Things to Do in Austria

In 1828, the Austrian composer Franz Schubert spent the last few weeks of his life at his brother’s apartment near Vienna. Although Schubert was dying of either typhoid fever or syphilis, he continued to compose during this time, completing a series of piano sonatas and his last work, ‘Der Hirt auf dem Felsen’ (The Shepherd on the Rock). The two-room apartment where Schubert spent his last days (40, to be exact) is now a poignant museum that documents the final weeks of his life, his funeral, and his grave – he was buried next to Beethoven in the local cemetery at Wahring, although both composers have since been exhumed and reburied in Vienna’s central graveyard. Schubert was a keen admirer and contemporary of Beethoven, and even carried a torch at Beethoven’s funeral (little knowing he would only outlive the great composer by a year or so). Although the Schubert Sterbewohnung (‘Schubert’s Death Apartment’) doesn’t have many of the composer’s personal effects, there are many touching letters to and from his family that were written around the time Schubert discovered he was dying, and visitors to the museum may also listen to some of Schubert’s music there.

Vienna’s storied Spanish Riding School (Spanische Hofreitschule), established in the 16th century, is the world’s oldest haute école of classical equitation. Experience the Renaissance tradition of classical dressage—on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list—by witnessing the Viennese institution’s morning exercises.

During morning training sessions at the Spanish Riding School of Vienna, impeccable and graceful snow-white Lipizzan horses practice intricate figures and jumps accompanied by classical music, with riders dressed in their historic empire-style uniforms and bicorn hats. They go through their paces in the elegant 18th-century Winter Riding School (Winterreitschule), commissioned by Emperor Charles VI. In addition to exercises, the school also holds more formal exhibitions and even gala performances a few times each week in addition to daily guided tours of the Baroque Summer Riding School and the Stallburg, one of Vienna’s most significant Renaissance structures. If you want to see the horses without watching a training session, you can observe them from outside the adjacent Stallburg stables. A stop at the Spanish Riding School is a must during any Vienna city walking tour or hop-on hop-off bus tour; the school is included in the Vienna Flexi Pass and Vienna Pass tickets as well.

The Spanish Riding School is located in the Hofburg, in central Vienna. The closest metro station is Herrengasse on line U3; alternatively you can take tram line 1, 2, D, or 62 and get off at Kartner Ring Oper or Burgring station. Buses 1A (Herrengasse stop), 2A (Michaelerplatz stop), and 3A (Habsburgergasse stop) also stop nearby.

Morning exercises are held daily from 10am to 12pm, except from late June to early August and on days when a gala performance is scheduled.

Maximilian II first imported this prized breed of horse from Spain in 1562, and in 1580 a stud was established at Lipizza (hence “Lipizzan” or “Lipizzaner”), now in Slovenia. Since 1920, the stud located in the village of Piber has been the breeding center for Lipizzan stallions destined for the Spanish Riding School in Vienna.

Franz Schubert was unique in that he was one of the few composers able to make a living from the music he wrote during his lifetime. Schubert was born in 1797 in the kitchen of a small apartment near Vienna, and lived there with his family for the first five years of his life. Today the apartment has been converted to a museum that documents and illustrates most of the composer’s biography including: his training, his musical development, his friends, and his family. Objects on display at the Schubert Geburthaus (‘Schubert’s birth­home’) include famous contemporary portraits of Schubert by Moritz von Schwind, Wilhelm August Rieder, and Leopold Kupelwieser. The composer’s trademark spectacles are also on display, and visitors may listen to works composed by Schubert while sitting at his desk. Though the museum is small and simple, with a little imagination the visitor can transport themselves back 200 years and imagine what life might have been like in Austria at that time.

The number-one destination of beer lovers, Austria’s most popular brewing exhibition is found Salzburg’s oldest brewery, which was built in 1863, although Stiegl has actually been brewing ever since 1492 and the company remains independent to this day. In medieval times the production of beer was as vital to the growth of Salzburg’ wealth as the mining of salt in the region; a visit to the Stiegl Brauwelt encompasses a whistle-stop tour of the brewing process and the bottling plant as well as highlighting the social impact of brewing on the city. Although guided tours are currently only available in German, all the exhibits in the museum are clearly labeled in other languages, including English, so it is easy to understand the displays.

Tastings following the brewery tour give the chance to sample three of the ales produced here, and soft options are offered for non-drinkers. Time your visit correctly and stay on in the restaurant for lunch or supper to savor traditional Austrian restaurant – spicy sausages, pickles and plenty of horseradish sauce – and try out some of Stiegl’s brews of the month. On sunny days the Stiegl garden is one of the most popular spots in Salzburg, with beer served in clunky gray-and-red steins. There’s also the chance to buy your favorite bottled beer in the museum store at the end of your visit.


