Austria

Within minutes of arriving in Austria adventure travel opportunities start appearing. Whether you want to hit the slopes for world-class skiing and snow-boarding, take a hair-raising bike ride down the mountains, go rafting or explore the outstanding scenery by foot, you’ll find plenty of exhilarating outdoor activities in Austria.

The epic mountains of landlocked Austria make for an adventurer’s dream, with parts of the Southern Limestone Alps, Northern Alps and Central Eastern Alps all to be found, and only around a quarter of the country low lying.

Of the diverse mountain scenes, the Eastern Alps constitute the largest area of Austria at almost two thirds of the total land mass – across Austria adventure travel holidays are centred on mountains as the country is landlocked.

You’ll find more outdoor activities in Austria in the country’s second biggest mountain area, the Austrian granite plateau in the north, making up around one-tenth of the country’s land mass

Austria is almost 600km in length and stretches from Lake Constance in the Alps on the border with Switzerland and Germany, to the huge Neusiedler See on the border with Hungary in the east, offering a rich and varied landscape in between.

Austria is famous for its skiing and winters are certainly chilly, but visitors after outdoor activities in Austria will be pleasantly surprised in summer when temperatures averagely sit between 15 and 25 C.

The alpine climate of course dominates, with most of Austria in the cool or temperate climate zone with humid winds. Head eastward along the Danube Valley and in the Pannonian Plane and you’ll find a friendlier climate with less rain.

You should complement any Austria adventure travel journey with time in its major cities: With a population of around 1.7 million, Austria’s capital Vienna is also its largest city. As well as outstanding surroundings, Vienna offers famous sights such as the Cathedral, the famous Hundertwasserhaus, palaces, romantic balls and Heurigena (wine taverns).

Salzburg is another well-known destination; the city on the banks of the Salzach River has world-famous baroque architecture, is birthplace to Mozart and was the setting for the The Sound of Music. You should also check out pretty Innsbruck, which is located in a broad valley and surrounded by amazing Alpine scenery.

Whatever your sport of choice, there are some fantastic outdoor activities in Austria. Sights that should be included in any longer trip include Grossglockner, at 3798m above sea level, the highest mountain in Austria and the country’s biggest glacier, the Pasterze, which is easily accessible by car or foot.

The scenic Grossglockner High Alpine Road offers some spectacular views for an Austria adventure travel road trip, and you can even drive up to 2600m in the summer. Also, visit Klagenfurt, which boasts more than 20 castles, the unspoilt lunar landscape of limestone Tennengebirge, and the gorgeous scenery and National Park surrounding the River Danube.

Whether you want the ultimate extreme sports holiday or are a beginner just looking for a taste of Austria’s adventurous side, you’ll find it here. The backdrop of Austria’s outstanding sights and its friendly and culturally rich towns will make for a trip never to be forgotten.

For more outdoor activities in Austria trying go-karting down the steep toboggan runs, such as the testing 3km run from Hochgurgl. You’ll also find tandem para-gliding, ski-jumping, zorbing, golf, horse-riding and fishing.