Vienna is always the obvious go-to choice when visiting Austria for the first time – famed for its diverse and exciting cultural scene. But there is much beyond the capital with mountain landscapes and picturesque towns waiting to be discovered.

Austria has been almost synonymous with the ever-charming film The Sound of Music in the Sixties. The film shot across locations in Salzburg is delightful not only in its storyline but the wonderful sights and places where it was shot. The movie went on to win five Oscars and become one of the world’s best-loved movies. The Sound of Music went on to gross more money than any musical in history. And millions of fans still dream of making a pilgrimage to Salzburg, where it was shot.

The city is famous for its fine old buildings, medieval streets, art museums and Mozart connections, not forgetting the coffee and cake. And anyone visiting the city can’t help but follow the singing and dancing footsteps of Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer and those seven chirpy children, more than half a century ago.

Austria has an abundance of cultural treasures that is immeasurable but not incomprehensible. This includes its high culture and the special lifestyle of the people who live here. Throughout history, Austria has always played a special role in the centre of Europe: as a bridge-builder, as a meeting place, and as a venue for cultural exchange.

The Habsburgs

During their centuries-long domination of Europe, the Habsburgs proved to be not only passionate builders but also keen travellers–a fact that is manifested in the diversity of imperial structures all across Austria.

Whether in Graz, Innsbruck or Vienna: you encounter the legacy of Austria’s imperial past– but nowhere, of course, in such concentration as in the country’s capital, where you can sense this grand imperial atmosphere even when visiting one of the city’s many historic coffeehouses. The entire city centre is filled with traces of the imperial dynasty.

Vienna was the politically powerful and geographical centre of Europe for five hundred years, just as long as the rule of the Habsburgs. With their palaces, government buildings and parks they left a substantial legacy in Vienna and the surrounding area

The Imperial Apartments, the Sisi Museum and the Silver Room in the Vienna Hofburg, the UNESCO Cultural Heritage Schönbrunn Palace with its park and zoo, the Festival Palace Hof and the Court Furniture Depot provide fascinating insights into the multi-faceted history of the monarchy as well as the daily life at the imperial court with thematic walking tours, special exhibits, and individual focal points.

One of the main attractions of Vienna is the magnificent Ring Avenue with its huge building complex, the Hofburg. The imperial residence has undergone several expansions and revisions over the time and was the centre of European power up to the beginning of the 20th century. It was from this palace that Emperor Franz Joseph, whose reign lasted 68 years, decided the fate of the Danube monarchy. The multinational state at the time was eight times as large as the present Austria.

The most visited tourist attraction and a true landmark of Vienna is Schönbrunn Palace. First erected as a hunting lodge with a large park, it was expanded to its present size from the middle of the 18th century and became the summer seat of the government and summer residence of the imperial family and the court. By the middle of the 19th century, the palace and all auxiliary buildings were painted in “Schönbrunn yellow” that eventually became the trademark of the Habsburg monarchy. The entire ensemble with the palace, the park grounds with numerous fountains and statues, as well as the oldest still operating zoo in the world, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Salzburg

Salzburg, the city of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, where the hills are alive with the Sound of Music, where the famous Christmas carol 'Silent Night' was first penned and sung transports you to an enchanting world of medieval charm, of magnificent palaces and picturesque panoramas. Nestling on the banks of Salzach river, hemmed in by wooded bergs or mountain - Monchsberg, Festungsberg, Kapuzinerberg and Reinberg- Salzburg is a curious mix of the ancient and the modern. It captivates and charms you.

The city of Salzburg - and especially its historic city centre – is, in fact, one of the loveliest places in Europe, winning international acclaim in 1997 when it was designated a world heritage site by UNESCO.

Salzburg literally meaning Salz- salt, burgfortress castle, traces its origins to ancient times when a Roman settlement 'Juvavum' existed on the site. It was, however, Bishop Rupert who got the region as a gift from Bavarian Duke Theodo II and named it Salzburg in 696AD after the salt mines in the surrounding mountains.

The Old City is picturesquely surrounded by the Mönchsberg, crowned by the Fortress which is visible for miles, and the mighty Capuchin Mountain on the right banks of the river.

The Old City with its variety of building styles is a true architectural delight, also a result of the city's strict preservation laws. A walk through the countless narrow streets features buildings from the Middle Ages, Romanesque, Baroque and Renaissance periods as well as the elegant classical burghers' houses dating from the monarchy. Hardly any age failed to leave its architectural imprint on Salzburg.

Think of Salzburg and images of the 1965 film ‘The Sound of Music’ flash before you. Salzburg formed the scenic backdrop of the movie which is a true touching saga of Von Trapp's aristocratic Austrian family. A Sound of Music tour takes you to Mirabell palace-gardens where Julie Andrews as Maria and the children sing ‘Do Re Mi’, Residenz square fountain where Maria sings ‘I have confidence in me’, Nonnberg convent where Maria as a novice nun sings 'Maria', the Summer Riding school-Festival hall where Baron Von Trapp sings Edelweiss' before fleeing to America, St. Peters cemetery where the family hides behind the tombstones, the Leopoldskron palace used as Von Trapp villa in movie, Frohnburg palace, Hellbrunn palace glass gazebo location of songs ‘I am Sixteen going on Seventeen’ and ‘Something Good’, Historic horse pond on Herbert Karajan platz, Fuschlsee, St. Gilgen on Wolfgangsee and Mondsee the wedding church in the film.

The Imperial Alps

You cannot speak of Austria, without referring to its majestic Alps, which cover 2/3rd of this beautiful country. There are more than 800 mountains over 3000 mts high creating a majestic backdrop to this impressive country. Tirol is Austria’s western province bordering on Germany, Italy and Switzerland and provides a unique insight into Central European life with a unique blend of nature and culture. The beauty of the landscape, the cultural sights and the friendliness of the local people annually attract over 8 million visitors from all over the world. More than 70 Indian films have been shot in the Austrian Tirol, the Heart of the Alps.