Austria Holidays

Austria was the setting of world-famous musical The Sound of Music. It saw actress Julie Andrews, and a brood of dirndl and lederhosen-clad children, singing and dancing through meadows on the picturesque Salzburg mountainside. These same hills are ideal for hiking and biking, and they’re punctuated with teal-blue lakes, like Lake Wolfgang and Lake Zell.

Culture vultures will be in their element in Vienna. The palaces at Schönbrunn and Hofburg top the list of royal residences to visit, and the lavishly detailed churches will have your camera glued to your hands. One of our favourites is St Stephan’s Cathedral. Architecture aside, why not catch a classical concert with music from the likes of Mozart and Beethoven, or watch dressage performed by Lipizzaner stallions at the 18th century Spanish Riding School?

From schnitzel to sachertorte, there’s a culinary smorgasbord to make your way through in Austria. Traditional favourites come in the form of hearty stews like tafelspitz, and age-old recipes like wiener schnitzel – a thin cut of veal that’s coated in breadcrumbs and fried. Cakes and pastries are also popular, especially when served up alongside a mug of coffee in a cosy coffee house. And of course you have to try apple strudel, Austria’s most famous dessert, which hides chunks of apple, raisins, cinnamon and sugar beneath layers of buttery, flaky pastry.