Austrian Romantic Road
14 enchanting towns and villages have joined together to form the Austrian Romantic Road. Away from the motorway between Salzburg and Vienna, castles, palaces, museums, monasteries, mountains and lakes are waiting to be discovered. With Salzburg, Hallstatt and the Wachau, you will visit three UNESCO World Heritage regions.
380 kilometers of diversity
Over a length of 380 kilometres, this themed route (that's what the signposted holiday routes are called in Austria) between Salzburg and Vienna connects Austria's most beautiful landscapes, magnificent lake and mountain panoramas and numerous particularly worth seeing places where CULTURE and ENJOY are writ large. For those for whom the journey is still the destination, this route is just right. 14 historically significant places are strung together like pearls on a string and mark the "path for all the senses". Above all, the varied landscapes, the cultural diversity and the culinary highlights along the Austrian Romantic Road invite you to linger time and again.
The Austrian Romantic Road makes it possible to experience:
- to discover 14 enchanting towns and villages off the motorway between Salzburg and Vienna with castles, palaces, museums, monasteries, mountains and lakes;
- to experience the historical and scenic highlights in selected places as well as their cultural and culinary specialities;
- to take time to explore the beauties of this stretch of land and enjoy "decelerated travel with pleasure" through the most beautiful regions of Austria.
Type of route: Holiday route
Topics: Art, culture, cuisine, nature, active
Start / finish: Salzburg / Wien
Length: 495 km
Federal states: Salzburg, Upper Austria, Lower Austria, Vienna
Holiday Regions: Vienna, Danube, Wachau, Marchland, Limestone Alps National Park, Salzkammergut
Culture and events
Numerous traditional festivals, festivals, venerable monasteries and medieval town centres, as well as the world cultural sites of Hallstatt, Gosau, Salzburg and Mondsee that cast a spell over visitors. Travellers get their money's worth here during all seasons. In summer, the Salzburg Festival is one of the main attractions, but events such as the Corpus Christi processions in the Salzkammergut are also worth a trip along this themed route, even in spring.
Impressions
Decelerated travelling
The entire route is marked by numerous road signs. A specially created road map lists the entire route in detail, including the sights. The route enables "decelerated travelling with culture and enjoyment" through the most beautiful regions of Austria and to selected places, because only special partners deserve the title "Austrian Romantic Road".
Highlights along the Austrian Romantic Road
Hallstatt
Hallstatt is described as one of the most beautiful lakeside resorts in the world. Nestled in the mountain and lake landscape of the Dachstein Salzkammergut holiday region, the small village enchants with its unique traditional charm. On the narrow strip of shore between the lake and the steep mountain slope, the houses huddle close together, some even built with stilts into the lake.
According to finds in an extensive burial ground above the village, a period of the older Iron Age (800 to 450 BC) is called the Hallstatt period.
The UNESCO committee certified the region in December 1997: "The alpine region of Hallstatt/Dachstein-Salzkammergut is an exceptional example of a natural landscape of unique beauty and special scientific importance, which also bears witness to early and continuous human, economic and cultural activity."
Steyr
Steyr and the Kalkalpen National Park Region offer both unique natural and cultural experiences.
Celts settled here as early as 600 BC and were the first to mine iron ore. From the Romans to modern times, the metal has always played an important role. Embark on an exciting journey through time in the history of architecture and culture.
Along the rivers Enns, Steyr and Krems you can enjoy untouched nature and discover forests and alpine pastures in the Kalkalpen National Park with its UNESCO World Natural Heritage Beech Forest. Hikers, climbers, pleasure cyclists and also mountain bikers get their money's worth here.
Wien
Route guidance with parking space information
You can also find more information about the sights in our Explorer Map.
This information is a service offer from ALPINE in cooperation with FERIENSTRASSEN.INFO 
Tourismusverband Traunsee-Almtal
Toscanapark 1
Ö - 04810 Gmunden
AUSTRIAN ROMANTIC ROAD
