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Showing posts with label Carinthia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Carinthia. Show all posts

Saturday, 10 July 2021

Country Guide: Austria

Name: Austria (in German: Österreich)

Continent: Europe

Capital (and Largest) City: Vienna (in German: Wien)

Language: German

Currency: Euro

Drives on the: Right

Time Zone: Central European Time

Adaptor Types: Type C and Type F

Description: Austria is a landlocked country in the centre of Europe. Most of it is located within the Alps, and for that reason it's famous for its mountains, as well as its Alpine meadows and lakes. In the summer the weather is warm, but in the winter the whole country turns into a winter wonderland with lots of snow! In terms of culture, the country is a very popular destination for skiing and other winter sports, and is also known for its musical heritage.

Why You Should Visit: Austria is a beautiful place, thanks to its natural scenery and picturesque cities, such as Vienna, Salzburg and Innsbruck. Vienna in particular is a must visit, as it is one of the most iconic cities in Europe, and is renowned for its historic architecture. Another reason to go to Austria is to see its fairytale castles: you can find many of them in every corner of the country.

Fun Fact: Although the movie "The Sound of Music" was set in and filmed in Salzburg and the surrounding area, it is actually not at all a well-known movie amongst Austrian people.


My Blogposts About Austria


- Salzburg (Salzburg, Sankt Gilgen and Mondsee)

- My New Town (Feldkirchen in Kärnten)







- Travel Tips: My Top Five Places to Visit in Austria (Vienna, Salzburg, Mondsee, Innsbruck and Kärnten region)


- My Gap Year 2014-2015 (Plus Gap Year Tips) (Klagenfurt and Velden am Wörthersee)




- UNESCO World Heritage Sites (Salzburg, Vienna and Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna)

- Travel Tips: My Top Ten Fairytale Destinations (Salzburg and Hochosterwitz Castle)

- Movie Travels (Salzburg and Mondsee)










































Clockwise starting from top left: Innsbruck, Mirabell Palace in Salzburg, Sankt Gilgen, Belvedere Palace in Vienna, Villach

Check out the rest of my Country Guides here!

Monday, 21 October 2019

Travel Tips: My Top Five Places to Visit in Austria

Today I'm going to write about my favourite travel destinations in a country where I spent part of my Year Abroad - Austria.

It's a beautiful Alpine nation with plenty of opportunities for snow sports in the winter and hiking in the summer. It also has several great city break destinations. If you want to visit multiple parts of Austria, I would recommend travelling around by train. The trains there are usually efficient, rarely busy, and give you the chance to see amazing mountainous landscapes. And it's the most environmentally-friendly option!

One of the best things about Austria is how close it is to so many other European countries. In fact, it borders eight of them! This means there are plenty of opportunities to take multi country trips. I'll give some recommendations on which destinations to combine.

So, here is my list of top five places to visit in Austria:


1) Vienna















The capital city Vienna is obviously a must see when visiting Austria. This is a place filled with culture, history and stunning architecture. My personal favourite attraction when I went was the Belvedere Palace (pictured above), where you can see many notable works of art, including The Kiss by Gustav Klimt. The Schönnbrunn Palace is another interesting (but busy!) place to visit.

Where to go next: It's easy to combine a trip to Vienna with trips to various places in Eastern Europe. Slovakia's capital city Bratislava is less than an hour away on the train and is an ideal place for a day trip. There are also direct trains to cities in Hungary and Czechia.


Read more about Vienna here!



2) Salzburg















Salzburg is Austria's musical city, being both the birthplace of Mozart and the setting of the musical The Sound of Music! I only had a day or two to spend there, but I made sure to go on the Sound of Music tour, which takes you around the sites where the film was made in Salzburg and the surrounding area. It was an experience I would definitely recommend!

Where to go next: Although in The Sound of Music the Von Trapp family are shown escaping from the Nazis over the mountains to Switzerland, this was very inaccurate geographically, as Switzerland is quite a distance from Salzburg. They would have actually ended up in Germany! So if you want to add a stop in another country on to your trip to Salzburg, it's a good idea to look at nearby destinations in the south of Germany, such as Munich.

Read more about Salzburg here!


3) Mondsee















Named for its lake which is shaped like the moon, Mondsee is a charming town near Salzburg. I visited it on the Sound of Music tour, as the wedding scene was filmed in the church there. The beautiful lake is popular with holidaymakers, as are the many cafés where you can try traditional Austrian cakes!

Where to go next: Salzburg is the obvious choice!

Read more about Mondsee here!


4) Innsbruck



















Innsbruck is well known as a base for skiing holidays, but it's also great for city breaks. With lots of colourful buildings and snowy mountains, it's a beautiful place to explore on foot. My favourite parts from my trip there were the Goldenes Dachl (a golden roof) and the Hofgarten (pictured above). I saw an adorable red squirrel there!

