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Austria Travel Information – Quick
Facts
Before You Go
Austrian Entry Requirements for US Citizens:
Passport required. Visa not required for stays
up to 3 months. Contact: Embassy of Austria, 3524 International Court, NW, Washington,
DC. 20008. (202) 895-6767, or consulates in
Chicago, LAX, or NYC.
Austrian Entry Requirements for UK and EU
Citizens: Passport or Identity card required.
No Visa requirement
Health: Good medical care widely available.
US medical insurance not always valid outside
USA. Travellers have may find supplemental medical insurance
with specific overseas coverage useful.
Crime & Security: Low crime rate;
violent crime rare. However, crimes involving
theft of personal property have increased in
recent years. Pickpockets and purse-snatchers
operate where tourists tend to gather, favourite
spots, including Vienna's 2 largest train stations.
Money: Austrian Euro. $1 = approx.1Euro.
Check Universal
Currency Converter for current information.
Banks, rail stations, airports, most travel
agencies and hotels offer exchange services.
Unlimited amounts of foreign exchange &
Austrian AS may be brought into country.
Weather: Coldest month: January avg.
low 25F (-4C), while warmest month, July avg.
high 76F (25C).
Advice & Tips for
Austria:
Road Safety: Very good throughout. Winter
Alpine conditions change drastically due to
snow & ice. On many mountain roads use of
chains required. Highways, city streets, &
major roads cleaned of snow around clock. Traffic
information & road conditions constantly
broadcast on English language "Blue Danube
Radio."
Electricity & Voltage: 220 volts
AC, 50Hz. Round 2-pin European plugs standard.
For US electric powered equipment, bring converter
& adapter.
National Holidays: Jan 01 & 06; Apr
12-13; May 01 & 21, May 31-Jun
01; Jun 11; Aug 15; Oct 26; Nov
01; Dec 08; Dec 25-26.
Airports
Vienna,
Wien-Schwechat Airport
Location: 11 miles southeast of Vienna.
By Car:Take A4 Airport Motorway. Exit
marked "Flughafen" (Airport) directly
to terminal. On ramp area in front of Departure
Hall, you are allowed to stop on areas marked
accordingly to drop off passengers and/or
unload baggage.
By Taxi:Ride time - approx. 40 mins.
Fare approx. 35 Euros. Available 24 hrs.
By Bus:Every 30 mins to City Terminal
at Hilton Hotel. Fare Approx Euros7. Every hour
to South & West Rail Stations. Fare $7.
Rail: Every hour to Central and North
Stations. Fare approx. 8 Euros
Info Tel No: Call Your Airline
Coin-operated luggage trolleys. Coin returned
after return to collection point Porter
service available in luggage collection hall.
Money Exchange 9 am-11pm. Chapel, Duty
Free, cafes, restaurants, etc.,
Post office in Departure Hall between Terminal
1 & 2. Open 8.30 a.m. to 6 p.m. 7 days/week
for phone & postage, & Mon - Fri 8
a.m. to 5 p.m. for money transactions. Also
in transfer, so-called PLAZA shopping area.
Open 7.30 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Value Added Tax on most goods
& services. Visitors from outside the European
Union entitled to refund of this tax, on purchases
exceeding 100 Euros ($100), from any one store.
Look for Tax
Free Shopping display & ask clerk for
necessary paperwork. Vital to have these papers
stamped by Customs official upon leaving Austria
(or from final stop in EU). Then go to tax-free
cash-point at airport or border station to receive
refund (usually about 13% of purchase price).
Salzburg, W.A. Mozart
Airport
By Taxi: Taxi rank in front of Terminal
- To/from Central Station. Ride time 20 mins.
By Car: From city centre: Neutor - Maxglaner
Hauptstrasse - Innsbrucker Bundesstrasse.
From A1 motorway: Exit "Flughafen"
(airport).
From Germany, Bad Reichenhall: "Kleiner
Walserberg" border crossing - Highway 1
- Innsbrucker Bundesstrasse.
By Train: Central station Salzburg -
City Bus 77 (Obus) every 15 mins during hours
of operation.
