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Austria is a pipe-shaped, landlocked country lying in the bosom of Europe. It extends 560km (347mi) from east to west, 280km (173mi) north to south, and is surrounded by Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Italy Liechtenstein and Switzerland. The Alps occupy the southern and western portions of the country, and peak at the Grossglockner's 3797-metre (12455-foot) summit. The upland forests of the Bohemian Massif run north to the Czech border, while the Danube Valley and the fertile lowlands of the east provide the bulk of Austria's arable land. There are numerous lakes in Carinthia and the Salzkammergut region; Lower Austria, Burgenland and Styria are the most important plonk-growing regions.

Austria

In its early years, the land that became Austria was invaded by a succession of tribes and armies using the Danube Valley as a conduit - Celts, Romans, Vandals, Visigoths, Huns, Avars, Slavs all came and went. Charlemagne established a territory in the Danube Valley known as the Ostmark in 803, and the area became Christianised and predominantly Germanic.

By 1278 the Habsburgs had gained control and this mighty dynasty managed to rule Austria right up until WWI. Although the Habsburgs were not averse to using a bit of muscle, they preferred less barbaric ways of extending their territory and so Austria gradually expanded thanks to judicious real estate purchases and some politically-motivated marriages. One such marriage produced two sons: the eldest became Charles I of Spain, who mutated three years later into Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire; the younger son, Ferdinand, became the first Habsburg to live in Vienna and was anointed ruler of Austria, Hungary and Bohemia. In 1556, Charles abdicated as emperor and Ferdinand I was crowned in his place. Charles' remaining territory was inherited by his son, Phillip II, splitting the Habsburg dynasty into two distinct lines - the Spanish and the Austrian.

In 1571, when the emperor granted religious freedom, the vast majority of Austrians turned to Protestantism. In 1576, the new emperor, Rudolf II, embraced the Counter-Reformation and much of the country reverted, with a little coercion, to Catholicism. The attempt to impose Catholicism on Protestant areas of Europe led to the Thirty Years' War, which started in 1618 and devastated much of Central Europe. Peace was finally achieved in 1648 with the Treaty of Westphalia. For much of the rest of the century, Austria was preoccupied with halting the advance of the Turks into Europe. Vienna nearly capitulated to a Turkish siege in 1683 but was rescued by a Christian force of German and Polish soldiers. Combined forces subsequently swept the Turks to the southeastern edge of Europe. The removal of the Turkish threat saw a frenzy of Baroque building in many cities, and under the musical emperor Leopold I, Vienna became a magnet for musicians and composers.

In 1740, Maria Theresa ascended the throne and ruled for 40 years - a period generally acknowledged as the era in which Austria developed as a modern state. During her reign, control was centralised, a civil service was established, the army and economy were reformed and a public education system was introduced. But progress was halted when Napoleon defeated Austria at Austerlitz in 1805. European conflict dragged on until the settlement at the Congress of Vienna in 1814-15. Austria was left with control of the German Confederation but suffered upheaval during the 1848 revolutions and eventual defeat in the 1866 Austro-Prussian War. This led to the formation of the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary in 1867 under emperor Franz Josef and exclusion from the new German empire unified by Bismarck.

Austria began the 20th century in prosperity but its expansionist tendencies in the Balkans and its annexation of Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1908 led to the assassination of the emperor's nephew in Sarajevo in June 1914. A month later, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, the Russians came to the Serbians' aid and the slaughter of WWI began in earnest.

At the conclusion of the war, the shrunken Republic of Austria was created and forced to recognise the independent states of Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary and Yugoslavia which had previously been under the control of the Habsburgs. The new republic suffered economic strife, which led to an upsurge in Nazi-style politics. Austria's embrace of fascism meant that German troops met little opposition when they invaded in 1938 and incorporated Austria into the Third Reich. Consequently, Austria was bombed heavily in WWII and by 1945 it had been restored to its 1937 frontiers by the victorious Allies. Occupying American, British, French and Russian troops remained entrenched for a decade before withdrawing and allowing Austria to proclaim its neutrality.

In the post-war years Austria worked hard to overcome economic difficulties and established a free trade treaty with the European Union (EU, then known as the EEC) in 1972. Apart from the election of former German army officer and UN Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim to the Austrian Presidency in 1986, Austrian politics became a rational zone of consensus rather than conflict. Increases in Eastern European immigration following the collapse of the Eastern Bloc resulted in the rise of the right-wing anti-immigration Freedom Party in the late 1980s. Concern among moderates has been exacerbated by the recent influx of refugees from the former Yugoslavia.

