Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
GETTING AROUND
Transport systems in Austria are highly developed and generally very efficient, and reliable information is usually avail-
able in English. Individual bus and train
Fahrplan
(timetables) are readily available, as are helpful annual timetables.
Austria's main rail provider is the
ÖBB
( 24hr hotline 05 1717;
www.oebb.at
), which has an extensive country-
wide rail network. This is supplemented by a handful of private railways. Wherever trains don't run, a
Postbus
( 24
hr 05 17 17;
www.postbus.at
) usually does. Sometimes there's an overlap of services and you have a choice of bus or
train. Timetables and prices for most train and bus connections can be found online at
www.oebb.at
.
Most provinces have an integrated transport system offering day passes covering regional zones for both bus and train
travel.
Air
Flying within a country the size of Austria is rarely necessary. The main exception is Innsbruck in the far west of Aus-
tria.
Austrian Airlines
(
www.austrian.com
) The national carrier and its subsidiaries Tyrolean Airways and Austrian Arrows
offer several flights daily between Vienna and Graz, Innsbruck, Klagenfurt, Linz and Salzburg.
Bicycle
Tours
Most regional tourist boards have brochures on cycling facilities and routes within their region. Separate bike tracks are
common in cities, and long-distance tracks and routes also run along many of the major valleys such as the Danube,
Enns and Mur. Others follow lakes, such as the bike tracks around the Neusiedler See in Burgenland and the Wörthersee
in Carinthia.
Landstrassen
(L) roads (
Click here
) are usually good for cyclists. The Danube cycling trail is like a Holy
Grail for cyclists, following the entire length of the river in Austria between the borders with Germany and Slovakia.
The Tauern Radweg is a 310km trail through the mountain landscapes of Hohe Tauern National Park.
Mountain Biking
Austria's regions are well equipped for mountain biking of various levels of difficulty. Carinthia (around Hermagor) and
northern Styria (the Gesäuse, Schladming and Mariazell) are excellent places. The Dachstein Tour can be done over
three days, whereas the Nordkette Single Trail in Innsbruck is one of the toughest and most exhilarating downhill rides
in the country.
Bike Transport
It's possible to take bicycles on trains with a bicycle symbol at the top of its timetable. You can't take bicycles on bus
services.
