What's New

While Austria's imperial monuments and scenic wonders remain eternal, here are some of the latest developments that might affect your trip.

Vienna

Much of provincial Austria slept through most of 2006, but not Vienna. Standing at the crossroads of Europe, it experienced major changes. In hotels, one of the most sought-after new addresses is Do & Co, Stephansplatz 12 (tel. 01/24188), in the Haas Haus in the exact center of Vienna at the Dom. In one of the most avant-garde buildings in Vienna, entrepreneurs took over the upper floors and transformed them into accommodations that offer style, drama, and views.

Far more to our liking is the opening of the luxurious Palais Coburg Hotel Residenz, Coburgbastei 4 (tel. 01/518180), which was once the private palace of the Coburg dynasty. Restored in 2006, it was vandalized when the Russian army stayed here as an occupying force after World War II. Those red soldiers wouldn't recognize the "decadent capitalism" of the place today. It's a pocket of posh quite unlike any other in Vienna.

Once the headquarters of an Austrian bank, Radisson/SAS Style Hotel, Herrengasse 12 (tel. 01/227800), has switched to hotel elegance, retaining much of the architectural style of yesterday while becoming as modern as tomorrow. There's everything from a chic wine bar to minimalist-yet-comfortable bedrooms decorated in warm earth tones. As befits the old bank, the health club is found behind massive security doors.

In the new MuseumsQuartier, the best little boutique hotel to open is Das Tyrol, Mariahilferstrasse 15 (tel. 01/5875415). Originally built 175 years ago as a convent, it's been beautifully restored by its owner, a female member of Parliament. A modern art collection adorns walls of this contemporary styled hotel.

The parade of design-conscious hotel openings continues with Parliament Levante, Auerspergstrasse (tel. 01/5354515). You'd never know that this elegant bastion of comfort used to be a sanatorium and later a student dormitory. Today it's a sophisticated hotel of comfort and stylish elegance.

Among restaurants, Do & Co, Stephansplatz 12 (tel. 01/24188), across the street from Vienna's Dom, not only is the most talked about new hotel in Vienna, but also houses a deluxe restaurant. Some of the finest international dishes are served here at the controversial avant-garde building, Haas Haus. In addition to its fine food, its Onyx bar is currently the chicest place to meet for a drink.

The trendiest, most hip, and most sought after dining table in Vienna at the moment is Fabio's, Tuchlauben 6 (tel. 01/5322222), serving sublime Mediterranean and international cuisine. The city's glitterati compete for a table to sample the viands of the young, imaginative chef, Fabio Giacobello. We found the menu items, adjusted to what's available on any given day, to be about the freshest served in the city.

Julius Meinl, Graben 19 (tel. 01/5323341200), near the Dom, is creating a buzz. Its upscale continental cuisine is showcased in a restaurant that also includes a wine shop, deli, and cellar-level wine bar. The cooking is bold and meticulously crafted.

Museum dining is often self-service, but not at Österreicher in MAK Gasthof & Bar, in the Museum der Angewanten Kunst, Stubenring 5 (tel. 01/7140121). Chef Helmut Österreicher even attracts foodies who aren't interested in the museum with his contemporary take on Viennese cuisine. The garden terrace is also a lure in summer. "I can cook classic as well as modern," he told us -- he wasn't lying.

For after-dark diversions, diversity is the key word. Passage, Burgring 1 (tel. 01/9618800), is the dance club of the moment, found in an underground pedestrian subway station beneath the boulevards. Some of the hottest dancers in Vienna show up here to pulsate to the electronic music in this bunker-like space.

Artful and artsy, La Divina, Hanuschgasse 3 (tel. 01/5134319), adjacent to the Albertina, is the cocktail bar of choice for music lovers. With a link to the Vienna State Opera, it attracts the Maria Callas of tomorrow . . . and, yes, of yesterday, too. Only the most talented are invited to play its grand piano.

Salzburg

Among hotels, the Hotel Stein, Giselakai 3-5 (tel. 0662/8743460), has been revitalized most attractively. Today it boasts a contemporary look in beautifully furnished bedrooms, and, as a grace note, has the best rooftop cafe in Salzburg. Suites are very special here, with leather bedspreads, leather upholsteries, and zebra-skin fabrics.

