World Country Guide

Travel - International

Air
Austria has three national airlines, all of which are part of the Austrian Airlines Group (website: www.aua.com): Austrian Airlines (OS), Lauda Air (NG) and Tyrolean Airways (VO). British Airways offer frequent services to various destinations in Austria, as do low-cost airlines such as BMI, EasyJet, Flybe, Ryanair and Sky Europe. Other airlines serving Austria include Adria Airways and Swiss International.

Approximate flight times
From Innsbruck to London is two hours and from Salzburg is one hour 50 minutes. From Vienna to London is two hours 10 minutes, to Los Angeles is 15 hours, to New York is nine hours, to Singapore is 14 hours and to Sydney is 25 hours.

International airports
Vienna (VIE) (Wien-Schwechat) (website: http://english.viennaairport.com) is 18km (11 miles) south-east of the city. Airport facilities include duty free shops, banks, bureaux de change, post office, restaurants, cafes, left luggage, conference facilities, medical facilities, tourist information, car hire, car park and nursery. Airport buses run between the airport and the South Train and West Train Station for approximately ¬6 single fare (travel time – 30 minutes). Rail service is available at frequent intervals to and from stations. Local rail (S-Bahn) services also run to the city centre (travel time – 25 minutes). Return fare costs ¬8 (operates daily 0530-2400). The City Airport Train travels express from the City Airport Terminal located at Vienna Mitte (travel time - 16 minutes). Taxis are available to the city and can be found north of the Arrivals Hall, costing approximately ¬25-35. A chauffeur-driven car service is also available from the Arrivals Hall.
Buses also run to Budapest four times a day (travel time – three hours 30 minutes); to Bratislava (Slovak Republic) about seven times a day (travel time – one hour 10 minutes).
Innsbruck (INN) (Kranebitten) (website: www.innsbruck-airport.com) is 5.5km (3.5 miles) west of the city. Airport facilities include duty free shopping, currency exchange, restaurant, medical facilities and car hire. Bus services are available every 10 minutes to the city centre (travel time – 15 minutes), costing approximately ¬1.80. Taxi services are also available and cost approximately ¬10.
Salzburg (SZG) (Maxglan) (website: www.salzburg-airport.com) is 4km (2.5 miles) west of the city. Airport facilities include duty-free shopping, currency exchange, post office, restaurants and snack bars, bar, left luggage, conference rooms and car hire. Bus line 77 connects to the Hauptbahnhof (main railway station) in the city centre (travel time – 20 minutes) for ¬1.80. It is also possible to go by train (travel time - 15 to 20 minutes). Taxis are available from the front of the main building for approximately ¬12.50 (travel time – 15 minutes). Some hotels have courtesy coaches.
Klagenfurt (KLU) (Wörther See) (website: www.klagenfurt-airport.at) is 4km (2.5 miles) from the city. Bus and taxi services are available. Airport facilities include a bar, duty free shop and car hire.
Linz (LNZ) (website: www.linz-airport.at) is 10km (6 miles) from the city. Taxi and bus services are available. Airport facilities include a bar, duty free shop, bank and car hire.
Graz (GRZ) (website: www.flughafen-graz.at) is 10km (6 miles) from the city. Taxis are available to the city and cost ¬15. Buses operate (a single-way ticket costs ¬1,60 and there are hourly train services. Airport facilities include a bar, restaurant, bank and car hire.

Note
Airports have fixed charges for portering.

Departure tax
None.

Rail
Österreichische Bundesbahnen (ÖBB) (Austrian Federal Railways) operates a wide network of trains throughout and beyond Austria. International connections from Vienna include trains to Germany (Berlin), to the Russian Federation (Moscow, via Warsaw/Kiev and Minsk), to Romania (Bucharest, via Budapest), to Greece (Athens) or Turkey (Istanbul, via Belgrade) and to Italy (Venice, Milan or Rome). The most common routes are from Brussels or Paris (Eurostar connection from London) to Vienna (see Channel Tunnel, below, for further details). For further details contact Österreichische Bundesbahnen, Elisabethstraße 9, A-1010 Wien (tel: (1) 930 000; fax (1) 25000; e-mail: holding@oebb.at; website: www.oebb.at).

