Galleries, grandeur and fairytale villages: Austria’s cultural, historical and luxury highlights

Austria’s Alpine playground is legendary – its skiing superb, its hospitality impeccable, and its mountain scenery frankly some of the most sublimely beautiful anywhere on the planet. But look beyond the meticulously groomed slopes and the fabulous après ski bars, and you’ll find a whole world of other reasons to visit the Austrian Alps; from rich cultural traditions to splendid palaces and castles, Unesco-listed towns and historical sites, phenomenally good spas, and museums crammed with enough world-class art to warrant several trips to in themselves. And as fortune would have it for a winter visit to Austria, all of this is generally only a hop and a skip from a ski slope.

Descend into Innsbruck
Nowhere in Austria quite matches Innsbruck for its juxtaposition of city and slopes. The Hungerburg funicular starts from bang in the city centre, whisking skiers and freeriders from the cafes and cobbled streets of the historic old town to the cable car station, which then takes them up to the black runs of Nordkette – including the infamous Karrinne couloir, where the gradient reaches an adrenaline-pumping 70%. Total journey time, a mere 20 minutes.

Innsbruck’s famous Golden Roof is a late-gothic marvel, a roofed balcony built for Emperor Maximilian I and covered with more than 2,500 gilded copper tiles. Also in the old town, don’t miss the Imperial Palace; built for Maximilian I and remodelled in the 18th century by Maria Theresa, the Court Church (which includes the towering Ebert organ), and the beautiful Helbling House, with its flamboyant baroque facade.

Step into folk history
There are several annual carnivals celebrated in towns and villages near Innsbruck, such as the Fasnacht in Nassereith, where Tirolean shrovetide traditions and alpine folklore are as alive and well as ever; think intricately carved wooden masks, colourful costumes, and an elaborate cast of characters whose task it is to chase away the winter blues and usher in the birth of a new spring. And just over 30 miles west of Innsbruck on the road to Ischgl, Kappl and the Paznaun Valley, you’ll find Imst, home to one of Europe’s greatest carnivals, the Imst Schemenlaufen, which only takes place every four years (the next one is scheduled for 2024) and was the first tradition in Austria to be inscribed on the Unesco list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

City of symphonies
Salzburg, the city of Mozart and gateway to the winter resorts of Salzburgerland, is home to some of the best-preserved baroque architecture anywhere in the world; a genuine fairytale setting, with atmosphere in spades. Don’t miss Mozart’s birthplace – a fascinating museum, its displays beautifully laid out and presented – the lovely Mirabell Palace and Gardens, the Museum DomQuartier and the iconic hilltop castle. Along with the Christmas market in Innsbruck, the one in Salzburg is as good as any in Austria; a place to indulge in delicious lebkuchen (Christmas cookies) and a warming glass or two of glühwein (mulled wine), while browsing craft stalls and listening to choirs singing in front of the cathedral.

Small town, old world grandeur
Just 30 miles from Salzburg, the picture-perfect little town of Bad Ischl sits on the Traun River and is the ideal jumping-off point for the Alpine lakes and mountains of the Salzkammergut region. But it is, of course, a worthy destination in its own right. Full of remnants of imperial splendour, the town’s historic centre, along with its Habsburgian villas, mansions and concert houses, would not look at all out of place in Wes Anderson’s Grand Budapest Hotel – so it should be no surprise, then, that it will be a European Capital of Culture in 2023.

Cultural capital
And then there’s Vienna, with its myriad museums and galleries, palaces and other outstandingly beautiful architecture (and still just an hour away from several ski slopes). The Leopold Museum houses an astonishing collection of artworks by the likes of Egon Schiele (the world’s largest collection of his work, in fact), Gustav Klimt and Oskar Kokoschka, alongside its permanent exhibition, Vienna 1900: Birth of Modernism, which gives a fantastic insight into the vibrant and innovative art from this period.

Vienna is also home to the fabulous Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien (Art History Museum), with its huge collection of works by the likes of Raphael, Titian, Rembrandt and Dürer, not to mention the world’s largest collection of paintings by Bruegel, and the lavish Kunstkammer Vienna, with more than 2,000 treasures collected from across the Habsburg empire and beyond by a succession of emperors. The Belvedere Palace and Museum houses a wonderful selection of works by Klimt and others, and it’s here that you’ll find Klimt’s most famous painting, The Kiss. While at mumok (Museum of Modern Art) you’ll find works by Picasso, Andy Warhol and Claes Oldenburg, among the sizable modern and contemporary collections.

There are many, many more museums and galleries to visit, from MAK (Museum for Applied Arts) to the recently refurbished Sigmund Freud Museum – but make sure you leave time for the city itself, which really is one great big, sprawling succession of architectural gems, from iconic buildings of the Viennese secession to dazzling modern design, and everything in between. Along with spending some time in its historic coffee houses, simply wandering through the narrow streets and hidden courtyards of the old town must count as one of the great pleasures of visiting the Austrian capital.

Take a luxury cure
If you’re in need of pampering, Austria has you more than covered, with a profusion of superb spas and wellness centres throughout the country. After all, the hot springs have been drawing visitors here since Roman times. Head for the Tauern Spa in Zell am See-Kaprun, with its views of the Kitzsteinhorn from the rooftop pool, or to the dazzlingly modern, award-winning Aqua Dome Tyrol Therme Längenfeld in the Ötztal region, where you can lounge in futuristic outdoor pools – which resemble inverted flying saucers – surrounded by 3,000-metre peaks. What better way to relax, unwind and disconnect from the business of modern life, than with panoramic views of Austria’s incomparable winter playground?

From magical Christmas markets to world-class skiing, epic new year celebrations to spectacular spas, fall in love with everything winter has to offer, with an unforgettable trip to Austria. Plan your perfect trip at austria.info/en/winter