Austria

From Imakoopedia

Austria (German: Österreich) is a land-locked country in Western Europe.

Table of contents

1 Regions 2 Cities 3 Other destinations 4 Topics 5 Understand 6 Get in 7 Get around 7.1 By train 7.2 By car 8 Talk 9 Buy 10 Eat 11 Drink 12 Sleep 13 Learn 14 Work 15 Stay safe 16 Stay healthy 17 Respect 18 Contact 19 External links

Regions

Austria is a federal state comprised of nine states:

• Burgenland
• Carinthia (Kärnten)
• Lower Austria (Niederösterreich)
• Salzburg
• Styria (Steiermark)
• Tyrol (Tirol)
• Upper Austria (Oberösterreich)
• Vienna (Wien)
• Vorarlberg

Cities

• Graz
• Hall
• Innsbruck
• Klagenfurt
• Linz
• Salzburg
• Vienna (Wien)

Other destinations

• Hallstatt
• Wolfgangsee lake surrounded by picturesque mountain towns
• Wörthersee One of Austria's warmest lakes

Topics

• Skiing in Austria

Understand

Once the center of power for the large Austro-Hungarian Empire, Austria was reduced to a small republic after its defeat in World War I. Following annexation by Nazi Germany in 1938 and subsequent occupation by the victorious Allies in 1945, Austria's status remained unclear for a decade. A State Treaty signed in 1955 ended the occupation, recognized Austria's independence, and forbade unification with Germany. A constitutional law of that same year declared the country's "perpetual neutrality" as a condition for Soviet military withdrawal. This neutrality, once ingrained as part of the Austrian cultural identity, has been called into question since the Soviet collapse of 1991 and Austria's entry into the European Union in 1995. A prosperous country, Austria entered the European Monetary Union in 1999.

Get in

Get around

By train

Good trains between major cities and many towns; buses between other towns and lakes. If you are under 26 and plan to spend more than 40 EUR on rail travel get a VorteilsCard (photo needed) for EUR 19,90 and have 45% discount on all trains in Austria and 25% abroad in Europe. If you have a Vorteilscard you can get a further 5% discount if you buy the tickets at the ticket machines, which sell national as well as regional tickets. The Vorteilscard is also available for those over 26 but costs 100 EUR.

By car

Rural or sparsely populated regions in Austria are easier to explore by car as bus services can be infrequent. Renting a car for a couple of days is a good way to go off the beaten track. Driving in Austria is normally quite pleasant as the country is small and the uncoungested roads are in good condition and offer fantastic scenery. Beware of dangerous drivers however. Austrians are generally a very law-abiding bunch, but when behind a wheel they seem to make an exception to their considerate attitude.

Take special care when driving in winter, especially on winding mountain roads. Icy roads kill dozens of inexperienced drivers every year. Avoid speeding and driving at night and make sure the car is in a good condition. Motorway bridges are particularly prone to ice. Slow down to 80 km/h when going over them. Winter tyres are strongly recommended by Austrian motoring clubs. Also take a pair of snow chains and a warm blanket in the boot in case there is heavy snowfall. Drivers often get stuck in their car for several hours and sometimes suffer from hypothermia. Winter tyres are compulsory on some mountain roads, occasionaly even on motorways.

Talk

The national language of Austria is German. The Austrian dialect is distinct in accent from the German of Germany, and uses some different words and phrases. English, however, is widely spoken, and the only area most tourists have linguistic problems with is translating food. In parts of Vienna with many foreign visitors such languages as Italian and French will often be understood as well.

Buy

Austria is a member of the European Union and the so-called Eurozone. Consequently, the national currency is the Euro. The prices are compareable with other Western European countries, and a bit higher than the USA because of 20 % sales tax (which is included in the prices). A can of coke will you cost about 40 cents, a good meal 10 Euros. Prices in tourist areas (Tyrol, Vienna, Salzburg) are a lot higher than the averages. You can buy all the things you are used too in bigger cities, shops are usually open from 09.30 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. on weekdays and Saturday and closed on Sundays except for Gas station shops (expensive), shops at railway stations and Restaurants. In smaller towns and villages you normally find one or two small shops or bakeries, which carry nearly everything, called "Greißler", albeit they are more and more killed off by bigger shopping centres.

Eat

Austrian food is distinctive and delicious, and is traditionally of the stodgy, hearty "meat and dumplings" variety. Wiener Schnitzel (a breadcrumbed and fried veal escalope) is something of a national dish, and Knödel are a kind of dumpling which can be made either sweet or savoury according to taste. Apart from these, Austria is renowned for its pastries and desserts, the most well-known of which is probably the Apfelstrudel.

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

Drink

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.

Sleep

Learn

Austria has many great universities, and Graz in particular is renowned as a centre of learning, with no less than six universities.

Work

Good work is difficult to find for non-fluent German speakers. If you speak no German at all the best option is probably looking for jobs advertised outside Austria. Another possibility is giving private tuition in foreign languages, though you are unlikely to earn a full time income this way and it takes several months to build up a base of clients.

Stay safe

Austria is one of the safest countries in the world. Violent attacks are extremely rare and normally limited to Vienna. Small towns and uninhabited areas such as forests are totally safe at any time of the day.

Beware of pickpockets in crowded places however. Like everywhere in Europe they are becoming increasingly professional.

Racism can also be a problem and make your stay an unpleasant experience. However, levels of racism are comparable to other Western nations and it is almost never seen in a violent form. In more remote parts of Austria people of non-white origin are a rare sight. If you see locals giving you strange looks here don't feel threatened. They are probably just showing curiousity or a distrust of foreigners and have no intention of doing any physical harm. A short conversation can often be enough to break the ice.

Stay healthy

Certain regions in Austria (Carinthia, Styria, Lower Austria) are affected by tick borne encephalitis. For those who plan doing outdoor activities in the summer months a vaccine is strongly reccommended.

Respect

Austrians (especially those over 40) take formalities and ettiquette seriously. In public many people can be inpolite and pushy however. Many tourists perceive Austrians as unfriendly on the street and in shops, but in many cases this is directness and formality mistaken for unfriendliness. You may find for example that a shop assistant tells you off only to be extremely helpful a minute later. In vienna a cafe isn't considered a real cafe without bad-tempered and arrogant waiters.

Some basic Ettiquette

• 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. Failing to do so is considered condescending and rude, though foreigners may get away with it far more often than nationals.

• On table in a restaurant or in someone's house, keep your elbows off the table and make eye contact when toasting.

Contact

International code is +43 From the UK Austria can be called at local rate by dialling 0845 2442442 followed by the phone number.

External links