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    • Hiking on the Loser mountain near Altaussee in Styria
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    Austria’s Best Summit Platforms: Public Screening the Austrian Way

    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.

    Hoher Dachstein Mountains near Ramsau / Styria
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    1. Dachstein Mountain, Upper Austria/Styria

    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.

    Learn more about the Dachstein Glacier World

    Unmissable Dachstein Highlights:

    • Stairway to Nothingness Dachstein Glacier / Stairway to Nothingness Dachstein Glacier
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    • Dachstein Suspension Bridge
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    • Dachstein mountain: 5fingers viewing platform
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    • Dachstein Sky Walk
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    • 2. Pyramidenkogel Platform, Carinthia

      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.

      Learn more
          Pyramidenkogel
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    • 3. Hohe Wand Sky Walk, Lower Austria

      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.

      Learn more
          Sonnenaufgang - Hohe Wand
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    • 4. Adlerhorst Viewing Platform, Tirol

      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!

      Learn more
          Adlerhorst viewing platform / Viewing platform Adlerhorst
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    • 5. BIG 3 in Ötztal Valley, Tirol

      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.

      Learn more
          View of the Ötztal mountains
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    • 6. Kitzsteinhorn Mountain, SalzburgerLand

      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!

      Learn more
          Top of Salzburg
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    • 7. Top of Tyrol, Stubai, Tirol

      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).

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          "Top of Tyrol" platform
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    Triassic Park winter Steinplatte
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    8. Coral Viewing Platform, Tirol

    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...

    Learn more
    • 9. Top Mountain Star, Tirol

      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.

      Learn more
          Top Mountain Star in Obergurgl-Hochgurgl
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    • 10. Glocknerblick Viewing Platform, SalzburgerLand

      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!

      Learn more
          Viewing Platform Glocknerblick in Bad Gastein
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    More Public Viewing the Austrian Way: Austria’s Top City Views

    •                         Sunset in Vienna
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      Donauturm Tower in Vienna

      Have a coffee in Vienna’s highest revolving restaurant and enjoy 360-degree views of the city.
      Vienna from above
    •                         Nordkette cable car - Seegrube
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      Nordkette Mountain in Innsbruck

      From Innsbruck's city centre, take a 20-minute cable car ride up Nordkette mountain and marvel at 360-degree views.
      Innsbruck from above
    •                         view to lake Constance from mountain Pfänder
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      Pfänder Mountain in Bregenz

      Take the Pfänderbahn lift up for unrivalled panoramas of Lake Constance and 240 (!) Alpine peaks in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland.
      Lake Constance from above
    •                         Graz
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      Schlossberg in Graz

      The Schlossberg hill in Graz offers beautiful views over the city and its surroundings. Get whisked up by the Schlossbergbahn funicular - or walk.
      Graz from above
    Lechtaler Alps, Tyrol
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    Do you know why ...

    ... mountains that are further away always appear brighter than those that are close by?

    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.

    Interesting Facts about Austria's Viewing Platforms

    • What are the most beautiful viewing platforms in Austria?

      There are many viewing platforms and suspension bridges in Austria. These ones offer the most impressive views:

      • Skywalk on the Dachstein mountain / Styria
      • Top of Salzburg on Kitzsteinhorn mountain / Salzburg
      • Adlerhorst on the Gschöllkopf mountain / Tirol
      • highline179 in Reutte / Tirol
      • Viewing tower on Pyramidenkogel mountain / Carinthia
      • Top of Tyrol on the Stubai Glacier / Tirol
      • Danube Tower / Vienna
      • Top Mountain Star in the Ötztal Valley / Tirol
      • Viewing Platform Glocknerblick / Salzburg
      • Tree-Top Trail / Upper Austria
      • Skywalk on the Welterbeblick mountain / Upper Austria
    • What are the highest located viewing platforms in Austria?
      • 3,250 m Panorama Terrace on the Hintertux Glacier
      • 3,210 m "Top of Tyrol" summit platform of the Stubai Glacier
      • 3,080 m "Top Mountain Star" in the Ötztal Valley in Tirol
      • 3,029 m "Top of Salzburg" summit station of the Kitzsteinhorn mountain
      • 2,700 m "Sky Walk" and "Stairway to Nothingness" on the Dachstein mountain
    • Where is the longest suspension bridge in Austria?

      The highline179 in Reutte in Tirol is 406 metres long, and is not just the longest suspension bridge in Austria, but even in the world. It is 110 metres high and offers a marvellous view of the valley.

    • Where is Austria's highest suspension bridge?

      The suspension bridge at Dachstein mountain in Styria is 400 metres above the ground. Together with the "Stairway to Nothingness", the "Skywalk" and the "5fingers" plateau, it is one of the highlights of the roughly 3,000-metre-high mountain massif.

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