Turn the Heating On, Darling

It is rather chilly in Austria at the moment. Snow is currently on the ground in most places, and it'll probably stay there for another month. However, there are some great signs of recovery from the winter months. First, it is starting to rain rather than snow. This means the weather is warming up, and although the ice on our hotel room window will be there for a little longer, we can see that spring is just around the corner.

With two thirds of Austria being mountainous, the weather in Austria is quite hard to predict. However, there are several things you can be sure of. November to March in Austria is rather cold. You will want to bring a spare blanket, particularly if you are staying in a city hotel. Austrian hotels are used to cold weather, but sometimes it's good to have an extra layer of warmth.

In April, it starts to warm up. You may be able to get away with wearing just a T-shirt on some days. The average temperature stays around 9 °C, or 49 °F. May is one of the best months to go cycling in Austria, as the temperature is warm without being too hot, staying around 14 °C or 58 °F.

June to September are the hotter months, with average temperatures around 20 °C or 68 °F in July and August. This is by no means too hot, and it's easy to go hiking or biking even in the middle of summer. Just make sure you have plenty of water with you to stay well hydrated.

The summer months are great for exploring cities such as Vienna, Salzburg, and Graz. Because June is normally rather wet, depending on where you are, it's always good to be prepared for a little damp weather. You can always reenact scenes from Singin' in the Rain is it starts to pour down. Of course, strangers will look at you as though you're mad.

September is a great month thanks to the various beer festivals and the run up to harvest. While it is still warm enough to go outside in a T-shirt, you'll probably want a lightweight coat for the evenings. Of course, the amount of food available at the local farmers markets means you probably won't want to move too far at the end of each day.

Whatever time of year it is, though, you need a great place to stay. Whether you want little zimmer in the middle of the Alps, a pension in Salzburg, or hotel in Vienna, why not pop over to our sister site to get a great deal.

Finding a Great Hotel in Austria

When you visit Austria, you want to stay in a great Austrian hotel. The best Austrian hotels are not necessarily the biggest ones, though. Some of the best hotels we've ever stayed in were small family-run businesses.

Sometimes, we leave things to the last minute to try to get the best price. Often, this means making inquiries at the door. Of course, this approach doesn't work all the time – particularly during the height of the tourist season. Fortunately, we try not to travel during that time.

So, how do you recognize a great hotel or pension?

If we are traveling in an unfamiliar area, we generally take a good look around the local streets first. This gives a feel for the place. Austria is a very safe place, but there are a few neighborhoods where you don't really want to travel. Naturally, we identify the hotels, pensions, and zimmers in the local area. We generally rate each one based on the appearance.

First, the outside is clean. This means the yard is swept, the gardens are tidy, and the windows are free from dirt. This means the owner cares about appearances, and a hotel that is clean on the outside is likely to be clean on the inside. Second, when you walk inside, there is someone to greet you fairly quickly. Now, in family-run hotels, particularly very small ones, the reception area may not always be manned. However, the owner or receptionist should be able to talk to you within a couple of minutes.

Don't forget to make inquiries. Make sure you know what time breakfast is served, whether you have 24-hour access, and what time you need to be out of the hotel. Naturally, you need to make sure that the facilities meet your needs.
We may do this with several hotels to compare each one and go back to the one we like the most. This may not necessarily be the one with the lowest price – although a low price does help.

We generally pay in advance so we know exactly how much we are being charged. In addition, we frequently pay by cash, which is particularly useful for small hotels. This means that our cards cannot be charged without us knowing. This is a rare situation, but because we travel so much, we do our best to lower the risk as much as possible. Some hotels, however, only accept card payments.

So, now you know how to find a great Austrian hotel like a pro. We have a lot of experience at selecting great hotels, and we're always happy to help you find the perfect hotel for your holiday.

Oh Little Town in Austria . . .

Austria is full of little towns where we have stayed and enjoyed the local delicacies. While big metropolitan areas are always fun to visit, both my partner and I grew up in rural areas, which mean we love the little towns and villages that dot Austria’s landscape. Whether we’re staying in a small pension or hotel in a town or have found a zimmer in a village, we find these small clumps of houses really reveal the heart of Austria.

