Austria Travel Advice

General travel information for Austria

Continent: Europe

Geographical location: Central Europe, Central Alps

Highest elevation: Großglockner (3798 m above sea level)

Longest river: Danube (350 km in Austria)

Form of government: Federal Republic System of

Government: Representative democracy

Languages: German, French, Italian, Romansh

Neighboring countries: Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Slovenia, Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein

Capital: Vienna

Area: Approx. 84,000 km²

Residents: Approx. 8.86 million people (2019)

Population density: Approx. 106 residents per km²

Religions: Approx. 80% Christians, approx. 2% Muslims, approx. 10% non-denominational, minorities of Buddhists and Jews

Currency: Euro

Travel climate: Moist and cool temperate in the west and north, continental in the east, Mediterranean in the south and alpine in the high mountains

Time zone: UTC +1, (March to October) UTC + 2

Area code: +43

Country code: AT, AUT, 040

Electricity: In Austria, sockets of type C, F and E are used. The mains voltage is 230 V with a 50 Hz change interval.

Check a2zdirectory for old history of Austria and agooddir for modern history of Austria.

Travel climate in Austria

The climate in Austria can be assigned to the warm temperate rainy climates of the humid-cool temperate zone. In the west and north of Austria there is an oceanic climate, often characterized by humid westerly winds. In the east, on the other hand, the predominant Pannonian-continental climate is low in precipitation, with hot summers and cold winters. The influence of low-pressure areas with high rainfall from the Mediterranean area is particularly noticeable in the Southern Alps. The regional climate of Austria is strongly influenced by the alpine topography. Often there are also considerable climatic differences within short distances and small differences in altitude. With increasing land height, a boreal and tundra climate is initially encountered, and even a polar climate in the summit areas. Not only the main Alpine ridge acts as a climatic divide.

The mean outside temperatures in Austria range from over 11 ° C in the inner districts of Vienna to below −9 ° C on the summit of the Großglockner. In the densely populated lowlands, they are between 8 ° C and 10 ° C. In January, the mean air temperatures in the flat landscapes of the east are between 0 ° C and −2 ° C and drop to −4 ° C to −6 ° C at an altitude of around 1000 m. On the highest peaks they are around −15 ° C. In July the long-term mean values fluctuate between 18 ° C and 20 ° C in the east and between 13 ° C and 15 ° C at an altitude of 1000 m. On the Großglockner, the average zero degree limit is not exceeded even in midsummer

The Bregenzerwald and the entire Northern Limestone Alps as well as the mountains on the southern border of Austria receive intense rainfall. Together with the central alpine Hohe Tauern, the annual total rainfall measured here has a long-term average of around 2000 mm, in some cases even up to 3000 mm. In contrast, the regions of Waldviertel and Weinviertel located east to northeast as well as the Vienna Basin and Northern Burgenland receive less than 600 mm of precipitation over the course of a year.

The abundance of snow depends mainly on the height of the land and the location of the area relative to the main wind directions and varies accordingly. While the Austrian average falls around 3.3 m of fresh snow a year, it is only 0.3 m on the Danube in Lower Austria, and 22 m on the over 3000 m Hohe Sonnblick near Salzburg.

Culture and sights in Austria

The Austrian culture, influenced by both the Balkans and the Turks, has been linked to European culture for centuries and has produced internationally significant achievements, particularly in the audio and visual arts.

The late 18th and early 19th centuries were a very formative time, especially in musical terms, when the Viennese classical music style developed under the composers Gluck, Haydn and Mozart, which Beethoven continued. In addition, a popular music trend, the Viennese waltz, developed in the second third of the 19th century, the central figures of which were the members of the Strauss dynasty and which is still popular today. At that time Vienna was considered a capital of music, which attracted a number of composers, including German, which was made possible not least by imperial and aristocratic patronage. Even today Austria has symphony orchestras, choirs, ensebles as well as world-class concert and opera houses.

In terms of architecture, important buildings were built in Austria in all stylistic epochs, many of which are now UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Austria was also pioneering in the visual arts at various times. For example, Vienna became a center of Art Nouveau around 1900.

But Austria also has an extensive tradition in the culinary field, which is expressed for example in the Viennese coffee house culture, viticulture in Austria and the Heuriger as well as numerous local dishes of Austrian cuisine.

Regional customs are upheld by associations throughout Austria. Customs primarily include music, dance, theater, poetry, carving, and embroidery. A large number of local customs and rites are related to the seasons (e.g. Aperschnalzen, Glöckler, Kathreintanz, Kufenstechen, Mariä Candlemas, Mardi Gras). In addition to music and dances, the traditional textile industry has a long tradition in Austria. Embroidery is used to decorate traditional costumes such as dirndls and loden.

Austria has grandiose landscapes and natural beauties worth seeing as well as a multitude of cultural and technical monuments. The capital Vienna alone is worth a multi-day trip. Many of the scenic and cultural sights are on the UNESCO World Heritage List. These include the old town of Salzburg, the palace and park of Schönbrunn near Vienna, the Hallstatt-Dachstein cultural landscape in the Salzkammergut, the Semmering Railway with the surrounding landscape, the old town of Graz and Eggenberg Palace, the Wachau cultural landscape in Lower Austria, the historic center of Vienna, the cultural landscape of Lake Neusiedl, the ancient beech forests of the Carpathians and the prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps.

Austria’s natural beauties are uniquely explored on our motorcycle tours and adventure trips. Each of the six Austrian national parks is worth seeing and the mountains of the country, such as in the Watzmann area, offer overwhelming natural impressions. Austria is also a center of international skiing with numerous ski areas that have been developed into the highest regions. Well-known winter sports regions are Kitzbühel – Kirchberg – Tyrol, Hintertuxer Gletscher / Hintertux – Tyrol, Mayrhofen – Zillertal – Tyrol, Planai / Schladming – Styria, Sölden – Tyrol, Saalbach Hinterglemm Leogang Fieberbrunn – Salzburger Land and the area Heiligenblut – Grossglockner – Carinthia.

Holidays in Austria

In addition to the national holidays at the federal level, the individual federal states can have additional holidays.

January 1st, New Year

January 6th, Holy Three Kings

in April, Easter Monday

, May 1st, national holiday

in May, Ascension Day

In May / June, Whit Monday,

in June, Corpus Christi

, August 15th, Assumption of Mary

, October 26th, national holiday,

November 1st, All Saints’ Day

8. Dec. Mary’s Conception

Dec. 25th Christmas

Dec. 26th St. Stephen’s Day

Medical information for Austria

For legal reasons, we as a tour operator are not allowed to communicate any binding medical information for Austria and therefore refer to the information provided by the Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Robert Koch Institute and the German Society for Tropical Medicine and International Health

Travel advice for Austria

You can obtain current travel and safety advice, information on entering and leaving the country, as well as special criminal information and recommendations for your stay in Austria from the Federal Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Foreign representation in Austria

Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Vienna (There are other honorary consulates in Bregenz, Graz, Innsbruck, Linz and Salzburg.) Administrative

District / consular district: Austria

Place: Vienna

Street address: Gauermanngasse 2-4, 1010 Vienna

Postal address: Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, P.O. Box 60, 1037 Vienna, Austria

Telephone: +43 1 711 54 0

Fax: +43 1 713 83 66

Email: Contact form

Website: http://www.wien.diplo.de

Official languages in the host country: German

Embassy of the Republic of Austria in Berlin

(There are other honorary consulates in Hamburg, Bremen, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt am Main, Stuttgart, and Munich, among others)

Place: Berlin