FX.co ★ Welcome to Austria: stunning views that take your breath away

1. Hallstatt

Hallstatt, located on the shores of the similarly-named lake, is a fairytale place, full of coolness and tranquility. Fresh air and fascinating sights meet everyone who visits this picture-perfect town. If you get interested in the historic sights of Hallstatt, then you need to go to the ancient salt mines that are famous for being employed as early as 5000 BCE.

2. Innsbruck

Bristle with snowy slopes in winter and mountain foot trails in summer, Innsbruck is also rich with cultural and nature sights. Particularly, it has plenty of museums, the medieval Old Town, Alpenzoo (the highest located zoo in Europe), and many other places of interest.

The capital of Tirol hosted the winter Olympic Games twice, so the quality of skiing pistes here is really top-level.

3. Hohe Tauern

The oldest and biggest national park of Austria has over 300 mountain peaks rugged with serpentine Alpine roads. Ever-green meadows and forests, vast ice fields, crystal clear rivers, picturesque valleys and waterfalls, peculiar Alpine flora and fauna attract tourists from all over the world. The Pasterze glacier stretched for 9 kilometers accomplishes the overall picture.

4. Aqua Dome Längenfeld

Towering conical structures and giant bowl-shaped pools make this resort look like a luxury spa-center. You will feel the healing and soothing effect of bathing in those two thermal pools for long.

5. Grüner See

In autumn and winter, this lake looks much alike many other lakes. But in spring and summer Grüner See covers one of the local parks. The underwater views of mountain landscapes attract lots and lots of divers from all over the world.

6. Schönbrunn

Schönbrunn is the Unesco World Heritage Site. A former summer residence of the Habsburgs, this palace is the most popular tourist attraction in Vienna. Annually, over 2.7 travelers visit it.

7. Hundertwasserhaus

The Hundertwasserhaus, the most extraordinary building in Vienna, is a house for ordinary citizens. It was designed and engineered by Friedensreich Hundertwasser. The architect believed that twin houses have an adverse effect on people's mood. The Hundertwasserhaus has no sharp angles and its corridors and stair flights are undulating just like forest paths. Moreover, the roof of the building is covered with grass; bushes and trees grow on it.

8. Hochosterwitz

Hochosterwitz Castle is a unique medieval building that survives to this day. Four rows of massive stone walls, numerous traps and rock shelves make it unassailable even nowadays.

9. Bregenz

An old country town of Bregenz on the shores of the Lake Constance becomes a popular tourist destination in July and August when the annual Bregenz Festival is held. Floating scene and posh decorations make this event spectacular and grand-scale.

10. Salzburg

The Old Town of Salzburg is listed as the Unesco World Heritage Site. This city is quite popular with music lovers as it is the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Numerous landmarked buildings are located here.

11. Arlberg

Virgin slopes and ski lodges of Arlberg attract tourists from all over the world. St. Anton am Arlberg is the pearl of skiing and a real paradise for skiers. Terraces facing the sunny side are a great lounge place for having a rest after active skiing. You can have unforgettable winder holiday, skiing, skating, sledging, playing curling, and just walking in this marvelous mountain landscape.

12. Graz

This amazing city in the south-eastern part of Austria is famous not only for its cultural traditions and marvelous architecture, that secured the title of European Cultural Capital in 2003, but also for four universities, thanks to which Graz has obtained the status of city of students.

The second largest city in Austria, Graz is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, impressing tourists with a harmonious combination of advanced buildings and historical buildings of the Old Town.