Where to go next: Innsbruck spoils you for choice if you're looking to take a multi country holiday. Southern Germany and the region of South Tyrol in northern Italy are short distances away, and the city's position in the west of Austria means that it only takes a couple of hours to get to Switzerland on the train. After my first stay in Innsbruck, I chose to explore two countries I hadn't visited before. First I caught the train to the small Swiss town of Sargans, and the following day, I took the bus to the capital city of Liechtenstein, Vaduz. I stopped in Innsbruck again on my way back. That trip was one of the highlights of my Year Abroad!

Read more about Innsbruck, Sargans and Vaduz here!


5) Kärnten



















The final place in my list is not a city or a town but an entire region of Austria. Maybe I'm biased because this is where I used to live! But Kärnten, also known as Carinthia, is definitely a great place to visit, with plenty of castles, lakes and mountains to explore. It has two main cities: Klagenfurt and Villach (pictured above). Villach is quite a fascinating place as it is right next to the borders with Slovenia and Italy. This means that it is the meeting point of the three main cultures of Europe: Germanic, Slavic and Latin. 

Where to go next: Slovenia and Italy are the obvious choices! From Villach train station, you can take direct trains to the beautiful Italian cities of Udine and Venice. It is also worth noting that from Venezia Mestre station on the Venetian mainland, it is possible to travel to cities all over Italy. So you only need two train journeys to get from Villach to destinations such as Florence and Rome!

Read more about Kärnten here!


So that concludes my short guide to travel in Austria and beyond. It's definitely a great country to visit for those of us with chronic Wanderlust!


Check out the rest of my Travel Tips here!

Wednesday, 16 October 2019

Travel Tips: Destinations off the Tourist Trail

It's a cliché, but one of the best things about doing a Year Abroad was that I discovered a lot about myself, including how I like to travel! Although I enjoyed visiting places like Venice, I found the relentless crowds of tourists a bit stressful to deal with. I also realised that lesser-known places can be just as interesting as the tourist hotspots, as well as being a lot more authentic!

So, this is my list of my favourite travel destinations off the tourist trail...


1) Sète, France














Close to Montpellier in the Occitanie region of France, Sète is known as the French version of Venice, as it is a beautiful town with a network of canals. For this reason, it's not exactly tourist free, but it's not crowded either. You can take a boat trip around its main sites, and take in the great views from the top of Mont Saint-Clair.

In fact, I would recommend the region of Occitanie as a whole for those looking for a less touristy holiday in the south of France. I have spent a lot of time around the Nice/Cannes area of France, and while I liked those places, I must say that the Occitanie area feels much less extravagant and much more relaxed.

Read more here!



2) Le Havre, France



















An interesting destination in Normandy is Le Havre. This port city with artistic attractions and a funicular railway reminded me a bit of Valparaíso in Chile. The highlight is the art gallery Musée Malraux, where you can see impressionist paintings by some of the most famous artists in history, without the crowds of the Louvre or the Musée d'Orsay.

Read more here!



3) Kärnten, Austria



















Kärnten, or Carinthia as it's sometimes known in English, is the region where I lived when I spent a semester teaching English in Austria. It's not as well known as the Tyrol and Salzburg regions, but it's a beautiful place with plenty of lakes, mountains and fairytale castles! It's also very close to both Italy and Slovenia, so it's an ideal place to go to if you're planning a multi country trip.

Read more here!



4) Vaduz, Liechtenstein



















This is a European capital city quite unlike the others I've visited. For one, it's very small, just like the country it's a part of. It's also pretty much devoid of people! Well, at least it was when I visited in November 2017. In this charming city overlooked by a castle (pictured above), you can visit both the national museum and a fantastic art gallery in total peace and quiet!

Read more here!



5) Udine, Italy















I first heard of Udine when looking at train timetables in Austria. I'm surprised that it's not more well known, as it's a beautiful city with plenty of attractions. The most memorable part for me was Piazza della Libertà (pictured above), but I also loved the art gallery in the castle, and the cathedral, which has an amazing painted ceiling. Although I've been to Florence and Venice, I have to say that Udine is my favourite Italian city. It has a very authentic and relaxed vibe. I could imagine living there!

Read more here!



6) Maule, Chile



















The Maule region in south-central Chile is not totally off the tourist radar. The Siete Tazas national park is already quite well known. (It's on my list of places to visit when I go back to Chile!) However, in May last year, I went on a group tour to some parts of Maule that are not so frequently visited. My favourite places were Mirador Monjes Blancos (pictured above), Cascada Invertida (an inverted waterfall) and Laguna del Maule. This region of Chile has so much amazing nature to see.

Read more here!



7) Huilo Huilo and Siete Lagos, Chile

























Another group tour I took in Chile was to Huilo Huilo biological reserve and Siete Lagos (seven lakes) in the south of the country. I've yet to visit the far south, but I've heard it can get very busy. This place, however, was so peaceful. I went in winter, so it was very cold, although maybe that was why it was so quiet. It was worth braving the weather to see beautiful sceneries of lakes, waterfalls, forests and volcanoes. The picture above is of me in front of the famous Montaña Mágica (magic mountain) hotel!

Read more here!



That concludes my list of less-touristy travel destinations! Coming soon: Five places to visit in Austria.


Check out the rest of my Travel Tips here!