In dining, Salzburg chefs have entered the 21st century as exemplified by the opening of Esszimmer, Müllner Hauptstrasse 3 (tel. 0662/870899), featuring set menus that are among the finest served in this city of Mozart. Specializing in haute French/Austrian cuisine is Andreas Kaiblinger, arguably the most inventive chef in town. His menu changes weekly and is adjusted according to what's in season. We love the marinated trout with pumpkin rösti and pumpkin-flavored vinegar.

Competing for the title of trendiest diner is Magazin, Augustinergasse 13 (tel. 0662/841584), the town's most stylish wine bar. The restaurant is in a mountainous gallery set into an architectural complex of avant-garde buildings. You get some of the best wines in Salzburg plus delicious fare prepared by the owner/chef, Marcus Radauer.

The cookbook author and award-winning chef, Sepp Schellhorn, has opened Restaurant M32, Mönchsberg 32 (tel. 0662/841000), at the Museum De Moderne Art. Chef Schellhorn tempts visitors to take the elevator to the top of Mönchsberg to enjoy a panoramic view and fine international cuisine such as the famous boiled beef of Austria, tafelspitz, with bacon-flavored egg noodles.

The trend in contemporary dining continues with the opening of Carpe Diem Finest Fingerfood, Getreidegasse 50 (tel. 0662/848800), in the Old Town. This two-floor gastro pub comes with a cafe area, a bar, and lounges. The creation of Dietrich Mateschitz, who invented "Red Bull," it offers intensely flavored dishes uniquely combining different temperatures. Since its opening, it's become an instant hit.

Linz

The capital of Upper Austria, Linz, is preparing for its designation as European Capital of Culture in 2009 by opening two of the country's best museums of their kind.

Ars Electronica Center, Hauptstrasse 2 (tel. 0732/72720), has deemed itself "the museum of the future." Here you can take a whirlwind tour over Upper Austria in a full-body flight simulator to shoot out -- at least symbolically -- into the outer reaches of space.

On another front, Linz has opened one of Austria's finest art museums, Lentos Kunstmuseum Linz, Ernest-Koref-Promenade (tel. 0732/70703600). The new gallery owns some 1,500 works by famous artists who range from Picasso to Andy Warhol. There are also hundreds of rare photographs, including the works of Man Ray. See chapter 10 for more details on Linz.

Innsbruck

In the capital of Tyrol, city officials are now offering the Innsbruck Card, offering discounts to attractions, including 18 museums and all rides on public transportation. Free visits to the Alpenzoo are also included.

There's a buzz about the opening of the Penz Hotel, Adolf Pichler Platz 3 (tel. 0512/5756570), the first designer hotel to be built in Innsbruck. Its most dramatic feature is an American-style bar on its rooftop, which opens onto panoramic views of the city. The bedrooms are the most modern in town, but it's the breakfast buffet, which features 22 different types of fresh fruit, that's our favorite part of this place.

In other hotel news, the Neue Post, Maximilianstrasse 15 (tel. 0512/594760), had grown stale since its inception in 1902, but it was given a new lease on life when it was totally restored in 2006. Now it's one of your best bets in the Old Town for a comfortable night, especially if you book one of the deluxe doubles or elegant suites.

On the dining scene, Chef Alfred Miller took a cheap, old-fashioned, student-oriented eatery and turned it into the chic Schöneck, Weiherburggasse 6 (tel. 0512/272728), serving what some critics hail as the best Austrian and Tyrolean cuisine in Innsbruck. In wood-paneled dining rooms, you can feast on the chef's inspiration for the night, which might be filets of Tyrolean venison in a juniper berry sauce. Menu items change with the seasons and chef Miller's active culinary imagination.

Graz

In the Styrian city that gave us Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Augartenhotel, Schönaugasse 53A (tel. 0316/208000), has opened to acclaim, offering both regular double rooms and apartments with kitchens. In the heart of town, this sophisticated hotel is thoroughly modernized and well equipped, with a rooftop terrace providing panoramic views over Graz. Bedrooms are decorated with glass and metal, with tones of gray, silver, and white.

A number of chic, modern restaurants are opening in the city, the best of which is Hofkeller, Hofgasse 8 (tel. 0316/832439), installed in the four-centuries-old vaults of a historic building in the town center. Norbert Kabelka is hailed as a wunderkind in the kitchen, and has become celebrated locally for his take on a modernized cuisine from the Mediterranean world.