Austrian lakeside and river towns off the beaten path.
Less-touristed lakeside and river towns in Austria, for travelers seeking fewer crowds but all the beauty.
Admont
Admont Abbey, a monastery founded in 1074, anchors this little Styrian village set in the valley of the Enns River within Gesäuse National Park.
Judenburg
Photogenic compact town on the Mur river in Styria's mountain terrain, Judenburg carries a medieval trading history visible in the burgher houses and churche…
Bad Goisern am Hallstättersee
A modest market town in Austria's Salzkammergut region, sitting at the water's edge in mountain terrain with scenic viewpoints in the surrounding hills.
Frohnleiten
A compact Styrian town where pastel-fronted historic buildings and a prominent church rise directly above a broad river, backed by forested hills and served…
Kufstein
Kufstein Fortress, first mentioned in the 13th century, dominates this photogenic Tyrolean town on the River Inn, flanked by the Brandenberg Alps and the Kai…
Mondsee
A modest lakeside town in Upper Austria's Salzkammergut region, Mondsee is best known for the medieval Mondsee Abbey, whose church served as the wedding loca…
Murau
Compact Austrian town where a Gothic church and a hilltop manor anchor a dense cluster of orange-roofed buildings along a fast-flowing river, backed by fores…
Persenbeug
Persenbeug sits on the bank of the Danube in Lower Austria, anchored by a listed castle that rises above the river.
Mayrhofen
This well-known ski resort in Austria's Zillertal, Mayrhofen sits in the Ziller river valley in Tyrol and serves as the main base for alpine skiing across th…
Imst
Heritage-dense modest town on the River Inn in western Tyrol, Imst sits close to the mountains with scenic viewpoints in the surrounding area and a café and…
Traunkirchen
This pocket-sized Upper Austrian village sits directly on the Traunsee lake, surrounded by mountain terrain, with several historic churches and a handful of…
Oberndorf bei Salzburg
"Silent Night" was first performed in Oberndorf bei Salzburg in 1818, at the Nikolauskirche, making this tiny Austrian town on the River Salzach a draw for a…
Lienz
A heritage-dense medieval town in East Tyrol, Austria, Lienz sits at the confluence of the Isel and Drau rivers with a well-preserved historic centre, an unu…
Liezen
A modest district capital on the River Enns in Styria, Liezen serves as the economic and administrative hub of Austria's largest district by area.
Zell am See
Sitting directly on the shores of a deep alpine lake in the Austrian state of Salzburg, Zell am See pairs year-round mountain sports — anchored by the Zell a…
Sillian
This tiny market town in Austria's East Tyrol sits in the upper Pustertal valley near the western edge of the region, at over a thousand metres elevation, an…
Rattenberg
Austria's smallest city sits on the Inn River in Tyrol, and its compact historic centre — dense with listed buildings, churches, and cafés — punches well abo…
Landeck
Small Tyrolean city at the confluence of mountain rivers in Austria's Upper Inn Valley, Landeck sits at the gateway to one of the country's most tourism-inte…
Oetz
Modest Tyrolean village at the foot of Acherkogel mountain in Austria's Ötztal valley, Oetz sits alongside the Ötztaler Ache river and offers scenic viewpoin…
Scharnitz
This Tyrolean village on the German border that serves as the western gateway to the Hinterau valley, where the river Isar has its source.
Dornbirn
Vorarlberg's largest city, Dornbirn sits in Austria's westernmost state with a walkable centre dense with listed historic buildings, cafés, and churches.
St. Gilgen
This lakeside village on Lake Wolfgang in Austria's Salzkammergut region draws visitors with mountain views, a strong café and restaurant scene for its size,…
Zell am Ziller
A little Tyrolean village in Austria's Zillertal with a notably dense café and restaurant scene for its size, several churches, and a strong visual profile a…
Hartkirchen
Yellow baroque church with a dark onion-dome tower anchors this compact Upper Austrian village, set among gently rolling hills and close to the Danube, with…
Korneuburg
This heritage-dense tiny town on the Danube a short distance northwest of Vienna, Korneuburg pairs a colourful main square — dominated by a neo-Gothic town h…
Matrei am Brenner
This pocket-sized Tyrolean village on the Sill river, south of Innsbruck, with a striking number of churches for its size and scenic mountain surrounds.
Gmunden
Lakeside town in Upper Austria's Salzkammergut region, Gmunden sits on the northern shore of the Traunsee with mountain views, a walkable centre dense with l…
Wenns
A village in Austria's Pitztal valley, Wenns sits along the Pitze river and is home to the oldest farmhouse in Tyrol — the Stamserhaus, around 700 years old.
Bad Aussee
This spa town at the confluence of the three source streams of the Traun River, Bad Aussee sits at the heart of the Styrian Salzkammergut in the Austrian Alp…
Schoppernau
A modest winter-sports village in the Bregenzerwald region of Vorarlberg, Austria, set along the Bregenzer Ach river in the upper reaches of the valley.