Much of the lakeland landscape around the gloriously Baroque village of St Gilgen found its way into the opening shots of The Sound of Music, the iconic movie that marks its 50th anniversary in 2015. Although the town’s outskirts have bowed to modern development, the heart of St Gilgen is still one of chocolate-box perfection, where wooden chalets with steeply pitched roofs stand side by side with softly colored Baroque townhouses overlooking Wolfgansee lake.

In winter St Gilgen holds one of the Salzburg area’s most famous Christmas markets, with wooden stalls selling handmade jewelry, traditional wooden toys and fragrant local gingerbread alongside plenty of warming glühwein. A cable car travels up to Zwölferhorn for skiing, and between May and September this becomes a jumping off point for hiking, cycling and climbing adventures in the Salzkammergut (Austrian Lake District). By summer Wolfgansee lake is given over to water sports and cruiser trips to the equally cute lakeside towns of Stobl and St Wolfgang.

Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna is the former summer residence of the royal family. The gardens at Schönbrunn Palace were opened to the public at the end of the 1700s and since then have been a popular recreational area, both with the Viennese population and international visitors alike. 

The palace and its immaculate grounds made it onto the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites in 1996. Spanning some 1.2 kilometers from east to west and approximately one kilometre from north to south, these are no ordinary gardens; they house a spectacular iron and glass palm house, a maze, and a viewing terrace. The original Baroque-style layout, along with the additions made during the last decade of Queen Maria Theresa’s life, has more or less been retained. 

With its dark Gothic spires, intricately tiled roof, and imposing bell tower, St. Stephen's Cathedral is one of Vienna’s star attractions. Centrally located on Stephansplatz square in the city’s UNESCO-listed historic center, the cathedral is architecturally stunning both inside and out. It’s also a site of great historical significance—Emperor Friedrich III and numerous other Habsburg dignitaries were buried here.

Peruse a treasury of medieval goldsmith art, see the Pummerin Bell in the North Tower, delve into a system of underground catacombs, and climb 343 steps to the top of the South Tower. Take a hop-on hop-off bus tour and get off at Stephansplatz for a self guided visit of St. Stephens, or take a tour with an expert guide to learn about the cathedral’s storied history. Most Vienna walking tours stop at St. Stephen’s—a good option if you also want to see other notable city attractions. 

The cathedral’s main entrance is on Stephansplatz, in the Historic Center of Vienna. Car travel is difficult in this section of the city, so it’s best to travel on foot or by public transport. The closest U-bahn (subway) station is Stephansplatz.

The cathedral is open daily, year-round. It can get busy, especially in summer, so plan an early morning visit to avoid the crowds. Worshippers are welcome to attend the daily services, but note that it’s not possible to tour the cathedral while services are in progress. 

Although it dates back to the 12th century, the cathedral’s Gothic makeover began in 1359 at the behest of Habsburg Duke Rudolf IV, who was nicknamed “The Founder”. Today, the last remnants of the original structure are the Romanesque-style Riesentor (Giant's Gate) and the Heidentürme (Towers of the Heathens), while the dominating feature is the skeletal Südturm (South Tower), which was completed in 1433 and stands an impressive 450 feet (137 meters) high. 

Vienna’s oldest church was made from stone taken from the ancient Roman settlement of Vindabona and was originally Romanesque in design, with its origins reaching as far back as 740 AD. It has a dumpy and largely unprepossessing exterior that dates from the 12th century, although it has been destroyed by fire and repeatedly enlarged down the centuries. It is dedicated to St Rupert, who is (confusingly) the patron saint of Salzburg and also connected with salt mining, which was big business around Salzburg in the Middle Ages. 

The simple interior is whitewashed with a simple stone altar, quite unadorned with the exceptions of the vast brass Baroque crucifix and the exquisite stained-glass windows dating from the 1990s, when the church was restored. However, one window has survived from the 13th century and it is found in the vaulted apse, depicting Christ on the cross with the Madonna and Child standing below. 

A series of atmospheric concerts of ancient music take place in the church over the summer, with evening performances in July.

The twin columns are modeled on Trajan's Column in Rome and show scenes from the life of St Charles Borromeo (who helped plague victims in Italy), to whom the church is dedicated. The huge oval dome reaches 236 ft (72m); in combination with the church's large windows, the dome's height creates a bright, open nave. There is  a small museum with a handful of religious art and clothing purportedly from the saint, but the highlight is the lift to the dome for a close-up view of the detailed frescoes by Johann Michael Rottmayr. The altar panel is by Sebastiano Ricci and shows the Assumption of the Virgin. In front of the church is a pond, complete with a Henry Moore sculpture from 1978.

