Local Living Tours & Trips in Austria

Stay in charming local hotels in traditional wine villages like Weißenkirchen and Spitz, where you'll get complimentary wine tastings at family-run wineries along ancient cellar alleys. Sample regional apricot treats and Wachauer wines at local taverns in Joching and Wösendorf, Austria's largest wine-growing community.

A guided food and market tour takes you through the Grätzls neighbourhood, stopping at traditional cafés where locals actually hang out to learn about Viennese coffee culture. You'll try your hand at strudel making during a baking workshop and earn a diploma, then visit Vollpension café where grandmothers and grandfathers serve homemade treats.

Cycle 47 km through lakeside villages from Bad Ischl to Thalgau, passing St. Gilgen where Mozart's mother was born and the local Krottensee. Stay in 4-star places with breakfast included while following the old Ischler Bahn railway path to Salzburg. Check out Hangar 7's Flying Bulls and Hellbrunn's trick fountains.

Spend Christmas on the tranquil Mieminger Plateau, staying at Hotel Das Mooswald in the village of Obsteig, where you'll find authentic Tyrolean hospitality away from crowded tourist areas. Hike through snowy landscapes to traditional mountain huts like the Holzerhütte, have 7 breakfasts and dinners featuring regional cuisine, and connect with fellow solo travelers in groups of 4-14. This 8-day trip through Wildermieming and surrounding valleys offers an intimate look into Alpine village life during the festive season, with guided walks revealing local traditions and hidden corners of the Inn Valley.

You'll see Prague Castle's Baroque architecture and take a cruise on the Vltava River, then head to Salzburg where you can walk the Renaissance streets before continuing to St. Wolfgang, a famous Austrian pilgrimage spot. There's a nice cruise on Traunsee Lake where you'll pass four old castles before stopping in Gmunden and making your way to Vienna. The trip wraps up with a boat ride on the Danube in Budapest.

Ring in the New Year at Bildungsheim St. Michael in Matrei am Brenner, celebrating with a festive evening lantern walk and traditional Austrian dinner. You'll hike 13 km along the Gschnitzer Valley Trail from Steinach am Brenner to Gschnitz, following the scenic Gschnitzbach stream with the Stubai Alps all around. Later, wander through Innsbruck's historic old town with the Nordkette as your backdrop, and visit the pilgrimage site of Maria Waldrast at 1,641 meters.

Cycle through Austria's Salzkammergut region and check out St. Wolfgang's village streets plus the UNESCO-listed prehistoric pile dwellings at Mondsee. You'll stay overnight in Bad Ischl, where Franz Joseph spent his summers, then see Gmunden's Orth castle sitting on Traunsee.