The whole Eastern Alps region is dramatic countryside, with breathtaking scenery and great winter sports opportunities. Here majestic peaks, many well over 9,750 feet, soar above slow-moving glaciers that give way to sweeping Alpine meadows ablaze with wildflowers in spring and summer. The land is full of ice caves and salt mines, deep gorges and hot springs; driving through it, every curve brings a new exciting sight–-and it's a countryside to hike, too, and in the winter to ski.
- Drive the Grossglockner Highway As long as weather conditions permit, this panoramic road is one of Austria's most spectacular mountain passes and an absolute must.
- Take pictures at Heiligenblut Of all the picture-book images in the country, this jewel of a photo-op town has to be the winner, with its slender church steeple and gorgeous mountain backdrop
- Head to the lake at Velden There is a decided Mediterranean feel to this upscale lakeside town, where heavily wooded hills slope gently down to the Worthersee, and the lakeshore is lined by hotels and the fabulous villas of Austria’s rich and famous—not to mention the casino.
- Ski at Bad Kleinkirchheim The province of Carinthia's best-known and most fashionable ski resort is home to the greatest downhill racer of all time, Franz Klammer. Join him—or follow in his tracks—on the slopes.
- Eisriesenwelt Literally translated to "the giant ice world," this wonder of nature is, in fact, one of the biggest ice caves in the world—don’t miss this unforgettable experience.
- "Take the cure" at Bad Gastein This is, perhaps, the most famous of all Alpine mountain spas.
