Austria Itineraries

Even if you only have a few days and nights to spend in Austria, you can still appreciate the art galleries, cafés, historical sites (and, with any luck, the opera house) of Vienna. Venture into Vienna Woods for a glimpse of the country’s famous scenery, or head west to the foothills of the Alps for a hike or swim.

Rent a car or buy a rail pass to cover the most Austrian ground in a week, beginning with 2 days in Vienna, then traveling west to Innsbruck to explore the Tyrolean Alps region. Music lovers should head to Salzburg by day 5 to visit Mozart’s birthplace; outdoorsy types may prefer to spend the last 2 days at a spa town like Bad Ischl or a mountain lake like Hallstatt before returning to Vienna to catch a flight home.

Travelers with two weeks can afford to slow down the pace, starting with the first few days in Vienna, then heading west, stopping in the city of Linz or the spa town of Bad Ischl on the way to the western region of Vorarlberg and its ski and summer resorts. During week two, backtrack through Tyrol, spending a night in Innsbruck and visiting Salzburg for 2 or 3 days before ending in Vienna.