Survival Guide - Austria - page 806

01514 31-0; Kärntner Strasse 19) in Vienna, and in Graz at Kastner & Öhler (Sackstrasse 7-11; 9.30am-7pm
Mon-Fri, to 6pm Sat). Vienna and Salzburg airports also have refund desks. It's easiest to claim this before leaving the
country rather than at home.
Tipping
This is part of everyday life in Austria; in restaurants, bars and cafes and in taxis it's customary to give about 10%. Add
the bill and the tip together and hand it over in one lump sum. It also doesn't hurt to tip hairdressers, hotel porters,
cloak-room attendants, cleaning staff and tour guides one or two euros.
Opening Hours
Normal opening hours in Austria are as follows. For information on seasonal opening hours, Click here .
Banks From 8am or 9am until 3pm Monday to Friday, extended hours to 5.30pm on Thursdays. Many of the smaller
branches close from 12.30pm to 1.30pm.
Cafes Hours vary considerably. Usually 7am or 8am to 11pm or midnight; some traditional coffee houses and cafes
close at 7pm or 8pm.
Offices and government departments Usually from 8am to 3.30pm, 4pm or 5pm Monday to Friday.
Post offices Core hours are 8am to noon and 2pm to 6pm Monday to Friday; some also open 8am to noon Saturday,
and many are open all day Monday to Friday.
Pubs and bars Close anywhere between midnight and about 4am.
Restaurants Generally 11am to 2.30pm or 3pm and 6pm to 11pm or midnight. The kitchen often closes an hour earlier
in the evening and in some is open all day.
Shops Most open from 9am to 6.30pm Monday to Friday (often to 9pm Thursday or Friday in cities), from 9am to 5pm
Saturday.
Public Holidays
Basically, everything shuts down on public holidays. The only establishments open are bars, cafes and restaurants, and
even some of these don't open. Museums are usually - but not universally - open. The big school break is in July and
August. This is a time when most families go on holiday so you'll find some places, like cities, a little quieter and oth-
ers, such as popular holiday destinations, busier. Avoid ski breaks during much of February; school pupils have a week
off during that time and invariably the ski slopes are full to overflowing with kids and parents. Plan bus trips more
carefully on public holidays - services are usually reduced.
New Year's Day (Neujahr) 1 January
Epiphany (Heilige Drei Könige) 6 January
Easter Monday (Ostermontag) March/April
Labour Day (Tag der Arbeit) 1 May
Whit Monday (Pfingstmontag) 6th Monday after Easter