Favourite restaurant of notoriously well-fed and well-drunk Vienna Mayor Michael Häupl as well as his predecessor the late Helmut Zilk. Whenever I'm home, I go to this place at least twice, it's really great, and filled with locals. The food is traditional Viennese/Austrian, the Schnitzel is delicious. In fact I have never been disappointed and have eaten myself up and down the menu. It's also got an excellent wide-ranging selection of (mostly Austrian) wine, with knowledgeable, friendly waiters eager to give you tips. A main dish tends to cost €13-19.
I can't wait to go back!

Drahtgasse 2 1010 Vienna, Austria
+43(0)1 5335889
Google map: bit.ly/x7cHjX

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The snow filled cobbled streets of Salzburg are the perfect location for a Christmas market. Every stall is packed with festive treats, from soft and chewy iced gingerbread and hundreds of varieties of marzipan to Amaretto flavoured mulled wine. The air is filled with the aroma of Christmas trees and gluwein, wrap up warm, listen to the choir singing Christmas carols and treat yourself as you wander through the fairy lit streets of this magical place.

Market info: bit.ly/verffx
Google map: bit.ly/sDMNYl

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Beautiful Christmas markets in a picturesque setting where you can follow climbing a snow laden hill to a stunning fortress with a warming and fortifying drink of gluhwein to power you through the atmospheric market selling a vast array of hand crafts and delicious foods.

www.christkindlmarkt.co.at/index.html
www.visit-salzburg.net/
Google map: bit.ly/stdPwj

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The World of the Ice Giants, some 20 km south of Salzburg, is a natural ice cave inside a mountain in the Alps, the largest one in the world. David Attenborough included this spectacular cave in his series Wonders of Nature.
It's absolutely breathtaking. You are guided through the first kilometer of the cave 400 meters underground, walking around huge ice formations shaped like fairytale castles, vast cathedrals, and sparkling palaces. There are huge stalagmites and stalactites - everywhere you look is a spectacular natural wonder. It is permanently frozen inside so very cold even in the summer - you need to wrap up well for this unique journey through an icy Neverland.

www.eisriesenwelt.at
Eishoehlenstrasse 30, A - 5450 Werfen
+43(0)64685248

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Just a short bus ride from Mayrhofen followed by a chairlift leads you onto the Hintertux Glacier. Once up there you will find the Spannagelhaus which is at the entrance to the underground Spannagel cave – the largest and most important cave in the Tyrol. There is a charge of around 10Euro for the tour and you are kitted out with hard hats and waterproofs and you’ll need them for the adventure to follow!
There are wonderful rock formations, stalactites and stalagmites, ribbon marble and crystals to be discovered as you feel like a real caver (there’s even a couple of places you have to squeeze through the rock!) exploring this secret underground world. While there it is of course worthwhile exploring the glacier, admiring the views and having a coffee at the excellent mountain huts that Austrians seem so good at providing in even the remotest of settings.

www.spannagelhaus.at
Familie Anfang, Spannagel 779, 6293 TUX
+43 5287 87251
Google map: bit.ly/pIEACD

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The hotel is the perfect mixture of traditional Austrian and modern facilities. The new design rooms and the spa with indoor and outdoor pool has been a highlight for the whole family. The food was delicious and the hospitality of the family Fischbacher and their hotel team has been outstanding. Just perfect for active families who like to ski in the alps or like to be active in nature in summer.

www.alpenhof.info/
5542 Flachau, Flachauer Straße 98
+43 6457 2205
Google map: bit.ly/nSSILJ

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We enjoyed a fabulous 10 day stay at Gasthof zur Post in July 2011 with our four-year-old son. The Familie Kohlmayr and their staff were so friendly and hospitable that they made us feel that nothing was too much trouble. We enjoyed delicious real Austrian food and drink throughout our stay and the grill night at the Kohlmayr's Mountain Cabin is one of of best memories of the holiday. The Gasthof is in a wonderful location among the mountains and yet is so convenient for so many nearby places of interest and enjoyment.

