Top 10 Places to Visit in AUSTRIA

After my two-week Austrian road trip, I'm sharing my top 10 list, ranked from 10 down to 1. It's not definitive, I skipped Vienna, but I can tell you every place I visited was incredible. From historic towns to the Alps, this list covers everything for your trip, plus some extras. So, whether you're currently planning your getaway or just looking for some travel inspiration, this is for you. I'm Jainu, here is my top 10 list of the top Austrian spots. Number 10, Hallstatt. Starting with the most popular spot. Hallstatt is a picturesque lakeside village in the Salz-Kammergut region. This town has gone viral on social media, so I was skeptical, but it didn't take long to see why. It's a charming, fairytale-like town. My number 1. I recommend touring the world's oldest salt mine, dating back over 7,000 years. It's a family-friendly activity that's as educational as it is fun, offering a cool chance to slide down wooden chutes. See if you can beat my top speed of 17.4 kilometers per hour. Overall, Hallstatt makes for an excellent half or full day trip from Salzburg. Curious what else to do or have transport questions? Check out my in-depth Hallstatt guide linked above or in the description. Number 9, Imst. If you want fewer crowds than Hallstatt, but still packed with alpine scenery and lush green mountains, then Imst is that underrated spot you never knew you were looking for. In Western Austria, Imst is just an hour from Innsbruck. The main highlight is the longest alpine coaster in the world. With 2.2 miles of non-stop track, it's perfect for thrill seekers. I got to ride it myself and it was a blast. Imst also offers plenty of outdoor activities, including incredible hikes. With the country's best rafting and canyoning. I'll leave links for these guided tours in the description. Number 8, Innsbruck. If you've researched Austria, you've heard of Innsbruck. Known as the jewel of the Alps, it sits in a valley of soaring peaks. Innsbruck is the perfect base camp for many day trips, which is exactly what we did for Imst. What makes it unique is, you get the best of both worlds, city life and nature. And for a dose of nightlife, hit the town on a Friday or Saturday. Innsbruck is a college town with a fun vibe. Finally, if you want a comfortable stay with AC, since not every hotel has it, I highly recommend where we stayed, The Trend. Hotel. Find up to 30% off via booking.com, link in the description below. Number 7, Trondsee. I guarantee you won't find Trondsee on many Austrian top 10 lists as it's often overlooked. Like Hallstatt. Trondsee sits in the Salz-Kammergut district, home to 76 lakes and one of the best is Trondsee itself. I think why this lake left such a deep impression on me. Was that it was stunning, yet had practically no tourists. One of my core memories of the trip was just sitting on a swinging bench looking out into the lake as the sun. I've had a few of you guys message me privately asking me things like where should I stay. If I have a couple days in the Salz-Kammergut and my response is always the same. Stay at Trondsee. Not only is this lake beautiful, but you can find much cheaper accommodations here. Then say Hallstatt. For me, it was the perfect place to sit as base camp for a few days in the region. As for the outdoors, there's ample hiking and boating opportunities that'll keep you busy. Number 6, Gosau. If you visit Hallstatt and skip its mountain neighbor Gosau, then you're seriously missing out. It's only a 30-minute drive away, perfect for a half day trip or even better an overnight stay. And if you need a rental car, which in my opinion is the best way to explore Austria for the freedom and flexibility, I highly recommend using rentalcars.com. This isn't sponsored, I just find their site super easy to use with great prices. You can book one through my link below. The main draw of Gosau is You can drive right up to it, admire the incredible views from below or above via gondola and enjoy a lakeside Austrian meal. But if you're feeling more adventurous and have the time, I highly recommend hiking or mountain biking. We spent two days here and I made a full video showing how to do both, complete with maps and step-by-step details. The bike ride especially was life-altering and you can see what I mean by that by checking the video in the corner above or description. Number 5, Salzburg. Salzburg is well known for many things. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It's the beer capital of Austria and was the setting for the musical The Sound of Music. Salzburg is also famous for another thing, which leads me to this video's quick travel trivia. Salzburg was the birthplace to one of the world's most prolific classical composers, creating pieces you might recognize like the one in the background, Serenade No. 13. The question is, which of these famous composers was born in Salzburg? Is it A. Beethoven, B. Mozart or C. Vivaldi? 