Austria

Austria is a destination of sublime beauty and elegance all year round, the grandeur and spectacle of its mountainous landscapes rivalled only by the richness of its cultural and musical heritage. An escorted rail tour of Austria with Great Rail Journeys allows guests to enjoy the very best of both of these worlds.

Austria's modern railway network spans the entire country making even remote and rural areas accessible by fast, efficient and regular trains. This means that a rail holiday in Austria can easily encompass visits to both historic and cultural cities including Vienna and Salzburg with scenic regions such as Austria's Alps and Lake District.

We arrange everything for you and place you in the care of an experienced and friendly Tour Manager who is happy to assist whenever needed and will answer any questions guests may have. Possessing local knowledge of the places we visit, our Tour Managers can also provide useful information and even make recommendations regarding places to eat or things to see and do.

We'll also make sure that you enjoy comfortable accommodation in hotels chosen for their convenient location, guest facilities, high standards of service and value. The quality, family-run hotels we prefer offer our guests a more personal service and an informal atmosphere in which to relax.

Although compact in size, the landlocked and mostly mountainous Republic of Austria in south central Europe is one of the world's most financially prosperous countries and has an accordingly high standard of living. For visitors, however, Austria's riches lie in its beautiful landscapes, its Alpine resorts and its cultural legacy, particularly in respect of classical composers. Austria is the country which gave us Mozart, Strauss, Schubert, Mahler and Haydn.

Austria's historic towns and cities also boast a wealth of remarkable and beautiful architecture ranging from Gothic churches to Baroque and Neoclassical palaces and fortresses and even remarkable contemporary architecture as demonstrated by Salzburg's Museum der Moderne gallery.

Austria enjoys a temperate climate, although as a mountainous country temperature decreases as altitude increases. Although rainfall occurs throughout the year, heavy rains may accompany thunderstorms in July and August, whilst November and April are typically the wettest months. Austria's southerly position means that summers can be hot and sunny with daytime temperatures rising to 30°C but cooling in the evening. In the Austrian Alps, snow cover at higher altitudes, if not permanent, lasts from November until May.

Robust, hearty meals form the basis of Austrian cuisine, although many flavours and dishes have been influenced by neighbouring countries. Beef, pork and chicken are popular, and bacon features in a number of traditional recipes. Schnitzels - breaded escalope of pork or veal, beef broths, savoury or sweet dumplings and boiled beef are all specialities, and no visitor to Austria should resist the opportunity to try the world's greatest chocolate cake; the Sacher Torte.

Guests visiting Austria on holiday tours should be aware that the Austrian way of telling a waiter to keep the change is to hand over payment and say thank you or 'danke' (pronounced dank-uh). If you expect change wait until you receive it before thanking your waiter.

Austrians greet each other with a hand shake. While you may see some Austrian men bowing to kiss the hand of a lady this is considered ostentatious and is not expected from guests visiting Austria on holiday.

Discover the fantastic railways of Austria. It should come as no surprise that we love railways and we know many of you do too! That's why our tours feature some of the most iconic railways and trains on the continent.