On the road in Austria

The most beautiful sights in Austria

Austria is one of Europe's most spectacular road-trip countries: breathtaking Alpine passes, crystal-clear mountain lakes and centuries-old towns lie close together. Some of these highlights sit right along the Autobahn, others are worth a short detour, and with your vignette on your number plate, they're all easy to combine with a trip through or to Austria.

5 featured sights Easy to combine with a road trip from NL/BE Vignette mandatory on the Austrian Autobahn

Photo: Hallstatt · E4024 · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

From the Alpine passes of Tyrol to the Salzkammergut: these are five highlights of Austria that combine well with a road trip via the A10 Tauernautobahn, A12 Inntalautobahn or A13 Brennerautobahn: sometimes right along the motorway, sometimes with a short detour that's well worth it.

Hallstatt & Lake Hallstatt

Austria's most photographed village: pastel-coloured houses built literally against the rock face on Lake Hallstatt, with a 7,000-year-old salt-mining history. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997 as part of the Salzkammergut.

📍Leave the A10 Tauernautobahn at Regau or Bad Ischl and follow the B145. Arrive early or late in the day, as the centre gets overcrowded on summer afternoons.

Grossglockner High Alpine Road

The highest paved road in the Alps, with hairpin bends climbing to 2,504 metres at the Edelweißspitze and views of the Pasterze glacier at the foot of the Grossglockner, Austria's highest mountain.

📍A separate toll road (on top of your vignette), reached via the B311 from Bruck an der Glocknerstraße near the A10. Usually open from May to October.

Swarovski Kristallwelten

Swarovski's crystal museum in Wattens, featuring work by international artists built around a huge 'giant's head', a surprisingly quirky stop among the mountains.

📍Located almost directly next to the A12 Inntal Autobahn between Innsbruck and Schwaz, an easy, quick stopover.

Innsbruck & the Goldenes Dachl

The capital of Tyrol, surrounded by mountain peaks, with a compact historic old town centred around the famous 'golden roof' from 1500.

📍Right at the junction of the A12 and A13 (Brennerautobahn), a logical break if you're heading towards the Brenner Pass and Italy (note: separate section toll on the A13).

Zillertaler Höhenstraße

A 35-kilometre panoramic route through the Zillertal, originally built for farmers, now one of Tyrol's best-known scenic mountain roads with breathtaking views of the Zillertal Alps.

📍Exit Zillertal/Fügen from the A12. The final, highest stretch is a separate toll road, popular with motorcyclists in summer.

This selection is just a starting point. Combine it with the prices and validity periods of the Austrian vignette to complete your route.