Austria, Alpine country

Austria is the Alpine country par excellence! Everything here is close to the Alps. The mountain range runs right through Austria, from the west, on the shores of Lake Constance, to Vienna, and even to the Hungarian border. It's not for nothing that most champions of skiing and other winter sports are Austrians!

Nevertheless, different regions can be identified, both in terms of relief and culture.

The Vorarlbergto the west, on the Swiss border, then the Tyrolalong the Inn valley and its tributaries. Continuing eastwards, we approach the high massifs of the Hohe Tauern, which drop slightly in altitude towards the Niedere Tauern.

A little further north in this region, close to Salzburgis the Salzkammergut and its magnificent lakes, while to the south we find the Carnic Alps on the border with Italy and Slovenia.

And further east, towards Vienne, the Pre-Alps and the last peaks reaching 2000m altitude.

In conclusion, going to the Alps in Austria isn't just about discovering the Tyrol: there's a variety of valleys, villages and ways of experiencing the mountains, or, for tourists, combining them with other activities. And last but not least, prices are affordable.

Vorarlberg, Austria's far west

Often the gateway when arriving from France or Switzerland. Two mountain ranges share the region's resorts. Arlberg and Silvretta.

While the Silvretta, which is quite steep, is especially popular with holidaymakers looking for wilderness and grandiose landscapes, the Arlberg is one of the most extensive ski areas in the Alps, and certainly the most extensive in Austria.

Its flagship ski resort, Lech am Arlberg, sometimes cut off from the world in winter when the snowfalls are too intense, enjoys exceptional snow cover despite its modest altitude of 1400 meters.

This station is linked to several valleys as far north as Warth and as far south as St Anton am Arlberg (already in Tyrol). The entire region can be crossed by train on the line between Bregenz and Innsbruck.

Tyrol, the heart of the Austrian Alps

The Tyrol is undoubtedly the epitome of the Alpine imagination we have in our cities far from the Alps.

Traditional houses, often painted and decorated with frescoes around the doors and windows, but also including wood here and there, with well-sloped roofs so as not to collapse under the depth of snow.

Traditional dress with leather pants, high white socks, vest over a puffed white shirt and a pointed hat adorned with feathers for the men, and elegant long dresses with floral motifs for the women, and of course this tradition is perpetuated during the festivities: lively Tyrolean music, or yodeling, that vocal art so difficult to imitate...

Yes, in Tyrol has all that, and that's its charm, but there's even more! There are magnificent mountains, beautiful valleys, and friendly little villages that make a living from both their ancestral agricultural activities and the relative novelty of alpine sports.

The gateway to all these treasures is undoubtedly Innsbruck. A true capital of the Alps, thanks to its position and the fact that it hosted the Winter Olympics , just like Grenoble, which bears the same title - but is recognized above all by the French!

Innsbruck 's location? Situated in a very wide valley, at the crossroads of the roads that cross Austria from west to east, from Switzerland to Vienna, and from north to south, from Munich to Italy, Innsbruck's position is strategic. Add to this the 2,000-meter-high mountains that frame the city to the north and south, and a host of valleys that provide access to some of Austria's most beautiful ski resorts, or to glaciers along which you can hike in complete safety in summer. What could be better for those who love the mountains?

If Innsbruck is the starting point for discovering the Tyrol, where can you turn?

Apart from Seefeld, just north of Innsbruck, which is to some extent the historic ski resort of Innsbruck's inhabitants, the best place to look is to the south, in the valleys leading up to the Italian ridges, such as the Nauders valley.

Ischgl with its festive atmosphere, Sölden and Obergurgl with their sporty ski slopes at the foot of the Ötztal massif, where the mummy of a prehistoric hunter was found in the ice, the romantic Stubaital or the classic Zillertal, which from Mayrhofen takes you to the glaciers above Hintertux.

Much further east, heading back towards Germany on the freeway, you can explore the Kitzbühel and Kaisergebrige region, with its many small villages, picture-postcard churches and bucolic mountain landscapes.

Don't forget to sample Tyrolean gastronomy, which is far from being dietetic, but which isn't stuffy either, as is often the case in the mountains. Cheese, for example, is rarely used in traditional Tyrolean dishes, giving this Italian and Hungarian-tinged cuisine every opportunity to excite your taste buds, especially if accompanied by one of the many fine Austrian wines.

