What Makes Austria Special: Music, Heritage and Alpine Pride

Austria is a country of music and mountains: the imperial city of Vienna, Mozart's Salzburg, lakeside villages in the Alps, a coffee-house culture admired around the world and a cuisine of famous cakes. Here is what makes it special.

Twelve World Heritage Sites

UNESCO lists 12 World Heritage properties in Austria. Among them:

• Historic Centre of Vienna, a capital of palaces, churches and concert halls
• Palace and Gardens of Schönbrunn, the imperial summer residence
• Historic Centre of the City of Salzburg, a baroque city beneath the mountains
• Hallstatt-Dachstein / Salzkammergut Cultural Landscape, lakes, peaks and ancient salt mining
• Wachau Cultural Landscape, vineyards and villages along the Danube

A capital of music

Mozart was born in Salzburg, and Vienna was home to Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert and the Strauss family. Austria's concert halls and its New Year's Concert are known worldwide.

The Vienna Philharmonic

The Vienna Philharmonic is one of the most celebrated orchestras in the world, and its New Year's Concert from Vienna is broadcast to audiences in many countries every January.

The Alps

Much of Austria is mountainous, and the Alps shape life there: hiking in summer, skiing in winter and alpine villages in every valley.

The coffee house

The Viennese coffee house, where you can sit for hours over one coffee and a newspaper, is one of the country's most loved traditions.

Cakes and comfort

Wiener Schnitzel, apple strudel and the famous Sachertorte are part of Austria's culinary pride, along with a warm, unhurried comfort called Gemütlichkeit.

Regional pride

Every Austrian region and valley has its own dialect, traditions and pride.

Carrying the pride with you

Music, mountains, palaces and the coffee house: Austria gives its people a great deal to celebrate. That pride is what our Austria designs are made for, and our guide to choosing a gift based on someone's home town shows how to make it personal.