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All Austria

The Atlas Obscura Guide To Austria

146 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Austria

Updated December 19, 2024

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Cities

Top Cities
Vienna
The Water-Powered Mechanical Theater with nearly 200 moving wood carvings
Salzburg
Graz
Hallstatt Charnel House
Hallstatt
Chamber of Art and Curiosities.
Innsbruck
Wien
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  7. Wien
Attractions
Food & Drink
Map
Leaderboards
Stories

Unusual Attractions in Austria

The library lobby

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

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 is filled with beautiful winged creatures.
Augustinian Friar's Astrological Clock - one of the hands takes 20,000 years to revolve.

Vienna, Austria

Clock Museum

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

Vienna, Austria

Karlskirche (St. Charles's Church)

Built to give thanks for the passing of a plague epidemic, this cathedral is a one-of-a-kind architectural hybrid.
Mummified head of a murderer with blond hair

Vienna, Austria

Kriminalmuseum

Macabre museum devoted to historical Viennese murders.
Anatomical pathology collection

Vienna, Austria

The Narrenturm

This former insane asylum now holds a pathological anatomy museum.
See All 146 Things To Do in Austria

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Austria

Vienna, Austria

Palmenhaus

Dine amidst exotic plants at this former royal greenhouse.
The interior of the cafe.

Vienna, Austria

Justizcafe

A rooftop restaurant hides in plain sight atop Vienna's Palace of Justice.
Starkenberger

Tarrenz, Austria

Starkenberger Beer Pools

Where beer lovers can literally immerse themselves in beer.
Omas and Opas at work.

Vienna, Austria

Vollpension

Visiting this café is like visiting the Austrian grandma you wish you had.
See all 9 Places to Eat in Austria
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Unforgettable Experiences Nearby

Explore Austria

Museums 31
Architecture 25
Art 15
Churches 14
Sacred Spaces 14
Architectural Oddities 13
History & Culture 12
Collections 11
Memento Mori 11
Catacombs And Crypts 10
Statues 9
Water 7
Places To Stay 4
Unique Restaurants & Bars 3

Austria Leaderboard

Places Added

  1. Skuttel
    6
  2. Annetta Black
    6
  3. atimian
    4
  4. Fred Cherrygarden
    4
  5. Jaszmina Szendrey
    4
Join the Ranks!
Add an unusual place to Austria.

Places Edited

  1. gingercinnamon
    34
  2. Sebastian Wortys
    20
  3. Rachel
    17
  4. Martin
    14
  5. Annetta Black
    14

Places Visited

  1. klanggalerie
    93
  2. Svitlana Orlynska
    88
  3. roland da625487
    59
  4. yellingBytes
    54
  5. Ditzi
    54

Recent Austria Activity

  • Ali

    wants to go to Almkanal of Salzburg

  • Ali

    wants to go to 'Gurken'

  • Ali

    wants to go to Dom Museum's Kunst und Wunderkammer

  • Ali

    wants to go to St. Peter Stiftskulinarium

  • Ali

    wants to go to Hommage to Mozart

Stories About Austria

The Schiachperchten traditionally scare away bad fortune.

Krampus Has Come and Gone. Next Up, the Perchten.

These masked marchers bring blessings and fun.
by Joy Anderson
December 19, 2024
Frau Perchta is often called the Christmas Witch, but that is just one aspect of who she is: a powerful winter goddess who has endured a centuries-old campaign to vilify her.

Fearsome Frau Perchta Is an Ancient Alpine Winter Goddess

Today, she's commonly called the Christmas Witch or even "the female Krampus"—but she is so much more.
by Victoria Linchong
December 29, 2023
A handstein, circa 1740 from Hungary, in the German Mining Museum in Bochum.

The Raw Ore Centerpieces That Turned Grueling Labor Into Cutesy Dioramas

Handsteins were beloved of 16th-century princes because they affirmed the social order.
by Eve Kahn
June 22, 2021
A 14th-century painting of Saint Corona by the Master of Palazzo Venezia Madonna.

Is Saint Corona a Guardian Against Epidemics?

Well, she might be now, at least.
by Matthew Taub
March 31, 2020
The world's largest wine bottle held 1,590 liters of Austrian red wine—until recently.

The World's Largest Bottle of Wine Just Spilled in Austria

We're gonna need a bigger napkin.
by Luke Fater
February 20, 2020
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
June 10, 2019
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.
by Cara Giaimo
February 13, 2019

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