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What to book before you travel to Austria?

Most visits can be booked on the spot. A few sell out days ahead. Here they are, stop by stop, with what you can do without booking underneath. Keep the rest of your time free.

Trip length
WeekendOne weekTwo weeks

6 activities to book · about €183 per person

Vienna

Days 1-3
Days 1-3Schönbrunn Palace (ticket)2hThe Habsburgs' summer palace has 1,441 rooms, of which the tour shows a few dozen; the gardens are free to walk.€22Book on GetYourGuide →
Days 1-3Classical music concertEveningMozart and Strauss in a former palace or one of the great concert halls. Book with the venue rather than with a costumed seller in the street.€45Book on GetYourGuide →

No booking needed: St Stephen's Cathedral · The Ringstrasse on foot · The Belvedere gardens · Naschmarkt

All activities in Vienna on GetYourGuide

Salzburg

Days 4-5
Days 4-5Hohensalzburg Fortress (ticket and funicular)2hBegun in 1077, and one of the largest medieval castles in Europe still standing intact. The funicular climbs to it in about a minute.€16Book on GetYourGuide →
Days 4-5Sound of Music tour and the lakesHalf dayThe filming locations of the 1965 musical, from the Mirabell Gardens to the church at Mondsee where the wedding scene was shot.€45Book on GetYourGuide →

No booking needed: The old town and Getreidegasse · Mirabell Gardens · Mozart's birthplace (from outside) · The banks of the Salzach

All activities in Salzburg on GetYourGuide

Hallstatt and the Salzkammergut

Days 6-7
Days 6-7Hallstatt salt mine and skywalkHalf dayA funicular up the mountain, the viewing platform 360 metres above the village, then the miners' slides inside the oldest known salt mine in the world.€40Book on GetYourGuide →
Days 6-7Cruise on Lake Hallstatt1hAn hour on the water, looking back at the village the way it appears on postcards.€15Book on GetYourGuide →

No booking needed: The classic view of the village · Marktplatz · The lakeside path · The lakes of the Salzkammergut

All activities in Hallstatt on GetYourGuide

Indicative prices per person, checked when written. The button opens the GetYourGuide search for the activity and the town, on the days of the stop once your dates are known. Some links are affiliate links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.

Frequently asked questions

How much do the activities to book in Austria cost?

€183 per person if you do them all, across 6 bookings. The most expensive is "Classical music concert" at €45, the cheapest "Cruise on Lake Hallstatt" at €15. Prices checked when written: confirm them when you book.

What can you do in Austria without booking anything?

12 visits on this itinerary need no ticket or time slot, starting with St Stephen's Cathedral, The Ringstrasse on foot, The Belvedere gardens, Naschmarkt. They make up most of your days: booking ahead only concerns a handful of sites with limited places.

At which stop should you book earliest?

Vienna, with 2 activities to book, against 2 at the quietest stop. That is where slots go first.

How long do these activities take?

From 1h for the shortest to Half day for the longest. Fit them into your days before filling the rest: a guided visit often takes half a day.

The rest of the trip

📒 The free printable Austria guide: itinerary, map, where to sleep→ 🗓️ Best time to visit Austria, month by month→ 🎟️ What to book: all our destinations→