Austria

Austria is a place for all those who love to explore nature, trekking, spending time with family, taking a break from the corporate world etc. Austria is also a spot of shooting movies by popular celebrities. It can also be considered as a romantic destination for the couples. Austria is famous for sports, castles, museums, palaces and much more. The name Austria is derived from a German word “Austro’’ which means east. 

Location and Population:  – Austria is a country that is located in the Southern part of Central Europe near the Eastern Alps. It does not have any coastline and it shares borders from all directions with Germany, Italy, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Hungary, Switzerland, Slovakia, Hungary and Liechtenstein. The capital of Austria is Vienna. Austria is a small and nature oriented country which has a geographical area of 83,871 square kilometres. It is double the size of Switzerland and slightly smaller than the State of Maine.  

 According to the Census, the population of Austria as on 1st January, 2022 is  8,979,894. 

Austria’s History:  – The history of Austria has been very difficult and the country has been formed during the dangerous times. The wars have broken out right from the invasion of the Turks, Germans, Hapsburg rulers and barbarians. It had joined forces with Hungary in 1914 but then it got separated after losing the world war 1 but then it became a republic and it got aid from other European countries like UK, USA etc.   

Facts you should know about Austria: – There are some interesting facts which people should know about Austria that are as follows:  – 

• The Austrian Alps cover 62% of the country’s total land area.
•  The Tiergarten Schönbrunn in Vienna was founded in 1752 and is the oldest zoological garden in the world.
• Austria is one of the wealthiest countries in the world (based on the GDP).
• The Austrian National Library in Vienna is home to more than 2 million books and one of the world’s major libraries.
• The Tyrolian city Innsbruck has hosted the Winter Olympics twice. Once in 1964 and again in 1976.

Culture and Food:  – Austrian culture has been influenced by the Catholic traditions and also by Central European countries. There are different traditions of Austria which differ from other countries. Some of those traditions are Easter Egg battle, Stealing the bride, First day of school cones,  Lead pouring, Molybdomancy etc. These are some of the festival traditions in Austria.  

Austria is also known for its food and the Austrian cuisine is known to have good meat like chicken, beef, pork etc. The cuisine is made around Central European countries. Some of the popular Austrian dishes are  Viennese Apfelstrudel which is the national food of Austria, Wiener Schnitzel, Tafelspitz, Buchteln etc. 

Things to Explore in Austria:  –  There are many things to explore in Austria especially the festivals and events that happen in Austria. The festivals and activities are as follows: – 

• Viennale: – Viennale is an International film festival that happens in Austria during the month of October. This festival has attracted more than 90,000 visitors and it celebrates the best films, documentaries and short films that have been published during the year. It is a must visit place for all the movie lovers. 
• Castle Grafenegg Music Festival: –   It is one of the popular music festivals that happens in Austria every year in the month of August. The festival happens at the grounds of Grafenegg Castle where popular young and experienced international musicians show their musical talent. It is one of the most popular music festivals in Europe.   
• Summer Solstice: –  It is a traditional festival that is held in the Danube Valley of Austria on the 21st June every year wherein the people celebrate the longest day of the year. The festival is celebrated through the fireworks display, bonfires, lights in all the places that reflect in the water etc. This valley is a UNESCO listed valley. It is also known as Sonnenwende.
• Genuss Festival: –  It is a festival for all the food lovers as it is the largest food festival in Austria. There are more than 200 food stalls that include jams, pastries and meat which the tourists can taste, buy and there are presents which they can buy and give to their friends as well as family. 
• Skiing:  – The tourists can do skiing in Austria which is very popular over there  and it is done in the month of October. There are various places in Austria where tourists can do skiing  such as the  Kitzbühel in Tirol, vorarlberg etc. 
• Hiking to Krimmler Ache: – There are many hiking spots in Austria but this is a good hike as the tourists will explore the largest waterfall in the country that is the Krimmler ache. It takes around 3 to 4 hours to reach the waterfall and the hiking is around 7 km. 
• Paragliding: –  The tourists can do paragliding in Salzburg which has to be on the top of the list when the tourists visit Austria. The tourists can paraglide from the Kitzsteinhorn Glacier to Lake Zell and other panoramic sites that will give a good view of Salzburg. 

