Tour Christmas markets from late November until New Year's for local handicrafts, hot mulled wine and local eats. Snap pictures of evergreen Advent wreathes and Christmas trees decorated with straw ornaments and shiny edibles all over Austria. Treat your ears to a New Year's Eve opera or symphony event in Vienna or waltz until your feet protest at the Imperial Ball, a formal New Year's ball at Vienna's Imperial Palace. Anywhere in Austria enjoy fireworks, music and local events and midnight church bells to welcome in the year. If you have your heart set on attending a formal ball in Austria, New Year's and the carnival season (February) are your best bet.
Ski or snowboard in the Austrian Alps. Mild temperatures, infrequent winds, acclaimed ski schools, well-marked ski runs and big vertical drops make Austria a skier's paradise. While you're skiing or snowboarding, be sure to stop and explore picturesque villages along the slopes. Don't wear yourself out on the slopes, because most Austrian ski resorts also offer snowshoeing, ice-skating, sleigh rides, shopping and gourmet restaurants and cafes where you can wash down hearty Austrian fare like Weinerschnitzel with hot mulled wine, known as Gluehwein in Austrian, or schnapps.
Don't miss Vienna and Salzburg's indoor attractions and museums where you can stay toasty warm and learn about Austrian art, culture and history. Sip a Viennese coffee in one of Vienna's world-renowned coffeehouses. Declare an Austrian art appreciation day for yourself and make the rounds at the Austrian capital's Museum Quartier and then wander over to the Belvedere Palace to see the world's largest collection of works by Gustav Klimt. Follow in the footsteps of Maria and the Von Trapp children in Salzburg, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Explore the city's picturesque old town with its castles, churches and palaces, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Your must-sees in Salzburg should include Mozart's birthplace, now a museum, as well as Schloss Mirabell, a baroque palace and the gardens surrounding it, as featured in "The Sound of Music."
