Embassy of Austria in Greece 26 Alexandras Av 10683 Athens Phone: +30 210 8257230, 8257240 Fax: + 30 210 8219823 austria@ath.forthnet.gr
Organizing your trip
Means of transport recommended in town
Recommendation
Vienna has a well-developed system of metro, bus, light railand tramwayservices. Most routes have a flat fare, and there are pre-purchase multi-journey tickets and passes. The Vienna Card entitles visitors to 72 hours of unlimited travel by subway, bus and tram within four days. The classic way to travel round the capital is by horse-drawn carriage(Fiaker); fares should be agreed in advance.
There are bus systems in all the other main towns, and also tramways in Linz, Innsbruck and Graz, and trolleybuses in Linz, Innsbruck and Salzburg.
Means of transport recommended in the rest of the country
Recommendation
Rail network in Austria is among the best in the world. Traveling by train is fast and convenient but a little expensive than bus travel. The roads are of international standard and traveling by car is an efficient way. Domestic flights are not a common means of travel for the tourist. Buses are the best connector to all the cities in Austria. They are cheaper and slower than the trains.
-Austria has an excellent network of roads and self driving is safe.
-Cars must be driven with lights throughout the year. Seat belts must be worn and children under the age of 12 and under 150cm (4ft 11in) tall may not sit in the front seat unless a special child's seat has been fitted.
-All cars must have a first-aid kit and a warning triangle. All motorists must also carry high-visibility waistcoats and wear them whenever outside their vehicle on an Austrian roads.
-Both driver and passenger on a motorcycle must wear helmets.
-All road signs are in German language.
- It is compulsory to stick a road tax disc on the windscreen that you can buy at the border in order to be able to drive on highways.
City of Graz, Ferto/Neusiedler Lake area, Hallstatt Dachstein, Salzburg.
Austria has some of the best crystal-clear lakes in the world which include Wörthersee, Wolfgangsee, Traunsee, Hallstättersee and Mondsee, one of the warmest lakes in the Salzkammergut.
Carinthia's lakes reach temperatures of around 28°C (82°F) and win awards for their water quality.
Annakirche (Church of Saint Anne), St Augustine's Church, Ducal Crypt, Christus, Hoffnung der Welt, Church of Maria Treu, Deutschordenskirche, Dominikanerkirche. Visit: Europe cities Donau City Kirche
Thermal
Arranged under the classifications of alpine, thermal or medical spa, each of Austria’s Finest Spa Hotels & Resorts features a range of different options.
Austria is famous for its nude beaches. Click FKK.
Winter sports
Alpsconstitute approximately 60% of Austria's surface area. It is one of Europe's major destinations forwinter sports: skiing, snowboarding, tobogganing, sleigh rides, curling or skating are all available and with excellent facilities.
Outdoor activities
Hiking, bicycle rides, Scuba diving, waterskiing in the lakes of Salzkammergut. Austria is a famous destination for playing golf in Europe, with its 150 well-maintained golf courses.
Shopping
High quality handbags, glassware, chinaware and winter sports equipment.
Austrian gastronomy is famous for its cakes (Sacher Torte), its excellent cooked pork meats and its famous white wines (côteaux of Lower Austria, Styria and Burgenland). Some of the famous culinary specialities in the country are:
- Wiener Schnitzel: It is a traditional dish of breadcrumbed and fried veal escalope. - Tafelspitz: It is regarded as Austria's national dish and consists simply of boiled beef. - Palatschinken: These are Austrian pancakes. - Apfelstrudel: It is the classic Austrian pudding. - Mehlspeisen: It is the national term for cakes and puddings. There are around 60 varieties of Torte, which is often consumed with coffee.
Drinks
The most common drinks are:
- Local wines: Good quality and cheap. Mainly while wine is consumed, particularly RieslingandVeltliner are well-known. - Obstler: This drink is made by distilling various fruits. It is usually very strong, well-flavoured and cheap.
Dietary restrictions
There are not any eating restrictions.
Paying
Domestic currency
Euro
ISO Code
EUR
To obtain domestic currency
Foreign currencies and traveller's cheques can be exchanged at all banks, savings banks and exchange counters at airports and railway stations at the official exchange rates. To find out the locations of ATMs in Austria , click on the link to your credit card: Visa, Mastercard or American Express
Possible means of payment
Major credit cards are accepted in large cities. However, some smaller hotels may require bills to be paid in cash.
Traveller's cheques are widely accepted. To avoid additional exchange rate charges, travellers are advised to take traveller's cheques in a major currency (Euros, US Dollars, Pounds Sterling).
Exchange rate on
Automatic Teller Machines (ATM)
To find out the locations of ATMs in in Austria, click on the link to your credit card: Visa, Mastercard or American Express
Speaking
Official language
German (official nationwide), Croatian (official in Burgenland), Slovene (official in Carinthia) and Hungarian (official in Burgenland).
Other languages spoken
Turkish, Serbian.
Business language
Though German is the national official language but English is also used as a business language, especially when dealing with foreign companies.
Getting some knowledge
Basic conversation guide
Yes = Ja No = Nein
Thank you = Danke
Hello = Guten Tag
Good Morning= Guten Morgen
Goodbye, Goodbye = Auf Wiedersehen
I do not understand = Ich verstehe nicht
What is the price? How much does it cost? = Wieviel kostet das?
I would like to buy = Ich möchte kaufen.
Do you accept credit cards? = Akzeptieren Sie Kreditkarten? Nehmen Sie Kreditkarten?
Where is ... ? = Wo ist...?
An airport = der Flughafen
The station = der Bahnhof
Post office = die Post
The bank = die Bank
The police station,the police force = Polizeiwache
The chemist= die Apotheke
One ticket to..., please. = Eine Fahrkarte nach,
Would you have any available rooms for tonight ? = Haben Sie noch ein Zimmer frei?.
Free translation tools
Babel Fish - Free English-German-English translator of texts and web pages Systran - Free English-German-English translator of texts and web pages Eurodicautom - The European Union Dictionary (12 languages available) Leo - German-English-German dictionary with over 300,000 entries Eurovoc Thesaurus - Multilingual thesaurus (21 official European languages) IATE - Interactive Terminology for Europe Culture - Free Greek-German-Greek translator Hexagone - Not Free Greek-German-Greek translator
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