For sheer Austrian beauty, you cannot go wrong with the town of Hallstatt. Set on Hallstatter See, a large lake in Upper Austria, it is one of the most picturesque towns you’ll ever visit. When covered in snow, it looks like a gingerbread house town, although it may be a little salty thanks to the salt mines in the area. These mines serve as one of the town’s tourist attractions, as does the town’s ossuary, a place where the bones of the dead are stored. The reason everyone goes here, though is for the relaxation, the walks, and the views. It’s a wonderful place to be.

Pertisau in Tyrol is a lovely summer and winter village. In winter, it has the great ski slopes that dominate the Tyrolean Alps. In summer, it has access to the lush warm waters of Achensee and the gorgeous mountains around it. It’s not as pretty as Hallstatt, but the food is better.

Feldbach in eastern Styria is a lovely sleepy town set in the rolling vineyards. It has a great mediaeval feel about it, and the castles surrounding it just reinforce that sense of being back in 1200. Of course, the wine that comes out of that region also makes you feel like you’re somewhere in the dark ages, although that could just be the hangover. While you’re there, visit Bad Gleichenberg where there is a spa.

Mürzzuschlag in Lower Austria is always worth a visit as it has some great wild trails and some lovely cycling routes. If you’re interested in railways, there is a railway museum and several other sights. In winter, it has some great skiing nearby, so it’s a fantastic place to eat and sleep between days of skiing. The hotels are often cheaper than their Tyrolean equivalents.

Villach and Landskron in Carinthia have several little interesting bits to explore. The nearby castle, Burgruine Landskron, dominates the local landscapes, and falconers regularly display their birds there. In addition there are a lot of monkeys there, and no, we don’t mean our fellow tourists. The castle holds a collection of macaque monkeys in the Affenberg. When you’re done with the castle, you can explore Ossiachersee, a nearby lake that offers the usual scenic walks and diversions.

Austria’s towns and villages are far too numerous to be listed here, but these are some of our favorites. Hotels and zimmers are usually easy to find, so enjoy your trip to Austria in comfort.

Need a hotel in Austria? Click here to find it at Booking.com

Ich Spreche Englisch: German Phrases You Should Know

As with any country, it helps to speak the native language. While some of us, particularly myself, are very bad at languages, it does pay to know the basic phrases of German, Austria’s mother tongue. Whether you are trying to ask for a room in a hotel, say please or thank you, or ask for a beer, these brief phrases will help you to communicate in Austria.

Greetings are usually similar to English. Hallo is a basic greeting used to cover most situations. Guten Tag (good day, pronounced gooten taag), Guten Morgan (good morning), and Guten Abend (good evening, pronounced gooten ah-bun) are similar time-specific greetings. Auf Wiedersehen (Goodbye, pronounced owf veeder-zayn) and bis bald (see you soon, pronounced biss bauld) are good ways to see someone off.

Continuing on the conversation, you’ve got wie geht es Ihnen? (how are you, pronounced vee gate is eenen). You hear a reply of Danke, gut. Und Ihnen? This indicates the speaker is well (good, thanks. And yourself?, pronounced danker goot. Unt eenen?).

Yes and no are ja and nein (yaa and nine) respectively.

The one I came to rely on for a while was sprechen sie Englisch? (do you speak English, pronounced spreken-zie Engleesh). However, when the answer was nein or ein bisschen (a little, pronounced eyn beeshen) I found I ended up resorting to an ever-handy phrasebook.

Please and thank you are bitte (pronounced bit-ter) and danke (pronounced dan-ker).

Now for the important stuff I found incredibly useful.

Numbers one to six are ein, zwei, drei, vier, funf, and sechs (eyn, szvei, dry, fear, foonf, and zex). So if you were asking for four beers, you would say “veir Bier bitte.” A number of German words are similar to their English counterparts, so this makes pronouncing them a lot easier.

Although the point hold up the number of fingers for the items you need approach can work well, it does painfully indicate you know nothing about German. I find it’s best to garble the German pronunciation a little, as that seems to make it more easily understandable. For a real rustic accent, a raging throat infection is recommended.

Ein Zimmer,bitte is what you need to say if you’re looking for a room for the night. Of course, if you’ve already booked your hotel room (hint hint), all you might need to say is Ich habe ein Zimmer reserviert. Meine Name ist *name* (I have reserved a room. My name is ...).

Hopefully a few of these phrases will help you to get around a bit more easily. It’s amazing how far you can go by remembering a few simple phrases.

Zimmers and Hotels: What is the Difference?

Throughout this site, you’ll see that we’ve talked about zimmers, hotels, pensions, and apartments. It’s a good idea to be familiar with the differences between these different types of accommodation.