The Austrian people heartily endorsed their country's entry into the EU in a referendum in 1994 and formally joined the Union on 1 January 1995.

In elections in 2000, the right-wing Freedom Party came in just behind the Social Democrats, forming a ruling coalition with the moderate right People's Party. Freedom Party leader and alleged Nazi sympathiser Jörg Haider handed the leadership to Susanne Riess-Passer, seen as less extreme, but the EU imposed sanctions on Austria despite the move. The Danube flooded in August 2003, sanctions were lifted in September because they were seen as counterproductive, and in November the People's Party made sweeping electoral gains at the Freedom Party's expense, but was nevertheless obliged to form a governing coalition with the latter despite divisions. Pension reforms, restitution for Holocaust crimes and strict asylum laws are some of the other issues that have dominated public debate.

In the first half of 2006 Austria held the temporary, six-month EU presidency and attempted to reinvigorate the establishment of the European Constitution. Domestically the nation was confronted by two controversial criminal matters. In March, historian David Irving was imprisoned for three years for denying the Holocaust (he was released and deported in December). In August year 18-year-old Natascha Kampusch, who had disappeared in 1998, escaped from the underground cell where she had been imprisoned. Her captor, Wolfgang Priklopil, subsequently committed suicide. Austria went to the polls later in the year and a coalition government of the centre-left Social Democrats (SPO) and the conservative People's Party was formed in January 2007, with the SPO's Alfred Gusenbauer as chancellor.

Meanwhile, Jörg Haider was elected as leader of the new Alliance for Austria's Future. After a split in the Freedom Party he once led and the defection of the majority conservatives to Haider's new political party, the far-right politician looks confident to stay in office.

Austria is one of the safest countries to travel in and crime rates are low by international standards, but you should always be security conscious. Be wary of leaving valuables in hotel rooms; management will look after expensive items if you ask them, even in hostels. Don't leave valuables in cars, especially overnight. In general, let common sense prevail and don't make it easy for thieves by loosely carrying cameras and jewellery around.

In the event of theft or loss, get a police report - this will be necessary for you to claim on your travel insurance. Your consulate should be able to help replace documents if you're left in a desperate situation.

Austria lies within the Central European climatic zone, though the eastern part of the country has a Continental Pannonian climate, with low rainfall, hot summers and mild winters. The Alps have high precipitation, short summers and long winters, and visitors should be prepared for all temperatures there. Seasons are distinct. Summer falls between June and August and has the highest temperatures, but also the highest levels of rainfall. Winter can bite hard, especially in December, January and February. Spring and autumn bring changeable weather, but quite often the most comfortable temperatures.

A slice of Viennese life in the late 60s from this popular North American author, Setting Free the Bears tells a charming, sad and amusing story about a plan to release the animals from the zoo at Schönbrunn.

Set in 1932, this novel is the study of one family affected by the end of empire. The themes of The Radetzky March are applicable to any society emerging from a long-hated, but at least understood, regime.

The first volume of a trilogy detailing the author's epic and inspiring walk from the Hook of Holland to Constantinople in 1933-34. Written 40 years after his feet took him along the Danube Valley and through Vienna, this rich, evocative tale gives an insight into Austria between the world wars.

This novel is set in a spooky version of Vienna.

Witty and clever, Elfriede Jelinek hates all her characters. Her novel Lust is the story of a rural woman preyed on by her husband and lover, told without a gram of sympathy for the filthy habits of humans.

A richly textured novel based on the relationship between two very different women, one of whom runs a home for terminally ill men.

A massive, bursting, vivid text of poetic imagination in the (hard to read) tradition of epic European novels.

The cycle of music festivals in Austria is unceasing. In January, New Year concerts consist of lavish balls in Vienna. February brings Fasching (Shrovetide carnival) which celebrates the return of spring with masked processions and dances. Corpus Christi (the second Thursday after Whitsun) is heralded with more carnivals, some held on lakes in the Salzkammergut. The Wiener Festwochen (from May to mid-June) has a wide-ranging programme of arts and is considered the highlight of the year. Midsummer Night's celebrations on 21 June light up the sky with magnificent bonfires. The Salzburger Festspiele takes place in late July and August and includes plenty of music by the city's favourite son, Mozart. National Day on 26 October involves lots of patriotic flag-waving. St Nicholas Day, on 5 to 6 December, marks the beginning of the Christmas season.

