Austria is a parliamentary republic headed by a federal president elected for a term of 6 years.

Austria consists of 9 federal states: Burgenland, Vienna, Upper Austria, Salzburg, Carinthia, Lower Austria, Tyrol, Vorarlberg, Styria.

The population is about 8 million people. The majority are Austrians (about 90%). Slovenes, Croats, Hungarians and Turks also live in the country.

The largest city in Austria is its capital Vienna. The top five large cities also include Graz, Linz, Salzburg and Innsbruck. .

The language spoken in Austria is German, which is somewhat different from the German language in Germany. Differences occur both in vocabulary and in pronunciation and grammar. The dialects that are quite numerous and common among rural residents of the Alpine regions are very different and difficult to understand.

State coat of arms and flag of Austria

Currency of Austria

The monetary unit of Austria is the euro (€ or EUR). The currency of exchange is eurocents. 1 euro is equal to 100 euro cents. You can exchange currency at banks and special exchange offices. Most hotels and travel agencies will also offer exchange services, but will charge a transaction fee.

Public holidays in Austria

Austria officially celebrates 13 holidays. All of them are considered state, and 10 of them are religious.

1st of January– New Year is celebrated on the night from December 31 to January 1. On New Year's Eve (Sylvester), a festive punch is prepared, and on New Year's Eve, fireworks and fireworks drive away the evil spirits of the old year.

6th January– Epiphany, or in other words the holiday of the three Kings, is a holiday associated with the birth of Jesus Christ, when three magician kings brought their gifts to the baby.

Easter Monday– the first day of Easter in Austria is a non-working day. On this day, it is customary to give chocolate and eggs (chocolate or painted, made of wood). The symbol of Austrian Easter are hares: toy, chocolate, baked from dough.

Ascension– 40th day after Easter.

Trinity– 50th day after Easter.

Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ– Easter + 60 days.

Nov. 1– All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, a holiday that is a non-working day, and which is highly respected by the Catholic Church.

11th of November– St. Martin's Day, Martinganzel. The season of the famous Viennese balls begins. Traditionally, on this day, Austrians eat goose prepared according to a special recipe.

15th of November– Memorial Day of Leopold, the patron saint of Austria, is a very revered holiday in the Alpine country.

December 25– Christmas (Christtag) is the main holiday of all Catholics, which is celebrated very widely and begins long before Christmas itself. Pre-Christmas markets are organized in all cities of the country, which create a festive atmosphere in advance.

In addition to the above holidays, large Austrian cities and regions celebrate many of their own holidays. Austria is especially fond of holding balls, carnivals and music festivals. Austrians know how to relax well, enjoy life and have fun.

Weather in Austria

The climate of Austria is temperate continental. The coldest month is January (average temperature -5?). July and August are the hottest months (average temperature +20?) Snow in the mountains lasts up to eight months a year, which makes skiing possible even if you come in the off-season (spring, autumn). The water in some lakes warms up to +25 +27 in summer. Different parts of the country have different weather. Wet weather is typical for the western part of Austria; the south and southeast of the country have the least rainfall and high temperatures.

Transport in Austria

The easiest way to get to Austria is by plane. The country has 6 international airports (see: Airports in Austria). There are also regular air connections between major cities within the country.

In addition to air transport, for travel around Austria, as well as to neighboring European cities, you can use the railway or the network of state buses (Bundesbus).

You can also easily get around the country by car. Roads in Austria are in impeccable condition and are divided into three types: autobahn, federal roads and local roads. The maximum permitted speed on the highway is 130 km/h, on federal roads – 100 km/h, on local roads – 90 km/h. Travel speed around the city is 50 km/h. If you are traveling in a car rented outside of Austria, you will have to buy a special card to drive on the autobahn, costing about 10 euros per week. Driving in Austria is on the right.

Urban transport is represented by buses, trams, metro (U - Bahn) and high-speed rail (S - Bahn). Opening hours from 5.00 to 23.00, separate tram lines until 00.30.

Telephone in Austria

You can call Russia from any telephone booth using coins or a telephone card, which can be bought at tobacco kiosks or at the post office.

For an international call, you need to dial 00 before the country code (for Russia 7), then the city code and the phone number itself. To call within Austria, dial 0 before the area code.

The Austrian telephone code is 43.

Tipping in Austria

In Austria, it is customary to leave a tip of 5% of the order value; in large restaurants, the tip is 10% of the bill amount. In bars and cafes you can simply leave small coins. In street cafes, as a rule, tips are not given. Taxi drivers expect 10% over the meter, you can also just leave some change.