A hotel is a very common sight. Whether it’s a multistory complex in Vienna or a smaller multistory complex resort in the Austrian Alps, hotels offer an fairly impersonal but clean place to stay.

Depending on where you are and what time of year it is, hotels can cost anything from €30 to hundreds of Euros per night. Typically, hotels in ski resorts in the height of the winter and spring skiing season will cost between €500 to €2000 for five days, based on two sharing. A family of four generally won’t get a discount, as children over the age of five will generally require separate rooms, so this can make staying in a hotel very expensive.

If you have a large group, a chalet may be a better alternative. Prices for chalets can start from €600 for a four-person chalet, rising to €1,200 for a 10-person chalet. Prices during the ski season may be significantly higher depending on availability, though. These are often self-catering, so be prepared to cook.

We’ve found staying in a town a little distance away from the main ski slopes is a cheaper way to enjoy Austria’s skiing routes. Often, cross-country skiing can be a fun diversion, and the prices make it worth it. There are also usually busses that drive around picking people up, so you’ll have a short ride before you get to the slopes. That’s not a problem, because you’re paying so much less for the same amount of fun!

Zimmers are a lot more personal than a hotel and are often a free room in a house. The house might have several rooms that the owners rent out, but it’s usually an informal family-run business. Prices range widely, but you can get zimmers from €20 to €100 per room. This makes it a very cost-effective option when sleeping two people. However, zimmers are best in the summer, particularly when you’re looking for somewhere different to stay in a small town or village. For a family of four, a hotel may be a more reliable choice, but if you’re a seasoned traveler traveling with a partner, like I am, you will find zimmers offer that extra personal touch to Austria—and often a bigger breakfast.

Urban hotels, on the other hand, particularly in areas such as Salzburg and Vienna, offer good cheap rooms for the night, often with a reasonable breakfast, no matter what season it is. Just be aware of local festivities that may push up the price.

The personal nature of zimmers is their greatest strength, and we’ve often found out about little hidden gems of Austria through chatting with our hosts, something you don’t often get the chance to do in a hotel. We love Austrian zimmers, and with a little planning and booking, so will you.

Strolling in Styria

During the spring months, it is well worth travelling around in Styria, which is in the southeast of the country. I love the rural parts of Styria, and there are some great hikes to be had in that part of Austria. In the north of Styria, we hiked amongst the southern Alps, where there are fantastic views. Our zimmer was located halfway up a hill, so we had a few days of fantastic hill walks. We also ended up trekking between Semmeringbahn and Mürzzuschlag, which followed the local railway.

In the center of Styria, in a place called Knittelfeld, is Seckau Abbey, which looks like something out of a fantasy novel. The mountainous backdrop and the ornate interior are both absolutely gorgeous, so it’s a sight well worth adding to any sightseeing trip in Austria. In nearby Tremmelburg are two huge wooden towers, and it’s a great route to hike. From the top of the towers, you can see for miles around—great if you want some stunning photos of Austria.

In southern Styria and Burgenland is a chain of ancient volcanoes that form the basis of Austria’s wine industry. We chatted to the owners and staff of the local pensions and hotels to find out about local paths, and we walked among the vineyards. After a few days of trekking in this area, it is nice to unwind, so we checked out one of Styria’s seven spas. It’s great to have a little relaxation time, and the volcanic water makes even the achiest of muscles relax. Topping off the day sometimes involved one of Styria’s wines at a Buschenschanken—around 70 percent of wine production is with white grapes, so there are some great white wines in Austria.

One of our favorite walks was in the south of Styria: a seven-day walk from Leibnitz, through Gamlitz, Leutschach, Kitzeck, and back to Leibnitz. The trip offered several stays in different hotels and exploration of the areas around the towns and villages. Walking up to 12 miles a day was relatively easy, and the scenery was amazing. If you plan on doing a route like this, make sure you know where you’re going to go and when. Plan for bad weather; we were lucky and had sun all the way through our trip, but we had a backup plan if the heavens decided to open. Admittedly it was as simple as taking a bus to the next place if necessary.

The hiking trails in Styria vary widely in difficulty. Part of it depends on the steepness of the climb, and part of it depends on how well the trail has been maintained. Styria’s lowlands, in the south of the state, generally have much easier trails than in the north of the state, as the Alps tend to be rather steep. We ended up being very tired at the end of each day in northern Styria, which meant we slept very soundly. In southern Styria, we tended to go out a bit more after walking as the trails were easier, and the wine was quite good. This meant we saw more of the towns where our hotels and zimmers were based, and they were very pretty.