Salzkammergut, land of lakes and mountains

Salzburg is a magnificent city. From its castle, you can see the Alps above the tightly-packed rooftops of this Baroque city so important to music. Mozart's city.

If the mountains south of Salzburg attract skiers and mountaineers, who find the Hohe Tauern chain their base camp for entertainment, the region east of Salzburg known as the Salzkammergut offers a string of lakes surrounded by mountains of unique beauty.

The gateway to this region is Bad Ischl, and of course you can get here by train.

Then you'll have the choice of photographing the world's most photogenic village, Hallstatt, on the shores of a lake at the foot of the Dachstein, which rises to almost 3,000 m, or strolling along the banks of the Wolfgangsee, or admiring it from above, along with the Attersee or Mondsee after your hike to the Schafberg at 1,700 m altitude.

Or perhaps you'll simply walk along the wooded banks of the Traunsee.

In addition to these five lakes, there are many more... Real jewels in a green setting. Hidden secrets you'll love discovering.

Salzkammergut has plenty of other attractions to offer: caves, salt mines (hence the name Salz...), the emperor's residence, etc...

A miniature country, different from Tyrol and its Alpine culture, but surrounded by mountains, some of them high, which are reflected in the many lakes where you can swim in summer.

Hohe Tauern and Niedere Tauern, central Austria

Less well known than the Tyrol, this region hides many secrets. It's often here that Austrians take their mountain vacations, away from the foreign tourists who concentrate on the region around Innsbruck or downtown Salzburg.

There is no geographical unity, let alone historical unity, in this central part of Austria. We've grouped them together mainly because their main gateways are the same: the Salzburg region.

Salzburg is the ideal base for visiting the northern part of the Hohe Tauern, including the spa and wellness resorts of Badgastein, Zell am See and Bischofshofen. This is also the starting point for the Great Austrian Alps route, which takes you to the foot of the Grossklockner Glacier, along a panoramic route that is universally known and much appreciated by motorcycle enthusiasts.

The resort of Schladming is the gateway to the Niedere Tauern, the lower, more undulating mountains of the Nieder name.

To the south of these two mountain ranges lie two regions whose history is already very different from that of Innsbruck or Salzburg. Carinthia, whose capital is Klagenfurt, and Styria, whose capital is Graz, are already more southerly. Sunny, they are home to excellent Austrian vineyards, and the mountains around these towns are certainly sunnier, but also less snowy. There are, however, a few well-known resorts such as Bad Kleinkirchheim and Kolbnitz, which will remind you that skiing is possible everywhere in Austria.

We especially recommend a stroll through Graz's old town, with its winding alleys, and a climb up Castle Hill, which overlooks the city's rooftops, the spires of its superb churches and the river, and offers an enchanting panorama of the Alps and the hills surrounding the city.

Around Vienna too?

When you go to Vienna, you go for its monuments, castles, alleyways, squares and parks, all of which remind you of the grandeur of this Imperial capital. And frankly, it's a city that deserves a visit and a stay of some duration?

However, it's often the start of a trip to Austria, and there are many alternatives from Vienna, such as following the Danube to Linz and Passau on the German border, or following in Mozart 's footsteps in Salzburg, or discovering the soul of the other countries of the former empire by visiting Bratislava or Budapest, or even leaving this region to spend a few days in the mountains of Tyrol.

But if you just want to get away from it all and take a break from your cultural visits to Vienna, the region is full of beautiful places to visit.

The tranquil Neusiedler See, a lake that doesn't really feel Alpine any more, so much so that it's already in the plains that overflow into Hungary.

The Mürz Valley, accessible by train, stretches up to the Niedere Tauern, north of Graz. A stop-off for nature lovers is Semmering, at an altitude of almost 1,000 m, easily accessible by train from Vienna.

Or you can discover Vienna's real mountains: the Schneeberg, accessible by train, the Raxalpe, a little further west and just over fifty kilometers from the Austrian capital, or Mariazell in a remote green valley far from the tourist traffic.

In Austria, it's easy to find yourself in the middle of nature, even when visiting historic cities.

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