Austria´s hidden gems - insider tips for unknown spots

Hidden paradise somewhere in the mountains. It´s basically just known by locals so not many tourists gonna see this amazing spot near "Ischgl" - a little village in the Austrian alps which is known for wintersport, but has also got some pretty cool hiking paths. To reach this beautiful lake, you can either walk up the mountain from the bottom which might take you around 4 hours, or drive up a crazy little street (that you actually can´t even call a street) and then walk for like 45 minutes. Don´t underestimate the way anyway, as it´s not a long walk, but pretty exhausting as the air is already quite thin up there. Also bring some jacket as it might be sunny and warm in the valley, but even it summer it can be pretty cold up there! I used to walk up here every summer when i was a child as it´s pretty close to where my relatives live.. and I still try to count it in. Absolutely amazing spot that you usually got to yourself.

Those gorgeous natural swimming pools are just simply somewhere in nowhere, but it just gonna take you about half an hour by car from Salzburg city to go there. There is just a tiny street leading you to this hidden gem, so when you think Google-Maps might be wrong, you are absolutely on the right way. There is also a lake called "Hintersee" which is just about two kilometers from "Felsenbad" - so if you´d like to go swimming, it might be better to stop there first as the water at those natural swimming pools here is fucking cold! Depending on the weather, the water changes it´s color, but it looks pretty at all times. There are even some rocks where you could jump into the cold water - if you are brave enough. Otherwise it´s a lovely place for spending some hours with your beloved ones, just relaxing, having a picnic and enjoying the unspoiled nature. The stone plates are not to comfortable, so maybe bring some picnic blanket to sit on! I´m sure you´ll enjoy this timeout of urban life!

Even though this socalled mountain (it´s actually likelier a hill) is not as hidden as the other places in this list, it´s still deserted despite the fact that it´s just a stone´s throw from Viennas city centre. To get to this amazing view point, you can either walk up, drive up by car or just take a bus. There are more busses going up "Kahlenberg", which is like just half an hour walking distance from Leopoldsberg, but much more touristic as there is quite a big café plus I prefere the view on Leopoldsberg instead of the one on Kahlenberg as you don´t just have a single-edged view - Leopoldsbergs has got a 180 degree outlook. There is also a lot of green space up this ´hill´ which is ideal for taking a picnic and enjoying the view over Vienna and the surrunding area. You even got a pretty good view on some wine yards which are just outside of Vienna. Fun fact: Vienna is one of the only metropolitain cities that actually produce an appreciable amount of wine. So if the weather is good, I can definitely recommend you to spend a bit of time on "Leopoldsberg" as it´s in striking contrast to urban life - bring a jacket anyway as it´s usually pretty windy up there. You´ll almost feel as if you are far away from Vienna, even if you are still inside the city limits.

`The city where Hitler was born´ - a bad reputation from which "Braunau" is still suffering to this day. There is even a book called "noone is born in Braunau" as locals usually avoid to mention "Braunau" when telling people where they are from (I´m by the way one of those who is "not" born in Braunau). So I grew up loving this beautiful city on the river "Inn" not knowing about it´s horrible past. Because if you don´t focus on this fact, you´ll see how much beauty this town has to offer. There are many historical buildings in Braunau´s old town, one of them is St. Stephan´s parish church which is really huge and impressing. It´s tower is almost 100 meter high and offers a splendid view over the old town (even though the platforms are just open some days of the year). There is also some green space called "Au" just outside the city where you can go for a walk, go rycling,... or play some minigolf! Enjoy!

Hiking is a big topic in Austria. There are uncountable hiking trails, but the ones in "Großarltal" - a valley in the region of Salzburg - are pretty cool as there are also perfectly fine for beginners or families with small children. The walk isn´t to exhausting and there are various charlets on the way to make a little break.. just stop and stare. Maybe drink a beer, or two. I´m sure you´ll enjoy this area with it´s magnificent views, extremely green mountain pastures with colorful flowers, rustic alpine charlets (one of them is even 400 years old) and  impressive mountains! That´s an area where you can experience Austria like straight out of a picture book (or "sound of music" - fun fact: it ain´t at all popular here in Austria, many Austrian´s have actually never heard about it!)