Walking in Styria rewards you with amazing scenery, good food, and lots of little hidden gems that you would miss on a simple guided tour of the cities.

One street in Salzburg

Moostrasse. Yep. That's the name. Thats the name of the street in Salzburg. That street is dear to me as it brings back so many good memories. It is a long street, perfectly straight. It starts off right at the end of the new/old city of Salzburg and takes you all the way to the Untersberg mountain. This mountain is beautiful. It is also where they shot the film "The sounds of music". A quote from Wikipedia on the Untersberg: "The Untersberg is a mountain massif of the Berchtesgaden Alps that straddles the border between Berchtesgaden, Germany and Salzburg, Austria" Wow!
Now back to Moostrasse street. There is an American Boarding school there. Thats were I have learned. I attended this high school for two years. Moostrasse street has so many Zimmers, you wouldn't believe it. Almost every other house has this wooden sign out side with the writing "Zimmer Frei" that's" Vacant room" in German. If you're up for a cosy Austrian traditional bed and breakfast - just knock on the door and you will be immediately escorted to your room. These arent hotels with large receptions and paper work. Just hop in, get a shower, dress up and enjoy the scenery. Pay just before check out after breakfast and drive off to your next destination. I like those zimmers because the wooden interior design they have in the Alps and because its very informal and easy in and out.
There is something...easy..relaxing or simply down to earth, highly productive and honest about the people of Salzburg. That sounds like a bunch of words with no meaning but I will give you an example. As oposed to Vienna, the 1.5 million person capital of Austria, Salzburg and the towns and villages are much quieter and relaxing. I used to see this old lady on a bicycle almost every morning. She would cycle up the street until she made it to the big chestnut tree. Next to that tree, on a sign poll, was a plastic bag filled with today's newspaper from one of the leading papers in town. She would put a dime in the box on top and only then open the facility and take out a newspaper. Sounds easy. But for people not living in Austria, this simple scene is hard to explain. Why put a dime in the box? who will see you if you don't? After all, its not an automatic machine. Anyone can open and take out a paper. Perhaps read it on the spot and return it. But Nooo, not the old Austrian lady. She would never even think about opening the plastic bag facility if she didn't have the exact amount of money. You see, that's Austria. That's would I like about it. If you pay for your paper left on a poll next to a tree, you would do anything right. That's why Austria is perfect, that's exactly why the food tastes so good, that's why the bus is always on time, that's why everything is pure and good. Its called Austria.

What to Consider When Going to Austria

Austria is a wonderful country that is home to a huge amount of things to see and do. If you are due to take a trip there, read on to find out about some of the main things you need to consider in order to properly prepare for your trip.

When to go

Austria is a relatively temperate country in terms of climate but the weather does vary between seasons and from place to place. This means you might like to look at the average climate at different times of the year before you plan your trip. For example, if you’re a fan of hot sunshine then the eastern part of Austria during the summer is a good option. If you love the idea of going to the Alps, bear in mind that there are long winters there, although the summers are great for hiking as it’s not as hot as other parts of the country.

Where to go

You might also like to research where you’d like to go as there are so many attractions to choose from. For instance, there are 9 separate regions in Austria so you need to pick which ones you want to go to. Also, some attractions (such as the floating opera or Johann Strauss Ball) are only available at certain times of the year or in certain places, so this might influence how you organise your trip. Examples of great attractions to consider include Mozart’s birthplace and the ice caves at Salzburg, and the last protected European rainforest at the Donau-Auen National Park.

Where to stay

It’s also worth making sure you’ve got your accommodation sorted before you go to Austria. Tourism is the country’s fastest growing industry and, with tens of thousands of tourist establishments across the country, you won’t have any trouble finding something to suit your needs. One great option is to consider staying in an Austrian zimmer, which is similar to a country inn. Check out the options available in the region you’re staying in to see what’s on offer.

What to pack

When it comes to packing, make sure you take rainproof clothing no matter what time of year you’re going to Austria. If you forget to take something with you, there are plenty of towns and cities where you’ll be able to pick up what you need. If you’ll be driving a car while you’re there, make sure you take a visibility safety jacket with you as all drivers are required to have one in their cars.