Austria Travel Resource

Geography

With a total area of 83,870 sq km, Austria includes much of the mountainous territory of the eastern Alps (about 75% of the area). The country contains many snowfields, glaciers, and snowcapped peaks, the highest being the Grossglockner (12,530 ft; 3,819 m). The Danube is the principal river. Forests and woodlands cover about 40% of the land.

Climate and Weather

Austria enjoys a temperate Central European climate with four distinct seasons. Summers are hot with cool nights. In Vienna and other low-lying cities temperatures during the day can get uncomfortably hot over July and August. Winters are cold, below freezing in January and February. The ski season in the Alps runs from December to April but the mountains are also popular with hikers and climbers over the summer when the weather is usually warm and bright.

Population

Austrians are a homogeneous people, although four decades of strong immigration have significantly altered the composition of the population of Austria. According to the 2001 population census, 88.6% are native German speakers (96% Austro-Bavarian dialects and 4% Alemanic dialects) while the remaining 11.4% speak several minority languages. The non-German speakers of Austria can be divided into two groups: traditional minorities, who are related to territories formerly part of the Habsburg Empire, and new minorities, resulting from recent immigration.

Transportation

All of Austria's major cities including Linz, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Graz and Klagenfurt and Vienna have their own international airports. Austrian Airlines, Austria's national carrier, serves all of the above cities and connects Austria with many international destinations. Most large cities and towns feature some form of public transport, including underground systems, buses, tramlines and suburban railways which means getting around without a car is generally not a problem. Many Austrian cities and towns encourage cyclists through designated cycle lanes. There are many beautifully tended cycling routes throughout the country esp. in areas of natural beauty such as along the Danube river.

Top Attractions

1. Hofburg.
2. Spanish Riding School.
3. Museum of Fine Arts (Kunsthistorisches Museum).
4. Schönbrunn Palace.
5. Giant Wheel.
6. Belvedere.
7. Vienna State Opera.
8. Hohensalzburg Fortress.
9. St Peter's Abbey.

Best Travel Time

Vienna can be enjoyed at any time of the year, even when it gets below freezing in winter, as many of the cultural attractions are indoors. The summer months of June, July, August are the best for the weather and outdoor summer events. However, some popular attractions like Spanish Riding School, Vienna Boys' Choir and some theatre houses take a summer break around July & August. Therefore, May, June or Sepember would be good months as the weather is still warm.

Food and Drink

National specialties:
• Wiener Schnitzel is a traditional dish of breadcrumbed and fried veal escalope.
• Tafelspitz is the most famous food, regarded as Austria’s ‘national dish’ and consists simply of boiled beef.
• Calf’s liver with herbs in butter (Geröstete Leber).
• Goulash, which is made of beef, pepper, paprika and onion.
• Kaiserschmarrn (dessert of shredded pancake and stewed fruit).
• Palatschinken (Austrian pancakes).
• Powidl is a plum stew.
• Apfelstrudel. the classic pudding.
• Cheese Danish, which is sweet and stuffed with raisins.
• Various types of smoked and cured pork.
• Dumplings (Knödel) with sauce.
• Mehlspeisen is the national term for cakes and puddings. There are around 60 varieties of Torte, which is often consumed with coffee.

National drinks:
• Local wines (often served in open carafes) are excellent and cheap: most of the wines are white and Riesling and Veltliner are particularly well-regarded.
• Obstler is a drink found in most German-speaking countries, and is made by distilling various fruits. It is usually very strong, and widely drunk as it is cheap and well flavored.

Local Products/Shopping

High-quality goods such as handbags, glassware, chinaware and winter sports equipment represent the cream of specialist items found in Austria. A 20 to 32 per cent value-added-tax (called MwSt) is included in the list price of items sold.

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