Austria

Understand

Österreich literally means "the Eastern Realm" or "Eastern Empire" in German.

See

While Austria may be in the very heart of Europe, the country has plenty of attractions to see. There are scenic backdrops, traditional music, visual architectural styles and an ethnically homogenous culture in its range.

Summer and winter, large flocks of tourists are drawn to Austria's mighty mountainous scenery. With no less than 62% of the country at an altitude of 500m or more, it's hard to miss the stunning snow-covered peaks and green valleys. Depending on the season, you'll find green mountain meadows or white landscapes as far as you can see, but either way, you won't be disappointed by the grand views. Highlights include for example the High Mountain National Park in the Zimmertal Alps, with peaks up to 3476m, narrow gorges and steep cliffs. National Park Thayatal combines beautiful valley landscapes with a variety of castles and ruined fortresses. The country's highest peak is called Grossglockner and is located on the border between Carinthia and East Tyrol. To get a good view, the Grossglockner High Alpine Road, with its gorgeous panorama's comes highly recommended. At the feet of mountain peaks you'll find luscious valleys, including the lovely Villgratental. The river Danube created some beautiful valley landscapes, where you'll now find famous vineyards. Wachau and Dunkelsteinerwald in Lower Austria are fine (and protected) examples. To make the image complete, the valley landscapes and hillsides are dotted with countless picturesque villages. thumb|230x230p…

Do

thumb|420x420px|[[Lech and Zürs am Arlberg|Lech, a famous village and ski area in Vorarlberg]]

Eat

thumb|Wiener Schnitzel with potatoes Austrian food is distinctive and delicious, and is traditionally of the stodgy, hearty "meat and dumplings" variety. Wiener Schnitzel (a bread-crumbed and fried veal escalope) is something of a national dish, and Knödel are a kind of dumpling which can be made either sweet or savory according to taste. In Vienna the Tafelspitz (boiled beef with potatoes and horseradish - it's classier than it sounds) is traditionally served on Sundays, and is normally accompanied by clear broth with dumplings and herbs. Apart from these, Austria is renowned for its pastries and desserts, the most well-known of which is probably the Apfelstrudel.

Bread (Brot) is taken seriously in Austria. Almost every village has its own bakery, offering a large choice of freshly baked sweet and savoury rolls daily from 06:00. Rye bread (Vollkornbrot, Bauernbrot) is the traditional staple food among peasants. If this is too heavy for you, try the common white bread roll (Semmel). Somewhat surprisingly, it is easier to find good bread outside of Vienna, where the baking industry hasn't yet come to be dominated by industrial scale chain shops.

Some Austrians have a habit of eating sweet flour-based dishes (Mehlspeise) for a main course once a week. Varieties include Kaiserschmarren, Marillenknoedel, and Germknoedel.

The best advice is to dive into the menu and give it a go - there are no nasty surprises!

Drink

thumb|Almdudler Vienna is famous for its café culture, and there are coffee houses all over the city, many of which have outdoor terraces that are popular in the summer. Visit them for coffee (of course), hot chocolate and pastries. Most famous is Sacher-Torte.

Soft drinks: Austria has also a national soft drink called Almdudler. It is lemonade with herbs. North Americans will find it similar to, but not exactly like, ginger ale. Other typical Austrian soft drinks are Holler or Hollundersaft. It's a soft drink made of elderberry blossoms. The globally popular energy drink Red Bull is a license produced localisation of Krating Daeng from Thailand but is often seen as an Austrian invention and is sold everywhere. Austrians often mix sparkling mineral water 50:50 with fruit juice which is then qualified with the adjective gespritzt.

Alcohol consumption in Austria is quite high and part of everyday life, so it is normal to have a drink in parks or on the street. Beer and wine can be bought at 16, everything else at 18. There are several popular drinks:

Austria has some first class wines, mostly whites, slightly on the acidic side. Due to its climate, thumb|Bottle and glass of StrohAustrian reds will often be made from grape varieties such as Zweigelt or Blaufränkisch which are not familiar to many wine drinkers from outside the country, but are definitely worth trying. Wine can be drunk mixed with mineral water, called "G'spritzter" or "Spritzer". The best place to do so is a…

Sleep

thumb|Cozy guesthouses can be easily found in smaller cities and towns Although hotels can usually even be found in smaller cities they are quite expensive (even more so in bigger cities) cheaper possibilities in big cities are youth hostels and in smaller towns you can often find families renting flats in bed and breakfast style (look for Pension or Zimmer Frei signs) for . In the countryside many farmers will rent out rooms for a couple of nights, both officially and unofficially. To find a place to stay, simply knock on the door of a farmhouse and ask - if they don't have a room they'll probably know someone nearby who does.

