Tony Page's Book Recommendations: Austria

Austria (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

Revised 2006: This "includes in-depth coverage of famous districts and neighborhoods, special features on music, literature and painting, as well as detailed maps to help you find your way around".

There's good coverage of Vienna, and quite a bit of material on the music and other arts that most visitors will be interested in, - and the mountains, of course! Quite hefty at 396 pages, but a useful companion if you're spending some time in the country.

NOTE: a new one is due in 2008

Many tours start in Vienna and don't cover much else in Austria. This guide covers the Stephansdom Quarter, Hofburg Quarter, Schottenring, Alsergrund, Town Hall, the Museum Quarter, Opera, Naschmarkt, and the Belvedere Quarter, ie most of the places you're likely to see if you have a few days.

If you only have a couple of days, this might be overkill, and if I was seeing other places in Austria, I'd go for the Austria guide because it contains plenty on Vienna for a brief stay.