Cheap flights to Austria

The only thing Austria lacks is a coastline. It has everything else a tourist might desire: a rich cultural history, a passion for food and drink, cities such as Vienna and Salzburg and world-class ski resorts. Getting here is a doddle too. It has six airports (Vienna, Graz, Innsbruck, Klagenfurt, Linz and Salzburg) and several airlines offer cheap flights to Austria including flag carrier Austrian Airlines and easyJet.

Austria is landlocked by Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Italy, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. All these have influenced Austrian cuisine. The Wiener Schnitzel (breaded veal fried in butter) is just the start.

Vienna pioneered coffee-house culture in the 17th century, providing welcoming and warm surroundings for reading newspapers, playing chess, chatting and debating the issues of the day. They could be said to have played a role in Austria’s strong arts tradition: in music it can boast Mozart, Strauss (father and son), Mahler, Haydn, Schubert and Beethoven (German-born, but lived in Vienna for much of his life); in art, Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele; in literature Franz Kafka; and perhaps most famously Sigmund Freud. There more to experience than is possible in just one trip.

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Austria climate

Austria has four distinct seasons, averaging 20 degrees in the summer and zero degrees in the winter. Hiking and walking can be enjoyed from April to October, or you can hit the slopes from December to March.

When is the best time to fly to Austria?

Peak Season:

Vienna is a year-round city, though tourism is most popular in the main holidays: Easter, Christmas and summertime. In the Alps, winter is obviously peak season for skiing, though the summer is popular with walkers, hikers and bikers. As it is a year-round destination, cheap flights to Austria may take a bit of searching. The best bet is to fly into Vienna or even find a cheap flight to Bratislava and take the bus from there (about a 90-minute journey).

Off Season:

Late autumn (from October through to the start of December) and late winter (Late January through to March or the start of Spring) is the least popular time to visit, because of the less appealing weather.

Getting around Austria

Domestic Austria flights are available from Austrian Airlines and Tyrolean Airways.

The train service is extremely efficient and the network is extensive. All trains are comfortable and fast and it is unlikely that you will not be able to find a service to your destination. In some parts of the Alps old steam trains are available for transport between resorts. This is a slower way of travelling, but the views are spectacular.

For short trips take the bus, called the Bundesbus.

In the Alps, travel up the mountains is by cable cars, gondolas and ski lifts. Many stay open in the summer for hikers.

How long is the flight to Austria?

The capital of Austria, located in the northeast corner of the country, is Vienna. Most cheap flights to Austria will fly to Vienna International Airport (VIE). The flying time can range from 14-20h, depending on which airline you fly with. Austria’s second-largest international airport is Salzburg Airport and provides a gateway to the many ski resorts in the area. The journey from Hong Kong to Salzburg usually ranges from 13-19h with one stopover.

Where can you get direct flights to Austria from?

There are no direct flights to Austria from Hong Kong (HKG) but you can find numerous Austria flight deals that only have one stop and offer a relatively easy travel route. For example, if flying with Qatar Airways to Vienna (VIE), you would have only one stopover in Doha (DOH), and if flying with Lufthansa to Salzburg (SZG), you would have only one stopover in Frankfurt (FRA).

What is the best way to travel around Austria?

Austria’s transport system is very well-organised and the bus and train routes complement each other. Train travel is the recommended way to travel around Austria as it is comfortable, scenic and easy. There are high-speed, passenger and sightseeing trains, and most of them deliver you to the centre of your destination. Austria is not very big, so travel times are short and easy. You can travel by train from Vienna to Salzburg in 2.5-3h and from Vienna to Innsbruck in 4h 14min. There are many discounted fair and rail pass options. Train travel is also sometimes cheaper than the bus thanks to the discounted Vorteilscard. The Postbus works in conjunction with the railways. Buses will get you to remote locations where trains can’t go, such as mountainous ski regions, and you can buy tickets onboard. The bus system also provides easy travel within cities.

What are some things to do in Austria?

The capital, Vienna, is known for its imperial buildings, its coffee houses and the Viennese ballet. Visit Hofburg Palace, the traditional home of the monarchs of Austria, or take a tour of the baroque Schönbrunn Palace and its grounds. View the world-famous performance of the white Lipizzaner horses at the Spanish Riding School. Have a coffee at Vienna’s iconic coffee house, Café Central, or head to a woodland courtyard Heurigen (wine tavern). Salzburg, famed for being the filming location for The Sound of Music as well as the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, is well worth a visit. In the fairytale town of Hallstatt, you can take a tour of a salt mine or of the Hallstatt Ossuary (or Bone-House) with some 2100 human skulls on display. In the west, in a valley surrounded by the Alps, you’ll find picturesque Innsbruck. Take a walk through the quaint old centre or, for a better view, climb the Town Tower (Stadtturm). Visit the Hofkirche, a church noted for Emperor Maximillian’s cenotaph and 28 bronze statues of his ancestors, relatives and heroes. Austria also has some of the best ski resorts in Europe.

Do I need a passport or visa to fly to Austria?

At the moment, Hong Kong passport holders do not need a visa to enter the Schengen area (which includes Austria) for a period of 90 days. By the end of 2022, however, the ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorization System) will be implemented, whereby Hong Kong nationals will need to apply online for a visa waiver. You will need a passport with at least three months validity, a current email address and a debit or credit card to pay the fee (the amount has not yet been confirmed).

What is good to know if travelling to Austria?

• Salzburg is a beautiful old, elegant city; which draws Mozart enthusiasts in hordes looking for buildings associated with the great composer. The yellow house at number nine, Geitregasse street in which Mozart was born is now preserved as a museum. Also open to the public is the house in which he lived between 1773-1780 at Makartplatz 8.
• Austria’s capital is also its cultural centre and the most popular city to visit for tourists. Vienna has an abundance of museums, galleries, theatres, churches, cafés, restaurants and hotels. If you don’t know where you want to start, an organised sightseeing tour from the tourist board will let you see some of the sights of the city and help you become orientated. There are a number of tours on offer: guided walking tours, sightseeing tours by bus, boat, or bicycle and, more unusually, tours by “Segway”, a motorised scooter on which you can stand.
• The town of Innsbruck in the Tyrol region of the country is located in the Inn valley, surrounded by mountains. To get up to the mountains, the quickest way is to the take the Hungerburg Bahn.
• Austria has several world-class ski resorts. One of the most famous is the fashionable Kitzbuhel, which has an extensive area of pistes, excellent (if expensive) après-ski facilities and great nightlife.
• Zell-am-See, located on a lake, has been inhabited since Roman times. Today it is a picturesque ski resort, popular with all ranges of skier during the winter. It’s in the summer, however, that you can really see the beauty of the town’s location. Due to its location close to the Grossglockner mountain, the highest in Austria, it is possible to ski even in the summer months. Sailing, swimming and sunbathing by the lake may be more appealing.
• If you’re looking for accommodation in Austria, a popular site for user reviews is Trivago. The website includes recommendations for all the major cities in Austria. Take a look at the pages on hotels in Salzburg, Vienna or Innsbruck.