🇦🇹Austria

Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna

The former summer residence of the Habsburg emperors, its 1,441 rooms set within extensive formal gardens featuring a hilltop gloriette with sweeping city views. Highlights include the Great Gallery, used for state receptions, and the world's oldest zoo, founded in the palace grounds in 1752. A full visit easily fills half a day.

Hallstatt

A lakeside village so picturesque it has been reproduced as a full-scale replica in China, with pastel houses stacked against a steep mountainside above the Hallstättersee lake. Beneath the town, one of the world's oldest salt mines is open for tours, complete with a slide used by miners for centuries. Its popularity means visiting early or late in the day helps avoid the crowds.

Vienna State Opera

One of the most important opera houses in the world, hosting a different production most nights of its packed season. Standing-room tickets are famously cheap and offer a way to experience world-class performances on a budget. Guided daytime tours cover the building's ornate interior even without attending a show.

Hofburg Palace, Vienna

The former principal imperial palace, now housing the Austrian president's office alongside museums covering the Habsburg treasury, the Spanish Riding School's Lipizzaner horses, and Sisi's personal apartments. Its scale reflects six centuries of continuous expansion by successive rulers. It sits at the heart of Vienna's compact historic center.

Salzburg's Old Town

Mozart's birthplace and the setting for much of The Sound of Music, its baroque old town sits below the hilltop Hohensalzburg Fortress. Narrow lanes lead past the composer's childhood home and numerous churches, with the fortress offering panoramic Alpine views. It's an easy day trip or overnight stop between Vienna and the mountains.

Wachau Valley

A UNESCO-listed stretch of the Danube lined with vineyard terraces, medieval castle ruins, and small wine towns like Dürnstein and Melk. A river cruise or bike path along the valley floor is the classic way to see it, with Melk Abbey's baroque library as a highlight. Apricot orchards add a distinct local specialty to the wine.