Rail passes
Several international rail passes permitting unlimited travel in a number of European countries are valid in Austria. The Eurail Selectpass is available to non-European residents and must be bought outside Europe. It can be customised for three to five contiguous countries on one pass and used in any of 18 (22 for Youth and Drive passes) European countries. There is also a Saverpass (for two or more persons), a Youthpass (for those aged under 26 years) and a Drivepass (for three days' train travel and two days' rental car). Prices vary. The Interrail pass is available to European residents. Prices vary according to age, zones covered, time period, flexibility and class of travel. For more information, contact Rail Europe (tel: (08708) 302 008; e-mail: internethelp@raileurope.co.uk; website: www.raileurope.co.uk).

The Channel Tunnel
The quickest route by train from the UK is through the channel tunnel with connections from Brussels or Paris to Austria. Eurostar operates direct high-speed trains through the channel tunnel from London (Waterloo International) to Paris (Gare du Nord) and to Brussels (Midi/Zuid). From London to Paris, the journey time is two hours 30 minutes; from London to Brussels the journey time is 2 hours 40 minutes. From Brussels there is a morning and a night train to Vienna (travel time - approximately 13 hours); from Paris (Gare de l’Est), there are two trains to Vienna (travel time - 14 hours 45 minutes). For further information and reservations, contact Eurostar (tel: 08705 186 186 (public; within the UK); website: www.eurostar.com); or Rail Europe (tel: (08708) 302 008). Complaints and comments may be sent to International Customer Relations Travel Centre, 1-1-G Eurostar House, Waterloo Station, London SE1 8SE. General enquiries and information requests must be made by telephone.

Road
There are numerous and excellent road links with all neighbouring countries. For information on traffic regulations and required documentation, see the Travel - Internal section. Coach: Coaches run regularly to a large number of European destinations. Eurolines, departing from Victoria Coach Station in London and also in Dover in Kent, serves destinations in Austria (Linz, Salzburg and Vienna). For further information, contact Eurolines (tel: (08705) 143 219; website: www.nationalexpress.com/eurolines-microsite/index.cfm). Some tour operators offer package holidays to Austria by coach from the UK. A full list is available from the Austrian National Tourist Office (see Contact Addresses section). The Channel Tunnel: Eurotunnel operates trains 24 hours per day through the Channel Tunnel between Folkestone in Kent (with direct access from the M20) and Calais in France. All vehicles from motorcycles to campers can be accommodated. Eurotunnel operates three to four passenger trains per hour at peak times. The journey takes approximately 35 minutes. For further information, see France, Travel - International section or contact Eurotunnel Reservations (tel: (08705) 353 535; website: www.eurotunnel.com).

Car ferry
There are regular ferry services across the English Channel. The quickest and most practical route from London to Vienna is via the Dover-Ostend ferry (crossing time – three hours 30 minutes). The distance by road is approximately 1600km (1000 miles). It is one day’s drive in summer, but can take longer in winter. Munich is four to five hours from Vienna; Milan and Zurich are a good day’s drive.

River
DDSG-Blue Danube Schiffahrt operates a passenger service on the Danube from Germany (Passau) to Vienna. For information and reservations, contact them at Friedrichstrasse 7, A-1010 Vienna (tel: (1) 58880; fax: (1) 5888 0440; e-mail: info@ddsg-blue-danube.at; website: www.ddsg-blue-danube.at). The German operator Wurm und Köck offers both passenger services and cruises to Linz. Overnight cruise packages from Passau to Linz include hotel accommodation for only slightly more than the regular one-way passenger fare. Evening and music cruises are available in the summer. For further information, contact Wurm und Köck, Untere Donaulände, 4020 Linz (tel: (732) 783 607; fax: (732) 7836 0720; e-mail: wurm-koeck@t-online.de; website: www.donauschiffahrt.at). DDSG-Blue Danube Schiffahrt also operates a hydrofoil service from the Praterlande hydrofoil dock in Vienna to Hungary (Budapest; travel time – six hours). Brandner concentrates its services between Melk and Krems. For further information, contact Brandner at Ufer 50, A-3313 Wallsee (tel: (7433) 259 021; e-mail: schiffahrt@brandner.at; website: www.ms-austria.at). A regular hydrofoil service also runs three times daily during the summer months from Vienna to the Slovak Republic (Bratislava) (travel time – one hour 30 minutes). International rail tickets are valid on Danube river boats. More information on the above services, and connections to Serbia & Montenegro (Belgrade), Turkey (Istanbul) and Ukraine (Yalta), can be obtained from the Austrian National Tourist Office (see Contact Addresses section).