www.kohlmayr.com
Ferienhotel Gasthof zur Post, Dorfstrabe 22
5561 Untertauern, Salzburger Land
+43 6455 238
Google map: bit.ly/pMST9q

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If you fancy a break from Austrian cuisine, or even if you don't, go here - it's fantastic. There's a huge enclosed garden which is lovely and shady on a sunny day. There's Austrian and Turkish beer. And there's a huge menu with a staggering range of Turkish food. As an added bonus (well, I thought so) all the dishes which are usually made with lamb - koftes, shish kebabs etc - were veal-based instead. The prices are excellent too. And everything comes with mountains of bread.

Brunnengasse 67, 1160, Vienna
+43(0)1 4059173
www.kent-restaurant.at
Google map: bit.ly/m9K833

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A traditional Viennese cafe on the Ring, with cake, main meals, wine and beer - but also live piano music for most of the day. The portions are generous and the food is excellent. They also do great breakfasts.

www.cafe-schwarzenberg.at
Kärntner Ring 17, 1010 Wien
+43 (1) 512 89 98
Google map: bit.ly/jfkz5d

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We stumbled into this bar/restaurant on the Schwarzenbergplatz completely by accident - it was the first place we'd seen and we were starving - but we felt that we'd got very lucky! The traditional Austrian food (schnitzel, goulash, lots of different sausages) is very tasty and reasonably priced, and the beer is truly excellent. Plus the staff were friendly and remembered our orders when we came back. Which we did several times in our short visit to Vienna.

Schwarzenbergplatz 3, 1010 Vienna, Austria
+43(0)1 7157169
Google map: bit.ly/k7JndA

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I spent a nice winter holiday in the Alberg area (Austria), skiing on the ski slopes in St. Anton, Zurs and Lech. The ski slopes in St. Anton were nice, good sightseeing, difficult enough but the maintenance of the slopes was missing. I didn't see a single snow groomer in three days, nor traces of any in the morning.
In Lech, instead, the slopes were very well maintained and the snow groomers were there, on duty.
If you are traveling by car, I advise you to have winter tyres, as the road between St. Christoph and Lech is always frozen.
The Austrian cuisine was delicious, and we discovered that it has more dishes than only schnitzel!

www.stantonamarlberg.com/winter
Google map: bit.ly/frAnH0

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Benedictine abbey, church, library, gardens, overlooking the Danube. The library contains thousands of books from the 1500's onwards, and it was there that Umberto Eco did research for his novel The Name of the Rose.
I recommend arriving by ship - there are daily cruises from Vienna.

www.stiftmelk.at/englisch/
Abt Berthold Dietmayr Strasse 1, A 3390 Melk
+43(0)27525550
Google map: bit.ly/gcAlfs

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Alpenrider is the best youth hostel in the Alps bar none. Nothing like the stale YHA hostels in Switzerland. This has all the things a good hostel should have - ridiculously friendly staff, lively bar, mixed punters from all over the world, great breakfast - but in the Alps.
Cheap as chips and everyday a guided group leaves the chalet together for a group trip to the nearby (glorious) slopes of Kitzbuhel. When the snow closed the railway link to the airport the legendary owner Shevvy, was out of bed on New Years Day with a lift to the airport. Why are there not more places like this?

www.alpenrider.com
Möselgasse 19, 6365 Kirchberg in Tirol, Austria
+43 664 2842551
e-mail: paul@alpenrider.com
Google map: bit.ly/dtGDRR

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If you like your skiing without queuing, try cross country (Langlaufen) in Ramsau, a southerly alp above Schladming, crowned by the Dachstein massif.
And the best place to stay is Bacherhof, an organic farm hotel. Sigrid and Herwig welcome you like family, everyone has half board and soon makes friends. It is not meant to be luxurious but it is comfortable, there is a sauna ready as the sun goes down, and the food is fantastic.
Now one person's "budget" is not another's, but with prices from 53 Euros per person for half board (children under 2 free, 5-10yrs half price), it is excellent value.

