Austria has become known as a haven for all who enjoy culinary indulgence. Products used in the many restaurants and cafes in Austria are often fresh organic farm produce. Be sure to spoil yourself with Austria’s age-old tradition of enormous mouthwatering cakes and ices. Austria offers wine buffs tours of its vineyards and wine regions; those who visit in autumn should take advantage of the Wine Fall Weeks in Klosterneuburg.

The capital, Vienna offers a range of entertainment options, but those in search of panoramic views should opt for a ride on the Vienna Prater’s Giant Ferris Wheel or a meal in the revolving restaurant of the Danube Tower Casinos are not in abundance in Austria although they do exist and those wishing to spin the roulette wheel should visit Austria’s flagship casino, the Casino Vienna, located in the Palais Esterházy, an old baroque palace which displays paintings from old masters.

For music lovers there is much to enjoy; Vienna is dubbed the music capital of Europe as more famous composers have lived here than in any other city and there is a diverse programme of concerts and opera all year round. If you visit Bregenz in summer be sure to attend the Bregenz Festival which takes place on the shores of Lake Constance.  It features an opera and concerts by the Vienna Symphonic Orchestra who perform on a huge open-air floating stage on the lake.

Theme parks exist with the Vienna Prater being the biggest with over 250 rides. Amusement parks tend to be smaller low key affairs in comparison to other European countries and many try to combine nature and education with rides. The Adventure World Poestlingen in Linz takes visitors on the steepest mountain railway in the world to the top of the Poestlingen Mountain where they can visit the zoo or enjoy some of the parks rides. In Klagenfurt, on the banks of the Woerthersee, there is a model world called Minimundus. This park displays well constructed models of the world’s leading architectural and natural wonders. Nearby there is a reptile zoo and planetarium. Many of the ski resorts both large and small now have summer tobogganing where visitors can hurtle down a real ski slope in a motorised toboggan.