All articles related to Nature

Winter Fun under the Stars

The day is not enough. That is why the fun continues by night at Austrian winter destinations, with the world's longest toboggan run, nighttime sleigh rides, snowmobile sessions and plenty more.

The Quiet Beauty of Winter

What could possibly motivate a reasonable human being to tramp up a mountain on shoes resembling tennis rackets? The answer is easy: the promise of an unforgettable exerience in the wild that can only be had by moving beyond the flurry on the ski slopes.

Montafon in Vorarlberg

For those of us who struggle with going to the gym, this outdoor playground in the south-west corner of Vorarlberg is a recreational dream come true.

Zillertal Valley Summer

From the lush pastures of the Zillertal valley to your plate! The region known for healthy cuisine using organic herbs, naturally reared beef and award-winning dairy products.

Alpbach Valley Tirol

For centuries, residents have preserved traditional farming practices and observed strict building controls in the Alpbachtal, surrounded by dramatic alpine peaks.

Outdoor

Visit Austria this summer and you may never set foot inside a gym again. Discover Montafon in Vorarlberg, one of nature's adventure playgrounds. Or find beauty at great heights along the Eagle's Walk in Tirol.

Cultural Highlights

There are countless highlights that await culture lovers visiting Vorarlberg. Lake Constance provides a perfect backdrop for the arts whilst the region of the Bregenzerwald is famous for its contemporary architecture.

Natural Delights

Experience the living museum of the Alpbach Valley Tirol where life has remained the same for centuries. Or visit the foodie's veritable promised land of Zillertal, renowned for its cuisine and natural ingredients.

City Special

Austria is your desination for city breaks with a twist: Salzburg presents its Baroque face, Graz is a real paradise for foodies and Innsbruck couples sightseeing with outdoor adventure.

Excursions

The best routes and excursions for your Austrian trip, through magnificent mountain passes, past spectacular lakes and through beautiful old towns. Here the journey itself is the reward!

The World in Your Eyes

Experience unforgettable moments and discover Austria this summer with SWAROVSKI OPTIK.

Summer in Austria

Welcome to our virtual photo exhibition of Summer in Austria: Fresh Sights and Enchanting Surprises. With audio podcasts and story cards for each picture, prepare to be enchanted by Austria's Hidden Treasures.

Healthy Pleasures

Heavenly tomatoes, fishing delights, pumpkin seed oil and organic baked bread are only a few of the healthy pleasures that Austria tempts with. We are happy to succumb!

Meet the Zillertal Locals

The Zillertal is renowned for its cuisine and especially its haymilk products, thanks to the Zillertal Tuxer cattle. We speak to two local haymilk workers to find out about life in this beautiful region.

At the Height of Austria

Experience a lofty view of Austria from the Dachstein Skywalk, travel to the National Park Hohe Tauern where the eagles roam, or follow the banks of the famous Danube River along the Donausteig.

Meet the Tirol Locals

The Tirol is where you’ll find one of Europe’s greatest long distance hiking trails. The Eagle Walk runs 280km across Tirol’s most scenic regions from St. Johann to St. Anton am Arlberg, tracing a route in the shape of an eagle in flight and taking you over mountain peaks and along glacier edges. We meet two of the people who know this route best.

Outdoor Activities

Climbing the Wilder Kaiser Mountain, cycling the Danube Bike Path, sailing on Lake Traun...Austria is every outdoor fan's wonderland.

Meet the Montafon Locals

Montafon has 500 kilometres of walking trails and 800 kilometres of cycling routes, providing year round outdoor fun for its locals. We find out what a Montafon priest and a local hiking guide have to say about their home region.

National Parks

Austria is home to six unique national parks, offering a stunning variety of animals, plants and landscapes. When visiting Austria make sure you spend some time exploring one of these natural havens.

Austria's Passion for Tradition and Nature

From yodelling in Vienna to birdwatching at the national park Neusiedlersee.

Meet the Alpbachtal Locals

Get to know Georg, the feather quill embroiderer from Tirol, and Ander who runs the Unterberghof farm. Meet the locals that make the Austrian region of Alpbachtal so special.

Nature Active Montafon

The world's biggest gym, bounded not by walls but by mountains. 4 nights with Montafon-Silvretta-Card, giving access to cablecars and hiking tours.

