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Top Things To Do
Hike the Alps
Once the snow has melted, walk and hike through the Alps' varied landscapes, ranging from forests and green slopes to glaciers and rocks. The Vorarlberg's alpine pastures provide gentle walks, while the Hohe Tauern National Park has more demanding trekking. Winter sports The Alps are one of Europe's major winter sport destinations: go skiing, snowboarding, tobogganing, sleigh riding, curling and skating. Scenic steam train Take an old 19th-century steam train and gaze at some picturesque Austrian scenery, including the famous and beautiful village of St Wolfgang in Salzkammergut. Floating opera Go to the Opera in style; besides the many opera performances in Austria's major towns and cities, for one with a difference, journey to Bregenz and the Upper City with its St Martinstrum (St Martin's Tower), the world's largest floating stage for summer opera productions. Sample Austrian wine Tour through one of Austria's wine-growing regions, such as Lower Austria, Southern Styria and the Burgenland; most wines, such as the well-known Riesling wine, are white, but there also some good reds from Baden and Burgenland. Enjoy coffee and cake Relax and watch the world go by as you submit to Austria's Kaffeehaus (coffee shop) culture: cakes and puddings (such as Torte, of which there are around 60 varieties) can be eaten guilt-free, knowing that it is all in the name of upholding a national institution. Go to the ball Dance the night away with elegance at a recreation of a traditional Austrian ball, at the annual Johann Strauss Ball, which takes place in a beautiful ballroom within the Hofburg Palace in Vienna. Lederhosen Festival Admire traditional Austrian attire at the annual Lederhosen Festival in Windischgarsten, where the wearing of the aforementioned costume is optional, but drinking good beer and chuckling at the election of ‘Miss Lederhose' is compulsory. Salzburg festival Listen to classical music in the city that produced Mozart: the Salzburg Festival (www.salzburgfestival.at) provides a varied programme, from singers, actors, orchestras and opera, with a breathtaking baroque backdrop to boot. A spot of golf Play golf (www.golfinfo.at) on nearly 150 courses in what is one of Europe's fastest-growing golf destinations, with settings from the grounds of historic castles to alpine valleys and terraces. See Contact Addresses for further tourist information. |