Info Tel #: 662/8580-251
Terminal: Reached by foot under cover
from park. Baggage carts (even in park), free
of charge. Check-in starts 90 mins before departure.
21 counters in check-in hall ensure short waiting
times.
Day-ahead check-in: Between 6pm &
9pm for almost all flights. Information from
Airport Services, phone 0662/8580-251
Parking: Covered walkway to Main Terminal.
Amenities: Tourist Desk, cafe, restaurant,
etc.,
Smoking: separate area in departure
terminal.
Children's play area: In order to shorten
children's waiting time prior to departure &
give chance to expend some pent-up energy, a
fun play area exists.
Regions and Cities
Austrian
Alps cover almost two-thirds of country,
reaching 12,000 ft at highest point.
Vienna is capital & frequent host
to major congresses either in Vienna International
Centre or at the Austria Centre Vienna. The
city is famous for stately buildings & outstanding
museums. Ringstrasse is boundary of Inner City
(Innenstadt) with hotels, shops & examples
of city's famous architecture. Experience atmosphere
of elegance & style on foot.
Salzburg -is
gem set against backdrop of beautiful
mountain scenery. Everything within walking
distance of Old City centre. "Sound
of Music" fans should note that Salzburg
was where real von Trapps lived. Leopold Palace
used in movie as von Trapp home & Rocky
Riding School was where Baron sang "Edelweiss".
Sightseeing
Vienna State Opera House:
Tours run on hour, every hour from 11 am-3 pm
daily, in July & Aug. On request rest of
year. 40AS (students 25AS).
Stephansdom: most revered
landmark, with tapered South Tower is city's
emblem.
Schoenbrunn Castle Hofburg:
Inhabited by Habsburg emperors until 1918, now
President's office.
Zentralfriedhof: Music lovers should visit
Zantralfriedhof (central cemetary) & pass
2nd gate, leading to graves of Strauss, Beethoven
& Schonberg, + monument to Mozart. Open
June-Aug. 7am-7pm; May & Sep. 7am-6pm;
April & Oct: 7am to 5pm; Nov - March
7am-dusk.
Museums: Kunsthistorisches
Museum. Austrian Gallery. Historisches Museum
der Stadt Vienna (Historical museum of Vienna).
Natural History
Museum Spanish
Riding School
Jewish Vienna & Austria Jewish
Welcome Service, first district, Stephansplatz
10, Phone +43-1-533 27 30 or 533 88 91, Fax
533 40 98, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. By mail: A-1010
Wien, Stephansplatz 10. Vienna Jewish Museum A few miles
from Vienna, Rohrau Castle
Salzburg:
Old City declared UNESCO world treasure. Stroll
medieval lanes. Enjoy Salzburger Nocken.
Don't miss Residenzplatz, Baroque extravaganza
where 7thC prince-archbishops lived & now
Baroque masterpieces of Dutch & Flemish
School can be seen. Carillon chimes melodies
of Mozart twice daily. Kapitelplatz: Housing
giant chess grid & entrance to St. Peter's
Monastery. Universitatskirche: One of largest
chapels on continent. Mozart’s Geburtshaus:
Mozart's birthplace at 9, Getreidegasse, houses
wide range of Mozartobilia including his first
instruments, personal effects, & some stage
sets for operas. Check views from Hohensalzburg
Fortress.
Innsbruck: Old
capital of Tyrol & Austria's capital of
Winter Sports.Golden Roof of 2,600 gilded tiles.Ambras
Castle, Renaissance jewel of Hapsburgs. Old
City Centre for curio shopping. Stadtturm:
Climb stairs of 14thC city tower for magnificent
panoramic view. Open July - Aug. 10am-6pm; Sep.-
June 10am-5pm. Alpenzoo: Zoo with species that
call the Alps home. Open daily 9am-6pm, except
in winter 9am-5pm.
Linz:
On Danube, between Vienna & Salzburg
- capital of Upper Austria. Main Square &
Old Town Quarter.Postlingbergbahn world's steepest
mountain railway, still using vintage rolling
stock. Great views of Danube from top. Departures
every 20-30 mins. Monastery of St. Florian with
grave of Anton Bruckner. Visit modern Brucknerhaus
concert hall. International Bruckner
Festival every Sep. Linz Tourist Office.