Cycling & Mountain Bike Holidays

"On your bike! Ready, steady, go!" Travel through outstanding landscapes in pure mountain air with a well-signposted network of cycle paths. Choose Austria for its unrivalled cycling and mountain bike routes, and accommodation which offers the full service – from repairs, to cycle sheds and deliciously healthy meals – a cyclist must experience Austria!

The Classic Bicycle Ride

Beautiful valleys, quaint farmhouses and baroque monasteries provide a fantastically scenic backdrop for a tour of Austria by bike. Discover the classic route, the Danube Cycle Path, for a truly breathtaking experience of Austria's great outdoors.

Ellmau Package Tirol

This fantastic Inghams offer gives you 7 nights at 4* Hotel Hochfilzer in Tirol's beautiful Ellmau with return flights, resort transfers and a welcome drink.

Swimming & Water Sports

Despite being a land-locked country, there is certainly no shortage of lakes in Austria to make a splash in. Take a refreshing dip or have a go at diving, sailing or one of the other water sports on offer. In Austria you can always be sure that the water is so good you could even drink it!

Round Trips Austria

Immerse yourself into the pulsating lifestyle of Austria's cities. Discover the mighty moutain summits, the far ranging fields, the crystal-clear waters. Enjoy the delicious specialities of each region. Compile your personal round trip of Austria here.

Chalets & Holiday Homes in Austria

Skiing and hiking chalets in the Austrian Alps come in all sizes and all standards, with some including extra facilities such as saunas. Whatever your taste there is a chalet for you.

Save at least 5% on Bike Hire

Our advice to save time and money on bike rental is to reserve online! Intersport Rent offers at least 5% discount when booking online, and they'll have the bike ready to go as soon as you get there.

06.07.2012 - 08.07.2012

Schrammel.Klang.Festival

Festival in Litschau on Lake Herrensee. Music and theatre combined with nature!

Austria's Wine Country

Austria’s vibrant wine scene has earned a worldwide reputation for quality and innovation, and is paired wonderfully with Austrian cuisine. The incredible thing about Austria is that all of its wine regions are easy to visit. In fact, once you step off the plane in Vienna, you have already arrived in one of the world’s most unique wine regions.

St. Johann in Tirol

The holiday region Kitzbüheler Alps St. Johann in Tirol is ideal for hiking breaks and with a 3-night package including all the gear you have nothing to worry about.

Nordic Walking in Austria

In addition to being a popular sport, Nordic Walking is now seen as an essential part of the wellness industry. More and more fitness centers, health resorts and hotels are offering Nordic Walking as part of their programme, and there could be no better backdrop for this beneficial activity than Austria. So why not make it part of your next holiday?

The Eagle Walk

The beautiful long-distance hiking trail the Eagle Walk is the longest hiking path in Europe. Its main route winds through Tirol’s most gorgeous regions from St. Johann to St. Anton am Arlberg and is divided into 23 segments.

Austria's Finest Spa Hotels & Resorts

In Austria you will find yourself in the most professional, experienced hands. Here, health & wellbeing practitioners undergo highly extensive training, offering the widest repertoire of treatments. AUSTRIA'S FINEST Spa Hotels & Resorts are located on mountain tops or in valleys, boasting amazing views for a most revitalising spa break.

Eco-Friendly Holidays

Choose Naturidyll Hotels and relax in beautiful surroundings where attention to the environment is paramount. Several properties have even been awarded the Austrian Environmental Seal for exemplary practices in sustainability.

Farmstay Holidays

For many city-dwellers, farmstay holidays are a great way to escape the hectic pace of city life for a while and for many children a great opportunity to come into close contact with animals they have only seen on TV.

Summer Holidays at an Eco-Hotel

The 'eco-hotel' label guarantees guests environmentally-friendly holidays. The hotels try to minimise the consumption of energy, electricity, water, materials, and waste, and the restaurants serve organic food.

Car-Free Holidays in Werfenweng

Werfenweng, a town near Salzburg, does its part to help protect our environment by offering their guests holidays from their cars.

Green Austria

FACT: Austria is one of the world's best destinations for sustainable tourism, as recently recognised in the World Economic Forum's Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report.

Austria's Green Credentials

As more and more of us strive to live a less energy-intense lifestyle, Austria is now firmly on the map as an eco destination. Organic products are on offer whilst the consumption of energy and waste is carefully watched. People who live green at home also have high demands on holiday which Austria can without a doubt cater for.

