Austria: General Information
Opening Times
Shops
Mon–Fri 09:00–18:30. Saturday 09:00–18:00. Closed Sundays. Some shops in smaller towns close for up to two hours at midday and at lunchtime on Saturdays. Austria has few department stores and there are still many family businesses, even in Vienna.
Banks
Mon–Fri 08:00–12:30 / 13:30–15:00. Thursdays open until 17:30. Closed Sat and Sun. ATMs are numerous.
Bureaux de change at train stations and airports normally stay open until 22:00. Hotels generally give a poor rate of exchange.
Post Offices
Typical hours Mon–Fri 08:00–12:00 / 14:00–18:00. In Innsbruck (Maximilianstr.), Vienna (Fleischmarkt), Salzburg (train station) and other big cities, the main post office is open 24 hours, 7 days a week.
Museums and Monuments
Usually open 09:00–17:00 (Sundays 09:00–17:00). Some monuments close for one or two hours over lunchtime. Many museums are closed on Mondays—check ahead. Average entrance fee is around €8.00 for adults and €5.00 for students. Some may open in the evening once or twice a week.
Public Holidays
- 1 January; 6 January
- Good Friday; Easter Monday
- 1 May; Ascension Day; Whit Monday; Corpus Christi
- 15 August
- 26 October (National Holiday)
- 1 November
- 8, 25 & 26 December
US Embassy
Boltzmanngasse 16, 1090 Wien, Austria. Tel. (01) 31339-7535 (Open 08:00–11:30). Emergency services available until 17:00.
Telephones
Emergency numbers: Police 133, Fire 122, Ambulance 144.
Public coin-operated phones are not very useful for international calls. Phonecards are available from Tabaks and post offices. Post offices have a good phone service (pay after the call).
Stamps
On sale in post offices and Tabak kiosks. Postcards to the U.S.: €1.10.
American Express
Vienna (Kärtnerstrasse) open 09:00–17:00. Closed Saturday afternoons and Sundays.
Tipping
- Taxis: about 10%.
- In cafés and restaurants, service is generally included, but small gratuities are expected—round up to a convenient number, around 5%.
- Many public WCs now ask for €0.50 per person, including on the Autobahn.
Additional Free Time Suggestions
Every big town has at least one Tourist Information Office with maps and brochures (for example, the Tourist Office in Mozartplatz, Salzburg). In Vienna you can usually get the monthly programme with a city map from your hotel.
You can also check resources from the Austrian National Tourist Office or visit www.austria.info for events and practical info.
General Tips
A few city guides can be overly prescriptive. Make sure you see everything you intend to see. At lunchtime, restaurants typically serve 12:00–14:00; cafés and street stands offer snacks and sausages throughout the day.