A proper exploration of Alpine Austria is defintitely on my to-do list, with the Inntal and northern Tyrol, with the tall mountains and deep salt mines of the Salzkammergut, with the bucolic lakeshores of the Bodensee near Bregenz, etc etc. I know all that; but did you know that Graz is the country's second largest city, with a history narrowly connected to the Habsburg dynasty which ruled over Austria and half of Europe for centuries? And did you know that Salzburg could perfectly have ended up as part of the Bavarian Kingdom when the map of Europe was being redesigned after the downfall of Napoleon. It didn't. Just as well, because, admit, is the city of Mozart not supposed to be part of the country which breathes classical music like no other? And then, there is also Innsbruck, in its own way a jewel of culture and architecture as well, nestled in the middle of the Alpine Austria, which above all invites to exploration of nature: the Inntal and northern Tyrol, and further west the bucolic lakeshores of the Bodensee at Bregenz. Each area with a distinct atmosphere, as you will notice navigating through this page.