A short stroll from the historic center of Salzburg, the lakeside palace of Schloss Leopoldskron is one of Austria’s most acclaimed works of architecture, built in 1736 by the Prince Archbishop of Salzburg, Leopold Anton Freiherr von Firmian. The masterwork of architect Pater Bernhard Stuart, the Rococo-style palace is renowned for its elaborate stucco works, the handiwork of Johann Kleber, and a series of striking interior paintings, including Andreas Rensi’s Four Seasons in the Festsaal hall and Franz Anton Ebner’s Wedding of Atalante, which adorns the ceiling of the chapel.

Changing hands several times throughout its over 200-year history, Schloss Leopoldskron has amassed a fascinating history, once belonging to King Louis I of Bavaria, hosting the engagement ceremony of Emperor Franz Josef of Austria and Empress Sissi, and being purchased by Max Reinhardt, co-founder of the Salzburg Festival, who used the dramatic setting as a backdrop for the festival’s main events. Perhaps most famous though, is the palace’s starring role in the iconic ‘The Sound of Music’ – the lakeside gardens were one of several original filming locations dotted around Salzburg.

Also known as Peterskirche, St Peter's Church in Vienna is the second oldest church in the city. The original church building was rumored to have been established by Charlemagne, but it burned down in 1661. The new church, inspired by St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, was consecrated in 1733 and a relief plaque on the outside of the church tells the legend of Charlemagne. St Peter's Church was the first domed structure in Vienna and features an ornate interior with colorful frescoes and gold stucco. Most notable for visitors are the gilded pulpit with a representation of the Holy Trinity atop the canopy, a gold and silver sculpture of the Martyrdom of St. John opposite the pulpit and the fresco in the cupola depicting the Coronation of the Virgin.

Over the years, the 18th-century paintings in the church grew darker and the interior began to turn gray, but a massive renovation project from 1998 to 2004 restored the frescoes to their original bright colors.

Silent Night is arguably one of the world’s best-loved Christmas carols and its words were written in 1816 by a priest called Josef Mohr, who lived locally to Salzburg in the rural village of Oberndorf. Its sentimental but catchy tune was composed two years later by Franz Xaver Gruber and the carol was performed for the first time on Christmas Eve 1818 in the village’s St Nicholas Church. This church destroyed by heavy flooding at the end of the 19th century, only to be replaced by the white-washed, many-sided neo-Baroque Silent Night Chapel in 1937. Since then a whole local industry has grown up around the carol, which has been translated into more than 300 languages, and life in Oberndorf has changed forever. 

Although a visit to this idyllic little village is a joy any time, and it has a small museum where there are copies of the original manuscript and score, Oberndorf really comes into its own at Christmas. A traditional market takes over its main square and hundreds of visitors from across the world come to hear Silent Night being sung at Midnight Mass in the chapel on Christmas Eve. 

From 1891 to 1938 Sigmund Freud, considered the founding father of psychoanalysis, resided in Vienna at Berggasse 19 before fleeing to Britain when the Nazi’s annexed Austria. Today, his former residence houses the Sigmund Freud Museum and its collection of original furniture, antiques from Freud’s collection and several autographed first editions of his works.

Freud’s youngest daughter, Anna, helped transform the house into a museum in 1971, and she also helped compile a series of historic films of Freud and his family during the 1930s. The museum has steadily expanded since its opening and now includes a library, museum shop and exhibition hall. 

In addition to the Freud-centric permanent collection, the museum also hosts special exhibitions and a rotating contemporary art collection, displayed in a former butcher shop storefront in the same building as Freud’s living quarters.

The 16th-century Renaissance castle of Ambras perches in the foothills of the Alps just south of Innsbruck. Once the home of Archduke Ferdinand II, the majestic Renaissance building houses collections of armor, fine paintings and one of the most important examples of German Renaissance architecture in Austria in the shape of the Spanish Hall. Finished in 1572, this vast banqueting room is 157 feet (48 meters) long, with an inlaid marble floor and an intricate wood-paneled ceiling but the stars of the show are undoubtedly the 27 full-length portraits of the Habsburg Imperial Family.

The armories are located in the Lower Castle and were collated by Ferdinand II; they include suits of jousting armor, knights on horseback and rare weaponry. Here there’s also an eccentric Cabinet of Curiosities full of oddities such as coral crucifixes and stuffed sharks, all laid out as they were in Ferdinand‘s time. The Upper Castle houses the Portrait Gallery, in which 300 paintings cover 400 years of Habsburg history and include works by Titian, Anthon van Dyke, and Cranach the Elder.

Outside there are English-style box gardens and sunken baths to explore plus a pretty courtyard bar for drinks in summer.

