Gourmands can enjoy local cuisine and take part in master classes led by famous chefs
1. Enjoy nature
The richness of nature in this small country is astounding. The turbulent cascades of the Krimml Waterfalls will leave an indelible impression even on the most seasoned travelers, and the fantastic views from the Gerlos Panorama Road are the best you can see in a lifetime! In summer, the Austrian Alps are quiet and peaceful, with only the sound of cowbells from melancholic cows chewing lush grass.
2. Taste delicious and healthy food
In a variety of affordable cafes and exclusive expensive restaurants with international awards, creative Austrian chefs offer guests traditional national cuisine recipes in a completely new interpretation using the freshest regional and seasonal products. Lovers of culinary experiments can enjoy local cuisine and take part in master classes conducted by famous chefs.
3. Visit cultural events
The most significant events of summer 2016 will be the Vienna Festival of Music, Opera and Theater Wiener Festwochen (13.05 – 19.06), the two-week Jazzfest in Vienna (29.06 – 10.07), the Festival of Experimental Arts in Salzburg Sommer Szene (23.06 – 03.07), and the Salzburg Summer Festival of Classical Music Salzburger Festspiele (22.07 – 31.08) – the most famous celebration in the country, attracting hundreds of the world's best performers of classical music and operetta, jazz, and cinema.
4. Swim in one of 266 lakes
The water in some Austrian lakes is so clean you can drink it. In summer, Lake Mondsee in the Salzkammergut region and Lake Wörthersee in Carinthia warm up to 28 degrees. For active people, Austria's lake resorts offer numerous water activities: water skiing, banana boat rides, windsurfing, electric boat trips, yacht cruises. Fishing enthusiasts are attracted to Heiterwanger See, Klopainer See, Ossiacher See, Attersee with a rich variety of fish – pike, trout, eel, carp.
An undeniable natural wonder is Lake Grüner See. In spring, due to snowmelt, the water level rises sharply, and it floods the nearby meadows and parks. Divers who come here can observe a fantastic underwater world with green lawns, trees, paths, bridges, and benches on the lake bottom.
5. Do sports
Rafting enthusiasts await descents along mountain rivers and canyons, paragliders will soar among mountain peaks, trekkers and cyclists will greatly enjoy winding trails and beautiful landscapes, climbers will rejoice in a wide variety of routes from simplest to extreme, and golfers will appreciate the excellent infrastructure of Austria's courses.
6. Stroll in one of seven national parks
The country's calling card is the Hohe Tauern National Park – the largest nature reserve in Central Europe. In the center of the park are 266 magnificent mountain peaks over 3000 meters high. The Donau-Auen National Park stretches as a narrow strip along the Danube floodplain, just an hour's drive from Vienna. The third largest and youngest in the country is Gesäuse National Park. The park covers picturesque mountain ranges along the Enns River valley with beautifully eroded slopes.
7. Stay on a farm or winery
In charming villages, you can not only recharge your batteries but also gain new experience and make friends. Hospitable Austrian farmers gladly tell tourists about the features of rural life and teach them the basics of producing regional products – the most delicate alpine cheeses, sour cream, cottage cheese, yogurts, various meat products, jams. Travelers can pick fruit, participate in winemaking and taste wine, ride horses, try local cheeses, enjoy food made from ingredients grown right before their eyes. You can experience the coziness and hospitality of Austrian villages at a choice of 3500 agritourism farms and wineries.
8. Take part in interesting outdoor events
Already in May, the Narzissenfest Daffodil Festival (26-29.05) in the Salzkammergut region attracts tourists. Locals build giant sculptural compositions from living daffodils, which then become part of colorful processions. On the night of June 21, the longest day of the year, huge bonfires are lit in Salzburg and the surrounding area as a symbol of the victory of light over darkness to celebrate the summer solstice festival Sonnenwendfeier.
Those who find themselves in Austria in August can witness a fantastic spectacle – hundreds of shooting stars from the Perseid meteor shower. The Bregenz Festival Bregenzer Festspiele (23.07 – 24.08) with its complex program and unique performances is complemented by a breathtaking landscape. A floating stage is set directly on Lake Constance, spectators sit in an amphitheater on the shore, and immerse themselves in the mysterious atmosphere of a warm summer night.
9. Relax in thermal water pools
A true work of art, the Rogner Bad Blumau resort was designed by the great artist and architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser. The architect managed to create a paradise in full harmony with nature. Greenery surrounds everywhere, even on the roofs of buildings painted in bright colors and resembling fairy-tale dreams. The resort's medical programs use only natural treatment methods. Along with traditional balneotherapy and mud therapy, 136 types of massage, acupuncture, gong therapy, shiatsu, aromatherapy and other methods of Eastern medicine are used.
10. Make profitable purchases
Dizzying shopping can be done at the seven-story department store STEFFL on the respectable capital street Kärtnerstraße, where the best goods from the most famous world manufacturers are gathered. Many boutiques and brand stores with collections of famous brands can be found in Salzburg, where the EUROPARK shopping complex has become the center of city shopping, and in Innsbruck in the very first shopping center in Austria, DEZ.
Those who visit Austria in summer will notice in store windows the sign «Reduziert», meaning a sale and promising delightful shopping at affordable prices. In the summer months, discounts start to increase from the last ten days of June (30%), adding 20% each month and sometimes reaching up to 80%.