18 Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Austria

The imposing Gothic cathedral of St. Stephen's (Stephansdom) is a landmark inside Vienna's old city center.

The Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse from Bruck, in the Pinzgau, to Heiligenblut, at the foot of the Grossglockner, was constructed between 1930 and 1935. Following the route of an old Roman road, it is one of the most magnificent mountain roads in Europe.

To the east of St. Veit, on a crag rising some 160-meters above the valley, sprawls the imposing Burg Hochosterwitz, Austria's most important medieval castle.

Another of Austria's most-visited palaces – and one that should definitely be included on your Vienna travel itinerary – is the spectacular Belvedere Palace (Schloss Belvedere).

One of the best places to ski in Austria, the famed resort town of Kitzbühel spoils snow lovers with its 170 kilometers of skiable pistes and slopes dotted with little mountain huts, where they can stop for traditional Alpine snacks and warming drinks.

Hallstatt is undoubtedly one of the most picturesque small towns in Austria, if not Europe. It's also a good place from which to explore the spectacular Dachstein Salzkammergut region, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Melk Abbey is one of the world's most famous monastic sites, and its spectacular buildings are laid out around seven courtyards.

The Emperor Maximilian I, who reigned in the late 1400s and early 1500s, made Innsbruck the main residence and the seat of the Hapsburg government and, as a result, a focal point of Europe.

Located on Vienna's outskirts, the Baroque Schönbrunn Palace was completed in the early 1700s and was later converted into a summer residence by Empress Maria Theresa.

The Spanish Riding School dates back to the time of Emperor Maximilian II, the man responsible for introducing the famous Lipizzaner horses into Austria in 1562.