Bradlee Goldsmith
Throughout Austria are glorious architectural reminders of the once-powerful Hapsburgs, who dominated central Europe for seven centuries.
The home of Mozart: Nowhere is the legacy more evident than in the capital, Vienna, with its ornate Opera House and the former imperial residence - the Hofburg. Austria's other cities are similarly infused with a his-torical magic, notably Salzburg, the birthplace of Mozart, with stunning Baroque churches set before a backdrop of snow-covered peaks, and Innsbruck, in the centre of the Austrian Alps.
Music to your ears: Austria has a justifiable reputation for music, literature and the arts, but also boasts a gourmet culture. The legendary laidback at-mosphere is evident in the cafes, where coffee drinking is an art. There are also many Heurigen, where the latest vintages are ac-companied by vast quantities of food. Nightlife is versatile, offer-ing laidback taverns, beer gardens and excellent apres-ski, as well as trendy clubs and dance venues packed to the small hours.
Austrian ski resorts: Austria has a great selection of ski resorts to choose from whether you’re looking for a beginners skiing holiday or want to take your snowboarding skills to the next level. Hochgurgl, Katschberg, Kitzbuhel, Mayrhofen, Niederau, Rauris and Zell am See are just a few of the most popular ski resorts in Austria
Set in the stunning, steep-sided Zillertal Valley, Mayrhofen has a well-deserved reputation among British skiers. Its ski area is situ-ated on two separate plateaux, the Penken and the Ahorn, yet there is a whole lot more to the Super Zillertal area than this. A free ski bus service connects a vast 625km area of runs encom-passing the resorts of Zell am Ziller, Gerlos, Koningsleiten and the snowsure Hintertux glacier. The large, traditional-looking re-sort centre offers excellent shopping and a great choice of cafes and restaurants for every taste and budget. Numerous bars, pubs, clubs and a casino become popular meeting places in the eve-nings as the centre livens up but can be easily avoided if you're after a relaxing, peaceful holiday. There are plenty of indoor and outdoor non-ski activities making Mayrhofen equally enjoyable for any nonskiers. It's the extent and variety of terrain that makes this resort suitable for all abilities, as highly regarded by families and couples as it is by groups. The extent and variety of terrain makes this resort suitable for all abilities, as highly regarded by families and couples as it is by groups.
Mayrhofen, Austria
Sharing a valley with Saalbach, Hinterglemm has double the choice of activities and range of slopes. Part of the infamous Ski Circus, it is located conveniently near Salzburg and offers an ex-tensive ski area filled with beginner and intermediate terrain. The valley is excellent at snow making however the south facing slopes and particularly the lower ones deteriorate quickly in good weather. With a ski school and confidence building slopes the re-sort is ideal for beginners. Take a ski holiday in Hinterglemm and you will be greeted with an attractive small village with a good choice of bars and restaurants that is surely perfect for families.
Hinterglemm, Austria
Katschberg is a small but perfectly formed resort situated on the border of the Carinthia and Salzburgerland provinces, 1 and a half hours from Salzburg. With its slopes reaching over 2000 me-tres, the resort offers a great snow record and stunning views across pine-clad landscapes as far as the eye can see. Beginners and intermediates are well catered for with the mainly wide, un-crowded blue and red runs leading down the two sides of the val-ley. However, it's making things easy and fun for families where Katschberg really comes into its own. Ski-in ski-out access from the Hotel Cristallo, dedicated nursery slopes and children's areas and a good choice of family focused activities make it one of our top recommended resorts for families. The small village retains a traditional atmosphere, its centre offering a few shops, restaurants and bars and a fairly quiet and definitely relaxing atmosphere. It's making things easy and fun for families where Katschberg really comes into its own... one of our top recommended resorts for families
Katschberg, Austria
Situated in the Carinthia region of Austria, close to the Italian and Slovenian borders and just an hour's transfer from Klagenfurt, Gerlitzen is a picturesque resort overlooking beautiful Lake Os-siacher. Its choice of gentle slopes and excellent English-speaking instruction make it great for beginners, while families are ex-tremely well-catered for with a skiing kindergarten and special children's ski area situated at the gondola's middle station. For in-termediates, there's plenty of cruising blue and red runs which wind around the mountain, offering spectacular views of the sur-rounding area. With numerous cosy mountain huts dotted around the slopes, long relaxing lunches can be on the agenda. Rather than a sprawling, commercialised resort this is the place to come for a traditional Austrian, relaxing atmosphere. It's a fantastic choice for families and beginners."Rather than a sprawling, com-mercialised resort this is the place to come for a traditional Aus-trian, relaxing atmosphere and a warm, friendly welcome"
Set at the foot of the breathtaking Kitzsteinhorn Glacier, Kaprun is part of the Europe Sport Region and so enjoys an extensive range of pistes with guaranteed snow thanks to its high altitude. Running right through the centre of the resort is the River Kaprunerache that leads to the magnificent lake making this a truly unique destination for a package holiday in Austria.
A good ski school is available in the resort along with nursery slopes and easy runs on the Kitzsteinhorn for beginners, for the more adventurous there is fantastic terrain for the intermediate skier. For advanced skiers on a package holiday in Kaprun there is the magnificent seven black runs on the glacier.
At the heart of the resort is the 'Optimum' super Sports Centre, which boasts an indoor pool, fitness studio, indoor tennis, bowl-ing and even ice skating. For even more off-piste action there are ample eateries, lively bars and discos. Enveloping all this is tradi-tional Tyrolean village atmosphere, on a ski holiday to Kaprun you get a true taste of Austria.
