Visiting Austria: My Best Tips for Artsy & Independent Travelers
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Austria is a country where art, music, and history shape everyday life, from the elegance of Vienna’s imperial palaces to the Alpine villages that inspired Romantic painters and composers. Find world-class museums, grand architecture, and a thriving contemporary arts scene, endlessly fascinating for travelers who love culture in all its forms.
Austria invites you to slow down and savor beauty at every turn. With landscapes that feel lifted from a painting and cities that celebrate creativity at every corner, it’s the perfect destination for an arts-focused journey.
This post is part of my Visiting Europe series, sharing my best tips for artsy and independent travelers exploring creative destinations across Europe.
Table of Contents
Austria Highlights at a Glance
- Explore the Tyrol and take a day trip to Neuschwanstein Castle just over the border in Germany.
- See a classical music concert in Vienna.
- Stay in Vienna and explore the amazing museums.
- Visit Salzburg and commune with Mozart and The Sound of Music.
My Relationship to Austria
I made my first trip to Austria when I was a student at Reading University in England. A ski holiday to Solden was within my budget (just) and so off I went.
Skiing in the Austria Alps was delightful. I’ve never seen such infrastructure, certainly not compared to the ski mountains in my hometown, which back then were pretty basic.
My favorite trip to Austria was when I spent several days in Vienna on a solo trip to research my second novel, A Woman of Note, about a female composer in 1830s Vienna. I had an awesome time going to composer houses, attending classical music concerts, and soaking up the vibe of one of Europe’s most livable cities.
Austria is always a pleasure to visit. Sometimes, I’ve just been passing through en route from the north to Italy; at other times I’ve been able to stay and get better acquainted with Salzburg, Innsbruck, and Vienna.
Favorite Places in Austria
The map below pinpoints some recommended places in Austria.
If you’re planning a trip to Austria, consider including these places in your itinerary. I suggest spending about a week in Vienna (you won’t run out of amazing museums!) before visiting both Salzburg and Innsbruck. Also check out the Tirol region and hop over the border to Germany to see King Ludwig II’s famous castles.
The map below includes the most of the places mentioned in my posts about Austria: Vienna (#1), Salzburg (#2), Innsbruck (#3), tiny little Unterpinswang (#5) where we stayed on a driving trip through Austria on our way to Italy, and Neuschwanstein Castle (#4) in Germany.
Practical Tips for Artsy & Independent Travel in Austria
In this post, I cover some of the basics of visiting Austria: when to visit, must-see events, transportation, accommodations, and food.
But first, a bit of trivia! Did you know that Vienna was named the most livable city in the world in 2022-2024—three times in a row (and several more times before that)? In 2024 the city earned a perfect score of 100 out of 100. Wow!
Another of my favorite cities in Europe also made the cut in 2024. Copenhagen was #2. My home town of Vancouver tied for 7th place—not too shabby!
When to Visit Austria
First off, decide when you want to visit. If you are hoping to enjoy cultural delights such as opera, festivals, and music events, including performances by the Vienna Boys’ Choir, then visit between September and May.
I’ve visited Austria in both May and September and the weather was perfect for touring, apart from the occasional rainy day.
Check Events and Exhibitions
Before you visit Austria, check online for exhibitions and performances. Also be on the lookout for local festivals.
You’ll want to check what concerts are on while you’re in Vienna. Good websites to check include the Vienna Philharmonic, the Vienna Boys’ Choir and Concert Vienna.
Choose Your Transportation
Austria is not a large country, easy to travel around. The drive from Vienna to Salzburg takes about three hours—four if you include a few stops.
Trains are also fast and efficient. Consider taking trains between cities (Vienna to Salzburg to Innsbruck) and then either renting a car to tour the countryside or booking a small-group guided tour.
A good strategy when visiting Austria is to fly to Vienna, tour the city for a few days, and then pick up a car and explore the rest of the country. We did that on one trip and found driving out of Vienna relatively stress-free compared to some other European cities such as Paris and Rome.
Public Transit
As a relatively small country, Austria is easily explored by train. You can zip from Vienna to Salzburg in about 2 and a half hours. If you don’t want to drive, travel by train between the major cities (Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck) and then take day tours.
Driving Through Austria
Often, I’ve driven through western Austria when traveling from Germany to Italy, crossing at the Brenner Pass.
On a recent trip, I stopped for the night just across the border in Austria from the town of Fussen, Germany. The town is famous for being close to “Mad Ludwig’s” castle, otherwise known as Neuschwanstein.
I spent the night in the tiny and impossibly charming village of Pinswang nestled in a valley surrounded by mountains. Called the Gutshof zum Schluxen, the 3-star bed-and-breakfast was everything a place in the fabled Austrian Tyrol should be.
The proprietor wore lederhosen, the wine was local, the dinner hearty and very Austrian, and the room with a view over the valley was comfortable and quiet.
Small-Group Tours
I highly recommend small-group tours run by locals as a stress-free way to explore the countryside. If you enjoy driving, then by all means rent a car. But if you’d rather relax and leave the driving to the pros, consider day tours. I’ve sometimes left my car at my hotel and taken a small-group tour of a particular region that I’d rather not drive through (e.g., tortuous Alpine roads).
If you’re staying in Munich and don’t have a car, see the castles on a guided day trip.
Safety in Austria
Austria is a safe country for travelers. I stayed on my own for several days in Vienna. Every evening, I walked around the city and took transit to my apartment, and never felt in danger.
But, as always, be aware of your surroundings and wear your money belt!
Check out my post about traveling solo in Vienna.
Where to Stay for an Arts-Focused Austria Trip
I found Austria, and Vienna in particular, expensive. Even the 3-star bed-and-breakfast we stayed at in the Tyrol, the Gutshof zum Schluxen, cost about €140 for one night.
Expect to pay €250-400 or more for a centrally located, good-quality hotel room in Vienna. When you’re looking for accommodation in Vienna, choose places within the old city walls.
You could opt for a budget hotel on the outskirts but you’ll waste too much time commuting through dreary suburbs into the wonderful city center. Spend the money and book a good hotel in the old city.
I made the mistake of being budget-conscious to a fault on one trip to Vienna when I booked an apartment about a 40-minute tram ride from the city center. Sure, the place was inexpensive, but the hot water ran out on the second day and it was located in a nondescript neighborhood, kilometers from the action.
Apartments can be a good bet in Vienna, but again, book one in the center of the city. You’ll find excellent ones listed on HomeAway and on booking.com. Click on the map below to find hotels in Vienna.
