The most beautiful cities in Austria

Welcome to one of Europe’s most beautiful countries. Austria’s landscapes, regions and townscapes provide almost the full range of European variety in the centre of the continent. Austria is often associated, rightly, with winter sports, but there is so much more on offer. Its alpine areas are rugged and picturesque, but that’s far from being the whole story.

Hallstatt

This beautiful world-heritage lakeside town, which supposedly inspired the Frozen town in Arendelle, has been described as "overrun" by tourism. That's not quite correct, misleading and poor travel guidance.

The secret to enjoying the best of Hallstatt is to stay at least a couple of nights – which offers a chance to appreciate its evening peace after day-trippers are gone – and recognise its real significance as a historical site with a crucial story in Austria's prehistoric and medieval past. The views speak for themselves.

Anyone can go shopping and admire the quaint buildings – and it's important to recognise that the town's most-photographed church is its least interesting – but visitors should at least stroll through the historical museum, visit the fascinating medieval upper church and its graveyard, and tour the salt mine and its prehistoric remains.

Doing that alone offers plenty of opportunities to admire the rhapsodic, fjord-like landscape.

Download the free Hallstatt travel guide from Raven Travel Guides Europe.