From snow capped mountains in the Alps to turquoise colored lakes and fairytale villages, Austria is a travel photographer’s dream. The vibe and the experience is completely different and you get to see the true colors of Austria.

As the snow melts, the mountains become a hiker’s paradise and the lakes can actually be swam in. I went in September for two weeks and great weather, without it being too hot.

Vorarlberg: unspoiled hikes and away from the crowds

All the way to the west in Austria, in the Vorarlberg region, life seems peaceful. It’s a true hikers paradise, not overrun by the big crowds that visit other areas of Austria in the summer.  So I got my gear ready, took out my hiking sticks and started my first hike in Austria to the Lünersee. I love clouds and prefer that over a clear blue sky day. Luck was on my side as a big cloud formation started shaping over this heart shaped lake. Everywhere you drive in Vorarlberg seems to reveal more beautiful landscapes, and I highly recommend visiting the mountains around Lech as well.

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Innsbruck’s Nordkette mountains and the Going am Wilden Kaiser region

As mentioned, I spend quite some time in Austria in the winter. My go-to region is usually the Innsbruck area. It’s amazing to see how different the landscape looks during the summer. Having nice weather also allowed me to explore the Nordkette mountain region that’s right above Innsbruck. What’s cool about Nordkette is that you start your journey to the top of the mountains literally from the city, from which two very steep cable cars take you all the way to the top. The views are something else and you forget you are those close to the city.

Not too far from Innsbruck is the Wilden Kaiser area, where cute little towns like Going am Wilden Kaiser dot the landscape. This area is full of day and multi-day hikes and is worth exploring. As I was limited on time, I managed to squeeze in a hike to the Astberg Speichersee, which on a windstill day like I had, gives you a mirror-like reflection of the Wilden Kaiser mountain range in the clear lake.

Some of Austria’s most popular day hikes: Olpererhütte & Berliner hütte

Close to the Italian border, you can find some of Austria’s most popular day hikes. I started off with my hike to the Olpererhütte. From the parking lot of the Schlegeisspeicher water reservoir, you hike up a steep strail to admire the views from the top. Once you get up there, you look out over the entire valley with a glacier ending up in the milky blue water of the lake below. The other hike that I would recommend doing whilst visiting the Zillertal region in Austria is the hike to the Berliner hütte, where you can spend the night. This hike takes you through beautiful, rocky terrain, glacier rivers rushing down the mountains and plenty of snow even in the summer.

Grossglockner high alpine road: A stunning high alpine panoramic road with viewpoints along the way

When visiting Austria, try to rent a car or go in your own vehicle as it gives you the freedom to go wherever you want. The infrastructure is very well and the flexibility you have with your own set of wheels is great. It allowed me to drive one of Austria’s most beautiful high alpine roads, the Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse. I went later in the day when the crowds had left, and had almost the entire road to myself. As you drive through a system of tunnels through the mountains, you eventually end up at the Grosslockner glacier, high up in the Austrian mountains. It’s worth the small detour as the views here are unique and the drive itself is a journey on its own.

Innergschlöss glacier hike

Not too far from this beautiful alpine road, in the Hohe Tauern National Park lies another beautiful spot that I was happy to include in my trip through Austria: the Innergschlöss glacier hike. This hike starts off easy through the valley, following the river, but slowly picks up in altitude before reaching the viewpoint where you have an unobstructed view over the Innergschlöss glacier, which is really impressive. Come here between late late June and early October to make sure you have snow-free trails and can enjoy the alpine flowers that bloom high up in the mountains.

Salzburg and Hallstatt: Austria’s picture perfect towns

Of course there’s more to Austria than just nature. The towns and cities of Austria are bustling and the architecture in many of them is beautiful. If you like cities and baroque architecture, go to Salzburg. As the birthplace of Mozart, this city oozes history and has tons of concerts in the summer. The views over the old town from a nearby hill are spectacular, especially at sunset as you see the Hohensalzburg fortress tower over the old town with many church towers and mountains in the back. From Salzburg, it’s only a short drive to the Hohenwerfen castle, which is set in such a cool setting in the mountains that it almost looks fake.

If you have made it this far into Austria, the most iconic village of Austria, Hallstatt, is only a stone’s throw away. Sure, this place often feels like Disneyland with the many tour buses coming in for the day, but again: come early morning and you will be one of the only ones. I got up at sunrise to experience this lake village as a very peaceful place. The nearby Gosausee is also worth a short detour if you happen to be in the area, as there is a trail all around the lake for some great views.

South Styria – Austria’s wine region

My trip through Austria had almost come to an end, but not before I visited my last stop of the trip, one that was high on my list. The South Styria region. This area in the south of Austria, near the border of Slovenia, features countless vineyards on rolling hills that look more like Tuscany than Austria. The weather is also very pleasant here and the wine is great! I managed to get to some great viewpoints to truly admire the beauty of this area as the mist started rolling in over the hills. What a great way to end my trip through Austria!