 Things to buy in Europe:  – There are many things for the tourists to do their shopping but these are the things that Austria is famous for in terms of shopping for the tourists to complete their shopping list which are chocolates of various kinds and shapes such as the Mozart balls, Zotter chocolate etc. There are other things like the snow globe, Viennese wine. Austria is known for various designs on the glasses or porcelain and lastly there is a Sachertorte chocolate cake which is a cake in a small box developed by Mr Sacher which is now available in various sizes.

Best time to visit Austria: –  The best time to visit Austria is during the months between June to October because it is the summer season that goes on in Austria and the tourists can explore more of the country as compared to the winter season that is during April to May due to snow and they would not be able to explore the best of Austria. Besides this Austria has recorded that most of the tourists visit the country during the summer season. 

Places to visit in Austria 

Austria is a small country in the central part of Europe but there are many places to visit. The places and sightseeing points that the tourist can visit in Austria are as follows: – 

Vienna: –  Vienna is the largest city and capital of Austria. It is also known as the City of Music. The sightseeing points to visit in Vienna are the Scohnbrunn palace which is the summer residence of the Hapsburg rulers. It is best to be seen during the evening time when the lights are switched on around the palace and it gives a good view of the palace. The  next  place is very popular, which is the popular State Opera house of Vienna. This house has a seating capacity of 1,709 people. The next place is the Parliament of Austria which has two chambers for the Federal council and the National Assembly. The parliament is known for the architecture especially in the chambers and hearing political discussions. The last place to visit in Austria is the City hall of Austria which is the official seat of the mayor and it is known for the Gothic architecture of the city hall. It is located in Rathausplatz.  

Salzburg: – Salzburg is the fourth largest city in Austria and it is near the German border. Besides this it is the birthplace of Mozart, who was a music composer.  The sightseeing points to visit in Salzburg are Krimml waterfall which is the highest waterfall in Austria and a popular tourist spot in Salzburg. It has a good view of the waterfall and the greenery around the waterfall. The height of the waterfall is 380 metres. The next place is the St Peter’s Abbey which is an old monastery and it contains the tombs of Mozart’s sister Nannerl and Michael Hayden. The next place to visit in Salzburg is the Mozart Museum which is called Mozart’s birthplace and it talks all about the life of Mozart and his journey as Wolfgang Amadé Mozart. 

Innsbruck: – Innsbruck is the fifth largest city of Austria and it is the capital of Tyrol. The sightseeing points to visit in Innsbruck are the Golden roof which is a symbol of the city. It was built by Emperor Maximilian I on the occasion of his wedding with his wife and the both used the roof to view the festival celebrations, events etc. The next place is the Hofburg palace which is the official residence of the President of Austria Alexander Van der Bellen and it is located at the heart of Vienna. It is also known as the Imperial palace. The last place to visit in Innsbruck is a popular place where ski jumping is conducted is the  Bergisel Ski Jump stadium that has a stadium capacity of 26,000 people. 

 Wattens: –  Wattens is a market town in the state of Tyrol which is also a home for Swarovski crystal company to manufacture Crystal. The most popular place in Wattens which is a must visit for the tourists is the  Swarovski Museum which was created by Andre heller for the company. It is a very big museum which includes a garden that has a big waterfall, museum itself, restaurant etc. The most popular part of the museum is the Chambers of Wonder that contains 18 crystal displays with different themes and shapes as well as size of the crystals.    

How to Reach Austria from India: – The tourists can reach Austria from India through Air travel and there are airlines such as Air India, Indigo, Qatar Airways and many more. The tourists cannot use other modes of transportation like bus,trains, cars etc. as it is not possible to go to Austria from India by those modes of transport. The tourists can reach Austria by train only after they travel by air from India to a country near Austria like Germany or Italy and from there they can take a train to Austria. The same thing applies for buses. 

 Popular Packages : –   We know that you cannot contain your excitement to explore Austria and hence we at Dewan Holidays have come out with some of the popular Austria packages that we recommend our customers which are as follows: – 

Frequently Asked Questions

•    What is the currency of Austria?

Ans: The currency of Austria is the Euro. 

• Which visa is required to travel to Austria? 

Ans:  The visa required to travel to Austria is the Schengen visa that lasts   for 90 days. 

• Which language is spoken in Austria? 

Ans: The language spoken in Austria is German and Baverian but most of the people can speak in English. 

• What is the temperature in Austria during the summer season?

Ans: The temperature in Austria during the summer season would be around 3°C  to 28°C

•  What are the restaurants that serve Indian food in Austria?

Ans:  The restaurants in Austria that serve Indian food are Indian Pavilion, Bombay Tandoor, Indus restaurant etc.