Shannon O'Brien Travel Itineraries

The best destinations

Photo of Austria
Photo of Austria

The Best of Austria

#24 best destination in the world

Map view

Naschmarkt, Vienna

Photo of Vienna

Best time to visit: April-May, Sept-Oct

Cost: $

  • Vienna's most popular market, located at the Wienzeile, it has existed since the 16th century when mainly milk bottles were sold
  • From 1793 onwards, all fruits and vegetables brought to Vienna with carts had to be sold there, while goods arriving on the Danube were sold elsewhere
  • Today, one can buy fresh fruit and vegetables from around the world, exotic herbs, cheese, baked goods such as bread, kaiser rolls, torte, meats, and seafood

Hallstatt Skywalk "Welterbeblick" Aussichtsplattform

Photo of Hallstatt

Best time to visit: Sept-Oct

Cost: $

  • Viewing platform at 1,148 feet overlooking a panoramic alpine UNESCO World Heritage site.

Setagayapark, Dobling

Photo of Dobling

Best time to visit: April-May, Sept-Oct

Cost: $

  • Small, tranquil Japanese garden, located in Vienna, with a fish pond and cherry blossoms

Salzburg Cathedral

Photo of Salzburg

Best time to visit: Sept-Oct

Cost: $

  • Seventeenth-century Baroque cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Salzburg, dedicated to Saint Rupert and Saint Vergilius
  • Saint Rupert founded the church in 774 on the remnants of a Roman town
  • In the seventeenth century, the cathedral was completely rebuilt in the Baroque style
  • Salzburg Cathedral still contains the baptismal font in which composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was baptized

Schönbrunn Palace

Photo of Schönbrunn Palace

Best time to visit: April-May, Sept-Oct

Cost: $

  • Was the main summer residence of the Habsburg rulers, located in Vienna
  • The 1,441-room Baroque palace is one of the most important architectural, cultural, and historic monuments in the country
  • The history of the palace and its vast gardens spans over 300 years, reflecting the changing tastes, interests, and aspirations of successive Habsburg monarchs

St. Stephen's Cathedral

Photo of St. Stephen's Cathedral

Best time to visit: April-May, Sept-Oct

Cost: $

  • Mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vienna and the seat of the Archbishop of Vienna
  • The current Romanesque and Gothic form of the cathedral, seen today in the Stephansplatz, was largely initiated by Duke Rudolf IV (1339–1365) and stands on the ruins of two earlier churches, the first a parish church consecrated in 1147
  • With its multi-coloured tile roof, it has become one of the city's most recognizable symbols

Hofburg

Photo of Hofburg

Best time to visit: April-May, Sept-Oct

Cost: $

  • Former principal imperial palace of the Habsburg dynasty, located in Vienna, it was built in the 13th century and expanded several times afterwards
  • Since 1279, the Hofburg area has been the documented seat of government
  • Since 1946, it is the official residence and workplace of the president of Austria

Belvedere

Photo of Belvedere

Best time to visit: April-May, Sept-Oct

Cost: $

  • Historic building complex in Vienna, consisting of two Baroque palaces, the Orangery, and the Palace Stables
  • The grounds are set on a gentle gradient and include decorative tiered fountains and cascades, Baroque sculptures, and wrought iron gates
  • The Baroque palace complex was built as a summer residence for Prince Eugene of Savoy, who was commander-in-chief, and achieved a series of successful wars against the Ottoman Empire

Vienna State Opera

Photo of Vienna State Opera

Best time to visit: April-May, Sept-Oct

Cost: $$

  • Opera house and opera company based in Vienna, that has a 1,709-seat Renaissance Revival venue was the first major building on the Vienna Ring Road
  • It was built from 1861 to 1869, and The Vienna State Opera is the successor of the old Vienna Court Opera (built in 1636 inside the Hofburg)

Hohensalzburg Fortress

Photo of Hohensalzburg Fortress

Best time to visit: Sept-Oct

Cost: $

  • Large medieval fortress in the city of Salzburg, that sits on top of the Festungsberg
  • It was erected at the behest of the prince-archbishops of Salzburg, and it is one of the largest medieval castles in Europe

Kunsthistorisches Museum

Photo of Kunsthistorisches Museum

Best time to visit: April-May, Sept-Oct

Cost: $

  • Art museum in Vienna, housed in its festive palatial building on the Vienna Ring Road, and crowned with an octagonal dome
  • It is the largest art museum in the country, and was opened around 1891
  • The emperor Franz Joseph I commissioned the two Ringstraße museums to create a suitable home for the Habsburgs' formidable art collection and to make it accessible to the general public
  • The interiors of the museums are lavishly decorated with marble, stucco ornamentation, gold-leaf, and murals

Albertina

Photo of Albertina

Best time to visit: April-May, Sept-Oct

Cost: $

  • Museum in Vienna, that houses one of the largest and most important print rooms in the world with approximately 65,000 drawings and approximately 1 million old master prints, as well as more modern graphic works, photographs and architectural drawings

Prater

Photo of Prater

Best time to visit: April-May, Sept-Oct

Cost: $

  • Large public park in Vienna, and The Wurstelprater, an amusement park that is often simply called "Prater", lies in one corner of the Wiener Prater and includes the Wiener Riesenrad Ferris wheel