You can also find a lot of camping grounds (some of them are open the whole year round) but while they are exceptionally clean and often provide additional services, they are also a bit more expensive than in other countries in Central Europe.

Austrian law requires anyone to register at their resident address, even if it's only for one night and even if it's a campsite.

Hotels will therefore ask to see your passport or driving license and may refuse to give you accommodation if you don't have any ID on you. If you stay in private accommodation for longer than about two weeks, you should obtain a document of registration (Meldezettel) from the local registration authority (Bezirksamt or Meldeamt), usually located in the town hall. This document needs to be signed by the owner or tenant of your accommodation. Failure to present this document upon depa…

Stay safe

Austria is one of the safest countries in the world. According to the OECD Factbook of 2006, levels of robbery, assault, and car crime are among the lowest in the developed world, and a study by Mercer ranks Vienna as the 6th safest city in the world out of 215 cities.

Violent crimes are extremely rare and should not concern the average tourist. Small towns and uninhabited areas such as forests are very safe at any time of the day. Like everywhere else in Europe, Austria has also seen a rise in violent crime and sex crime since 2015, but crime is still low in comparison to other western European countries. In Vienna, for example, there are some problems with gangs of young migrants in working-class neighbourhoods, which have also been widely discussed in public and in the media. Although you are safe anywhere at any time, follow standard safety precautions and use common sense when walking alone at night in quiet areas of large cities such as Vienna, Linz or Graz: Be careful and keep a distance to shady people. Beware also of pickpockets in crowded places. Like everywhere in Europe they are becoming increasingly professional. Bicycle theft is rampant in bigger cities, but virtually absent in smaller towns. Always lock your bike to an immobile object.

There is a federal police and in some few towns there is a municipality police. If you have a problem, the federal police (just Polizei) is your place to go. They are working very professional and will help you in any cases. …

Stay healthy

thumb|A rescue helicopter at a ski piste in Annaberg Austria has an excellent healthcare system by Western standards. Hospitals are modern, clean, and well-equipped. Healthcare in Austria is funded by the Krankenkassen (Sickness-funds), compulsory public insurance schemes that cover 99% of the population. Most hospitals are owned and operated by government bodies or the Krankenkassen. Private hospitals exist, but mainly for non-life-threatening conditions. Doctor's surgeries on the other hand are mostly private, but most accept patients from the Krankenkassen. Many Austrians choose to buy supplemental private health insurance. This allows them to see doctors that don't accept Krankenkassen and to stay in special hospital wards with fewer beds (which often receive preferential treatment).

If you are a traveller from the EU, you can get any form of urgent treatment for free (or a small token fee) that is covered by the Krankenkassen. Non-urgent treatment is not covered. Simply show your European Health Insurance Card and passport to the doctor or hospital. When going to a GP, look out for their signs: "Alle Kassen" (all Krankenkassen accepted), or "Keine Kassen" (no Krankenkassen accepted), in which case your EHIC is not valid. Supplemental travel insurance is recommended if you want to be able to see any doctor or receive specialist treatment.

If you are a traveller from outside the EU, and have no travel insurance, you will need to pay the full cost of treatment up-front (w…

Respect

Austrians take formalities and etiquette seriously and good manners (Gutes Benehmen) can take you a long way in a social situation.

When entering and leaving public places Austrians always say hello (Grüß Gott as formal greeting and a normal Hallo as a semi-formal greeting) and goodbye (Auf Wiedersehen). When entering a small shop, one should say "Grüß Gott" to the shop keeper when entering and "Wiedersehen" when leaving (the "Auf" can be left off). Phone calls are usually answered by telling your name, and finished with Auf Wiederhören. If you want to greet people in an informal way, use Servus. This greeting is used among friends and also in the countryside (for example, when meeting people at hiking). Servus is also used to say good bye and is common not only in Austria but also in Hungary, Slovenia, Slovakia and southern Germany. Although standard German greetings such as "Tschüss" or "Hi" are used in cities, most Austrians prefer to be greeted with Austrian greetings. Do not raise your voice, lose your temper, or shout in public; in Austria this is highly frowned upon. When being introduced to someone, always shake them by the hand, keep the other hand out of your pocket, say your name and make eye contact. Failure to make eye contact, even if out of shyness, is considered condescending. Some Austrians have a custom of kissing the cheeks twice when friends meet, except for Vorarlberg, where people kiss each other three times as in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. F…