Austria, Europe (Point of interest)

Composers like Strauss and Mahler have made the 18th-century Vienna State Opera in the Innere Stadt into the world-famous opera house that it is. Expect a varied repertoire of lavish ballets and operas, always accompanied by the Vienna Philharmonic... Continue reading →

Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Cézanne, Warhol - the names trip off the tongue at Albertina in the Innere Stadt. The classical Habsburg palace harbours one of the world's greatest graphics collections, comprising 50,000 drawings and one million prints. ... Continue reading →

Prince Eugene of Savoy's 18th-century summer palace, Belvedere, stands in Vienna's Landstrasse district. Formal gardens sweep up to the grand residence, crammed with medieval paintings, baroque sculpture and Schiele, Kokoschka and Monet originals. ... Continue reading →

Overlooking Innsbruck, the state-of-the-art Bergisel ski jump offers giddying views of the city, framed by Alpine peaks. The brainchild of Iraq-born architect Zaha Hadid, the steel-and-glass tower and ski jump cost a cool €15.4 million and ope... Continue reading →

Innsbruck's iconic Golden Roof tops a 15th-century edifice built as a royal box for watching tournaments on the square below. Adorned with frescoes, coats of arms and gold-plated copper tiles, the Goldenes Dachl glitters in the sun. Inside, a muse... Continue reading →

Futuristic exhibition, the Brain Opera, lures music buffs to Haus der Musik in the Innere Stadt. Hands-on exhibits explore Vienna's musical tradition. Conduct a virtual Vienna Philharmonic or compose a waltz. The sixth-floor restaurant affords swee... Continue reading →

Home to the classical composer for 12 years, Vienna's Haydn House now features an exhibition on the latter part of his life. This is where Haydn wrote most of his later works, including the oratorios The Creation and The Seasons. Haydn bought the ... Continue reading →

The Hofburg (Imperial Palace) in Vienna's Innere Stadt was a city unto itself during the Habsburg heyday, until 1918. Marvel at the opulent State Apartments and majestic Silver Collection, before learning about Austria's beloved empress in the Sisi... Continue reading →

Once the seat of Tyrolean royalty, Innsbruck's Hofburg palace dates back to around 1460. Empress Maria Theresa put her Rococo stamp on the grand, white-fronted edifice in the 18th century. Frescoes and portraits of the Hapsburgs adorn the state apa... Continue reading →

Look up to spy the onion-shaped domes of the Hofkirche (Imperial Church), rising like a vision above Innsbruck's rooftops. This late-Gothic edifice raises eyebrows with its striking Renaissance portal, steep terraced buttresses and slender arched w... Continue reading →

British artist Rachel Whiteread's controversial Holocaust Memorial stands in Vienna's Innere Stadt. The surfaces of the concrete block are cast library shelves turned inside-out with the book spines hidden. Inscriptions pay solemn testament to the ... Continue reading →

Vienna's original Kunsthalle Wien has proved that modern art is a real audience grabber. As well as traditional media, the exhibitions include photography, video, film, installation and new media. A second building opened in 2001 to offer even more... Continue reading →

An abstract chessboard facade, irregular mosaics and uneven floors bear the unmistakable hallmark of Viennese painter-architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser at KunstHaus Wien in the Landstrasse district. View the multicoloured, unruly creations of a... Continue reading →

Treasures squirreled away during the 600-year Habsburg reign are showcased in the grand 19th-century Kunsthistorisches Museum in the Innere Stadt. Absolute highlight is the Picture Gallery sheltering Rembrandt and Caravaggio masterpieces, plus nume... Continue reading →

Star attraction of the Museum Quarter in Neubau is Leopold Museum, a limestone cube harbouring the former private collection of art collector, Rudolf Leopold. Works by Austrian artists like Klimt and Kokoschka are complemented by the world's larges... Continue reading →

A baroque palace with landscaped gardens in Alsergrund shelters the Liechtenstein Museum. Divert your gaze from elaborate stuccowork and Johann Michael Rottmayr's frescoes to appreciate the outstanding private art collection. Works by 17th-century ... Continue reading →

Towering above the Museum Quarter in Neubau, the Museum of Modern Art Ludwig Foundation hides Austria's largest contemporary art collection. A grey lava-stone facade shelters 9,000 works from Classical Modernism to Pop Art. Highlights include Andy ... Continue reading →