102 Cool and Unusual Things to Do in Austria - Atlas Obscura

Unusual
Attractions
in Austria

Vienna, Austria

Österreichische Nationalbibliothek (Austrian National Library)

The beautiful baroque library of the Hapsburg empire.

Dylan

Vienna, Austria

Stephansdom Crypt

The crypt of the imposing Stephensdom holds royal intestines and thousands of skeletons.

Dylan

Vienna, Austria

Clock Museum

A small museum filled with over 1,000 clocks, and one particular clock calibrated to run until the year 9999.

Added by mbison

Vienna, Austria

Habsburg Imperial Crypt

The final resting place for the remains of 143 Habsburg royalty.

Annetta Black

Added by Annetta Black

Vienna, Austria

Schmetterlinghaus: The Imperial Butterfly Park

A tropical paradise just a short trip from the opera house, filled with beautiful winged creatures for your enjoyment.

Added by vienna

Salzburg, Austria

Schloss Hellbrunn

Trick water gardens from 1619 featuring a 200 piece mechanical theater powered by water.

Quadlazer

Added by Quadlazer

Vienna, Austria

Globe Museum

Handsomely crafted representations of our round planet.

Dylan

Vienna, Austria

Kriminalmuseum

Macabre museum devoted to historical Viennese murders.

michelle

Added by michelle

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Atlas Obscura Trips

Vienna: Musical Traditions and Contemporary Art

Jun 20—Jun 24, 2019

Join us in the City of Music for an immersive visual and auditory exploration of its abundant artistic treasures, both historical and contemporary.

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Atlas Obscura Trips

Vienna: Musical Traditions and Contemporary Art

Unique
Food & Drink
in Austria

Buchteln

Gastro Obscura

Buchteln

These pull-apart rolls were once baked with lottery tickets in the center.

Gastro Obscura

Added by Ell Hughes

Motiv Zuckerl

Gastro Obscura

Motiv Zuckerl

These detailed, dainty confections are made by hand with minimal tools.

Gastro Obscura

rachelrummel

Added by rachelrummel

Sturm

Gastro Obscura

Sturm

Fizzy, fruity, and still fermenting, this almost-wine is a celebrated part of Austria's harvest season.

Gastro Obscura

Added by Diane McMartin

Salzburger Nockerl

Gastro Obscura

Salzburger Nockerl

This dessert pays tribute to the snow-covered mountains surrounding Salzburg.

Gastro Obscura

Added by mbeimer

See all 6 things to eat in Austria See all 6 things to eat in Austria

Explore Austria

Launch Map

Recent Austria Activity

tristanpollock wants to go to Burgruine Gösting (Gösting Castle Ruins)

tristanpollock wants to go to Kunsthaus Graz

tristanpollock wants to go to Styrian Armoury

tristanpollock wants to go to Eisenberg Lawn Cross

tristanpollock wants to go to Riegersburg Castle

Stories
About Austria

Bibi and Poldi having a tense moment.

The Celebrity Tortoise Breakup That Rocked the World

In 2011, after nearly a century together, Galápagos tortoises Bibi and Poldi called it quits. We still don’t know why.

February 13, 2019

Train workers free the trapped chamois.

Watch Austrian Train Workers Leap to the Rescue of a Snowed-In Goat

After their wave of plowed snow stopped it in its tracks.

by Noor Al-Samarrai

January 11, 2019

A cockroach.

A Guy in Austria Tried to Enter a Court Building With a Jar of Roaches

He was turned away.

by Erik Shilling

Some Krampus costumes include wicker baskets, into which naughty children are supposedly thrown and beaten.

How to Blend in at an Alpine Krampus Parade

You'll need a terrifying mask, a lot of fur, a smoke bomb, and a whip.

by Sandra Knisely

December 13, 2016