3, 2, 1, answer. It's B. Mozart. If you guessed right and leave a music note emoji below. So it only makes sense. My top recommendation in Salzburg is to attend a Mozart concert at Marble Hall, where he performed 250 years ago. I'm not into classical music, but I could still easily appreciate making it a special treat. Book your concert tickets via Get Your Guide With The. Scan the QR code or use the link below. Salzburg has so much more to offer than just Mozart, a medieval castle, the historic old town, beer halls, and an urban vibe. A hike with the best city view, in my opinion. For more on Salzburg, check out my full guide in the corner. Or check the description below. Number 4, the Tiroler Zugspitze Arena. Located right on the Bavarian border, the Tiroler Zugspitze Arena is an overlooked alpine wonderland of seven villages. Even though it's just a 90-minute drive from Innsbruck, it ranks so high for me because it had the trip's second best hike, the trail to Drachensee and Siebensee. Two majestic alpine lakes. If you want an epic hike past glacier-fed lakes, cows roaming, green pastures, and a classic European hut to rest at or grab lunch, this hike has it all. And if that's not enough, the whole region, not just the hike, is dominated by Germany's tallest peak. Sachswitz. We stayed in a quiet village, Weiberweir, for two nights and the view of Sachswitz from our balcony was unreal. Possibly one of the best hotel views I've ever had, and I would gladly return to this area to see more of what it offers. Number 3, Wolfgangsee. This may be controversial, but I loved it. Wolfgangsee over Hallstatt. Both are in Salz-Kammergut, but Wolfgangsee. One, it's less crowded, two, the villages are charming, three, it's easier to get to. Just a 30-minute drive or a bus ride from Salzburg. My two recommendations are to take a ferry across the lake from St. Göttingen to St. Wolfgang and then ride Austria's steepest cog railway train to the top of Schottberg. Mountain for panoramic 360-degree views. In my separate video of Wolfgangsee, one of my viewers commented they followed my exact one-day itinerary and shared that it was the highlight of their trip, which made me super happy. If you want to follow it too, then check it out in the corner above or description. Number 2, The Zillertal Alps. If you clicked the thumbnail, it's for the Zillertal Alps. Sure, this range is a bit of a drive from the cities, but it's absolutely worth it. The top thing to do is hike the Oberhut trail. It was easily our best hike throughout our road trip. I worried it would be overcrowded due to the online hype, but it wasn't bad at all. We even went on a weekend. I had high hopes for it, but having seen it myself, it completely exceeded them. As you might have guessed, I put together a full hiking guide. The Oberhut trail, when to go, how to get there, and the specific route. Feel free to watch it if you're interested. Before I share my number one spot in Austria, I'll quickly share two honorable mentions. I wish I could have included them here, but they don't really count as they're in Germany, though I'm mentioning them anyway. As they're practical cross-border spots, you can easily add to your itinerary. First is Mittenwald. Only 40 minutes from Innsbruck, it's famous for its centuries-long history of violin making. It was a super charming town with the imposing six bits in the background. And the second honorable mention is Birchtesgaden. You can take an incredible boat ride along Königsee, the deepest lake in Germany. After that, you can go on a hike that will have everything you'd want. Green meadows, alpine lakes, and a hut that sells cow's milk from the cows on the trail. Oh, and Germany's tallest waterfall just happens to be here. This is an area that honestly deserves more than just the single day we spent here, so I can't recommend it enough. Okay, now the number one destination you've been waiting for. Number one, the Grossglockner High Alpine Road. This is the highest drivable road in the country with views of Austria's tallest mountain, Grossglockner. I love nature and views, so it's only natural. This is my top pick. Highlights include the Pastors Glacier, Austria's longest glacier, and Edelweiss Spitze, the highest road. My absolute favorite was a random spot we found roadside, and I have to share this message. We're at Grossglockner. I don't usually film, but this place is just so magical that I had to record it. This was the highlight of the whole trip. We have the place all to ourselves. There are waterfalls here, waterfalls behind us, and I'm just so happy to be traveling, very grateful, and I hope you enjoy the rest of this video. Take care. Sometimes you experience a moment when emotions overcome you, you pause, and just take it all in. Sometimes they don't. But it usually appears in the most unexpected places. And that a core memory was made here, on this hidden path in the Central Austria. These moments make travel so special. So, that was my top 10 list of the best places in Austria. My short road trip. I could rave about Austria for days and I, I barely scratched the surface of what this country has. So please, share your own travel tips with us in the comments to help fellow travelers. In the next video, I'll cover our full 12-day Austrian road trip, day by day. Day breakdown, sharing where we stayed, what we did, and the order to help inspire your next trip. When that video is ready, you can find it here. As always, happy planning, and see you next time.