Discover Elegant Vienna — epicenter of opera, coffee, Art Nouveau, the waltz, and tasty Sacher torte. Meander through opulent Habsburg palaces and climb to the top of the Gothic spires at St. Stephen's Cathedral, then treat yourself to a classical concert or enjoy a glass of wine with the locals in a traditional Heuriger garden. Cruise or bike along the vineyard-lined Danube River valley, then head to Salzburg, where you'll visit Mozart's home and fill the hills with your own rendition of The Sound of Music. Stay awhile in the storybook lakeside village of Hallstatt, the gem of the Salzkammergut Lake District, and explore the snowy peaks of alpine Tirol. This book also dips into Germany, where you'll visit Bavaria's best fairy-tale castles; and visits rejuvenated Bratislava, Slovakia — the hip, Slavic yin to Vienna's stately, Germanic yang.

In Rick Steves' Vienna, Salzburg & Tirol, you'll find in-depth Rick-tested information on trip planning, the best sights, hotels, restaurants, tourist offices, transportation, telephones, festivals and holidays, email, weather, survival phrases, easy-to-follow maps, and great self-guided neighborhood walks and museum tours.

• Vienna: Vienna City Walk, St. Stephen’s Cathedral Tour, Ringstrasse Tram Tour, Hofburg Imperial Apartments Tour, Hofburg Treasury Tour, Kunsthistorisches Museum Tour
• Near Vienna: Danube Valley, Melk, Mauthausen Concentration Camp, Bratislava (Slovakia)
• Salzburg: Old Town Walk, Salzburg Cathedral, Getreidegasse, Hohensalzburg Fortress, Mozart's Residence, Mozart's Birthplace, Sound of Music sights
• Near Salzburg: Berchtesgaden (Germany), Hallstatt and the Salzkammergut Lake District
• Tirol: Innsbruck, Hall, Reutte
• The Best of Bavaria (Germany): "Mad" King Ludwig's fairy-tale castles (Neuschwanstein, Hohenschwangau, and Linderhof), Wieskirche, Oberammergau, Zugspitze mountain lift, Füssen, and more
• And More: Vienna Music & Nightlife, Transportation Connections, Austrian History, German Survival phrases for Austria

Published: May 2011

Carry a great map with you on your adventure and never get lost! We recommend the Austrian Map Publisher Freytag & Berndt for their Vienna and Salzburg maps. They are detailed and up-to-date.