Hohensalzburg fortress over the old town at sunrise

Roam Austria

Austria, clearly.

A clear directory of Austria's destinations. Where to go, where to base yourself, and what is actually worth your time.

Where to base yourself

City and beyond

Cities, lake towns, mountain villages. Pick where you sleep.

village

Murau is a small Upper Styrian town on the Mur river that still operates a narrow-gauge steam railway, the Murtalbahn, running 66 kilometers through the valley to Unzmarkt. The town brewery, Brauerei Murau, is a genuine regional institution.

Murau

10 places

town

What the Neusiedler See offers that almost no other European lake cannot is flatness: the water is rarely deeper than 1.8 meters, the reeds stretch for kilometers, and the horizon dissolves somewhere between Austria and Hungary.

Neusiedl am See

8 places

village

On Christmas Eve 1818, the organ at St. Nikolaus Church in Oberndorf broke down, and the assistant priest Franz Xaver Gruber set Joseph Mohr's poem to guitar instead. Silent Night has been performed at least 733 million times since.

Oberndorf bei Salzburg

7 places

village

In 1965, the Beatles filmed the ski sequences for Help! in Obertauern, and the village has traded on that fact ever since.

Obertauern

12 places

village

The Dachstein ice caves have been forming for thousands of years inside a mountain that rises directly above the Hallstaetter See. The cable car to access them departs from Obertraun, not from Hallstatt across the water.

Obertraun

11 places

town

Radstadt is one of the very few towns in Austria where the medieval town walls stand complete, three round towers and the connecting curtain wall encircling the old town center that was granted market town rights in 1289.

Radstadt

9 places

All destinations

From the notebook

Stories from the notebook

Longer reads and honest takes from across Austria.

Mountains from Salzburg

Field note

Alpine Foothills: How do you get to the Mountains from Salzburg?

Salzburg is often associated with a romantic idea of mountains. In the Sound of Music film, for example, it also looks as if there are mountains in the center of Salzburg. While there are mountains in the city of Salzburg, these mountains are not the alps and would rather be called hills by us locals.

munich rathaus

Field note

Getting from Munich to Salzburg (including from Munich Airport)

The distance between Munich and Salzburg is 145 kilometers (90 miles) which is shorter than the distance between Salzburg and the Austrian capital Vienna. Therefore, Munich is not only a popular place to visit on the way to and from Salzburg but Munich is also the closest international airport. In this article, you will find

salzburg cathedral organ and ceiling paintings

Field note

Salzburger Dom: The Unofficial Guide to the Salzburg Cathedral

The Salzburg Cathedral, besides the Hohensalzburg Fortress, is the landmark of the city of Salzburg. Together with the fortress and Mirabell, the Salzburg Cathedral is one of the top 3 sights in Salzburg. A long time ago I published an article on the Free Walking Tour Salzburg’s Blog titled “why the Salzburg Cathedral is a

enjoying the untersberg view

Field note

Salzburg’s Surroundings: Top 7 Places to Visit Near Salzburg

Salzburg is a gem of a city. It is not only rich in history and art but also surrounded by beautiful scenery. This makes it an ideal base for day trips. The 3 Best Day Trips from Salzburg include the Lake District, Berchtesgaden, and the Eagles Nest, as well as the Ice Caves in Werfen. But

All the field notes →

Where to start

Start with the right base.

City, lake town, or mountain village. Find the place that makes the rest of your trip work.

Find your base