When To Go
For warm weather, aim for the months between April and October. In the summer high season (July to August) crowds are bigger, prices higher and temperatures in cities can rise to uncomfortable levels. Austrians also take their summer break at this time and many famous institutions close down. Consequently, June and September are also busy months for tourism, and are quite often the best times for city trips and hiking in the Alps.

During winter you'll find the cities less crowded and the hotel prices lower (except over Christmas and Easter), but it can get bitterly cold. The length of the skiing season depends on the altitude of the resort - skiing is possible on glaciers nearly year-round. Alpine resorts are very quiet from late April to mid-June, and in November and early December. School children have week-long breaks over Christmas and during February, making it a good time to avoid the pistes.

An eclectic mix of Hungarian, Italian, and German influences, Austria (Österreich) is a complex country, sophisticated and urbane, yet respectful of rural culture and traditions. While the modern republic of Austria is relatively small, its magnificent landscape and rich cultural heritage, epitomised by the city of Vienna, have ensured that the country maintains a significant profile within Europe. This cultural importance owes much to its illustrious past as part of the mighty Habsburg empire. The Habsburgs, whose name once virtually symbolised Austria, rose from medieval obscurity to become lords of almost half of Europe. Their state—and with it the Austro-Hungarian Empire—collapsed in 1918 in the wake of World War I. But every town, city, and hamlet in the land bears the stamp of their former imperial grandeur in the form of flamboyant palaces, splendidly appointed baroque churches, genteel spas, and meticulously manicured country parks.

Vienna is the principal focus of interest in Austria, because of its astonishing richness of architecture, world-famous museums, and a musical tradition that outshines most other European capitals. Salzburg, too, with its many sites associated with Mozart—including his birthplace—is an essential destination for anyone with an interest in the life and music of the composer. The Habsburgs found the city of Innsbruck, set in the spectacular mountain province of Tyrol, especially attractive, thus ensuring a particularly rich array of buildings in the old part of town.

Modern Austria is a federation of nine individual provinces: Lower Austria, Upper Austria, Burgenland, Styria, Carinthia, Salzburg, Tyrol, Vorarlberg, and the city of Vienna. Three-quarters of the land is alpine, and skiing and mountaineering are not only major tourist attractions but an integral part of the country's culture. However, Austria's landscape is varied, and vineyards, castles, and lakeside villages also rank among the touring highlights. The River Danube, as it winds its way across Europe, flows for about 350 kilometres (217 miles) through the northern part of Austria. For many years pollution in the river was a major civic embarrassment, but a determined cleaning operation is already showing the fruits of success.

Vienna
Until 100 years ago Vienna (Wien) was Europe's third-largest metropolis after London and Paris, and the capital of a great empire in central Europe. To a larger extent than perhaps any other European city, its culture was shaped by the imperial court and aristocracy. Many traces of that glorious past have survived more recent unhappy history, and nostalgia for a vanished era of pomp and elegance today pervades the city. The old city contains the cathedral, the Stephansdom; the Hofburg palace; as well as numerous aristocratic mansions and baroque churches. It is ringed by the 19th-century splendour of Ringstraße, where the Kunsthistorisches Museum houses one of the world's leading collections of European art. The music of Mozart, Beethoven, and Johann Strauss resonates through the city.

Salzburg
As one of the most beautiful European historic cities and the birthplace of Mozart, Salzburg attracts impressive numbers of sightseers round the year. The city owes its rich artistic heritage to its prince-archbishops, who once ruled it as a semi-independent city state. Their magnificent Residenz, numerous ancillary palaces, castles, art collections, churches, and parks form the principal attractions of Salzburg. The town itself, squeezed between the River Salzach and the mighty rock of the Hohensalzburg, delights the stroller with its narrow streets, onion spires, sculptured fountains, and wrought-iron shop signs. A vast music industry has grown up around the name of Mozart, culminating with the annual Salzburg Festival which is a major highlight of Europe's musical calendar.

Innsbruck
The capital of the Tyrol is set in a lovely spot on the River Inn at the foot of the Karwendel Alps and retains a distinctive provincial charm, making it one of the most attractive cities of Alpine Europe. Handsome old town houses, of which the Goldenes Dachl is most famous, line the traffic-free central area around Herzog-Friedrich Straße and Maria-Theresien Straße. The Hofburg, a sprawling cream-and-pistachio palace built under Maria Theresia, adjoins the Hofkirche, one of the chief masterpieces of German renaissance church architecture. Wilten abbey and Schloß Ambras on the outskirts of town deserve visits, as does the winter sports centre of Bergisel, which hosted both the 1964 and the 1976 Winter Olympics.

Transport
Metro, buses and trams
Vienna has a comprehensive bus and tram system. The same tickets may be used for buses, trams (Straßenbahn), local trains (stadtbahn), and the metro (U-Bahn). Tickets for both buses and trams can be purchased from machines inside the carriage and should be inserted in the ticket-punching machine on board. All main towns and cities have a good bus system. Trams exist in Linz, Innsbruck, and Salzburg. Trams, sometimes run against the traffic, and care should be taken when crossing the street. Vienna has an underground system referred to as the U-Bahn. Tickets can be purchased in tobacconists and Vienna public transport advanced sales offices. These tickets can also be used for trams (Straßenbahn), buses, and the local train (Stadtbahn). One-day and three-day passes can be purchased from tourist information offices, advanced sales offices, the Westbahnhof and Südenbahnhof railway stations, the airport, and at tobacconists.