St Anne's Church (Annakirche) in Vienna’s city center is a beautiful example of Gothic architecture paired with Baroque-style artwork. One of the church’s main attractions are the exquisite frescoes, created by Daniel Gran, which adorn the ceilings of the chapel. The chapel, which is said to have been in existence since 1320, draws thousands of visitors each year to view these timeless pieces of art. St Anne’s Church is a functioning Roman Catholic Church that is also a prominent venue for community functions, various church activities, and notably — musical concerts. The church is named after Saint Anne, whose grim relic (a mummified hand) is exhibited in the church every year on July 26 (St Anne's Day).

The church is widely considered to be one of the most beautiful Baroque-style churches in existence, and its incredible acoustics make the frequent musical concerts that are held there an auditory treat to attend. The classical concerts are usually string quartets, and include specific pieces of chamber music. A popular way to visit the church is by booking a musical concert combined with a tour.

The historic spa town of St Wolfgang is quite simply one of the prettiest villages in the Salzkammergut (Austrian Lake District). It perches on the northern shore of the Wolfgangsee lake and is backed by the alpine foothills of Mount Schafberg – a cog railway goes right to the summit. The village was founded way back in the 10th century when Wolfgang – then the Bishop of Regensburg in Germany – built a church on the lakeside, which became a pilgrimage point after his canonization in 1052. Today the church and its distinctive white bell tower still draw in visitors in the thousands to enjoy the spectacular lakeside setting amid snow-topped alpine peaks. The architecture of the village is largely traditional, with painted chalets adorned with wrought-iron balconies peeping out from steeply pitched wooden roofs; a tangle of lanes creep uphill from the lakeside and are a joy to explore for their many restaurants and classy souvenir stores. 

In the winter St Wolfgang morphs into a popular ski resort, with 18 pistes and a modern network of lifts, while in summer it is popular for water sports on the lake and as a jump-off point for walking, cycling and climbing in the Austrian Alps as well as boat trips across the lake to St Gilgen and Strobl.

The Secession Building is one of the foremost examples of Art Nouveau in Vienna, completed by Joseph Maria Olbrich in 1898, it was designed as an exhibition hall for artist Gustav Klimt and his contemporaries to exhibit their rule-breaking paintings in the new ‘Secession’ style. The squat, gleaming white hall is adorned with gilded patterns and resembles an Egyptian temple with a lacy globe of golden leaves on top. The motto “To each time its art. To art its freedom” is inscribed in gilt over the main entrance. Now regarded as the greatest symbol of Art Nouveau styling in Vienna and included on many architectural walking tours of the city, the building was originally considered scandalous for its modernistic design, which contrasted with the Baroque and Neo-classical beauty of the Imperial palaces and mansions.

The basement of the Secession Building now houses Klimt’s ethereal green-and-gold Beethoven Frieze, which was painted in 1902 as a visual interpretation of the German composer’s Ninth Symphony. The vast painting is full of twisting, elongated female figures and adorns three walls; it measures in at 111.5 ft (34 m) in length. Elsewhere in the light-flooded gallery are temporary exhibitions featuring the experimental work of contemporary artists.

Found on Herzof-Friedrich-Strasse opposite the Goldenes Dachl (Golden Roof), Innsbruck’s Stadtturm (City Tower) was built in 1450; it reaches 167 feet (51 meters) in height and was built on to the former city hall to enable the tower guards to keep watch over the city, look out for enemies, and keep peace at night. 

Today the tower is topped with a bulbous dome and the viewing platform at 100 feet (31 meters) offers spectacular views over the roofs and Baroque spires of the Altstadt (Old Town) as well as to the Nordkette mountains in the Alps lying to the north – but be prepared to climb 148 winding stone steps to get to that view. Pick a clear day otherwise the Alps will have disappeared behind cloud.

Combine a trip up the tower with a peek at the frilly exterior of the Hölblinghaus, a Rococo extravaganza with flamboyantly carved balconies, and the iconic Goldenes Dachl (Golden Roof) – not missing its fascinating museum showcasing the life of Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I.

The Styrian Armory in Graz is the world’s largest historic army, holding 32,000 pieces of weaponry, tools and suits of armor. Built between 1642 and 1645, the armory stood on the front lines for Austria’s battles with the Ottoman Empire and Hungarian rebels for the next few centuries.  One of the most visited of the dozen museums that comprise the Universalmuseum Joanneum, the Armory features exhibitions on four floors, arranged in a way reminiscent of a 17th century arsenal. On the first floor, visitors will find cannons, mortars and muskets from the 16th to 18th centuries, while the second floor focuses on helmets, suits of armor and pistols. The third floor shows off more armor, including German-made armor and equestrian armor for nobles. Finally, the fourth floor is home to staff weapons such as morning stars, halberds and pikes used by foot soldiers, as well as swords and sabres once used by horsemen.