www.bacherhof.at
8972 Ramsau am Dachstein
Österreich
+43|0|3687 81377
Google map: bit.ly/ceOgHf

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A lovely 240km ride along the Danube through lovely countryside. Cycling through Linz, Enns, Krems and the Wachau with lots of beautiful sights on the way. Plenty of oppertunities to stop on the way for some excellent refreshments to sample some of the Austrian cusine.
Lovely B&B's can be found on the way for an overnight stay on route which can be booked through local tourist information centres.

www.donauradweg.at
www.donau-radweg.info

Google map: tinyurl.com/36jfyh5

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Our first European cycling holiday included our 15-year-old son and the Freewheel holiday in Austria was ideal for a family unsure if this type of holiday was for us. The scenery was beautiful, the hotels were luxurious and many had swimming pools for teenagers who still had energy to spare at the end of the day, the longest day's cycling was 33 kms, manageable for anyone of reasonable fitness and the organisation was good. Cycling days are broken up with rest days, giving you a break from the saddle and the nine night holiday finishes in the lively city of Salzburg.

www.freewheelholidays.co.uk

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This large open air pool in Austria's second city is a beautiful and lively place to be on a summer day. The pool has a gravel floor, trees for shade, a pleasant view and usually a few ducks paddling between the swimmers. The pool is a bus ride from the enchanting city centre with its astonishing mixture of modern and older buildings and is next door to Camping Central (free entrance for campers). The pool also has trampolines, a separate naturist area and table tennis. Early morning and evening swimming is possible from 06.00 until dusk. Prices vary depending on the time of day; for example, Euro 5.70 for an adult for a full day. Graz has six swimming pools, as well as a river beach in the city centre; so it is ideal for a watery holiday.

www.cusoon.at/webseite/freibad-strassgang
The pool is on Martinhofstrasse.

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The Alpine Coaster at Hoch Imst, above Imst in the beautiful western Tyrol, claims to be the longest alpine roller coaster in the world. All the fun of tobogganing, but in the sunshine. A memorable day out is to walk through the Rosengarten Gorge from the town centre, which takes you through a rocky ravine with waterfalls to Hoch Imst; rest and enjoy the alpine views on the cable car up the mountainside, take a short hike to the stunningly positioned Muttekopf Hutte for an alpine lunch on the terrace; return down the mountain side at speed in control of your own toboggan on the Alpine Coaster. A fantastic day out in a beautiful area. Other days can be taken up with the sculpture trail at the next village of Tarrenz, visiting the spa pools for a refreshing paddle and visiting the town's Carnival museum.

Imst-Gurgltal is in the western Tyrol, Austria.

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The Sieben Muhlen ( seven mills) is a small museum set on the hillside above the river Salzach. The museum is run by the local community which has raised the money to restore the line of seven pretty wooden mills which tumble over each other on the steep hillside. Each mill has an exhibition inside (in German), on different grains, how the mills work, their part in the local community etc, with plenty of opportunities for being inter-active and hands-on. You'll probably have it to yourself and there are working water wheels to watch and wonky wooden channels full of rushing water to follow and the top mill has a surreal mystical theme that has to be seen to be believed; the Austrians never fail to surprise you!

Pfarrwerfen is near to Werfen, which can be reached by train from either St Johann im Pongau or Salzburg.

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The Dachstein is the highest mountain in the Inner Salzkammergut area of the Alpine lakes region. It is a very beautiful area, only 45 minutes from Salzburg, and it benefits from all the ski lifts and mountain huts and marked hiking trails.

See www.GosauApartment.co.uk for tips on where to hike or ski and what local. This private apartment in the Sporthotel leisure/spa complex offers great value (£19pp/night - min four days) for couples who love busy or lazy days in lovely surroundings.

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