Lower Austria's Thermenradweg bike path is an impressionist dream just south of Vienna
Waterways tell stories that have touched generations. Sometimes they have a silvery glimmer, sometimes green, golden or shades of blue, reflecting the sky, the clouds, the bridges or the trees along the way, filling the imaginations of poets, painters or composers.
I myself have cycled many times along...
Still surrounded by vineyards, the twin cities of Krems and Stein are also spiced with highly acidic caricature.
Sleepy little town on the softly rolling Danube – or hotbed of political intrigue and architectural pillage? Krems, just an hour out of Vienna, is probably both. For centuries a trading hub for the precious commodities of salt and wine, its past...
The Obergurgl region's rich snowfalls make it a skiing paradise beyond wintertime.
As I walked out of the Alpine Hotel Laurin in Hochgurgl in the early morning this January, Martin, a seasonal worker from Czechia, was clearing a walkway that had disappeared overnight under freshly fallen snow. “Ah, this is nothing special,” he said, noticing my childishly-delighted expression, “only 50...
Kinderhotels are the vacation secret your kids want you to know.
Let’s play a game. It’s a simple one, not difficult at all. It’s called “Spot the family who just got back from holiday.” I’ll give you a hint: Your typical family vacation survivors look like weary, shell-shocked veterans. Dishevelled couples lug piles of toys, athletic equipment and over flowing suitcases. Cranky,...
To truly dine like a Kaiser take in three Habsburg capitals in one day
It’s the decadence of proximity. In our tight-knit corner of Europe even the budget traveler can be a globe trotter. And while it felt indulgent dining in three capital cities in one day, don't think it meant rushing from one place to the next. The journeys...
Baumhaus Lodge reconnects you to nature through cutting-edge architecture
When I was younger, I loved climbing the trees in grandpa’s garden, but having a much-desired treehouse always eluded me. So when I heard about the Baumhaus Lodge (Treehouse Lodge), a unique hotel with state-of-the-art cabins among the canopies in Lower Austria’s Waldviertel (Forest District), a long-forgotten dream stirred once again....
From jet setters to families, Carinthia's Wörthersee is the waterfront escape Austrians keep coming back to
The Alps have no shortage of glitzy winter resorts, but when it comes to summer getaways none can top the Wörthersee for glamour: the largest of the 1,270 lakes dotting scenic Carinthia, it has long been synonymous with luxury and high society, making an...
Summer heat doesn’t temper Austrians’ appetite for high peaks in the slightest.
Many Austrians have never seen The Sound of Music (after all, what does Hollywood know?). And those who have may well reject the picture of a folksy, slightly naïve and somewhat hillbilly people inclined to burst into song at the slightest excuse, that has somehow charmed generations of...
The Wachau region is just a stone’s throw from Vienna and its secrets and treasures can be all yours for an afternoon.
The dream of slowing down – of escaping the city to spend endless afternoons in the countryside – has always seemed like something for old people. But when I got the opportunity to visit the Wachau Valley, I...