Austrian souvenirs

In Austria you can buy some things that are unique to this country. Swarovski crystal products are very popular all over the world. No less famous is high-quality Viennese porcelain, which is created by hand. Other common souvenirs include national Austrian clothing: a lace cotton blouse with embroidery, a Tyrolean hat, a dress for girls and short suede pants for boys. In addition, Mozart candies, the liqueur of the same name, the Viennese Sacher cake, and Manner waffles with nut filling are considered national souvenirs. Traditional souvenirs also include Austrian bears and bells on ribbons of different widths.

Austrian national dishes

Austrian cuisine is called Viennese cuisine and refers to the national cuisine of the country. There are no spicy dishes in Viennese cuisine, spices are used sparingly, and the number of sweet dishes in Viennese cuisine has no equal in the world.

First of all, you should try the Wiener schnitzel - a large piece of veal fried in breadcrumbs. Among the traditional dishes of Viennese cuisine, the most popular are also fried chicken "Bakhun" and Kaiser's omelette (a fluffy cake made from beaten eggs cut into small pieces) "Kaiserschmann". Austrian desserts are the traditional apple pie "apfelstrudel", the famous Viennese pancakes and many other cakes and pastries.

Viennese cuisine has regional differences. Tyrolean cuisine is very hearty and has a wide variety of dishes. The most popular dishes are soup with lard, “grestl” (casserole made from potatoes, flour, meat and lard), “liberkweek” (broth with liver meatballs). In Styria, stewed meat dishes with the addition of various spices and roots predominate. People in Styria also love local wine, and always put it on the table with meals. The cuisine in Carinthia and Salzburg is very similar to Slavic or simply has Slavic origin - dumplings with cottage cheese, dumplings, noodles with ham "schinkenflekern", pancakes "strauben", pancakes "palachinken" with sweet fillings, fried river trout and a large number of flour dishes.

Traditional Austrian dishes also include: arme ritter (poor knight) - white bread with jam baked in an egg, sprinkled with sugar; Marilenknödel - apricot dumplings, tafelspitz - boiled beef with apple horseradish; nockerl - an analogue of Italian pasta, and a large number of sauerkraut dishes, for example krotspatzn - sauerkraut dumplings.

Very common in Austria coffee culture. Numerous ones will offer at least 30 varieties of coffee, and a huge number of the same cakes and pastries.

Austria also produces many types of beer, which are brewed according to old classic recipes.

Often a tourist who comes on holiday to a foreign country does not even imagine that the culture of this country is in such establishments,how hotels and restaurants can be very different from ours. For example, the standard tip amount varies by country. This article will discuss accepted tipping standards in the most developed countries of Europe.

Tipping for staff is not at all mandatory, but it is a custom that must be observed. It must be remembered that the higher the tip amount, the better the quality of service, although there are certain traditions here too.

Usually fifteen percent of the total amount is left. Tipping culture is one of the most important in the service industry, but in some cases it is necessary to bend the rules.

For waiters, the standard tip is 15 percent of the total order amount. But, if the waiter served a large group of people, usually more than seven people, then it is worth leaving a larger amount. When you throw a party, the tip is usually already indicated on the receipt, you should check this point if you are not sure. In expensive restaurants, you should leave five percent more. Also, the tip amount increases if your order was special and different from the dishes listed on the menu. This way you can thank the chefs. If you've spent a lot of time in a restaurant, it's worth considering that those customers who might have come to your place would also have left a tip, so reconsider the amount you can leave. And, of course, it’s worth thanking the waiter with a slightly larger tip if the service exceeded all expectations.

We should not forget about other service personnel (doormen, cloakroom attendants). Typically the tip for them is 1–2 euros. You should not reduce the amount if you are unhappy with the food. After all, the waiter does not cook, but only serves you. If you are not satisfied with the service, you can leave a smaller amount, but you should hint this to the waiter so that he does not consider you greedy and can correct his mistakes next time.

When leaving tips for bartenders, you should follow the same rules that apply to waiters, remembering only that the tip for one drink ordered will be one euro. If you decide to order more, then the tip is fifteen percent of the total amount.

Taxi drivers should leave at least 10 percent of the fare. However, no one bothers you to leave more, for example, provided that the driver took you faster than you expected. You can simply tell the driver to keep the change for himself, and if the change is too large, then after receiving it, you should leave an additional tip.

For the messenger, 10-15 percent is usually left, however, the delivery time, the size of the parcel and the weather conditions should always be taken into account.

For the hairdresser, they usually leave ten percent, however, it is quite reasonable to leave fifteen. Especially if the person is late at work. You should leave a tip after paying the bill. Sometimes people tip the bartender more than the hairdresser who worked on you for over half an hour.

Attendants at gas stations are usually given 1–2 euros, especially if the employee washes windows and checks the oil level. This applies to those stations that provide a full range of services.

These are the basic rules of European tipping culture. It's worth remembering that most service staff earn less than minimum wage, and they rely heavily on good tips.

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