Charming old-world towns in Austria off the beaten path.

Less-touristed old-world towns in Austria, for travelers seeking fewer crowds but all the beauty.

Kufstein Fortress has watched over the River Inn since the 13th century, and that kind of layered history — medieval walls, Iron Age iron workings near Judenburg, a moat still filled with water in Friesach — runs through all 80 towns on this page. From the Salzkammergut shores of Mondsee and Bad Goisern am Hallstättersee to the Styrian riverbanks of Frohnleiten and Murau, Austria's smaller historic centres reward the traveler willing to look past the obvious.