How to Get Around Austria

Getting in. Vienna International is the main airport, with Salzburg, Innsbruck, Graz and Klagenfurt serving their regions and Munich a common alternative for western Austria.

Trains. ÖBB runs a dense, punctual and comfortable network, with Railjet services between the main cities and regional trains and postbuses reaching almost every valley on a coordinated timetable. The Klimaticket gives a year of unlimited travel on nearly all public transport nationally, and regional versions exist.

Buses fill in where the railway does not, particularly in the mountains, and are integrated into the same timetable and ticketing.

In cities. Vienna’s U-Bahn, trams and buses run on one ticket, and the tram network is among the largest in the world. Most city centres are compact and walkable.

Driving. All vehicles on motorways and expressways are tolled through a compulsory vignette sticker displayed inside the windscreen — bought at major border crossings, petrol stations and convenience shops, or digitally online from ASFiNAG, the state highways corporation. No vignette means a fine on the spot. Several alpine passes and tunnels charge separately. Winter tyres are legally required from November to April, and mountain roads need tyre chains as well: they are often narrow and snow- and ice-covered in winter, and may close for avalanches.

Identification, at all times

You must carry identification, such as your passport, at all times. Keep a photocopy or a digital copy somewhere separate in case the original is lost or seized. This is a legal requirement rather than a precaution, and it is the rule most visitors to Austria do not know they are breaking.

The vignette

All vehicles on Austrian motorways and expressways are subject to tolls, collected through a vignette sticker displayed inside the windscreen. Buy one at any major border crossing, at petrol stations and at convenience shops across the country, or get a digital vignette online from ASFiNAG, the state-owned highways corporation. Without one you will be fined on the spot.

Mountain roads

Mountain roads are often narrow and are covered with snow and ice through the winter, and roads may close because of avalanches. Carry tyre chains if you intend to use mountain roads — the chains, not just winter tyres. Check conditions before you set out; a pass closure can add hours or a day.

Skiing, and the insurance trap

Take advice on weather and avalanche conditions before you travel and follow local skiing laws and regulations. Off-piste skiing is very dangerous and can invalidate your travel insurance, which is the part worth reading twice: the risk is not only the avalanche but discovering afterwards that the rescue and the hospital are yours to pay for. Go with a qualified guide. The European Avalanche Warning Service and the Austrian Avalanche Warning Service both publish conditions.

For skiing, potholing and mountaineering — and for anything classed as particularly dangerous, which explicitly includes off-piste skiing, mountain biking, climbing and paragliding — check that your policy names the activity. Adventure sports are riskier alone: consider a guide, and leave your itinerary with someone.