - head to the outskirts of the city (Grinzing or Neustift am Walde) for traditional wine taverns serving local wine by the carafe and cold platters. Brilliant for a big group

• 🏔️ Paragliding in Innsbruck - tandem flights over the city and the Alps. No experience needed, just the nerve to jump off a mountain with your mates

• 🍺 Beer garden crawl - Innsbruck and Salzburg both have brilliant beer gardens, and a warm summer evening spent working through the local brews with a group is hard to beat

• 🎳 Escape rooms and bobsled runs, Innsbruck - for something different, try the Olympic bobsled run at Igls or an escape room challenge in the city centre

🌍 More Destinations

Austrian Cities

• Vienna Imperial palaces, world-class museums, legendary coffee houses and one of the best food scenes in Central Europe

• Innsbruck Alpine adventure meets medieval city charm, with cable cars to the peaks and a buzzing bar scene at the bottom

• Salzburg Mozart, The Sound of Music, baroque architecture and a compact old town that's a UNESCO World Heritage Site

More European City Breaks

• Amsterdam Canals, museums and a famously laid-back atmosphere, just a short flight from the UK & Ireland

• Barcelona Gaudi, tapas and beaches all in one city

• Rome The Colosseum, the Vatican and some of the best food on the planet

• Marrakech Souks, riads and a sensory overload in the best possible way