Tourist Offices -- Contact the Austrian National Tourist Office, P.O. Box 1142, New York, NY 10108-1142 (tel. 212/944-6880; www.austria-tourism.com). In Canada, you'll find offices at 2 Bloor St. E., Suite 3330, Toronto, ON M4W 1A8 (tel. 416/967-3381). In London, contact the office at 14 Cork St., W1X 1PF (tel. 0845/101-1818).

Dispensing information for the entire country, the Austrian National Tourist Office is at Margaretenstrasse 1, A-1040 Vienna (tel. 0810/10181818). However, it cannot make reservations for you. As you travel throughout the towns and villages of Austria, you'll see signs emblazoned with a fat I (for information) in front of the local tourist office, where you can obtain maps and might even get assistance in finding a hotel if you arrive without a reservation. You might also want to ask for the free English-language booklet Art and Architecture in Austria, which lists examples and photos of Austria's most renowned architectural sites.

Websites -- To begin your exploration of Austria, check out the sites for the Austrian National Tourist Office (www.austria.info.at), Tourist-Net: Austria (www.tourist-net.co.at), Vienna Tourist Board (www.info.wien.at), and Mozart Concerts (www.mozart.co.at).

Maps -- Some of the most useful maps for touring the countryside include Michelin's Austria (no. 426) and Freytag & Berndt's Autokarte Austria. Even more detailed is Freytag & Berndt's Grosse Strassen Karten, which covers Austria in three separate breakdowns, with the enlargement of certain regions of Land Salzburg available on a fourth. Some visitors find it more convenient to buy these same four maps in the form of the 12-page atlas, Grosser Auto Atlas Österreich. It includes helpful blowups of the centers of many of the country's large- and medium-size cities.

Freytag & Berndt also publish detailed maps (in either atlas or foldaway form) of Greater Vienna. Maps of Vienna's public transport system are available from the city's tourist offices.

Hill-climbers and trekkers appreciate Freytag & Berndt's detailed topographical maps known as the Wanderkarten (W.K.). The company also publishes canoeing maps of specific regions, including the Carinthian lakes.

Most of the maps mentioned above are available in bookstores throughout Austria and in larger bookstores in the rest of Europe and North America. Freytag & Berndt's shops are at Kohlmarkt 9, in Vienna, and at Wilhelm-Greil-Strasse 15, in Innsbruck.

If you'd like a map before your trip to plan your itinerary, you can obtain one from Rand McNally, Michelin, or AAA. These are sold at bookstores all over America. Rand McNally also has an online store: www.randmcnally.com. The U.S. headquarters of Michelin is at P.O. Box 19008, Greenville, SC 29602 (tel. 800/423-0485). AAA (the American Automobile Association; tel. 212/757-2000 or 800/222-1134; www.aaa.com) publishes a regional map of Austria that's available free to members at most AAA offices throughout the United States.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.