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12 Best Hotels to Book in Austria

Experience the best of Austrias stunning architecture and pretty landscapes with a stay at these top hotels
Experience the best of Austria's stunning architecture and pretty landscapes with a stay at these top hotels | Courtesy of Hotel Miramonte / Expedia

Austria is an architourist’s dream. When you’re not marvelling at gilded palaces, you’re trying to make sense of a modern creation that looks like an alien. A tour of great Austrian architecture almost always includes your hotel, especially if you book these gems on Culture Trip.

From baroque masterpieces like Salzburg Cathedral and Belvedere Palace in Vienna, to the modern Friendly Alien that is the Kunsthaus Graz, no country does architecture quite like Austria. Small wonder, then, that its hotels always seem to offer something a bit special when it comes to design – both inside and out. Whether it’s a glistening exterior, natural thermal water running through taps or an oval chaise longue window, when you travel through Austria, the building you stay in is part of the adventure. Here’s where you should stay, including some of the finest historic guesthouses, designer gems and boutique hotels in Austria.

Severin*s - The Alpine Retreat

Ski Chalet

Severins_Lech_058_YS
Severin*s Lech is still the most private luxy boutique ski hotel in Austria -with just 9 luxury suites, as well as a destination fine dining restaurant. A new GM joining for this season entrenches some of their most fun and rewarding experiences including night time skidoo journeys for traditional fondus in mountain huts, and plenty to do for non-skiiers including hiking, snow-shoe hikes through the ancient forests.

Hotel Gasthof Hirschen Schwarzenberg

Hotel

A bed with two duvets, two yellow armchairs and a wood plank ceiling in a cosy hotel room at Hotel Gasthof Hirschen Schwarzenberg
Courtesy of Hotel Gasthof Hirschen Schwarzenberg / Booking.com

The Hotel Gasthof Hirschen Schwarzenberg is as much an art museum as it is accommodation in one of prettiest villages in the Bregenzerwald. Each of the rooms in the 18th-century Henchen – one of two buildings – are dedicated to an artist whose works are part of the family collection or have made a big impact on the hotel or Schwarzenberg. While the Henchen is filled with antique furniture, its sister structure, Wälderhaus, is more modern – but equally inviting.

The Guesthouse

Hotel, Guesthouse

Living room at the Guesthouse Vienna with large photo print, stylish grey sofa, midcentury coffee table and window seat with city views
Courtesy of the Guesthouse Vienna / Expedia
With the Albertina Museum, Augustinian Church, Hofburg, the Vienna State Opera and beautiful Burggarten park as neighbours, the Guesthouse on Albertinaplatz has a location that’s tough to beat. The inside isn’t half bad either. The 1960s former youth hostel has undergone a major revamp courtesy of Conran & Partners, with minimalist modern furnishings ensuring surroundings that are as cosy as they are elegant. Black-and-white photos by Austrian photographer Wolfgang Zac up the cool factor.

Hotel Arlberg

Budget Hotel

Chalet-style exterior of Hotel Arlberg, with landscaped grounds and outdoor pool surrounded by a large lawn and mountains beyond it
Courtesy of Hotel Arlberg / Expedia

A ski and wellness hotel in the centre of mountain village Lech, Hotel Arlberg makes hitting the slopes a doddle. The local ski school is on the hotel’s doorstep, while its boot room connects with the town’s local ski and rental shop. If swishing down a mountainside isn’t your bag, there’s the Arlberg Spa that, with its natural wood and Alpine granite interior, taps into the dramatic surrounding landscape.

Do & Co

Hotel, Luxury

Plush velvet seating in the restaurant at the Do and Co, with tall windows offering a direct view of St Stephens Cathedral in Vienna
Courtesy of Do and Co / Expedia

Architecture lovers rejoice. Not only is Do & Co located in the unique Haas Haus, designed by Pritzker-Prize winning architect Hans Hollein, but it’s across the way from the gothic St Stephen’s Cathedral – famous for its four towers, the tallest of which is 136m (446ft) high. In addition to being an architectural marvel, the glistening, curvaceous Do & Co is also the perfect viewing platform to take in the Cathedral and Stephansplatz, thanks to floor-to-ceiling windows.