Graz: Austria's 2nd largest city
settled in serene countryside along River Mur.Visit:
Old Town, Clock Tower & Bell Tower &
Graz Armory. Conference Center & casino.
Klagenfurt:
City of lakes, parks & villas.Worthersee
(Lake) with resorts of Krumpendorf, Portshach
& Velden plus beautiful Church of Mary Worth,
& Mageregg Castle
Danube Valley:
Stift Gottweig: Impressive 11thC Benedictine
abbey with beautiful panoramic views of Valley.
The Tyrol: 710
of Tyrol’s peaks over 3000 ms high, & tallest
mountain in province, Wildspitze, at 3347 ms.
Tirol also shares Austria's highest mountain
with neighbouring province: climbers can begin
ascent of 3797 ms high Grossglockner in either
Carinthia or East Tirol.
Eating Out
General: Restaurants prices about same
as UK and USA. Austrian cuisine is international
& offers great variety of dishes. Lunch
- main meal of day - usually served from noon
- 2 p.m. & dinner from 6 - 10 p.m.
Tipping: Service Charge of 10-15%
included in all hotel & restaurant bills.
Gratuities expected.
Traditional Cuisine: Wiener schnitzel,
boiled beef (tafelspitz), calf's liver with
herbs in butter (geršstete leber), goulash,
Kaiserschmarru, Palatschinken and Salzburger
Nockerln, plus various types of smoked &
cured pork. Viennese cuisine strongly influenced
by southeast European cuisine, notably Hungary,
Serbia, Romania and Dalmatia. Simpler meals
often made with rice, potatoes & dumplings
(knšdel), with liquid sauces. Mehlspeisen is
term for cakes & puddings. Many varieties
of Torte, often consumed with coffee around
3 p.m. Open all day, Austrian coffee shop (Kaffeehaus)
is national institution & often provides
social focus of town or neighborhood.
Drink: Spirits and imported beers expensive.
Local wines (often served in open carafes) excellent
& cheap. Most wines - white (Riesling, Veltliner)
but also some good reds from Baden and Burgenland.
Strict registration laws mean quality of wine
fully reflected in price. Obstler, found in
most German-speaking countries, made by distilling
various fruits - very strong, & widely drunk
as it is cheap & well flavoured. Most bars
or coffee houses have waiter service & bills
settled with arrival of drinks. All restaurants
have waiter service. No national licensing laws,
but each region has local police closing hours.
Entertainment &
Nightlife
Austrians believe in 'early to bed &
early to rise' & therefore nightlife relatively
quiet. One of best ways to spend evening is
in a wine garden (heurigen) outside towns.
Casinos & nightclubs in most of major cities,
Graz for instance, which depends largely on
tourist trade. Native Austrians prefer theatre
& opera.
Vienna offers wide range of entertainment
& nightlife. From Cabarets, Cafe's, Discos,
Nightclubs, & Taverns.
Salzburg offers a summer full of films,
operas, concerts, & dramas. Also check out
beer gardens & bars.
Shopping
Austrian stores that tourists find interesting,
generally open at 8 or 9 a.m. & close at
6 p.m. Mon - Fri, noon or 1 p.m. on Sats. In
resort areas, some stores keep limited weekend
hours. High-quality goods such as glass &
chinaware, plus handbags plus sports equipment.
Vienna: Fine shopping
in boutiques, plus food & flea markets (offering
art & antiques), & shopping districts
lined with luxury boutiques & large emporiums,
plus department store shopping.
Salzburg:
In Old City shopping centres in Griesgasse,
Alter Markt, & Getreidegasse; across river
Linzer Strasse & Platzl.
Innsbruck: Main shopping concentrated
in & around Old City.
Value Added Tax (VAT) added to most
goods & services. Visitors from outside
the European Union entitled to refund of this
tax, on purchases exceeding Aprox. 100 Euros
($100), from any one store. Look for Tax
Free Shopping display & ask clerk
for necessary paperwork. Vital to have these
papers stamped by Customs official upon leaving
Austria (or from final stop in EU). Then go
to tax-free cash-point at airport or border
station to receive refund (usually about 13%
of purchase price).
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