Niederottensheim
A compact Austrian market town on the Danube, its broad main square framed by colorful historic facades, a Gothic church with a tall spire, and a Marian colu…
Neufelden
Compact Austrian market town in forested Upper Austrian hill country, where a river curves below a compact, church-crowned centre surrounded by dense woodlan…
Knittelfeld
A small Styrian town on the Mur river with a café and restaurant scene that is unusually rich for its size, Knittelfeld also carries a place in Austrian poli…
Mieders
Tiny Tyrolean village in the Stubaital valley south of Innsbruck, Mieders sits alongside the river with mountain scenery in the surrounds and scenic viewpoin…
Wolfsberg
A compact Austrian town along a river, where a baroque church tower and a hilltop castle overlook red-tile rooftops, forested slopes, and a walkable centre w…
Lambach
Lambach Abbey, a Benedictine monastery founded in 1056, anchors this small Upper Austrian market town where the Ager and Traun rivers meet.
Lofer
A small mountain village in Austria's Salzburg state, Lofer sits along the Saalach river in the Pinzgau valley with scenic viewpoints in the surrounding peak…
Lilienfeld
Lilienfeld Abbey anchors this little Lower Austrian town in the Traisen River valley, south of St.
Kapfenberg
This steel town on the Mürz River in Styria, Kapfenberg has been shaped by iron and steel production since the 15th century, when proximity to the Styrian Er…
Reichenau an der Rax
A small Austrian market village at the foot of the Rax mountains on the Schwarza river, Reichenau an der Rax is recognised as a health-climate spa resort.
Obernberg am Inn
This pocket-sized market village on the Inn river in Upper Austria, with a handful of cafés and restaurants that punch above its size and scenic viewpoints i…
Hohenems
Home to the Schubertiade, a music festival dedicated to Franz Schubert that has made this Vorarlberg town internationally known, Hohenems also holds a 16th-c…
Gars am Kamp
Heritage-dense village on the Kamp river in Lower Austria's Waldviertel region, with several historic churches and a little but real café and restaurant scen…
Reutte
This compact Tyrolean town on the Lech River serves as the administrative centre of Austria's Ausserfern region, with a heritage-dense streetscape, an unusua…
Aggsbach Dorf
This small wine-growing hamlet on the Danube in Lower Austria's Krems-Land district sits within a region ringed by UNESCO World Heritage sites, with vineyard…
Gobelsburg
Schloss Gobelsburg, a castle and winery in Lower Austria's Kamptal wine region, has been producing wine since 1171, making it the oldest winery in the Danube…
Langenzersdorf
This Lower Austrian town spread across a broad river bend, with wooded hills rising behind red-tile rooftops, vineyard slopes nearby, and a café and restaura…
Emmersdorf an der Donau
This pocket-sized Danube-side village in Lower Austria's Melk district sits within a UNESCO World Heritage landscape, with a concentration of listed historic…
Lochau
This little Lake Constance town in Austria's westernmost state of Vorarlberg, Lochau sits at the water's edge with vineyards nearby and a central core of caf…
St. Pölten
Capital of Lower Austria since 1986, St.
Bildstein
This little Vorarlberg village in Austria's Bregenz district is known across the region for its pilgrimage church, visible from across the Rhine Valley, whic…
Voitsberg
A tiny Styrian town in Austria with a good café and restaurant scene for its size, Voitsberg sits on the Tregistbach river in a former mining area of western…
Stockerau
The largest town in Austria's Weinviertel region, Stockerau carries a walkable centre with cafés, restaurants, and a heritage-dense streetscape, alongside th…
Mistelbach
Small town in the wine country of northeastern Lower Austria, Mistelbach sits on the River Zaya a short drive from Vienna and serves as the district capital…
Marbach an der Donau
Little Danube-side village in Lower Austria's Melk district, Marbach an der Donau has a handful of cafés and restaurants, several historic churches, and scen…
Floridsdorf
Vienna's 21st district, sitting on the north bank of the Danube, combines a dense café and restaurant scene with vineyards, parks, and listed architecture sp…
Leibnitz, Styria
A tiny town in Styria, southern Austria, set between the Mur and Sulm rivers in wine-growing country, with vineyards in the surrounding hills and scenic view…
Neusiedl am See
Sitting on the northern shore of Lake Neusiedl in Austria's Burgenland province, this compact town offers direct access to one of Central Europe's most disti…
Donnerskirchen
A Burgenland wine village viewed from rolling green hills above, its red-tile rooftops and church tower spread across a broad plain that stretches toward the…
Feldbach
A tiny town in the Raab river valley in southeastern Styria, Feldbach has a café and restaurant scene that punches above its size, alongside a notable concen…