Matador's Ultimate Guide to Austria

Charming lakeside villages, epic alpine hiking, and the city of music ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  [Matador's Guide to Austria]( Matador's Ultimate Guide to Austria Hi all, If you’re taking a ski trip to Austria, know one thing in advance: Après-skiing here is no joke. Be ready to dance on tables, sing until you’ve lost your voice, and stumble back to the hotel after dark. But slope-centric revelry is far from the only reason to visit Austria in winter. The food is hearty, cities from Vienna to Linz come alive with holiday markets and cultural happenings, and the crowds are much thinner than in the busy summer months. There’s also a [double-decker ice skating rink]( if you’re skilled enough to ascent it. This week, Matador explores Austria. [Let’s dive in](. [EXPLORE AUSTRIA](  GET INSPIRED [Hallstatt, Austria]( Hallstatt Is a Picture-Perfect Austrian Getaway. Here’s How To See It Without the Crowds. The word is out that Hallstatt is drop-dead gorgeous, and it has a serious over-tourism problem. This creates a challenge: how does a tourist get to see the gorgeous town without contributing to the problem? Simple: go in the off-hour. Here’s the perfect guide to 24 hours in Hallstatt — a UNESCO World Heritage Site — with a special focus on avoiding crowds and experiencing the town with a little more space to yourself. [READ MORE]( [St. Gilgen]( 7 Austrian Villages That Are Just as Beautiful as Hallstatt Fortunately for the people of Hallstatt and tourists alike, a number of villages throughout Austria are equally gorgeous and have the infrastructure to provide extensive hospitality. Here are our recommendations to visit if you want to skip Hallstatt. [READ MORE]( [Österreichische Galerie Belvedere, Vienna]( 8 Images That’ll Convince Any Traveler To Include Austria in Their Europe Trip Austria may be a globally recognized tourist destination, but somehow, it still seems to fly beneath the radar with powerhouse neighbors like Switzerland, Germany, Italy, and Czech Republic. But with a comprehensive rail network running the continent’s most advanced trains, and some of the most remarkable natural, historical, and cultural sites in Europe, this is one country not to overlook when planning a cross-continental journey. [READ MORE](  NATURE + ADVENTURE [Skiing in the alps]( 9 Things To Know Before Going Skiing in the Alps The 740-mile-long mountain range covers about 75,000 square miles, making it the biggest mountain range in Europe. The Alps extend into several countries: France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, and Slovenia. And between them, there are more than 1,000 ski resorts — that’s a lot of places to go skiing in the Alps. [READ MORE]( [St Anton, Austria]( Is St. Anton, Austria, the Après-Ski Capital of the World? Here’s What It’s Like. St. Anton am Arlberg is the biggest resort in Austria’s largest ski area and a destination often called the “world capital of après-ski.”  In St. Anton, Austria, après is not just “important.” It’s also nearly unavoidable as you’ll have to ski down past the resort’s top après bars on your way back to the base at the end of the day. [READ MORE]( [Arlberg, Austria]( 6 Awesome Places To Hike in the Alps When you hike in the mountains themselves, you’ll get to know them as they’re meant to be experienced. And while the 750-mile-long range is home to hundreds of trails worth exploring, these six spots are hard to beat. [READ MORE](  FOOD + CULTURE [St. Peter Stiftskeller]( I Ate at the World’s Oldest Restaurant and It Does Not Look How You’d Expect It opened in 803 (yes, more than 1,200 years ago) and is in the same building as it was when founded by one of Charlemagne’s top religious scholars (which, yes, kind of means Charlemagne was the first owner). [READ MORE]( [Vienna, Austria]( The 7 Best Coffee Houses in Vienna Both locals and visitors go to Viennese coffee houses for the delicious cakes, the peculiar formality of the waiting staff, and the Viennese practice of table-sharing. [READ MORE](  TIPS, ADVICE + DEALS [Salzburg]( Budget-Friendly Austria: 10 Incredibly Cheap Things To Do in Salzburg The country of Austria may bring up visions of luxury skiing vacations in the Alps or expensive gourmet dinners set to live music from Schubert or Mozart, but you may be surprised to learn that one of the country’s major cities is surprisingly affordable: Salzburg. [READ MORE]( [The luxurious Tree Suites]( These Luxurious Treehouses Are the Perfect Austrian Alpine Experience Staying in the Alps already means being immersed in a beautiful, natural landscape, but this treehouse cabin really takes that idea to the next level. Next to the Austrian ski town of Kitzbühel, architecture firm Peter Pilcher is building three “Tree Suites” that are elevated from the forest floor, offering guests some pretty stunning forest views. [READ MORE]( [BMW in Munich]( Why You Should Take a Factory Tour on Your Next Trip To Europe. Yes, a Factory Tour. There’s something about seeing age-old traditional crafts being made and learning about the people who choose to keep these skills alive. But it can be equally interesting – and arguably even more valuable – to know how the things we use every day are made. 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