Golf in Austria

GOLF IN AUSTRIA is a unique marketing alliance of 75 dedicated golf hotels and most of the leading golf courses in Austria. With over 20 years of experience, make it your first point of call when planning your Austrian golf holiday.

The Styrian Trump Card

With the Styria Golf Card you are invited to “tee” time on 23 diverse and exciting courses between alpine panoramas and luscious vineyards in the Green Heart of Austria.

Zell am See-Kaprun - Golf with a View

The breathtaking alpine panorama of the Kitzsteinhorn and Schmittenhöhe can sometimes make it difficult for golfers to keep their eye on the ball in Zell am See-Kaprun!

Top Golf Holidays near Vienna

Golfland Niederoesterreich provides golf enthusiasts with a choice of 26 first-class golf courses and 18 top hotels for golf holidays in Lower Austria, all within distance of buzzing Vienna.

Golfing around Kitzbühel

Teeing off at the centre of a winning centrifugal force, woods and irons with an instinct for the right trajectory, putting to perfection – Kitzbühel is the stuff of golfers’ dreams.

Golf Tour Operators

A variety a UK-based tour operators can help you tailormake your next Austrian golf holiday. Take a look at our list of recommendations.

Walk & Nordic Walking

Those who have experienced the Austrian Alps will no doubt say that there is magic in the mountains. Discover the magic for yourself within our Walk & Nordic Walking pages, filled with all the information you need to start planning your walking holiday in Austria.

Golf the Austrian Way

Fore! Austria has established itself as having some of the best golfing in Europe. With alpine golf, greens surrounded by vineyards, and courses attached to luxurious spa resorts, it is hard to overlook Austria’s rise as a veritable destination for golfing holidays.

Garden of EDEN

EDEN is a project which promotes sustainable tourism development across the European Union. The untouched Grosses Walsertal valley in Vorarlberg was given this highly regarded accolate for 2009.

Bathing Lakes in Carinthia

Carinthia is not known as Austria's Riviera without reason. This South Eastern corner of Austria is blissfully warm in summer, providing excellent swimming and tanning oppurtunties at its many beautiful lakes.

Bathing Lakes in Tirol

The Heart of the Alps, where some 10,000 clean springs bubble up to the surface, offers a wonderful combination of majestic mountains and glittering lakes which are up to 27°C warm.

Bregenz

Vorarlberg’s capital is delightfully located at Lake Constance, Central Europe’s third largest lake, and offers a dense cultural programme coupled with a wide range of outdoor activities.

Eisenstadt

Despite being Austria’s smallest provincial capital, this former seat of the Esterhazy noble family range, home to some 13,000 inhabitants, has plenty to offer its guests.

Graz

The Styrian capital Graz, with roots dating back to the Roman age, lies on both sides of the River Mur. This fantastic city is well-known for its striking buildings and architectural highlights.

Innsbruck

Past and future meet seamlessly in the heart of the Alps as Innsbruck’s world-famous sights, which testify to the Tirol province’s great past, stand alongside post-modern international architecture to create a fascinating blend.

Bathing Lakes in SalzburgerLand

185 lakes adorn the landscape across the Salzkammergut region, through mountain valleys and on mountain tops. SalzburgerLand's lakes all have one thing in common: the extraordinary quality of their water.

Bathing Lakes in Burgenland

Often overshadowed by better known destinations, Burgenland is decidedly different. There are no high mountains here and very little snow, but 300 days of annual sunshine with a very mild climate.

Bathing Lakes in Styria

These sky blue lakes are large enough for boat trips, although the warm shores are never far away. Relax and enjoy the summer in Styria, the Green Heart of Austria.

Bathing Lakes in Upper Austria

Alongside the "Salzkammergutweg" the most famous Upper Austrian lakes and warm thermal springs of drinking water quality line up like beautiful pearls on a string, surrounded by a stunning mountain backdrop.

Bathing Lakes in Vorarlberg

Take in an opera on Lake Constance, or kick back on the sandy shores and allow the gentle waves of one of Vorarlberg's lesser known aqua beauties to trickle over your toes.

Bathing Lakes in Vienna

Vienna is known around the world as the city on the Danube, but it is also home to wetlands, streams, ponds and lakes. In short, there are plenty of opportunities to take a dip when visiting the capital.

