The Best Places in Austria

The Zugspitze lifts are essentially at the door, which tells you everything about why people come to this grand Tyrolean chalet in Berwang. A Relais & Châteaux property run by the same family for generations, it has the feel of a place that's been carefully added to over time rather than built all at once. Rooms lean into classic wood and textiles, many with a private balcony, and the wellness area runs to multiple pools and saunas with landscaped gardens around them.

A family farmstead in the Mühlviertel hills that has been passed down five generations, Bergergut is a small, adults-only countryside hotel where couples go to be left alone by the Linz crowd. Rooms have names and personalities, from a suite built around an open fireplace to a theatrical penthouse. The kitchen draws almost entirely from local producers, which in this corner of Upper Austria is less a policy than a point of pride.

Lunz am See holds a minor meteorological distinction as the coldest spot in central Europe, which makes the case for a boutique hotel with working fireplaces and a heated outdoor pool rather compelling. Refugium Lunz sits on the church square in a house with vaulted stone archways and wood-beamed ceilings, kept by Vienna architects who clearly couldn't help themselves. The open kitchen bakes bread daily, bicycles and hiking gear are on hand, and the rooms are calm enough that doing nothing feels like a plan.

Thermal pools fed by mineral-rich water sit at the center of this spa resort in Lower Austria's Weinviertel wine country, a corner of the country most visitors drive past without stopping. Every room has a private loggia, the Silent Spa concept means the sauna world is actually quiet, and the restaurant leans into local produce in a dining room that feels dressed up without being fussy. The Michelin Guide has it in their selected hotels.