Sacred and spiritual destinations in Austria off the beaten path.
What are some less-touristed spiritual destinations in Austria, for travelers seeking beautiful places with fewer crowds? Answer
Options include Mariazell, a Styrian mountain village and Catholic pilgrimage site; Admont, a Styrian village around a monastery founded in 1074; and Absam, a Tyrolean town on the Camino de Santiago. This page includes 11 options. Click here to see which are close enough to be day trips from major cities like Vienna or Salzburg.
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.
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…
Maria Saal
A pilgrimage village in Carinthia, Austria, known above all for its Marian church, which draws visitors to the historic Zollfeld plain — a wide valley of the…
Mariazell
Austria's most significant Catholic pilgrimage site, Mariazell is a small Styrian mountain village whose Basilica of the Nativity of Mary houses a lime-wood…
Garsten
This small Upper Austrian market village on the water is best known for the former Garsten Abbey, a heritage landmark that now serves as a prison — an unusua…
Sankt Florian
Sankt Florian, a small town in Upper Austria a short distance from Linz, is home to St.
Absam
This little Austrian town in Tyrol with an unusual concentration of churches for its size, Absam is a pilgrimage stop on the Camino de Santiago (Jakobsweg) w…
Lambach
Lambach Abbey, a Benedictine monastery founded in 1056, anchors this small Upper Austrian market town where the Ager and Traun rivers meet.
Lilienfeld
Lilienfeld Abbey anchors this little Lower Austrian town in the Traisen River valley, south of 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…
Maria Lankowitz
A pilgrimage village at the foot of the Stubalpe mountain in Styria, Austria, Maria Lankowitz draws visitors to its historic churches and sits within reach o…
Spiritual destinations in Austria: quick answers
Which spiritual destinations in Austria can you visit on a day trip from Vienna or Salzburg?
Mariazell and Lilienfeld are among 2 spiritual destinations on our day trips from Vienna. And Lambach is among 2 spiritual destinations on our day trips from Salzburg.
Which can you reach by train?
2 of the 11 have a railway station within a 10-minute drive, including Mariazell and Lilienfeld.