Austria is officially called the Republic of Austria. It is a landlocked country located in the southern area of Central Europe. It includes nine federated states. One of the states is Vienna, which is the capital of Austria and the largest city. Austria’s northern border countries include Germany, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Hungary borders Austria to the east while Slovenia and Italy border it in the south. The western border countries are Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
The official language of Austria is German, but Hungarian, Slovene and Croatian are also recognized. Austria is an Alpine country and is well-known for its mountain ski resorts. The climate in Austria is mainly cool with three-quarters of the country considered to be an alpine climate. Austria was known as the center of Europe’s musical scene back in the 18th and 19th centuries. Many famous composers, including Mozart, came from Austria.
Explore the destinations in Austria
Our neighbor Austria is beautiful. Let’s have a look.
Lake Wolfgang is located in the Austrian Salzkammergut. It belongs to the most famous vacation regions of Austria.
In the northwest of Austria lies Salzburg with the imposing Hohensalzburg Fortress. The city is also called the "Rome of the North" because of its representative buildings. With 150,887 inhabitants, it is the fourth largest city in Austria.
Vienna is the capital and a province of Austria and is located on the Danube River. Vienna is a city to enjoy and experience, ideal for a city break.
Travel information for Austria
Arrival
By car
The roads in Austria are very well developed. Passenger cars are only allowed to drive with winter tires (M+S) or studded tires (M+S+E) between November 01 and April 15 in winter driving conditions.
The general speed limit is
- 50 km/h in the town
- 100 km/h outside town
- 130 km/h on the highway
By plane
The largest airport is located in Vienna. From there you can reach many European metropolises and the Middle East.
There are several smaller airports, which are also connected to international air traffic.
By train
ÖBB is the railroad company of Austria. The rail network is well developed in the eastern half of the country, which is less mountainous.
By bus
There are about 2800 bus lines running through the country. Tourist places are all served by bus.
International long-distance buses mainly serve the major cities such as Vienna, Linz, Salzburg, ….
By boat
Between Vienna and Bratislava, the Twin City Liner runs regularly.
On the Danube river cruise ships that like to call at Vienna.
Toll
Freeways and expressways (including urban highways) are subject to tolls throughout the country, except for a few sections.
Entry regulations
Austria is a member of the Schengen Agreement:
Entry is possible for German citizens and EU citizens (incl.Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland) with the following documents: passport, identity card.
Travel documents must not have expired for more than one year. Children need their own passport.
Visa will not be required for most of the entrants.
Taking animals with you when traveling (also applies to travelers from the EU area):
A valid vaccination certificate is required for dogs or cats 12 weeks of age or older. The vaccination must have taken place at least 30 days before crossing the border, but not more than one year ago. A maximum of three animals may be taken along.
Best time to travel
In Austria there are two main tourist seasons. In winter from December to March is ski season. In the summer from June to August you meet the city visitors and hiking vacationers.
The Alpine region has a temperate climate with mild summers and moderately cold winters. The climate in the regions of Upper Austria, Salzburg, Tyrol and Vorarlberg is Atlantic in character, which ensures frequent precipitation and usually low temperature fluctuations. In Lower Austria, Vienna, Burgenland the continental influence prevails with warmer summers and cooler winters. The region of Styria and Carinthia benefit from the warm and dry air of the Mediterranean in summer
Language
In Austria, people speak German. In some regions there is strongly pronounced dialect, which is not always easy to understand.
Money
The euro is the means of payment in Austria. The coins minted in Austria all have a separately minted reverse.
Tip
In restaurants, a tip of 5-10% is usually given, depending on how satisfied you are.
For taxi rides, you should also add 5-10% tip to the fare.
In the hotel, the porter usually receives 1€ per piece of luggage, maids are also happy about a small tip.
Power plug
For Austria, vacationers from Germany do not need a travel adapter. Type C and F plugs are used in the country. These sockets can also be found in Germany.
Internet / Telephone
Due to its geography, has always been the experimental country for the latest mobile technologies. The country has a very well developed mobile network.
In popular ski resorts, the Internet speed is even often higher than in metropolitan areas. On mountains, the operator A1 currently has the best network, often with HSPA speeds on many mountains.