Amazing City Breaks to Have in Austria

Do you have any travel plans this fall? If you are looking forward to one then Austria's cities would be the perfect destination as it has some fantastic vacation spots, like Salzburg, Graz, Innsbruck, and Vienna.

Suppose you are looking to experience historical times. In that case, you will find that in Austria through its castles and palaces, beautiful musical performances, and arts and paintings by the world’s greatest artists. The experience of seeing the splendor of Vienna's Schönbrunn Palace, touring the old Hohensalzburg Fortress, or being in front of works by Rubens, Rembrandt, and Dürer will never be replaced by seeing it photographed. Austria's cities warmly welcome travelers to enjoy these fantastic experiences in person.

Take a stroll through the UNESCO-designated medieval district of Graz, visit some of Vienna's top museums, shop in Salzburg's Getreidegasse, or climb a mountain after taking a sightseeing tour in Innsbruck, Tirol. Prepare for your upcoming #realAustria city break by packing your bags!

INNSBRUCK: IMPERIAL SIGHTSEEING AND MOUNTAIN GETAWAY BOTH IN ONE

For anyone looking to have a sightseeing-filled city vacation with some outdoor sporting activities, then Innsbruck, the capital of Tirol, is the ideal destination. Walk through the Old Town's streets, which are adorned with exquisite Baroque and Gothic architecture, and then take the Nordkette cable car for a quick 20-minute ascent to 2,000 meters.

Innsbruck, with 122.458 residents, is small enough to be explored on foot or by bicycle. Visit the city's famed Maria-Theresien-Strasse, the Golden Roof, the Helbing House, the Imperial Palace, and other attractions before heading to one of the trendy neighborhoods like Mariahilf or St. Nikolaus, where university students meet to have a drink, or vegan lunch. Are you interested in the typical Tirolean cuisine? Take a four-hour food tour to sample all the regional specialties and learn more about their origins and ingredients. Konditorei Munding, the oldest café in Tirol, was founded in 1803.

Innsbruck at the River Inn serves as both an outdoor hub and a city due to its location in the heart of the Austrian Alps. The area offers all the activities that you could want for hiking, biking, or climbing. Take a cable car from the city center to enjoy outdoor activities, stunning city views, and a drink in a luxurious setting. In need of an adrenaline rush? Visit the renowned Bergisel Ski Jump, which features a café and a viewing area.

VIENNA: AUSTRIA'S CAPITAL ENCHANTS AS THE CENTRE OF CULTURE AND THE ARTS

Vienna, the capital of Austria with 1.931.830 residents, is a stunning city with a unique blend of Imperial legacy and vibrant metropolitan flair, world-class art, a thriving classical music scene, and well-known coffee houses. Vienna has spent the last 500 years writing world history, but its more contemporary sides are just as intriguing.

 If you are visiting  Vienna then you should not miss St. Stephen's Cathedral, the Vienna State Opera, the Museum of Art History and its counterpart, the Museum of Natural History, Schönbrunn Palace (which houses the oldest zoo in the world! ), Belvedere, and Hofburg Palace. But there's a lot more to discover in the city: The recently renovated Lower Belvedere, the Heidi Horten Collection, one of Europe's leading private collections, as well as the new House of Strauss are all essential stops for art lovers. The ALBERTINA museum and ALBERTINA modern, which are currently focusing their main exhibitions on Gustav Klimt, Edvard Munch, and Ai Weiwei, are also highly recommended.

SALZBURG: MOZART'S BIRTH TOWN CELEBRATES ITS 25TH UNESCO ANNIVERSARY

Salzburg should definitely be visited this year because in 2022 it will mark 25 years since it was inducted into the UNESCO World Heritage List. The prince-archbishops are responsible for most of the architectural, cultural, and social legacy in the fourth-largest municipality in Austria (155,400 residents). Prince-Archbishop Wolf Dietrich zu Raitenau (1559–1617) envisioned Salzburg as a glorious "Rome of the North," and he built sites like Mirabell Palace and Gardens that contributed to the city's recognition by UNESCO.

See for yourself why Mozart's birthplace is a World Heritage Site: Explore the magnificent imperial halls, parks, fountains, and hidden faces at Mirabell Palace before going to the 1,300-year-old DomQuartier. This year, there are special exhibitions at the Hohensalzburg Fortress Museum, the Hellbrunn Palace Museum, the Cathedral Museum, and the Museum at St. Peter's Abbey. It goes without saying that viewing Mozart's birthplace in the renowned Getreidegasse is a must-do on any trip to Salzburg.

Want to unwind in style? Visit the 150-year-old family-run institution Café Tomasselli, the Stiftsbäckerei St. Peter, Salzburg's oldest bakery, or take in puppet performances of "The Magic Flute," "The Sound of Music," or "The Little Prince" at the Marionette Theatre.

GRAZ: A HIP MEDITERRANEAN TOWN AND AUSTRIA'S FOODIE HOTSPOT

There is no way you could ever be bored in Graz because of its Mediterranean lifestyle, breathtaking views, architectural wonders, plenty of attractions, museums and art spaces, trendy festivals and other events, hip design stores, bars, and restaurants for culinary pit stops.

The past and the future converge in Vienna, Austria's second-largest city (292.533 residents). This is particularly evident in the city's architecture. The charismatic historic old town and Schlossberg hill blend flawlessly into the city's modern architecture of international renown. This includes elegant courtyards, jaw-dropping houses, porticos, cupolas, cobblestone alleys, and distinctive, red rooftops. All of these structures are protected by UNESCO as a world cultural heritage site. The Island in the Mur is a modern gathering place, bar, and viewing point that shines with vibrant colors at night and is located right in the heart of the city.

Graz is known as Austria's Capital of Culinary Delights because of its abundance of farmers' markets, small bars, street cafés, top-notch restaurants, outdoor bars, and deli shops. Here, you can find excellent Austrian and international cuisine made with only the best ingredients around at every turn. Events like the Truffel Festival, the Long Table of Graz, the Graz Food Festival, and various foodie tours are essential to the city.

 Main Image Credits: (c) Vienna-PASS_Bernhard-Luck