Travelling to Austria from Other Parts of the World

Austria is quickly becoming one of the world’s top tourist destinations, and of course there are plenty of good reasons for this. A number of Austrian airports in popular holiday destinations have good intercontinental connections, and the Vienna International Airport is very well connected globally, so getting to Austria should be relatively easy no matter where you are in the world. 

There are a number of flights from the UK to different Austrian cities. For instance, Innsbruck Airport is connected with London Gatwick, as well as other airports, including Manchester, Bristol, Liverpool, Birmingham and Edinburgh. Salzburg also has connections with several British airports, and Linz is served from London-Stansted. Vienna international airport has a number of frequent flights to London and other cities around the UK. 

Being an important global destination, the main international airport (Vienna International Airport) is connected with most big hubs across the world. New Delhi, Mumbai, Beijing, Jakarta, Bangkok, Tokyo, Seoul, among other Asian cities, have good flight connections to them, usually via another European destination. 

There are a number of airlines connecting major Australian cities with Vienna. Flight duration from Australia and New Zealand could range from around 26 hours to 45 hours depending on the kind of connections you choose. Most flights from Australia to Central Europe involve two stopovers, one somewhere in Asia and one in the Middle East, but this is subject to change depending on the particular flight and airline. 

Most big American cities are well connected with Austria, and involve a stopover or two. The duration depends on where you are in the USA and the particular flight you choose! For instance, a Lufthansa flight from San Francisco to Vienna via Munich takes only 13 hours, while one KLM flight via Amsterdam involves a long stopover and takes 28 hours to get to Vienna International Airport. 

Vienna is also well connected from major international airports across African and South American countries. Most European airports have direct connections with Vienna Int’l Airport, and good onwards connecting flights to other Austrian destinations.

Rick Steves' Vienna, Salzburg & Tirol

Typical Summer Weather in Austria

Austria is situated in Central Europe and as such, enjoys a largely temperate Central European climate characterised by four familiar seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter. Winters in Austria can often be unforgiving, as is the case with most of Central Europe. This is a general overview of Austrian weather, but of course the weather patterns can be quite different in different regions of the country. 

Summers last from May until September, and peak summer is considered to be around the months of August and July. The weather during this time is typically mild and pleasant, so most holiday makers consider this the best time to visit. The temperature range is quite wide though, and average summer temperatures can be in the range of 20°C and 35°C depending on where you are. 

The Alpine region has the coldest and generally the harshest climate in Austria, and temperatures even during summer months rarely go above freezing. Rainfall can be significant in the Alps in summer, and summers generally tend to be quite short in Alpine Austria. 

The eastern part of Austria lies in a different climatic region, technically called the Continental Pannonian climate, which sees cold winters, although milder than the Alps, hot summer months and moderate rainfall throughout the year. So if you’re visiting Vienna in summer, do expect mild weather and some rainfall. 

Western Austria is more temperate and certainly milder in summer months than eastern Austria. So a visit to the Salzburg festival in July can be a highly sweaty affair. Well I must admit that’s a bit of a hyperbole, but July is peak summer, and does get rather warm. 

Although Austria largely comprises of mountains, in general peak summer months have pleasant and mild weather suitable for most holiday activities; except of course, winter sports like skiing, for which winter months work best. Austria is quite a varied terrain, and the summer weather can change as per the location and altitude.

A Gorgeous Boat Trip Down the Danube

If you suffer from sea sickness like I do, a boat ride on a river, no matter how tranquil it may be advertised to be, may not appeal to your sensibilities. The fact that a celebrated 17^th century composer immortalised the river in question by dedicating a beautiful piece of music to it, may shake your resolve for a second but you may still need more convincing! 

The fact is that a boat ride on the Danube can be an altogether numinous experience. It offers a way to experience and view Vienna in a way that is otherwise impossible. As you gently glide across this gorgeous and iconic river, and enjoy the sights, you can wave goodbye to your aversion to travelling on water. 

And if you are one of the luckier and more numerous people who do not suffer from this strange affliction, well then, you can dive straight into the pleasure of this unique experience! There are different cruises offered, and some boat rides allow you to visit Budapest and Bratislava and get back to Vienna on the very same day by coach, or return the next day by boat. The journey from Vienna to Budapest takes about 6 hours by boat. 

