A country which is beautiful in every corner with its mountains, lakes, landscapes and serene atmosphere is Austria. You'll definitely regret not visiting these must-visit spots.
To begin your journey you can fly into Vienna or Salzburg and reach the south. Salzburg is closer to the Alps and recommended as a starting point.
Gosau — This adorably pretty town features churches with stunning views. A 15-minute drive leads to a beautiful lake situated between the Dachstein glacier and mighty peaks. Rent a boat to explore the calm water, enjoy food at the lodge, or take the gondola up to witness the Austrian sky.
Grossglockner — Also known as the high alpine road, this reaches a tremendous height of 2,504 meters — the highest road in Austria and one of the highest in Europe. Named after Austria's highest peak at 3,798 meters, the beautiful sunrise here is mesmerizing. Expect to spend around 35 euros for overnight parking.
Pasterze Glacier — Austria's biggest glacier features a great lake at its bottom, surrounded by stunning mountains. You can see the Grossglockner from here. With fewer visitors, it's ideal for peace lovers.
Krimml Falls — Austria's highest waterfall at about 300 meters features three stages with the highest at 140 meters. The 4-euro entry fee is worthwhile for this hiking experience, and a lodge awaits at the top.
Hallstatt Town — Located on Lake Hallstatt and surrounded by mountains, this fairyland features 16th-century alpine-style houses. Once a salt-mining village, it's now a famous tourist destination just an hour from Salzburg.
Wolfgangsee Lake — Another hour from Salzburg, this breathtaking lake with mountains and stunning water colors feels like paradise. Boats dot the water, offering perfect views.
Schafberg Mountain — Take a ferry from St. Gilgen, then a steam train up the mountain (around 30 euros). Alternatively, use a cable car or hike. The views and cafes at the top make it unforgettable.
Zillertal Alps — A four-hour drive from Salzburg reaches this extreme point at the Italian-Austrian border. The journey through these alpine roads is as beautiful as the destination itself.
Olperer — Located at over 11,000 feet, this is perfect for adventure seekers. A famous bridge with gorgeous views has gained social media attention, with mountains visible throughout the hike.
Burgruine Steinschloss — This large castle, built around the 12th century with five magnificent towers, is free to visit. Its grey structure surrounded by green alpines creates an almost dreamlike experience.
Planning the Route
The list above hops across western and central Austria, which means a sensible itinerary is essentially a long, looping drive based out of Salzburg. You can complete it in roughly a week if you keep moving and skip the longer hikes, or stretch it to ten days to actually enjoy each stop. Trains and regional buses cover most of the lake destinations, but the high alpine drives, particularly Grossglockner and the Zillertal, are far more rewarding behind your own wheel.
If you have less time, lean into the Salzkammergut lakes around Hallstatt and Wolfgangsee for the most postcard-perfect short trip. If you have more time, tack on Vienna and Graz at the end for a complete picture of the country.
When to Visit
Late spring brings the meltwater rushing through the waterfalls and the wildflowers carpeting the upper pastures. Summer is the peak driving and hiking season, with all of the high alpine roads open and most cable cars running their full schedules. Autumn is glorious and quieter, with the larches turning gold against the dark spruce, though some of the highest roads start closing in earnest by late October. Winter swaps the entire experience for skiing, which is a different guide altogether.
Driving the High Alpine Roads
Grossglockner High Alpine Road is the obvious headliner. The drive itself is the attraction, with switchbacks climbing past glacier viewpoints, alpine cafes, and viewing platforms that look out toward the Pasterze. Pay the toll, take your time, and stop at every viewpoint that catches your eye. The road is open seasonally, generally late spring through autumn, with the exact dates pinned to snow conditions.
The road up to Edelweissspitze, a short detour off the main route, gives you a 360-degree panorama from one of the most accessible high points in the Alps. The cobbled climb takes some care in poor weather, but the view at the top justifies it on most clear days.
Lakes Worth Lingering On
Wolfgangsee and Hallstatt get the headlines, but the Salzkammergut is dotted with smaller lakes that reward the detour. Mondsee is twenty minutes from Salzburg and has the kind of waterfront cafes you settle into for a slow afternoon. Attersee, the largest lake in the region, has long stretches of public shore for a quiet swim away from the resort crowds. Traunsee, with the dramatic Traunstein mountain rising over its eastern shore, is a favorite among hikers who want to combine a swim with a serious climb.
Even on the famous lakes, the trick is to time your visits for early morning or late afternoon. Mid-day crowds thin quickly once the air cools and the cruise boats stop running.
Mountain Detours
The Zillertal Alps deserve a longer mention. The valley road runs roughly south from Innsbruck through villages that feel a long way from the rest of Austria, and the side roads climb up into the high country. Olperer Hutte is the headline hike, with the famous suspension bridge framing a perfect mountain backdrop. Be aware that the popularity of the photograph has led to genuinely long queues for that single shot on summer weekends.
For something quieter, the trails out of Mayrhofen or Ginzling lead to glacier viewpoints and high alpine huts without the same level of foot traffic. A night in a Berghutte, eating fresh bread and watching the sun set over the ridge, is the kind of memory that outlasts the photographs.
Castles and Quiet History
Burgruine Steinschloss is a free ruin where you can essentially wander where you like, and that openness is part of the appeal. The walls are old enough to feel like a story and intact enough to give you a sense of how the place would have worked. Bring a picnic and treat it like a long lunch with a view, not a quick tick on a list.
Other ruins are scattered through the country, particularly along the Danube valley, where the river bends past castle silhouettes for hours of a drive. Durnstein and Aggstein are two of the most visited and still feel rewarding if you arrive outside the busiest hours.
Practical Tips
Pick up the Austrian motorway vignette before you leave the rental lot. Cash for parking machines and trail huts is still useful even though card payments are widely accepted. Trail signs in the mountains use a colored dot system that corresponds to difficulty, and it pays to take the rating seriously. Cell coverage thins quickly in the high country, so download offline maps for the regions you intend to cross.
Final Thoughts
Austria's reputation for fairy-tale scenery is well earned, but the country is more than its postcards. Slow down between the famous spots, take a small road instead of the main one, and let yourself stop at unmarked viewpoints. The mountains, the lakes, the castles, and the quiet villages between them are the whole point. The list above gives you a frame. The trip itself is what you build inside it.
