Austria Traveller's Guide
Although compact in size, the landlocked and mostly mountainous
Republic of Austria in south central Europe is one of the world's
most financially prosperous countries and has an accordingly high
standard of living. For visitors, however, Austria's riches lie in
its beautiful landscapes, its Alpine resorts and its cultural
legacy, particularly in respect of classical composers. Austria is
the country which gave us Mozart, Strauss, Schubert, Mahler and
Haydn.
Austria's historic towns and cities also boast a wealth of
remarkable and beautiful architecture ranging from Gothic churches
to Baroque and Neoclassical palaces and fortresses and even
remarkable contemporary architecture as demonstrated by Salzburg's Museum
der Moderne gallery.
Austria enjoys a temperate climate, although as a mountainous
country temperature decreases as altitude increases. Although
rainfall occurs throughout the year, heavy rains may accompany
thunderstorms in July and August, whilst November and April are
typically the wettest months. Austria's southerly position means
that summers can be hot and sunny with daytime temperatures rising
to 30°C but cooling in the evening. In the Austrian Alps, snow
cover at higher altitudes, if not permanent, lasts from November
until May.
Robust, hearty meals form the basis of Austrian cuisine,
although many flavours and dishes have been influenced by
neighbouring countries. Beef, pork and chicken are popular, and
bacon features in a number of traditional recipes. Schnitzels -
breaded escalope of pork or veal, beef broths, savoury or sweet
dumplings and boiled beef are all specialities, and no visitor to
Austria should resist the opportunity to try the world's greatest
chocolate cake; the Sacher Torte.
Guests visiting Austria on holiday tours should be aware that
the Austrian way of telling a waiter to keep the change is to hand
over payment and say thank you or 'danke' (pronounced dank-uh). If
you expect change wait until you receive it before thanking your
waiter.
Austrians greet each other with a hand shake. While you may see
some Austrian men bowing to kiss the hand of a lady this is
considered ostentatious and is not expected from guests visiting
Austria on holiday.