Nature meets culture in 3 of the best cities in Austria
21.07.2023 - 07:44
/ roughguides.com
Where should I go to experience culture and nature at their most spectacular? If that’s the question on your mind, Austria should be thrust to the top of your destination wish-list. While Vienna rightfully attracts attention as the graceful capital of Austria, travellers seeking a refreshing blend of nature and culture would do well to consider visiting three of the best cities in Austria: Salzburg, Graz and Innsbruck.
From uncovering magnificent UNESCO World Heritage Sites, to hiking splendid mountains, visiting this trio of cities in Austria will leave you well and truly rewarded, and longing to return. Read on to find out why you need to visit the best cities in Austria.
Offering majestic views of the eastern Alps, and easy access to exhilarating mountain walks, Salzburg sings with the sound of music. No surprise, given that the city provided the unforgettable setting for the Sound of Music movie, Mozart was born here, and it now hosts world-renowned music festivals.
Present-day Salzburg also sings with the clatter of cups coming from traditional coffee houses, and the clink of beer glasses from 15th-century breweries, with the striking architectural legacies of its former prince-archbishops revealing themselves at every turn.
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Salzburg — where nature meets culture from every perspective © Tourismus Salzburg/Breitegger Günter
Salzburg’s UNESCO World Heritage Site Old Town is an enchantment of lanes and passages, with the five squares at the heart of its heritage area providing the perfect setting to experience the city’s celebrated coffee house culture.
To see where it all began, visit Café Tomaselli on Alter Markt. Located here since 1764, the café has been owned by the Tomaselli family since 1852 — expect delicious, elegant delicacies in equally elegant surroundings.
Envisaged as “Rome of the North” by Prince-Archbishop Wolf Dietrich zu Raitenau in the sixteenth-century, over centuries Salzburg was transformed into the beautiful baroque city that awaits you today. Follow a UNESCO-themed city walk to see Salzburg’s top historic sites, allowing plenty of time for a rewarding stop-off at handsome Hohensalzburg Fortress.
Hohensalzburg Fortress, Salzburg © Tourismus Salzburg/Breitegger Günter
With a panoramic viewing experience to enjoy, and five museums to explore (the city as a whole certainly isn’t short of beautiful museums), visiting the fortress is the ideal way to absorb the splendour of Salzburg’s natural and architectural beauty at one fell swoop.
Meanwhile, on Mozartplatz, the Salzburg carillon is enthroned high above the rooftops of the City of Mozart. With 35 different bells, it enchants the hearts of visitors