The day boat tour in Vienna, which we took, takes about three and half to four hours. You can enjoy awe-inspiring views of the Danube Island and Danube Tower. The tour takes you through various parts of the city including Vienna Old Town, giving you the opportunity to see the various facets of Vienna in a completely new way. If you have spent the previous days exploring the city on foot, glimpsing it from this perspective can be a special treat. 

The sheer beauty of the views makes the entire experience worthwhile. If you return at sunset, you can watch the sun set over the city while the light glimmers and twinkles on the water, as you drift gently on this fabled river. And if you take a more informative tour, perhaps with some city hopping, such as the tour to Budapest, you can not only enjoy the sights, but also learn much more about this river that has witnessed so much of Europe’s history.

** Photo credit : www.austria.info

Some Great Museums to Explore in Vienna

Kunsthistorisches Museum

As one of the most celebrated cities in Europe for its cultural and historical significance, the Austrian capital of Vienna is, unsurprisingly, a popular tourist destination. There is a wide variety of museums in the city, and it is not possible to visit all unless you’re in the city for a long while. I’ve made a list of some must-see museums that will hopefully enhance your experience of Vienna in a way that it did mine. 

Kunsthistorisches Museum or the Vienna Museum of Fine Arts is housed in an awe-inspiring palatial building in the heart of the inner district of the city. The museum has an interesting collection of fine art, as well as a substantial antiquities collection from the Egyptian and Greek Empires. This museum is ideal if you want to get a sense of European cultural grandeur, of which Vienna was an integral part. 

The Museum of Fine Arts was built around the same time as The Museum of Natural History or Naturhistorisches Museum Wien. Both were commissioned by Austrian-Hungarian emperor Franz Joseph the first in the late 1800’s. The Naturhistorisches Museum Wien is one of the oldest and most significant natural history museums in the world, and, like the Kunsthistorisches Museum, is contained in a breathtakingly grand building.

inside Kunsthistorisches Museum

Vienna is home to Europe’s second largest cemetery, and the sheer enormity of this fact compels you to visit it. The Central Cemetery or Zentralfriedhof is the final resting place of many important people such as famous Austrian musicians - including Brahms, Schubert and Beethoven. If you are into history and get inspired by stories of famous people, you may enjoy a visit to the Zentralfriedhof. 

If you are interested in European architecture, some places in Vienna should most definitely be on your ‘to-see’ list. These include The Imperial Palace or Hofberg, the Church of St. Leopold or Kirsch am Steinhof, The Belvedere Palace and The Museum of Military History, which also has a very interesting collection, sure to intrigue anyone interested in the military legacy of Austria.

Fantastic Shopping Opportunities in Austria

Those who think that Austria for tourists and visitors, is mostly only about skiing, couldn’t be more wrong. If shopping is your thing then you are likely not to be disappointed on your Austrian holiday. Not many people may be aware of this – but Austria is more than a skiing paradise and cultural landmark, it’s also an amazing shopping destination! 

If you are heading on an Austrian holiday and have the hopes of turning it into a shopping break, your aspirations certainly will not be crushed. Not only will you witness world class shopping facilities, flaunting all the right names in retail and fashion, but may stumble upon shopping opportunities that are unique to Austria. Ultimately, you will be spoilt for choice. Right! Now on to the details. 

Every popular tourist destination is filled to the brim with ‘souvenir’ shops that stock all kinds of knick knacks, usually defined by the words, useless and overpriced. However, while you will encounter many of these, rest assured that you will also find many genuinely valuable and uniquely Austrian items. If you enjoy indulging in culinary culture, you may find Austrian liquors and wines, especially dessert wines, very interesting. If you are a foodie, do not miss Austrian speciality foods. Some good examples would be Austrian ginger bread known as Lebkuchen or the highly aromatic Styrian pumpkin seed oil. 

Coffee is another excellent thing to invest in while in Austria. Austria, of course, is not a coffee growing country, but the fact that Austrians adore coffee may have something to do with the quality coffee being available in abundance here. Another item related to food and drink, that you can pick up are cook books, of which you will find many, especially in old book shops and flea markets. 

Austria has an immensely rich cultural heritage, and is well known for antiques, artefacts and different crafts. Austrian glass and porcelain are renowned across the world, so if you like a locally made glass ornament, be assured that it will be top quality. 

This is just a tiny glimpse into the world of unique shopping opportunities in Austria. If you prefer more mainstream high street shopping, there are no shortage of world class malls and boutiques in Vienna and other major cities across the country.