Austria — Vienna, Salzburg & Mozart

Some countries draw beach lovers; others proudly display their historic monuments and museums. Austria, perennially in demand, defies any single description of its appeal.

For many, 'Austria' first means Vienna and Salzburg — cities whose very air is filled with the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Johann Strauss. Vienna is famed for its elegant, graceful architecture and for museums holding wonderful collections of painting: the Kunsthistorisches, the Belvedere and the Albertina. Here too stands Schönbrunn, one of Europe's most celebrated palace-and-park ensembles and the former residence of Empress Maria Theresa. The city is renowned for its pastries and gave its name to delicious schnitzels and sausages.

Salzburg, the birthplace of Mozart, is a small but utterly charming and musical city. Strolling its narrow streets and the embankments of the Salzach river, you catch views of the Alps, while above the town rises Hohensalzburg — one of the oldest fortresses in Europe — from whose walls a magnificent panorama unfolds.