Summer in Austria is best enjoyed in the mountains! Nothing quite beats the feeling of reaching a summit and looking down on the world. It is a feeling of freedom, of thrill, of exhilaration – and Austria’s summit platforms are the best places to experience it.
Located in the heart of Austria on the border of Upper Austria and Styria, the Dachstein mountain is 2,995 metres (9,826 ft) high. And yet, reaching its summit is not as difficult as you might think:
Take a cable car up to 2,700 metres (2,296 ft) from the town of Ramsau am Dachstein, and watch the green pastures below turn into rugged rocks, while the lift takes you over craggy cliffs.
Right next to the mountain station, the first of four spectacular viewpoints awaits: the Dachstein Sky Walk.
Located in Carinthia in Austria’s sunny south, the corkscrew-like Pyramidenkogel is the highest wooden viewing tower in the world (100 m or 1,312 ft). The best thing about it: you can take an actual slide back down.
Right in the Hohe Wand nature park just an hour outside of Vienna, this observation deck is beloved for its far-reaching, panoramic views, and offers a feeling of endless freedom.
Situated along the Eagle Walk, Tirol’s award-winning long-distance hiking trail, Adlerhorst viewing platform is modelled on an eagle’s nest and made from wrought-iron metal. Here, on top of Gschöllkopf mountain, a 360-degree view awaits. It makes a great destination for hiking trips!
Sölden in Tirol's Ötztal valley is home to three mountains over 3,000 metres (9,843 ft) – the “Big 3”. Cable cars take you to viewpoints on each of them, where you’ll be able to see as far as the Italian Dolomites in the south and the Zugspitze (Germany’s highest mountain) in the north.
Two hours from the city of Salzburg, a year-round world of snow and ice awaits: Located at 3,000 metres (9,843 ft), the Kitzsteinhorn glacier and the “Summit World 3,000” have amazing views and experiences in store: Take a guided hiking tour or go tobogganing in summer!
Glacier summit platforms tend to offer spectacular panoramas, but the Stubai Glacier is taking it one step further: Located at 3,210 metres (10,532 ft), its Top of Tyrol platform makes you feel like you’re suspended in air, surrounded by 109 (!) mountains over 3,000 m (9,842 ft).
The Triassic Park in Tirol's Steinplatte region owes its name to the primordial ocean that covered the land 200 million years ago.
Fittingly, the local viewing platform is shaped like a coral, one of the fossils commonly found in the area.
If you’re rather safety-conscious, stay on the non-transparent coral-branch parts of the platform, but if you’re looking for an adrenaline rush, step out onto the large-meshed grid between the branches to drive your adrenaline levels through the roof: up to 1,600m to be precise...
Perhaps the best place to have a cocktail with a view: The futuristic, glass-enclosed Top Mountain Star in Obergurgl-Hochgurgl is not just a viewing platform, but also a stylish restaurant and bar.
The Glocknerblick Viewing Platform in Bad Gastein (1.5 hours from the city of Salzburg) gives you a stunning view of Austria’s highest mountain, the Großglockner. Be sure to visit Europe’s highest suspension bridge on the way there!
This phenomenon has a name: colour perspective. The perception of the eye depends on the particles in the air that scatter the light differently. In fog or rain, for example, we see less clearly because there are many small water particles swirling around in the air that dim the light or contrast. What's more: The further we look into the distance, the more of these particles are between the eye and the object. This is why the contrast of a mountain range steadily decreases with increasing distance and the colours appear brighter, with less contrast and more blue on the horizon.
Tip: You will get the best view on clear autumn and winter days, as warm air binds the droplets better than cold air. On muggy summer days, on the other hand, it is often very hazy and you cannot see that far.
Austria's most beautiful bathing lakes to spend a summer day swimming, paddling - or just lazing around all day.
Pick your favourite
Austria is considered the "land of water" among the Alpine countries. Vienna’s drinking water is especially famous.
Austria's famous water
City trips in Austrias cultural summer hit right at the heart. Because Austrias cities surprise, make curious – and sometimes even are addictive. #feelAustria
City Breaks in Austria
