Why
choose Austria? | About
Austria |
Where in Austria
| Vienna
| Salzburg
| Graz
Why choose Austria?
Austria offers year-round pleasures, due to its
unrivalled mixture of landscapes, architecture, musical tradition
and history. The cities have plenty to engage visitors, from
the capital Vienna, with its musical tradition, through to the
baroque perfection of Salzburg, Mozart's birthplace, and Innsbruck's
snow-capped peaks.
Austria has a huge number of architecturally impressive and
culturally important buildings, from churches and monasteries
to castles and palaces, and to secular and functional buildings
such as museums, administration buildings and more. Some of
these buildings serve as the setting for the operas and operettes,
cabarets and musicals for which Austria is rightly famous. Music
is vitally important in Austrian culture and this importance
is felt throughout.
Austria’s landscapes have to be seen to be believed –
Alpine flowers coat the mountains with colour in spring, summer
provides a backdrop of luscious greens against blue skies, with
snow-topped peaks dominating in the winter months.
Ease of arrival
The following airports have international connections:
Wien-Schwechat (Vienna), Graz, Innsbruck, Klagenfurt, Linz and
Salzburg. There are daily internal flights between these airports.
EU, US, Canadian, EEA, Israeli, Japanese, Korean, Malaysian,
Singaporean, Australian and New Zealand citizens do not require
visas for stays of up to three months. Nationals of African
and Arabic countries generally require a visa, also valid for
up to three months.
Selection of venues
The outstanding cultural sites of Schönbrunn and the Old
Towns of Vienna, Salzburg and Graz, are matched by an exceptional
offer of 4 and 5 star venues throughout the cities. Austria
also offers cultural venues for use for gala dinners, as well
as some historic luxury hotels, in line with the overall cultural
feel of the country.
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About Austria
Size
Austria lies in Central Europe, north of Italy and Slovenia,
and is completely land-locked. It shares borders with the Czech
Republic (362 km), Germany (784 km), Hungary (366 km), Italy
(430 km), Liechtenstein (35 km), Slovakia (91 km), Slovenia
(330 km), and Switzerland (164 km). Austria covers an area of
83,858 sq km and has a population of 8.02 million.
Austria is on Central European Time (GMT +1).
Language
German is the official language of Austria, but certain Austrian
minorities speak Slavic languages, and Hungarian is commonly
spoken in Burgenland. English is widely spoken, particularly
by the young.
The Climate
Austria enjoys a temperate continental climate, with pleasant
daytime temperatures in summers with cool nights and occasional
showers, and cold sunny winters with frequent rain in lowlands
and snow in mountains. The average temperature in August is
68° F (20° F).
Currency
The currency in Austria is the Euro €.
VAT and Tax Refunds
Depending on the object or service, a Value-Added Tax (Mehrwertsteuer
Rückvergütung, or VAT) of between 7% and 34%
is included in the price of items sold. Short-term visitors
from other countries, however, can arrange for a refund of the
VAT if they can prove that they carried it out of Austria unused
and in nearly new condition, and that the purchase was part
of a sale totaling more than €75.01 per store. To get the
refund, you must fill out Form U-34, which is available at most
stores (a sign will read TAX-FREE SHOPPING). Keep your U-34
forms handy when you leave the country, and have them validated
by the Viennese Customs officer at your point of departure.
It is also a good idea to keep the articles for which you are
claiming refund, together with original receipts, ready for
inspection at the point of departure – in some instances,
if your paperwork is in order, you'll receive a tax refund on
the spot. Otherwise you will need to mail the validated U-34
form or forms back to the store where you bought the merchandise
after you return home. Within a few weeks, the store will send
you a check, bank draft, or international money order covering
the amount of your VAT refund.
Opening Hours
Shops in Austria are generally open from 6:00am to 7:30pm, Mondays
to Fridays, and 06:00am to 5:00pm on Saturdays. In some tourist
areas shops are open until 6:00pm on all Saturdays and until
9:00pm on weekdays during summertime. General banking hours
are Monday to Friday 8:00am to 12:00 noon and 2:00pm to 5:00pm.
Electrical Current
The current in Austria is the European standard 230V, 50Hz.
An adaptor plug may be necessary.
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Where
in Austria
Cities/destinations offered
We can organize your conference or event in any of the great
cities of Austria – Vienna, Graz, Salzburg – or alternately
in a lake or mountainside location.
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