Eastern Austria: Vienna, Wachau and Styria

Vienna displays an imperial grandeur that is evident everywhere in the monumental architecture of the city center. St. Stephen's Cathedral marks the center with its colored roof tiles and a 136-meter tower. At Schönbrunn Palace, you can stroll through Baroque gardens, and in the Hofburg, you can see the splendor of the Habsburg winter residence. Along the Ringstrasse stand the stately facades of the State Opera and the Kunsthistorisches Museum. The city feels elegant when horse-drawn carriages drive over the cobblestones near Stephansplatz.

The Wienerwald is a forested hilly area of 105,000 hectares on the outskirts of Vienna. Stift Heiligenkreuz is a Cistercian abbey that has been in continuous use since 1133. From the 484-meter-high Kahlenberg, you can overlook the Danube, while in the Seegrotte Hinterbrühl, you can sail across an underground lake of 6,200 square meters. In the vineyards, you can taste local wines at the traditional Heurigen.

Krems an der Donau marks the eastern border of the Wachau Valley and is known for the medieval 15th-century Steiner Tor. In the Stein district, you can walk past the 13th-century Gozzoburg and through narrow alleys that lead to the vineyards on the surrounding hills. On the Kunstmeile Krems, you'll find modern museums such as the Kunsthalle, while on the quays of the Danube, you can board ships for river tours.

The Danube winds through the Wachau, past steep vineyard terraces and apricot orchards climbing the hills. In Dürnstein, the blue tower of Stift Dürnstein, with its richly decorated Baroque facade, stands on the riverbank. Those who walk up to the ruins of Kuenringerburg will see the place where Richard the Lionheart was imprisoned in the twelfth century. The atmosphere among the grapevines is pleasant as you look out over the glittering Danube and the red roofs of Dürnstein.

Melk is dominated by the colossal Stift Melk, a Baroque Benedictine abbey perched on a rock above the Danube. In this complex, you can admire the library with 1800 handwritten manuscripts and the golden decorations in the abbey church. Below in the town, the picturesque Wachau Valley begins, where the Donauradweg runs along the riverbank. The serene atmosphere around the abbey walls contrasts with the hustle and bustle on the quays, while the sun brightly reflects in the Danube.

On the granite plateau of the Waldviertel, coniferous forests and granite rock formations define the landscape. In Naturpark Blockheide near Eibenstein, enormous balancing rocks lie among birch trees and purple heather. Stift Zwettl Abbey showcases medieval architecture from the twelfth century around a monastery courtyard. A boat trip on the Ottensteiner Stausee takes you along the forested banks of this rugged reservoir. Fields full of grey poppies swaying in the wind enhance the calm atmosphere of the region.

The Thaya river makes a sharp loop in Nationalpark Thayatal between steep rock walls that rise high above the water. The thirteenth-century Burg Hardegg towers on a rocky ridge above the roofs of the town of Hardegg. In the Nationalparkhaus, you learn about the rare European wildcat that lives in the forests. Those who walk to the Überstieg viewpoint look directly down into the deep river bend. By the bank in the gorge, you only hear the lapping water of the Thaya against the stones.

Eisenstadt is the capital of Burgenland and Austria's smallest provincial capital. Schloss Esterházy, the 17th-century residence of the noble Esterházy family, forms the baroque heart of the city. You can visit the Haydn-Haus and the Bergkirche with the mausoleum of composer Joseph Haydn. The historic core directly borders the castle garden and the vineyards of the Leithagebirge.

The Neusiedler See is a shallow steppe lake on the border of Austria and Hungary, surrounded by a wide reed belt and the Pannonian Plain. In the Neusiedler See-Seewinkel National Park, white donkeys and Przewalski's horses graze among the salt pans. Seebad Podersdorf offers a twelve-meter-high lighthouse and consistent wind for water sports, while local wineries are known for their dessert wines.

Rust is located on the western shore of Lake Neusiedl in Burgenland and is known for the numerous stork nests on its rooftops. In the historic town center with colorful facades, you can visit the Fischerkirche, where you'll find frescoes from the twelfth to the sixteenth century. You can walk through the vineyards of this UNESCO World Heritage site or enjoy water sports on the shallow steppe lake.

Semmering is located on the border of Lower Austria and Styria and is known for the Semmeringbahn, a railway line that has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998. From the 20-Schilling-Blick viewpoint, you can overlook the viaducts and valleys that characterize this nineteenth-century structure. On the Zauberberg, you can walk past historic fin de siècle villas and through the forests at the transition from the Alps to the flatter east.

Riegersburg, with its imposing fortress, towers high above the landscape, situated on a 482-meter-high volcanic cone. The twelfth-century Burg Riegersburg invites you to explore knight's halls and admire the birds of prey at the Greifvogelwarte Riegersburg. At the foot of the rock, you'll discover the Zotter Schokolade factory, where you can follow the process from cocoa bean to bar. From the fortress, you can enjoy panoramic views over Steiermark, a vibrant mix of history and sweet craftsmanship.

Graz effortlessly combines historical grandeur with modern architecture. You walk through the UNESCO city center, rich in Renaissance architecture. The 123-meter-high Schlossberg with its sixteenth-century Uhrturm towers high above the red roofs and offers a panoramic view. Along the Mur river, the futuristic Kunsthaus Graz and the floating steel Murinsel form a striking contrast. From the top of the Schlossberg, you experience a charming interplay of old and new, characteristic of the city.

The Steirische Weinstrasse winds through a landscape full of vineyards, where you can taste the regional Sauvignon Blanc at local farms. You pass the sixteenth-century Schloss Ehrenhausen, an imposing castle that towers above the landscape. A special experience is the Herzerl-Strasse, a road that takes the shape of a heart between the grapevines. At the foot of the hills lies the serene Sulmsee, where you can enjoy a wonderful break by the water.

With an area of almost 20 square kilometers, Lake Wörthersee is the largest lake in Kärnten and is known for its turquoise water. On the south bank stands the 100-meter-high wooden observation tower Pyramidenkogel, while the Maria Wörth peninsula is characterized by two historic churches. In the resort town of Velden, you can see the yellow 16th-century Schloss Velden directly on the quay. Along the shores, you will find various public swimming beaches and hiking trails through the surrounding forests.

Vienna displays an imperial grandeur that is evident everywhere in the monumental architecture of the city center. St. Stephen's Cathedral marks the center with its colored roof tiles and a 136-meter tower. At Schönbrunn Palace, you can stroll through Baroque gardens, and in the Hofburg, you can see the splendor of the Habsburg winter residence. Along the Ringstrasse stand the stately facades of the State Opera and the Kunsthistorisches Museum. The city feels elegant when horse-drawn carriages drive over the cobblestones near Stephansplatz.