Guide to Day Trips around Vienna, Austria. Stay in Vienna, see Eastern and Western Europe

Enjoy a memorable trip to Vienna, the capital of the Republic of Austria, on guided tours in Vienna that take you to some of the most celebrated, impressive, and historic landmarks and attractions in this beautiful city. Vienna City Tours offers a variety of excursions in Vienna, including private tours and group tours perfect for all travelers.

When it comes to tours in Vienna, our Vienna tour offerings whisk you away to some of the most remarkable locations in this city known as the true heart of Europe. Vienna City Tours is a renowed  company that offers quality guided tours in Vienna along with conveniences like airport transfers, hotel accommodations, incentives, team building events, conferences and excursions in Vienna along with extended Vienna tours of Austria and Europe.

Vienna's Top Cafés. Visit one of these historic Coffee Houses, Kaffeehaus on your Austria Vacation

The Kaffeehaus (traditional coffee house) is a typical Viennese institution. Basically a café for enjoying a good cup of coffee with friends or accompanied by a newspaper in a relaxed atmosphere, different other treats (such as tea, drinks, cakes and small snacks) are served as well. Visiting a couple of these places reveals a great variety and is definitely a must for every visitor to Vienna.

 The Vienna coffeehouses are said to date back to the 17th century Ottoman wars: When Vienna was liberated from the second Turkish siege by an Polish-Habsburg army in 1683, the victorious allies captured numerous sacks with coffee beans they initially thought were camel feed. A wise Polish army officer, understanding the actual value of these beans, is said to have asked his king Jan Sobieski for the coffee bags and thus was able to open up the first coffeehouse in Vienna - consequently establishing the long tradition of the Viennese Kaffeehaus.

Innsbruck: Travel Guide to the Alpine city in Austria. More than a Winter Olympic Ski City, Innsbruck Shines in Summer

The capital of Tirol is one of the most beautiful towns of its size anywhere in the world, owing much of its charm and fame to its unique location. To the north, the steep, sheer sides of the Alps rise, literally from the edge of the city, like a shimmering blue-and-white wall—an impressive backdrop for the mellowed green domes and red roofs of the baroque town tucked below. To the south, the peaks of the Tuxer and Stubai ranges undulate in the hazy purple distance.

Squeezed by the mountains and sharing the valley with the Inn River (Innsbruck means "bridge over the Inn"), the city is compact and very easy to explore on foot. Reminders of three historic figures abound: the local hero Andreas Hofer, whose band of patriots challenged Napoléon in 1809; Emperor Maximilian I (1459–1519); and Empress Maria Theresa (1717–80), the last two responsible for much of the city's architecture. Maximilian ruled the Holy Roman Empire from Innsbruck, and Maria Theresa, who was particularly fond of the city, spent a substantial amount of time here.

Hallstatt, Austria Guide. Visit a fascinating UNESCO World Heritage Site on Lake Hallstatt

As if rising from Swan Lake itself, the town of Hallstatt is the subject of thousands of travel posters. "The world's prettiest lakeside village" perches precariously on what seems the smallest of toeholds, one that nevertheless prevents it from tumbling into the dark waters of the Hallstättersee. Down from the steep mountainside above it crashes the Mühlbach waterfall, a sight that can keep you riveted for hours. Today, as back when—Emperor Franz Josef and his Elisabeth took an excursion here on the day of their engagement—the town is a magnet for tourists, and accordingly a bit too modernized, especially considering that Hallstatt is believed to be the oldest community in Austria. More than 1,000 graves of prehistoric men have been found here, and it has been such an important source of relics of the Celtic period that this age is known as the Hallstatt epoch.

Baden, Austria Travel Guide

The Weinstrasse brings you to the serenely elegant spa town of Baden. Since antiquity, Baden's sulfuric thermal baths have attracted the ailing and the fashionable from all over the world. When the Romans came across the springs, they dubbed the town Aquae; the Babenbergs revived it in the 10th century; and with the visit of the Russian czar Peter the Great in 1698, Baden's golden age began. Austria's Emperor Franz II spent 31 successive summers here. Later in the century Emperor Franz Josef was a regular visitor, his presence inspiring many of the regal trappings the city still displays. In Baden Mozart composed his "Ave Verum"; Beethoven spent 15 summers here and wrote large sections of his Ninth Symphony and Missa Solemnis when he lived at Frauengasse 10; Franz Grillparzer wrote his historical dramas here; and Josef Lanner, both Johann Strausses (father and son), Carl Michael Ziehrer, and Karl Millöcker composed and directed many of their waltzes, marches, and operettas here.

With some exceptions, food in this region, while influenced by Viennese cuisine, is on the simple side. The basics are available in abundance: roast meats, customary schnitzel variations, game (in season), fresh vegetables, and standard desserts such as Palatschinken (crepes filled with jam or nuts, topped with chocolate sauce). However, imaginative cooking is beginning to spread, and most places have fresh fish and other lighter fare. Look for at least one vegetarian course on the menu.

Villach, Austria Travel Guide. Foodie Stopover on the Trail of Wolfgang Puck

Villach Things to Do

The church in the citypark is protestant and was built in neo gothic style from 1901-1903. Behind the church you will find a park with a garden. Also in the city park you will find a large children's playground.

The church of the holy cross was built from 1726. The benediction of the church was in 1744 and the inauguration in 1751. The church is built in baroque style.

Until the end of the Austrian-Hungarian monarchy the church was very popular with pilgrims and later for weddings. Since WW2 it is one of the parish churches of Villach.

The church is situated in the Perau part of town which used to be an independent village once upon a time. Today it's still walking distance from the old town.

Bregenz, Austria Guide. Relax or Philosophize on the Famous Lakeside Promenade of Bregenz

Lying along the southeastern shore of the Bodensee (Lake Constance) with the majestic Pfänder as its backdrop, Bregenz is where Vorarlbergers themselves come to make merry, especially in summer. Along the lakeside beach and public pool, cabanas and candy floss lure starched collars to let loose, while nearby an enormous floating stage is the open-air site for performances of grand opera and orchestral works (Verdi, Rimski-Korsakov, Strauss, and Gershwin are just some of the composers who have been featured). Bregenz is the capital of Vorarlberg, and has been the seat of the provincial government since 1819. The upper town has maintained a charming old-world character. The lower city is the vibrant part of town with pedestrian streets, shops, the railway station, restaurants, and offices.

 

The gastronomic scene of Austria's westernmost provinces is as varied as its landscape: first-rate gourmet restaurants, traditional inns, rustic local taverns, as well as international chains and ethnic cuisine are all part of the mix. In small towns throughout the region restaurants are often the dining rooms of country inns, and there are plenty of these.

Innsbruck, Tirol, and Vorarlberg Hotel Reviews
In Innsbruck travelers do not seem to stay long, so there is a fast turnover and, almost always, a room to be had. Travelers opt to set up their base not in town but overlooking it, on the Hungerburg Plateau to the north, or in one of the nearby villages perched on the slopes to the south. In any case, the official Innsbruck Reservation Center, online at www.innsbruck.info or www.ski-innsbruck.at, offers a booking source for Innsbruck and the surrounding villages.