Skiing is the name of the game in Austria.

  • Biking Along the Danube: The Lower Danube Cycle Track is a biker's paradise. The most exciting villages and stopovers along the Danube, including Melk and Dürnstein, are linked by a riverside bike trail between Vienna and Naarn. As you pedal along, you'll pass castles, medieval towns, and latticed vineyards. You can rent bikes from the train or ferry stations, and all tourist offices provide route maps.
  • Ballooning over Styria: Styria has some of the best alpine ballooning in Europe, as experienced by participants who have sailed over the alpine ranges of the Salzkammergut and a steppelike landscape that evokes the Great Hungarian Plain. A typical ballooning excursion will cross river valleys, mountain peaks, glaciers, and vineyards.
  • Canoeing & Rafting in the Salzburg Alps (Land Salzburg): Known for their beautiful alpine lakes and roaring white-water streams, the lakes in and around Salzburg are some of the most ideal in Europe for canoeing, rafting, and kayaking. Waters aren't polluted and powerboats are restricted, making these safe and idyllic adventures.
  • Hiking in the Zillertal Alps (Tyrol): This mountain paradise is the best place to hike in Western Austria. Instead of roads, you'll find footpaths winding through the scenic Zillertal Valley, east of Innsbruck. Alpine guides lead you to some of the most panoramic scenery you've ever seen. This alpine world is yours as you hike across mountain trails or ascend on lifts to higher elevations. You can even find year-round skiing at Tuxer Gletscher, a glacier.
  • Traversing Ice Age Valleys: No scenic thrill in all of Europe quite matches that available in the Hohe Tauern National Park, Europe's largest national park. Part of the Austrian Central Alps, the Hohe Tauern range cuts across Land Salzburg, Tyrol, and Carinthia. Molded during the Ice Age, these valleys are filled with pastureland, alpine heaths, vast expanses of snow and ice, forested bulwarks, fields of rock, and gargantuan alluvial and mudflow cones. The park is also home to numerous nearly extinct species. Much of this vast and remote area has never been explored, but parts are accessible by car or government-owned Bundesbus (the route goes from Böckstein to Badgastein and from Zell am Ziller to Krimml). You can get car or bus information from the local tourist offices.
  • 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.