Know before you go
Austria
General Information
Austria is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Despite its small size it is boarderd by 8 other nations: Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia and Italy. Its capital and largest city is Vienna. Austria is both member of the European Union and the Schengen Agreement. They drive on the right side of the road.
Visa
Holders of a EU passport don’t require a Visa. For holders of a different passport check out this link to see if you are required to apply for a visa or not or contact your ministery of foreign affairs.
Watch Geography Now!
The video will give you a good first overview of Austria.
Need to know
They are not Germans
Rule number 1: Never ever call them German. They won’t thank you for it. Note that they also have their own variation of the German language. If you happen to speak German, avoid ‘Guten Tag’ as a greeting. In Austria it’s ‘Grüß Gott’.
Tap water is perfectly safe
It’s perfectly safe to drink tap water and you will see many people doing so. Austria’s water was rated among the top 5 best quality drinking waters in the world. You can even order it in restaurants. But beware: some restaurants will charge you for tap water (usually around 50 cents).
The sound of music - what's that?
Don’t bother mentioning the Sound of Music. Most people won’t know what you are talking about and the few who do find it alienating. It’s a Hollywood production that happened to be shot in the countryside of Salzburg. It doesn’t portrait the Austrian lifestyle.
Be punctual
No matter if you are attending a business meeting, meeting with friends or have a table reserved in a restaurant – Austrians will expect you to show up at the exact time. Being late will give you a bad reputation.
Main meal is lunch
In Austria the main meal of the day is usually lunch. A traditional Austrian lunch consists of 3 courses: soup, a main dish (usually hearty, meat based) and a dessert (coffee and cake).
Try their sweet dishes
Austrians are very much into sweet dishes (Mehlspeisen). They will also eat them as a main dish. It’s best not to be on a diet when visiting Austria.
Sunday is a day off
Pretty much everything is closed on Sundays. If you are planning to do some shopping or you need groceries make sure you do that from Monday to Saturday.
Check out the water activities
Go swimming in the lakes and enjoy the numerous thermal baths. Even though Austria is a land-locked country there are plenty of water related activities. In summer people go to one of the countless lakes of the country which all have excellent water quality. They stay there all day, do sunbathing, swimming and even barbequing. In colder months you can enjoy a relaxing day at one of the many thermal baths. There are usually two options: just the thermal bath or bath + sauna. The sauna area is quieter with no children allowed. The saunas are mainly mixed (sometimes there are saunas just for women) and everybody will be naked.
Power
Austria uses Type F plug outlets („Schuko“). They also work with Type C and E. The voltage is 230 Volt and the frequency is 50 Hz.
Language
The official language in Austria is German, but with some variations to how it is spoken in Germany.
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Servus! | Hello! |
| Selamat tinggal! | Bye! |
| ja | yes |
| nein | no |
| Danke! | Thank you! |
| Bitte! | You're welcome! |
| Entschuldigung | Excuse me! |
| Prost! | Cheers! |
Weather Forecast
Climate
The greater part of Austria lies in the cool/temperate climate zone, where humid westerly winds predominate. With nearly three-quarters of the country dominated by the Alps, the alpine climate is predominant. In the east—in the Pannonian Plain and along the Danube valley—the climate shows continental features with less rain than the alpine areas. Although Austria is cold in the winter (−10 to 0 °C), summer temperatures can be relatively high, with average temperatures in the mid-20s and temperatures reaching 35 °C during hot summer weeks.
Average Temperature in Vienna
Average Precipitation in Vienna
Transportation
How to get there?
The biggest airport in Austria is Vienna International Airport (VIE). Here you find a list of all airports in Austria. It might be worth flying in and out of Austria using different airports as it will take you 7 hours to drive from the eastern to the western end of the country. For destinations in the western part of Austria, Munich Airport (MUC) or Zurich Airport (ZRH) might be the better options. Austria is also well connected via international train and bus services.
How to get around?
Austria has a good public transportation infrastructure. There are trains, busses and trams. Vienna also has a Metro. Public transport is even available in smaller towns and villages, however, the frequency will be lower. If you are planning to go hiking though you will need a car to get to the starting points of most hiking trails. Most larger cities also have a good infrastructure of bike lanes making it easy to explore the city on two wheels. There are also cross-country bike routes mostly along rivers like the Danube, Drau, Mur or Inn.
How to get from town to town?
Going from one city to another (e.g. Vienna to Graz) you can either take a bus or the train. When taking the train you should buy your tickets online and ideally several weeks in advance as there are cheaper ticket prices available online.
If you are driving make sure you purchase a Vignette. It is required if you are using the highways and fines for not having one are high.
Money, Money, Money
Currency
Austria is part of the Eurozone and therefore uses the Euro as its currency. Check out the currency converter to find out about current exchange rates.
Accommodation
Depending on where you are staying prices will vary of course. Expect to be paying around 40€ per person per night.
Cash
Even though credit cards are widely accepted, you should still withdraw Euros at an ATM. Cash is still king in many places like restaurants, markets and small shops. How much you will need of course depends on your spending habits. Expect to need around 40€ per day for food, transportation, activities and souvenirs.
What Souvenirs to buy in Austria
Mozart Balls
Mozart balls are chocolate balls filled with nougat an marcipan. They can be bought at every supermarket. The original ones are from Mirabell, though there are cheaper brands as well.
Manner Schnitten
Manner Schnitten are wafers. The typical ones are filled with hazlenut cream though there are many other flavors available. They can be bought at every supermarket.
Sachertorte
The Sachertorte is a chocolate cake filled with apricot jam and coated with dark chocolate icing. The original Sachertorte can be bought (and even ordered) from Hotel Sacher in Vienna. There are other brands available at the supermarket.
Pumpkin seed oil
It is very popular in the Austrian region Styria. There they will serve the oil to every salad. However, it is available throughout Austria. The best quality is available at farmers markets. Cheaper products can be bought at supermarkets.
Zotter chocolate
Zotter is a chocolate factory in Austria. They offer a wide range of products and even have an online shop. If you are in the area you can visit the factory and watch them making chocolate – and of course taste all the products. The chocolate is also available at Spar (supermarket).
Klimt related Products
Gustav Klimt was a famous Austrian painter. You will find bags, t-shirts, pens etc. featuring his paintings. However, those are very touristy products and as such can only be found at souvenir shops.
Freywille jewelry
Freywille produces enamel jewelry. You will find earrings, bracelets, necklaces and rings in selected jewelry shops. They also have an online shop.
Swarovski jewelry
Swarovski crystals are world-renowned. However, few people know that they are produced in Austria. There are many Swarovski shops all over the country – the ones in Vienna and Innsbruck are several floors high. Genuine Swarovski jewelry is not cheap but there are also no-name brands available using Swarovski crystals.
