CAPITAL VIENNA - POPULATION 8.2 MILLION - AREA 83,870 SQ KM -OFFICIAL LANGUAGE GERMAN
Austria does 'old' well – travellers adore its Habsburg grandeur and musical pedigree (it's all about Haydn in 2009, with concerts commemorating the bicentennial of his death). But Austria's not stuck in the past; a fresh-look cuisine is challenging schnitzel-serving Beisls. Its cities are modernizing: Linz's derelict industrial quarters are bustling with arty invention given the city's been crowned 2009 Capital of Culture. Outside the cities, Austria is mostly alpine splendour. This eco-before-eco-was-hip nation loves its great outdoors, and has managed to keep some parts quiet –cycle the rolling South Styrian wine route or hike in the back-to-nature Bregenzerwald (stopping off at dairy farms for pungent mountain cheese) where it's almost locals-only.
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