Austria Travel Guide

Country Facts

Location

Central Europe.

Language

German is the official language. Regional dialects are pronounced and within the different regions of the country one will encounter marked variations from Hochdeutsch, ie ‘standard' German. There are Croatian and Slovene-speaking minorities in the Burgenland and southern Carinthia respectively.

Area

83,858 sq km (32,378 sq miles).

Time Zone

GMT + 1 (GMT + 2 from fourth Sunday in March to fourth Sunday in October).

Electricity

230 volts AC, 50Hz. Round two-pin European plugs are standard.

Population

8.4 million (2009).

Population Density

100 per sq km.

Capital City

Vienna (Wien). Population: 1.7 million (2009).

Government

Federal Republic.

Head of Government

Chancellor Werner Faymann since 2008.

Head of State

President Heinz Fischer since 2004.

Religion

Over 70% of the population is Roman Catholic.

Recent History

From the first human settlements in the Danube Valley, to the ensuing Celts, Illyrians, Romans and Bavarians, and then the noble Babenburg and the Habsburg dynasties, Austria is a land that has been ruled by many. The 640-year reign of the Habsburgs - creators of the Austro-Hungarian Empire - was ended by WWI; 20 years later, WWII saw Hitler invade and occupy Austria, persecuting the country's Jewish community. Post Holocaust, Austria's Jewish community rebuilt itself, but to this day the Jewish population remains much smaller than before WWII. After Austria's liberation by the Allies in 1944, foundations were laid for the Second Republic. Austria joined the European Union, and also signed the Schengen Agreement, in 1995.

Communications

Telephone

Country Code: +43. Call boxes are grey and found in all areas. International calls can be made from payphones with four coin slots.

Mobile Telephone

Roaming agreements exist with most international mobile phone companies. Coverage is good.

Internet

Available throughout Austria. There are many Internet cafes.

Media

Austria's public broadcaster, Österreichischer Rundfunk, has long-dominated the airwaves, but now faces growing competition from private broadcasters, particularly in Vienna. This is a relatively new phenomenon to Austria. Some German cable or satellite channels deliberately tailor their content for Austrian audiences. The print market is mainly privately owned, fiercely competitive and popular.

Post

Letters within Europe take two to four days, and to the USA four to six days. Post boxes are yellow or orange; red stripes mean that the box is also emptied weekends and bank holidays.generally Mon-Fri 0800-1200 and 1400-1800, and Sat various hours, but main post offices and those at major railway stations are open for 24 hours, seven days a week, including public holidays. Monetary transactions in all post offices permitted Mon to Fri until 1700, Sat 0800-1000.

Press

English-language newspapers and magazines are also widely available, particularly in the big cities and tourist resorts.

Public Holidays

Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2011-December 2012 period.
2010
25 Dec Christmas Day

2011
1 Jan New Year’s Day
6 Jan Epiphany
22 Apr - 25 Apr Easter
1 May National Holiday
2 Jun Ascension Day
13 Jun Whit Monday
23 Jun Corpus Christi
15 Aug Assumption
26 Oct National Day
1 Nov All Saints’ Day
8 Dec Immaculate Conception
25 Dec Christmas Day

2012
1 Jan New Year’s Day
6 Jan Epiphany
6 Apr - 9 Apr Easter
1 May National Holiday
17 May Ascension Day
28 May Whit Monday
7 Jun Corpus Christi
15 Aug Assumption
26 Oct National Day
1 Nov All Saints’ Day
8 Dec Immaculate Conception
25 Dec Christmas Day

Contact Information

British Embassy in Austria

Jauresgasse 12, 1030 Vienna
Tel: 00 (43) (1) 716130
Website: www.ukinaustria.fco.gov.uk

Austrian Embassy in the UK

18 Belgrave Mews West, London SW1X 8HU, UK
Tel: (020) 7344 3250.
Website: www.austria.org.uk
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1200 (personal callers); 0900-1645 (telephone enquiries); 0900-1200 (visa section); 1400-1600 (telephone visa enquiries).

Austrian National Tourist Office (ANTO) in the UK

9-11 Richmond Buildings, off Dean Street, London W1D 3HF, UK
Tel: (020) 7440 3830 or 0845 101 1818 (holiday information and brochure request line).
Website: www.austria.info/uk or www.austriatourism.com/uk
No personal callers.

Embassy of the Republic of Austria in the USA

3524 International Court, NW, Washington, DC 20008, USA
Tel: (202) 895 6700 or 6711 (consular section).
Website: www.austria.org

Austrian Tourist Office (ATO) in the USA

120 West 45th Street, 9th Floor, New York, NY 10036, USA
Tel: (212) 575 7723 or 944 6880.
Website: www.austria.info/us or www.austriatourism.com/us