With a capital known as a city of wonder, Austria tours are the opportunity to explore old world charms with opulent landmarks. From composers to castles, Austria shares an ambiance that is as timeless as the cobblestone streets found throughout the country. With a backdrop of the Alps never far away, stunning mountain scenery comes as an added bonus to our Austria tours. The moment one arrives in Vienna, whether the journey you took here was to enjoy an active walking tour of Europe or to enjoy the spoils of a Central European tour, you can’t help but notice the vibrancy of the cultural capital. Imperial palaces are never far away, sprawling in their layouts and immaculate in their details. With some of the world's most premier opera houses and concert halls, music pulses in the veins of this pleasant capital. Cafes playing Mozart echo from the open terraces that spill out of neoclassical buildings. With 600 years of history, its cultural gems endure and monumental edifices line the city centre, while world-class museums burst with historical and artistic treasures, and internationally established orchestras perform in lavish concert halls. Guided tours through the Imperial city take us to Schonbrunn Palace, where we walk through the manicured gardens and enjoy the view from the Gloriet overlook. This enormous Baroque palace was built to accommodate Empress Maria Theresia and her large family. Today the park and its enclosed historic Zoological garden are enjoyed by joggers, walkers, and families with children. In a country where Maria sang about the hills being alive, it is important to venture beyond the city limits, regardless of how incredibly picturesque it is. On our Austria tours that feature a higher activity level, we do more than just walk the well-trodden tourist routes that showcase how a vibrant, stimulating, intellectual city became a dynamic capital of elites who did pioneering work in many fields. We start with casual strolls in a walkway of shops, trees, cafes as well as buildings of historical and cultural interest before making our way to the network of walking and hiking trails within the city limits known as Stadtwanderwegs. Never far from a cafe or a strudel, our active Austria tours take us to paths that pass many old wine cellars on the edge of the vineyards of the Bisamberg. The vineyards in this area tend to face south and west, toward the Danube, and are well-known in the city for their Pinots: Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir. Our route will take us to streets lined with wine taverns that date back over 200 years, known as Heurigers, that are often filled with hikers and locals alike. Mouth watering treats and scenic vistas go hand in hand, and are also never far away from the trails our Austria tours explore. A country and a region that has prided itself as "marching at the head of cultural nations," discover a land where different tribes and nationalities have, for centuries, fused their cultural identities to produce the intriguing culture of their own.