Austria – arrival
Airplane: for air travel to Austria, whoever books early can save a lot of money. Austrian Airlines (OS) is Austria’s national airline and offers most of its flights to and from Vienna. From Vienna there isDirect flightsin numerous European cities and centers around the world.
Airports: Vienna and its airport(VIE) is Austria’s most important transport hub. Flights from all over the world land there. However, international flights also land in Graz (GRZ), Linz (LNZ), Klagenfurt (KLU), Salzburg (SZG) and Innsbruck (INN). From there there are connections to Greece, Spain, Belgium, Italy, Croatia, Switzerland, Germany, Turkey, the Netherlands and Sweden, among others. Flights to these airports are often an inexpensive alternative to flights to Vienna. This also applies to flights to Letisko Airport in Bratislava, Slovakia (BTS), which is only 60 kilometers east of Vienna. Since Bregenz does not have its own airport, we recommend arriving via the airports Friedrichshafen (Germany) or Altenrhein (Switzerland).
Ship: the most important shipping route in Austria is the Danube. It gained additional importance through the construction of the Main-Danube Canal and the connection to the Rhine. Arrival by ship is possible from Hungary, Slovakia and Germany. On the MS River Queen, travelers can take a 13-day cruise from Amsterdam from May to Septembergo to Vienna. The MS Amadeus takes passengers from Passau to Budapest in seven days. There are also regular boat connections to Bratislava. The company DDSG Blue Danube Schifffahrt operates the Vienna-Budapest route with its ships.
Rail: Austria benefits from its central location within Europe as it has excellent rail connections to all major cities. Vienna is one of the most important rail transport hubs in Europe. From Salzburg there are often several daily express train connections to Munich, from Linz to Prague and Regensburg, from Graz to Budapest and Ljubljana, from Klagenfurt in the direction of Ljubljana and Venice and west to Zurich.
Car: entering the country by car or motorcycle is easy and quick. Well-developed motorways connect Austria with its neighbors. Roads and border crossings from Germany, Slovenia, Switzerland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Italy, and Slovakia lead to Austria. Only one border crossing leads from little Liechtenstein to neighboring Austria, near Feldkirch. Transport axes between Germany and Italy also run through the country.
Requirements and insurance
If you travel to Austria with your own vehicle, you need the complete vehicle documents, a valid driving license (for non-EU citizens it should be an international driving license) and liability insurance (green insurance certificate). The vehicle should be equipped with a first aid kit and a warning triangle. Helmets are compulsory for motorcyclists and their passengers. You must also drive with lights during the day.
Bus: traveling by bus is inexpensive. The easiest way to book trips to Austria is with Eurolines, an association of bus companies from all over Europe. A total of 14 Austrian cities are served by Eurolines. A large part of the buses cross Vienna. Further stations are, for example, Graz, Linz, Salzburg, Klagenfurt and Innsbruck. Columbus Reisen brings travelers from Prague to Austria. Vienna and Salzburg are also stops on the northern round trip route operated by Busabout. Its buses regularly travel to 35 cities across Europe on various routes.
Best travel time for Austria
A visit to Austria is worthwhile at any time of the year. However, not every vacation activity is possible in every season. The summer is the best time for hiking, mountain biking and swimming. In winter you can of course ski very well. Festivals take place all year round, music festivals especially between May and October. It is usually warm between April and October, but it can be changeable at the beginning and end of summer. Most holidaymakers are on the go in the high season in July and August, now the accommodation prices are also the highest. The temperatures sometimes reach very high values, many famous Austrian institutions close during this time, including the opera, the Spanish Riding School and the choir of the Vienna Boys’ Choir. June and September are therefore the best times for city breaks. Visit watchtutorials.org for Austria mountain scenery and culture.
In winter, the cities in Austria are less crowded (except in ski areas and over Christmas and Easter). Hotel prices are lower, but it can get very cold. The high season for winter sports is between mid-December and the end of March, with a particularly large number of winter sports enthusiasts coming over Christmas and New Years and in February. Alpine resorts are very quiet and often completely closed from late April to mid-June and from November to early December.
Austria climate
Austria lies in the Central European climate zone, the eastern part of the country has a continental climate with little rainfall, hot summers and mild winters. In the Alps there is high rainfall, summers are short and winters are long. The seasons are very different. Summer is between June and August, the temperatures are now at their highest, but the greatest amounts of precipitation also fall. Winter in Austria can be very cold, especially in December, January and February. Spring and autumn bring changeable weather, but often also pleasant temperatures. Avalanches are common in spring. The solar radiation is very strong at high altitudes.
