When I google “Road Trip Austria”, all that I get back is the road trip in Germany with a short stop in Innsbruck. And you know what? This is unfair. Because Austria is worth of two full weeks (if not more) to be explored both for its nature and for its cities.

That is why we literally crossed Austria from East to West – from one border to another. Having no constraints in our timing, every day we decided to spend another day in Austria, then another. And another. We realize though that unless you are a full-time traveler, spending unlimited time in Austria is not an option, thus we came up with a shortened itinerary with all the best stops to make.

You see, of course, that our goal wasn’t to make a tour of the country, but to cross it before moving on. That’s why this itinerary is good for you only if you plan a road-trip in Europe.

In the city-centre you will find quite a few of stands with Sausages – typical German-Austrian cuisine. Budget friendly food, be kind to your stomach though. Another thing you need definitely to eat in Vienna is… the croissant. Yes, yes, an emblem of Parisian cafés was in fact created in Vienna – as a special dessert to celebrate the victory over the Оttoman Empire after a long besiegement of the city. Make sure to eat a Sachertorte (prepare yourself for a chocolate shock!) or a Strudel. We treated ourselves to a generous degustation of various pastry in Sacher Café – not only for the taste, but also for the amazing décor! But for some real Viennese atmosphere go to Naschmarkt – a wide selection of… everything. :)

Move to Vienna. If not, here is the list of our favorites!

Climb 343 steps to the tower of St Stephan’s Cathedral (Südturm) for a beautiful view (through the narrow windows unfortunately). The entrance to the cathedral is also a Must when visiting Vienna.

 Taking a bike and riding to Schönbrunn. The most visited sight in Austria is an excellent place to spend a whole day of exploring, walking or just having a picnic in front of this beauty listed in UNESCO World Heritage. If you have some time and inspiration, you can visit one of the oldest Zoo in the world! The Schönbrunn is huge and consists of several parts with their own opening time – we chose the option to lie lazily on the grass though.

…or Belveder – nothing special, just another random palace in Vienna.

 Nationalbibliothek – Austrian National Library. A breathtaking spot that we chose over all other museums with the paid admission. 2 million books and only (only lol) 200 000 exposed to the tourists, but it is the moment when you live through the scene in Beauty & the Beast – “It’s all yours, Belle”…

Schmetterlinghaus – a butterfly house, but even if you are not a fan, you will love the atmosphere.

  Taking a bike to ride along the Donaukanal and preferably up to Kahlenberg – the highest point of Vienna. Probably it will come as a surprise for you, but wine is not only reserved for France and Italy – the Austrian wine is really good too!

It wasn’t easy to leave Vienna, but we didn’t have to go far – the next stop was just 77 km away. Krems is the gateway to numerous vineyards, but our main interest was a super easy cycling trail along Danube – that’s why we took a whole day for a cycling trip Krems – Melk, the entrance to the Wachau Valley (36 km one way). The Wachau is a valley formed by the Danube River, which also is listed in the UNESCO World Heritage. No wonder, as it is dotted with beautiful villages and vineyards.

Melk is famous for its Abbey, partly owing its glory to the novel “The Name of the Rose” by Umberto Ecco, whose one of the characters was the Adso of Melk. Once again, the cycling trail was very easy, so don’t be scared by the big distance – just do it, enjoy the views of the old castles and picturesque villages.

It was that case when we just put a tent near the road…

The next stop was Linz – the main industrial city of Austria, but you won’t see a trace of it. Even if it’s not the most beautiful city of the country, one spends easily there several hours walking.

We spent a night in the camping directly in Hallstatt. Fortunately for us, it was still off-season, so we didn’t need to book in advance or to enjoy the crowd at its maximum.

The nobility and beauty, the splendor and the ball, the sounds of the classic music – this is what Salzburg is associated with. The city owns the biggest part of its interest to the one of the few geniuses of humanity – Wolfgang Mozart. Everything in Salzburg is about Mozart, but, surprisingly, it doesn’t feel oppressive.

The Alps, the House of Mozart, the Fortress (Festung Hohensalzburg) and Alter Markt – Salzburg’s must-sees, but it is that kind of the city where loosing yourself is the best way to explore. Genuinely loved it.

The most scenic and the scariest part of the trip – crossing Tyrol with its serpentine roads. Amazing how the blossoming spring of the valleys was turning progressively into busy ski resorts. Just look at it!

Tyrol is famous for its traditional side – everybody has heard at least once in life about the folklore songs – jodler, tyrolian cows and cozy wooden houses in the mountains. This is the reason why Tyrol is the unofficial symbol of Austria and receives the biggest number of tourists who come for skiing or cycling.

Innsbruck is the capital of Tyrol, in a certain way it resembles Grenoble in France – a town with a direct access to the all outdoors activities you can imagine. Ski, snowboarding, cycling – Innsbruck is a real heaven for the amateurs of active sports. Even if the city is relatively big, you still feel the spirit of holidays.

We had a crush on Innsbruck for this exactly. A short walk (it’s not that big after all) was sufficient to see the tiny city-centre, but ideally we should have stayed for some skiing, exploring of the sights around and definitely taking in a cable car to Hafelkarspitze  to enjoy the stunning view. (if the photos don’t lie!)

Couchsurfing worked perfect for us!