Austria is a great place to get into the outdoors, with a gigantic backyard full of spiky peaks, clear lakes and raging rivers custom-made for vigorous activities. Skiing and walking are perennial favourites and share the limelight with gravity-defying sports designed to make you scream.

Vienna is the main air transport hub for Austria, but Graz, Linz, Klagenfurt, Salzburg and Innsbruck all receive international flights. Flights to these cities are often a cheaper option than those to the capital, as are flights to Airport Letisko (Bratislava Airport) which is only 60km (37mi) east of Vienna in Slovakia. With advance booking, no-frills airlines can be very cheap.

Travelling by bus is a cheap but less comfortable way to cross Europe. It's easiest to book with Eurolines (www.eurolines.com; Vienna tel: 798 29 00; www.eurolines.at; Graz tel: 0316 67 11 55), a consortium of coach companies with offices all over Europe.

While the bulk of Euroline buses pass through Vienna, its 14 stops in Austria include Graz, Linz, Salzburg, Klagenfurt and Innsbruck.

Getting to Austria by road is simple as there are fast and well-maintained motorways through all surrounding countries. There are numerous entry points into Austria by road from Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Italy and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is so small that it has just one border crossing point, near Feldkirch in Austria. The presence of the Alps limits options for approaching Tyrol from the south (Switzerland and Italy). All main border-crossing points are open 24 hours. Proof of ownership of a private vehicle and a driver's licence should always be carried while driving.

Austria benefits from its central location within Europe by having excellent rail connections to all important destinations. The Thomas Cook European Timetable gives all train schedules, supplements and reservations information. It is updated monthly and is available from Thomas Cook outlets.

The Danube (Donau) is a traffic-free access route for arrivals and departures from Austria. Since the early 1990s the Danube has been connected to the Rhine by the River Main tributary and the Main-Danube canal in southern Germany.

Grandiose Vienna was the showpiece of the all-conquering Habsburg Dynasty. Monumental edifices line the city centre, world-class museums burst with treasures, white stallions strut their way down mirrored halls, and renowned orchestras and angelic choirboys perform in lavish concert halls.

Vienna has plenty of lower-brow pleasures too - walks in the woods, splish-splashing high jinks on the river, indulgent evenings in its renowned wine taverns, bar-hopping till dawn. If you can't find something to please you in this generous, opulent, open-armed city, you're ready for the grave.

Set at an elevation of 1640m (5380ft), these caves are the largest accessible ice caves in the world with more than 40km (25mi) of explored passageways. Entry to the caves is regulated and a 75-minute tour takes in several immense caverns containing elaborate ice formations and frozen waterfalls.

Salzburg's Altstadt (old town), on the south bank of the river, is a Baroque fiesta of churches, plazas, courtyards and fountains, oozing the waves of charm that you would expect from this Mozart Mecca. Museums, houses, squares, chocolate bars and liqueurs are all part of one giant homage to Wolfgang.

The Salzburg that everyone knows and loves was largely built by three bishop-princes between the late-16th and early-17th centuries, which is what gives the city its Italian flavour and its skyline punctuated by countless medieval spires, domes, belfries and turrets.

Built in the 17th century by bishop Markus Sittikus, this castle is mainly known for its ingenious trick fountains and water-powered figures. When the tour guides set them off, expect to get wet! Admission includes a tour of the baroque palace. Other parts of the garden (without fountains) are open year-round and free to visit.

The world's largest accessible ice caves are in the mountains near Salzburg. These Eisriesenwelt Höhle (Giant Ice Caves) house elaborate and beautiful ice formations. Take warm clothes because - surprise, surprise - it gets cold inside. The tour lasts 75 minutes, so you need to be reasonably fit.

High up on a hill, where it commands a marvellous view of a curve of Danube River, is the ruined castle of Künringerburg, where King Richard I (the Lionheart) was imprisoned from 1192 to 1193 for the heinous crime of insulting Leopold V.

This park covers over 1786 sq km (690 sq mi), making it Europe's biggest. At the heart of this protected oasis of flora and fauna (including marmots and some rare ibexes) lies the 3797m (12,454ft) Grossglockner, Austria's highest mountain. The highway through the park, the Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse, is one of the world's most scenic.

These triple-level falls are an inspiring sight and attract hordes of visitors in summer. In winter, the slopes above Krimml village become a ski area, and the falls a static lump of ice. The falls' combined height is 380m (1246ft), over three main sections connected by a twisting river and rapids. The trail alongside them is steep in parts, but rewarding.