111 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.

Vienna, Austria

Stephansdom Crypt

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

Vienna, Austria

Clock Museum

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

Vienna, Austria

Habsburg Imperial Crypt

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

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.

Vienna, Austria

Kriminalmuseum

Macabre museum devoted to historical Viennese murders.

Vienna, Austria

The Narrenturm

This former insane asylum now holds a pathological anatomy museum.

Vienna, Austria

Globe Museum

Handsomely crafted representations of our round planet.

See All 111 Things to Do in Austria See All 111 Places

Unique
Food & Drink
in Austria

Buchteln

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

Motiv Zuckerl

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

Sturm

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

Salzburger Nockerl

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

See all 7 things to eat in Austria See all 7 things to eat in Austria

Atlas Obscura Trips

Vienna: Salon Sonatas and Klimt Up Close

Immerse yourself in Vienna’s rich artistic culture of past and present—from the historic coffee houses that have hosted creative salons for centuries to world-renowned musical venues.

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Die Therme Wien	0 March 14, 2019	651	March 14, 2019
'Gurken'	1 May 29, 2019	1319	May 29, 2019
Vienna Love Parade	1 June 18, 2019	1015	June 18, 2019
Gasometer Town	5 January 7, 2020	245	January 7, 2020
Mozart's Skull: University Mozarteum	1 August 25, 2019	1099	August 25, 2019

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Stories
About Austria

Archaeologists found these Late Bronze Age feeding vessels in Vösendorf, Austria.

Found: Milk Residue That Proves Ancient Europeans Used Cute-as-Heck Baby Bottles

The clay vessels are shaped like mythical animals.

by Reina Gattuso

October 1, 2019

They look familiar...

In the Bronze Age, People Labored Over Cereal That No One Ate

They probably used the Cheerio-like rings in rituals, not the kitchen.

by Sabrina Imbler

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