Austria is a beautiful landlocked country in Europe that is surrounded by Germany, Italy, Switzerland and other nations. There are over 8.5 million inhabitants and its capital is Vienna. Every year many tourists come to Austria to experience various things. Here are my top 5 reasons you should visit Austria at least once in a lifetime.
Nature
The nature in Austria is simply stunning and shouldn’t be missed. The best things are the picturesque mountains, peaceful lakes and the forests full of wildlife. To get the best experience I wouldn’t just stay in Vienna, as it does not represent the rest of the country. If you want to stay inmidst the Alps go to Tyrol, Vorarlberg, Styria or Carinthia. Stunning lakes can usually be found on top of mountains or in Upper Austria. The Danube is also very popular as it is the biggest river flowing through the north of the country. In every part of Austria lies beautiful nature which is treated carefully and is protected by law. Furthermore, most of the water in lakes or rivers is clean, drinkable and will refresh you e.g. after a hike up a mountain like the Dachstein.
Food
There is loads of delicious food especially for meat eaters. The most common dishes are Schnitzel, Schweinsbraten or Erdäpfelsalat. If you love sweets I’d recommend you try the famous Apfelstrudel, Mozartkugeln, Kaiserschmarrn or Sachertorte. Austrians consume a lot of beer and wine and there are many specialities to try. Austria is full of cute cafés, pubs and cozy restaurants with their own special touch.
Towns
In Austria there are a lot of small and very cute towns like Hallstatt, which is very famous especially amongst Asian people. Charismatic streets and old buildings make these towns what they are. Often there is not much they have to offer tourists, but it is definitely worth visiting because of the cozy atmosphere. Architecture with rich history will tell you a lot about life back in the day and still stuns me every time.
Sports
Skiing is a huge part of the Austrian culture and attracts many visitors every winter. The variety of mountains provides more than enough ski lopes for every level of experience. Even if you have never been skiing before there are a lot of opportunities and offers to learn it.
Another obvious sport is hiking which gives you stunning views, fresh air and time in nature to recharge. If you ever get a chance to visit the biggest mountain in the country Dachstein, also try to see the famous Giant Ice Cave, which is very interesting.
Austrians are very proud of their football teams, even though they are not that good from a global standpoint. Nevertheless it is a very popular sport and practiced by many inhabitants.
History and culture
Because of its long history, Austria is full of cultural traditions. There is a lot to be said about Austrian culture. Most will know about the Trachten, the traditional clothes they wore. Even nowadays some people wear these to work especially when you work with tourists or in traditional restaurants.
Music plays a big role not only because of Mozart, Bruckner or Strauss. My personal favourite artist is Left Boy, which may not be for everyone.
There is a lot of information about both world wars that can be found if you are interested in that. Many museums hold interesting exhibitions about the history of the country. I will discuss the culture of Austria in detail in my next post.
All in all it can be said that Austria is an amazing country and there are alot of reasons to visit it. Don’t forget, that life is an adventure.
LenasVision 
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