UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Austria

Salzburg's Old Town shows how art, religion and trade have shaped a distinctive cityscape over centuries. Between the cathedral, the fortress and its narrow lanes, the wealth generated by the salt trade becomes tangible – funding ambitious building projects and enabling the Prince-Archbishops to create one of Europe’s defining Baroque cities. Mozart's birthplace combines urban vibrancy with close proximity to nature, creating a city atmosphere where tradition, culture and landscape come together with ease.

The best of Salzburg and SalzburgerLand:

• All about the city of Salzburg

• All about SalzburgerLand

• Top sights in SalzburgerLand

• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

• A walk on the Mönchsberg

Vienna's historic centre reflects three centuries of European urban development: the Middle Ages with the Gothic St Stephen's Cathedral, the Baroque era with the Hofburg, and the grand Ringstrasse period of the 19th century with the State Opera and the Kunsthistorisches Museum. Churches, palaces and parks shape the cityscape, lending the 1st district its imperial character. A rich musical tradition, extensive collections, classic coffee houses and historic purveyors to the court complete the cultural experience. Vienna's Old Town remains a living testament to Habsburg architecture, culture and history.

The best of Vienna:

• All about Vienna

• Viennese coffee house culture

• St Stephen's Cathedral

• The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

The historic centre of Graz and Eggenberg Palace form a unique ensemble that brings together urban history and aristocratic heritage. Between the Schlossberg hill and the River Mur, Gothic churches, Renaissance courtyards and Baroque town houses trace the city’s development, complemented by the Baroque residence of the Eggenberg family. Since the Middle Ages, Graz has been a crossroads between the Balkans, the Alps and the Mediterranean, and under the Habsburgs it served as the residence of Emperor Frederick III. Eggenberg Palace, begun in 1625, is surrounded by extensive grounds that were redesigned as a landscape garden in the 19th century.

The best of Graz and Styria:

• All about Graz

• All about Styria

• Eggenberg Palace

The town of Baden near Vienna grew around its valuable hot sulphur springs, already used in Roman times. Its historic townscape combines elegant spa architecture, buildings from the imperial era and the open landscapes of the Vienna Woods. The Kurpark remains the green heart of this long-standing spa tradition. Baden was also a place of new ideas. Emperor Franz Joseph I spent his summers here, and artists found space to work and reflect. Ludwig van Beethoven stayed in the town several times and worked on the ‘Ode to Joy’ during one of his visits.

The best of Baden near Vienna and Lower Austria:

• All about St. Pölten

• All about Lower Austria

• Spa town of Baden

• Römertherme Baden

At the heart of the Salzkammergut, spanning the provinces of Upper Austria, Salzburg and Styria, lies the Hallstatt-Dachstein cultural landscape, stretching from Lake Hallstatt to the Dachstein massif. The villages of Hallstatt, Gosau, Obertraun and Bad Goisern sit at the foot of the mountains.

Salt mining has shaped life here since the Bronze Age, laying the foundations for the region’s prosperity. From around 800 BC, a period of cultural flourishing gave its name to an entire phase of the Iron Age: the Hallstatt period.

Timber architecture, living traditions and the harmonious interplay of villages, mountains and lakes reflect the close relationship between people and nature. Over thousands of years, culture and landscape have evolved into a truly distinctive ensemble.

The best of the Hallstatt-Dachstein region:

• Upper Austria

• Hallstatt in the Salzkammergut

Stretching for just 36 kilometres along the Danube in Lower Austria, the Wachau is one of Europe's most significant cultural landscapes. Vineyard terraces, picturesque villages, monasteries, castles and ruins define its historic character. Natural features such as the winding Danube valley, floodplain forests and rugged rock formations blend seamlessly with landscapes shaped by human hands. Centuries of interaction between nature, culture and agriculture have made the Wachau a UNESCO World Heritage Site, offering insight into history, architecture and a long-standing wine-growing tradition.

At Central Europe’s largest steppe lake, the Hungarian Puszta meets Austria's wide reed belt. The cross-border cultural landscape of Fertő–Neusiedler See stretches from the Pannonian Plain across Lake Neusiedl to its picturesque villages. Vast vineyards and open pastureland, where grey cattle and white donkeys graze, shape the character of the region. Archaeological monuments, limestone quarries, ancient sanctuaries, long farmhouse courtyards and palaces reflect thousands of years of settlement and the close interplay between nature and culture.

The best of Lake Neusiedl and Burgenland:

• Eisenstadt

• Burgenland

• Lake Neusiedl

The beech forests that have shaped Europe since the last Ice Age now survive only in fragments. More than 5,000 hectares of ancient beech forest in the Kalkalpen National Park in Upper Austria have therefore been recognised as UNESCO World Natural Heritage, together with similar forests in ten other European countries. These protected areas preserve old-growth woodland, natural processes and remarkable biodiversity, offering insight into what Central Europe once looked like in its original state.

The best of Austria's national parks:

• Kalkalpen National Park

One of the most scenic routes from Vienna to southern Austria runs along the Semmering Railway into the ‘magic mountain’ region of Semmering. In 1841, the Viennese State Minister Kübeck commissioned the construction of a railway line to Trieste.

Under the direction of the Venetian engineer Carl Ritter von Ghega, a technical masterpiece began to take shape from 1848 onwards. Crossing a pass almost 1,000 metres above sea level – at the time the highest point in the world reachable by rail – the line was completed in just six years. The Semmering Railway is regarded as the world’s first high mountain railway.

The best of Semmering:

• Semmering–Rax–Schneeberg

• Narrow-gauge railways in Austria

A tour of the state rooms at Schönbrunn Palace offers insight into the lives of the Habsburg rulers. The Gloriette in the palace gardens provides sweeping views across the estate and towards Vienna. Other highlights include the Palm House with its collection of exotic plants and Schönbrunn Zoo – one of Europe’s most distinguished zoological gardens, combining Baroque pavilions with modern enclosures.

Palace and gardens together form a remarkable example of how art, architecture and nature blend in harmony.

The best of Schönbrunn:

• Schönbrunn Palace

• Empress Elisabeth

• The Habsburgs

• The history of Austria

Around 5,000 BC, early communities settled in the Alps and built pile dwellings – Austria’s only UNESCO World Heritage sites located underwater. The remains, dating from the Neolithic to the Iron Age, lie in wetlands and along lake shores, offering valuable insight into early societies.

Austria is home to five such sites, including locations on Lake Attersee, Lake Mondsee and Lake Keutschach. Tools and materials such as copper and iron document trade networks, technical innovation and cultural exchange. The oldest settlement in Lake Keutschach dates back to the 4th millennium BC. The Mondsee site reveals trading links with Bavaria and northern Italy, while the settlements on Lake Attersee were established between 1690 and 1260 BC.

The best of the Alps and Austria's lakes:

• The Alps

• Lake Attersee

• Lake Mondsee

The Danube, long a meeting point for cultures, formed the northern frontier of the Roman Empire for more than 450 years. Despite its marshy banks, the Romans established watchtowers, legionary camps and forts at intervals of around 14 kilometres to secure the border – the Danube Limes.

Today, the remains of military installations, civilian settlements and economic and transport infrastructure stand as striking testimony to the ancient past. The sites along the Danube in Upper Austria, Lower Austria and Vienna once formed part of the Roman provinces of Noricum and Pannonia.

The best of the Danube:

• The Danube

• Vienna

• Linz

• Carnuntum