DasPostHotel

Hotel

Steam coming from the outdoor pool at DasPosthotel, with trees surrounding the property
Courtesy of DasPostHotel / Expedia

An eco-friendly hotel in the Ziller Valley, DasPostHotel has spectacular views of the Alps and interior decor by Harald Margreiter that’s brilliantly barmy. In a combination of traditional and kitsch, log cabin walls sit next to bright floral wallpapers and headboards, green mosaic glass bathrooms and painted vintage furniture. In the kitchen, chef Marcus Duchardt serves up high-quality Austrian cuisine including a “bio-vital” breakfast.

artHOTEL Blaue Gans

Boutique Hotel, Hotel

A suite at artHOTEL Blaue Gans with yellow and blue velvet seating and a separate bedroom behind metal-framed sliding glass doors
Courtesy of artHOTEL Blaue Gans / Expedia

In what is the latest chapter in a 600-year history, the Blaue Gans has been turned into one of the best boutique hotels in Salzburg. As you’d expect from accommodation in the Museum and Art Scene District, opposite the Festival Hall, there are creative touches wherever you look. Owner Andreas Gfrerer has assembled 120 artworks that are scattered throughout the house, including an automated rabbit that dances to Black Magic Woman.

Hotel Topazz

Hotel

Colourful and eclectic rooftop seating area at Hotel Topazz with plant-themed umbrellas and a panoramic view of the city
Courtesy of Hotel Topazz / Expedia
Looking like Vienna’s answer to London’s Cheesegrater high-rise, the Hotel Topazz – with its huge oval windows and dark tiled exterior – will stop you in your tracks. The monochromatic interior is just as striking, featuring hand-painted wall coverings, brass tables and marble and chrome bathrooms. The standout suite is the Prestige Topazz that has a chaise longue window where guests can recline and take in Vienna’s city centre.

Hotel Miramonte

Hotel

A king bed with rustic wood frame, a TV on a tripod and an animal-skin rug over knotted wood floors in a hotel room at Hotel Miramonte
Courtesy of Hotel Miramonte / Expedia

A hideaway that looks out over the spa town of Bad Gastein, Hotel Miramonte will make you feel relaxed even before you dive into its dizzying array of treatments. Chakra balancing and fusion stone massages, detoxifying hay and herb wraps and yoga lessons with mountain scenery are all part of the lineup. So devoted is Hotel Miramonte to wellness, the natural thermal water that Bad Gastein is known for is available on tap.

Biohotel Schwanen

Hotel

A simple hotel room at Biohotel Schwanen, with a double bed with two duvets and wood walls and floors
Courtesy of Biohotel Schwanen / Expedia

Located in Bizau in the gorgeous Bregenz Forest, Biohotel Schwanen is a rambler’s heaven. Nearly 50 hiking routes featuring Alpine scenery surround the property, including the barefoot hiking trail at the Bizauer Moos Moor. Walkers staying at the hotel are fuelled by grub at restaurant SWAN, where Antonia Moosbrugger and her wilde weiber (wild women) create dishes inspired by mystic Hildegard von Bingen.

Boutique Hotel am Stephansplatz

Hotel

Designer seating and sculptures in a stylish sitting area at Boutique Hotel am Stephansplatz, with photo mural of cathedral on wall
Courtesy of Boutique Hotel am Stephansplatz / Expedia

Owned by the same family since 1956, this boutique hotel in Austria manages to be a quiet bolthole despite its location right on the extremely busy Stephansplatz in central Vienna. Triple-glazed windows mean that the noise is well and truly kept out – even the bells of the nearby St Stephen’s Cathedral. Thanks to the hotel’s central location, a lot of major sights are a stroll away, including Mozart’s House and the Vienna State Opera.

Hotel Goldgasse

Boutique Hotel, Hotel

Rooftop terrace at Hotel Goldgasse with white and blue retro string chairs, potted plants and champagne on ice on the table
Courtesy of Hotel Goldgasse / Expedia

The 700-year-old Hotel Goldgasse has a thing for opera. Each room here features a large-format scene dedicated to a performance of the Salzburg Festival. The decor is meant to convey the atmosphere of a private residence, although you would be hard-pressed to match the copper egg-pod chair in reception with anything from Ikea. As befits an Austrian boutique hotel that puts a song in your heart, it’s located within walking distance from Mozart’s Birthplace.

For some unique things to do, discover our guide to the most beautiful castles in Austria.

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