AUSTRIA

Austria, is a landlocked alpine German speaking country in Central Europe bordering Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west, Germany and Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east and Slovenia and Italy to the south. Austria, along with neighboring Switzerland, is the winter sports capital of Europe. However, it is just as popular for summer tourists who visit its historic cities and villages and hike in the magnificent scenery of the Alps. Tourism forms an important part of Austria’s economy, accounting for almost 9% of the Austrian gross domestic product.Vienna attracts a major part of tourists, both in summer and winter. Salzburg receives about a fifth of tourist overnight stays compared to Vienna, which ranks it 2nd in the summer season. In the winter season, a number of winter sport resorts in western Austria overtake Salzburg in the number of tourist overnight stays.

Capital :  Vienna

Best Time of Visit :

  1. You could go any time of the year, though for skiing and hiking, the best time to visit Austria would be mid-December to March.
  2. Weather wise the months between April and September are the most pleasant with tourists pouring in to Austria.

Min Days Required :  6 days

Places of Interest : 

  1. Vienna
  2. Innsbruck
  3. Salzburg
  4. Axamer

Climate :

  1. Austria has a temperate continental climate.
  2.  Summers last from early June to mid-September and can be hot in some years and rainy in others.
  3. Day-time temperatures in July and August are around 25° C (77° F), but can often reach 35° C (95° F).
  4. Winters are cold in the lowlands and very harsh in the Alpine region with temperatures often dropping below -10° C (14° F). Winters last from December to March (longer at higher altitudes).
  5. In the Alpine region large temperature fluctuations occur all year round and nights are chilly even in high summer.
  6. The northern Alps are generally a lot wetter than the rest of the country.
  7. The South East (Styria and Carinthia) is dry and sunny. The area around Vienna often experiences strong easterly winds.

Currency : Euro

Things to carry :

  1. During winter, make sure you have warm clothes and a waterproof jacket, gloves, hats and sunglasses.
  2. A pair of sturdy, waterproof shoes or boots for walking around in is also a good idea.
  3. During the summer, bring summer stuff along but also pack some warm clothing for those chilly evenings.
  4. If you’re looking to do some outdoor adventuring, be certain to pack some good quality hiking shoes (insulated, waterproof, and good soles).

How to get there :

Road :

By bus

  1. The bus may be the cheapest option if you want to travel at short notice or if you have large amounts of luggage. Bus travel is especially interesting for those coming from the East as there are many buses into Vienna and they are often faster than trains.

By car

From Germany

  1. Motorway A8 from Munich to Salzburg.
  2. Motorway A93 from Rosenheim via Kufstein to Innsbruck, Tyrol.
  3. E43 (A96) from Leutkirch via Wangen to Bregenz, Vorarlberg.
  4. E56 from Regensburg via Passau to Linz, Upper Austria.

From Italy

  1. Motorway A23 to Villach, Carinthia.
  2. E54 via Brenner to Innsbruck, Tyrol.

Air :

  1. The most important international airport is Vienna which has connection to all major airports of the world.
  2. Other international airports include Graz, Innsbruck, Klagenfurt, Linz, and Salzburg which provide domestic flights as well as connections to some European countries
  3.  For traveling to the western states it is recommended to use the very close Munich airport.

Rail :

  1. Austria has plenty of connections with all its neighbours daily. Every neighbouring country (even Lichtenstein) have trains at least hourly.
  2. Many (Czech Republic, Hungary, Germany, Slovakia, Switzerland) even more frequently.
  3. The ÖBB (Austrian Railways) operate high-speed ICE and Rail Jet trains from cities like Zurich, Munich, Frankfurt, Passau, and Budapest.