Water follows you across Austria. Rivers cut through old towns, lakes lie still and bright below the mountains, and on warm days half the town is swimming, rowing or lingering at a lakeside table. Away from the water, forests climb into high Alpine valleys where bells carry far across the air.
The climate is temperate, with warm summers, cold snowy winters, a more continental feel in the east and milder, wetter air in the west. Pack a sweater whatever the month. A Local Friend walks beside you instead of ahead, sharing a favourite swimming spot and the story behind it.
