LONELY PLANET'S OFFICIAL GUIDEBOOK INFORMATION
Top Tens
Top Reads
Immersing yourself in a good book is the perfect way to learn about contemporary issues and culture and grasp a sense of people and place. The following page-turners have won critical acclaim in Austria and abroad.
The Death of Virgil by Hermann Broch
The Radetzky March by Joseph Roth
Cutting Timber by Thomas Bernhard
Setting Free the Bears by John Irving
The Burning Secret and Other Stories by Stefan Zweig
Lust by Elfriede Jelinek
The Play of the Eyes by Elias Canetti
The Vienna Coffeehouse Wits, 1890–1938 by Harold B Segel (ed)
Night Games: And Other Stories and Novellas by Arthur Schnitzler
The Man Without Qualities, Vol 1 by Robert Musil
Must-See Films
One of the best and most relaxing ways to do a bit of predeparture planning and dreaming is to curl up on a comfy sofa with a bowl of popcorn and press play on your remote. Head down to your local video store to pick up these flicks, which range from the best-known films about Austria to the cheesiest.
The Third Man (1949) directed by Carol Reed
Indien (1993) directed by Paul Harather
Funny Games (1997) directed by Michael Haneke
Dog Days (2001) directed by Ulrich Seidl
Lovely Rita (2001) directed by Jessica Hausner
Amadeus (1984) directed by Milos Forman
Foreigners Out! (2002) directed by Paul Poet
Siegfried (1924) directed by Fritz Lang
Der Bockerer (1981) directed by Franz Antel and Rainer C Ecke
The Sissi Trilogy (1955–1957) directed by Ernst Marischka
Our Favourite Festivals & Events
Austrians love festivals and you can always count on some kind of celebration going on around the country. The following list is our Top 10:
Graz erzählt (Graz), May and June
Wiener Festwochen (Vienna), May and June
Musikwochen Millstatt (Millstatt), May to September
Styriarte (Graz), June and July
Milka Chocolate Festival (Bludenz), July
Salzburger Festspiele (Salzburg), July and August
Bregenz Festival (Bregenz), July and August
Lange Nacht der Museen (countrywide), September
Halleiner Stadtfestwoche (Hallein), September
Viennale Film Festival (Vienna), October
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