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It is always good to learn a few things about the country you are traveling to just to make yourself familiar. Travel tips to Austria have abridged general information about people, customs and day-to-day life. Crime is rare in Austria and more likely to be opportunistic theft by transient travelers rather than locals. Therefore, it is advisable to be cautious. Never call Austrians Germans, as they are proud of their distinctive heritage. |
Daylight savings time
It is valid from the end of March to the end of October (CET+1 hour). The adjustment takes place unitarily on the night of Saturday to Sunday at 01.00 am GMT, i.e., is 02.00 am in Austria.
Etiquettes
It is customary to greet people with the salute ‘Gruss Gott’ (God's Greeting). To learn a few German words such as Bitte (Please), Danke (Thank You), Enschuldegung (Excuse Me, Pardon Me), Guten Tag (Good Day) and Guten Abend (Good Evening) can be handy. The sales person in shops expect to be greeted with “Guten Tag” or “Gruss Gott”.
Austrians are very formal people. It is customary to dress up formally for opera or theatre. Austrians are sensitive about their titles. To omit the title like Professor, Doctor, Magistrate is seen as quite an insult.
The church holds a high position in Austrian society, which should be kept in mind by the visitor. It is not wise or polite to make jokes about the Nazi past of Germany and Austria.
Tipping
Generally, hotel and restaurant bills include a service charge. however, hotel porters and cleaning staff usually expect something for their services. It is also customary to tip in restaurants and cafes. The best way is to round up smaller bills and add an extra 5% to 10% to larger ones. it is not usual to leave the tip on the table and you should tell the total amount you want them to take when handing over the money. Taxi drivers will expect around 10% extra. Tour guides, cloakroom attendants and hairdressers are also usually tipped.
Communication
Airmail (Flugpost) between Austria and the UK usually takes 3-4 days, about a week to reach the US and ten days to Australia and New Zealand. The stamps (Briefmarken) for postcards within the EU are available at a tobacconist (Tabak). For anything more complicated or further a-field, you will probably have to go to a post office in order to have your letter or parcel weighed.
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Poste Restante (Postlagernd) letters can be sent to any post office, if you know the address. To collect mail, go to the counter marked Postlagernde Sendungen - mail should be addressed using this term rather than “Poste Restante”. It will be held for thirty days (remember to take your passport when going to collect it). |
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The post offices are open from Monday to Friday 8.00 am to noon and 2.00 pm to 6.00 pm. The post offices in larger towns often stay open during lunchtime, in addition to a couple of hours on Saturday morning, i.e., 8.00 am to10.00 am. Vienna and cities like Graz, Salzburg and Innsbruck have at least one post office that is open 24-hours a day seven days a week.
Telephone booths in Austria are easy to spot and to use. Some even having instructions in four languages including English. You can make an international call from any phone. It is easiest to do so with a phone card (Telefonkarte) rather than fumbling for change. Telefonkarten are easily available from all post offices and some other shops. The other option is to go to one of the larger post offices and use their direct phone service facility. A booth will be allocated to you from the counter marked Fremdgesprache. You will have to pay once you have finished. The post office is also the place to go if you want to make a collect call (Ruckgesprach).
Customs and Duty-free restrictions
The customs duty varies throughout Europe with subtle differences even within the European Union. British and Irish travelers returning home directly from another EU country do not have to make a declaration to customs at their place of entry.
Other useful Tips
When you are visiting major cities of Austria, you can save money on sightseeing and public transport using Discount Travel Cards. There are a number of discounts cards available with attractive value-added opportunities. The discount cards can be purchased upon arrival at your destination, just ask at your hotel on arrival.
Austrians are fond of dogs and love to keep them as pets. Almost all restaurants allow people to bring their dogs in with them and they sit under the table. However, it is extremely rude to touch anyone's dog without express permission of the owner.
(Source: www.hoteltravel.