Bathing Lakes in Lower Austria

Several lakes serve as backdrop for regional festivals in Lower Austria. Take Lunzer See, for example, which hosts the annual "Wellenklänge". Or the Herrensee and its "Schrammel.Klang.Festival".

Cider Anyone?

The UK is a cider-loving nation, but it may come as a surprise that Lower Austria's Mostviertal (cider region) boasts Europe’s largest continuous area of pear orchards. Trip Tip: Take a leisurely drive along the winding 200km panoramic Cider Route with many themed stops along its way.

Austrian Weather and Climate

Austria is located in a temperate climatic zone with a Central European climate influenced by the Atlantic climate. The four seasons all have typical temperatures and climatic characters.

Fauna and Flora

Austria's topographic diversity accounts for a great variety of flora and fauna, including endemic species that are under preservation.

Dedicated Kinderhotels UK Website

Get heaps of family holiday ideas from the Kinderhotels' official English website, so that you can relax this year while your youngsters have mountains of fun. All-inclusive packages, no hidden extras, the highest levels of service and first class facilities.

Eco-Friendly Family Holidays

Caring for the environment is just plain common sense at Austria’s ultra-family-friendly Kinderhotels, where sustainable family holidays don’t come at a premium price.

Alpine Spas

Revive the spirit with a traditional Austrian spa week and treatments made of ingredients found exclusively in the Alps. The benefits of altitude and fresh air mean that simply by arriving you are already becoming healthier.

Modern Architecture in the Alps

At first it sounds improbable: Vorarlberg - a small, mostly rural state in the middle of the Alps - has become one of Europe's leading regions for modern art and architecture.

Architecture in Austria

To visit Austria is to experience brilliant architecture in dramatic landscapes. Whether you travel through Austria's picture perfect countryside or stay in its imperial cities - architectural masterpieces are to be found everywhere.

Wilder Kaiser

More than 400km of walking paths make this area an absolute gem for your walking holiday. Trails are well-signed with accurate directions and approximate walk times given.

Live from Wilder Kaiser...

In this short video clip, writer and photographer Vicky How presents the pleasure of walking through the raw, untouched nature of the Wilder Kaiser range.

Live from Carinthia...

In this short video clip, writer and photographer Vicky How introduces us to the beautiful lake and mountain landscape that Carinthia is best known for.

Live from the Tirol...

In this short video clip, Simon Calder, travel editor of The Independent since 1994, takes us along on his journey to Tirol's Eagle Walk - the
"greatest long distance footpath in Austria".

Live from Kitzbühel...

In this short video clip, travel writer and editor of InTheSnow magazine Felix Milns takes us with him on an early morning excursion to see Kitzbühel's famed sunrises.

Cycling & Mountain Biking

Austria offers an almost unlimited choice of cycle and mountain bike paths and tours for all ages and interests. Whether you are looking for a challenge, or would prefer a gentler adventure such as E-Biking, you are sure to find the perfect route within the Austrian realms.

National Parks in Austria

Austria's National Parks offer visitors the chance to discover nature in its original, unpolluted state. The perfect opportunity to come face to face with Austria’s scenic beauty at its most imposing.

A Variety of Walks in Seefeld

Approximately 650km of marked hiking, mountain climbing and fixed rope climbing routes hold the quality seal for mountain and hiking paths in Seefeld. Check out just a few of the options.

Walk Guide & Online Platform with GPS

A 50-page walking guide and an online platform where guests can decide upon a route on their computer at home are fantastic initiatives by Zell am See-Kaprun, making for stress-free holiday planning.

High Mountain National Park

Established in 1991, the High Mountain National Park of the Zillertal Alps offers grand views and unforgettable mountaineering adventures.

Two Alpine Giants

Explore two of the region's most majestic peaks - the 3,000m Kitzsteinhorn and the 2,000m Schmittenhöhe.

Mayrhofen Run & Walk Park

The Run & Walk Park in the popular resort of Mayrhofen offers both an enjoyable outdoor experience and the right physical challenge for everyone.

Vineyards along the Danube

From Vienna, drive along the Danube westward towards Lower Austria. Just past the city of Krems, you’ll encounter the idyllic, terraced vineyards of the Wachau valley. Walking along a path through these ancient Weingärten may lead you to Langenlois, with the richest, most intensely flavored wines of the region.