Cheap flights to Austria

Austria Travel Guide

Austria has much to entice a tourist. Its cities, such as Vienna and Salzburg, are rich with history, its people have a passion for food and drink and the ski resorts in the mountains are world class. Travelers booking flights to Austria will be greeted with a huge choice of how to spend their vacation.

The small country is situated in the middle of Western Europe, surrounded by Germany, Slovakia, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Italy. This location means that a flight to Austria can be the perfect starting point from which to explore Europe.

Regardless of the season there is much to do. In the winter, explore the coffee shops and culture of Vienna or Salzburg. The museums here are superb and Austria’s tradition as a musical hub (home to Mozart, Strauss and Schubert among others) means there are always concerts to attend. In the mountains, ski resorts such as Saalbach and St. Anton attract the highest-class of European skier. During the summer months the cities are busier, but the surrounding countryside is in bloom.

Flights to Austria’s majestic cities lure travelers to its quaint mountainside motif with chocolate bars and liqueurs. In Vienna, visitors waltz through parks and dine on pastries and wine.

Whether you’re in search of Mozart’s melodies or seeking retreat in small mountainside villages, Austria has enough culture to keep any traveler occupied. Grab your schnitzel or strudel and The Best of Mozart CD, and settle in on your cheap flight to Austria.

The von Trapp family is long gone, but the sound of music still carries on in Austria. Book a flight to Austria for a wonderful fusion of history, art, and culture.

What’s the weather like in Austria?

Austria has four distinct seasons, averaging 68 degrees in the summer and 32 degrees in the winter. Hiking and walking can be enjoyed from April to October, or you can hit the slopes from December to March.

How long is the flight to Austria?

Austria is steeped in the history and grandeur of the Hapsburg dynasty that began in 1276 and ended in 1918. Visitors from around the world enjoy the fantastic Alps and beautiful cities like Vienna with its exquisite buildings, historic sites and sophisticated denizens. When you are traveling to Austria for business or pleasure, you enjoy a variety of options to reach your destination from wherever you are in the world.
Flight times may vary depending on layovers at certain destinations when making connections. Be sure to check with your carrier as your actual travel time may be in excess of 30 hours.

Time flights from these major cities to Vienna International Airport (VIE):

• New York City – several flights a day. Nonstop is eight hours, 35 minutes; connecting flights average 10 hours.
• Los Angeles – five flights leave weekly with an average flight time of 12 hours.
• London – nine plus flights per day with an average flight time of two hours, 20 minutes; connecting flights average three hours,
30 minutes
• Barcelona, Spain – two plus flights per day with a nonstop time of two hours, 25 minutes; connecting flights take from three hours,
55 minutes to four hours and 40 minutes.
• Munich, Germany – five plus flights per day with an average flight time of one hour.

Which airlines fly to Austria?

When traveling to Austria, enjoy a variety of major airlines from which to choose.
• New York City: Airberlin, Lufthansa, Swiss, SAS, Delta, Austrian,  American
• Los Angeles: Airberlin, Air France, Swiss, Lufthansa, Austrian, American
• London: Austrian, British Airways, EasyJet, Eurowings
• Barcelona: Eurowings, Vueling, Air China, Swiss, Lufthansa, Austrian, Air France
• Munich: Austrian, Lufthansa, Swiss, Airberlin, SkyWork

What should you pack for a flight to Austria?

Layers work best for all seasons in Austria, making it easy for you to warm up or cool down depending on the location. In general, early spring, late fall and winter are chilly, so be sure to bring plenty of warm clothing, including gloves, a scarf and a hat. Additionally, make sure you have boots with soft, very flexible soles and deep treads to avoid snow build-up that can make the bottoms slippery.

The late spring and early summer are temperate and rainfall is generous through in all seasons, so pack a waterproof jacket and a travel umbrella. Dress conservatively while in Austria. The months of June, July and August are hot, but do not wear shorts, inappropriate by Vienna standards even for young girls. Most women wear dresses or skirts. Jeans are not the norm for either gender. To protect your feet on the cobbled streets, wear sensible flat, closed-toe shoes, not sneakers.

A backpack or shoulder bag is helpful when sightseeing. Prevent loss or damage to your phone with a bungee cord attachment.
You also need a travel adapter plug and step-down voltage converter if your devices are not designed for European voltage (230V).

Ski vacations in the Alps require equipment like that for skiing or snowboarding anywhere, so include that as well if the mountain are your Austria destination.

Getting to and around Austria

Vienna:

The airport in Vienna, or the Schwechat Airport, is about 12 miles away from the center of the city. You can find your way pretty easily by taking the City Airport Train, otherwise known as CAT. The train runs every 30 minutes from 6am until 11:30pm every day. It’s non-stop and takes around 15 minutes, making it an ideal way to get to the Wien Mitte station in the center of Vienna. Another option is to take the bus. Vienna Airport Lines operates buses from the airport to several different areas of the city. Again the buses run every 30 minutes from 6am until midnight so you’ll be covered for most of the day, regardless of when your flights to Austria land. Lastly you can opt for a taxi. They are a lot more expensive than the bus or train services however they are convenient if you don’t want to wait for the public transport or if you have a fair amount of baggage.

Salzburg:

Salzburg International Airport is merely 2 miles away from the city center, making it incredibly easy to get into the city. The most common method of transport is via bus. Bus lines 2, 8 and 27 regularly operate to downtown Salzburg. Each bus line goes a different route so it’s worth looking into which route will work best for you once your flights to Austria land in Salzburg. Another option is to hail a taxi. You’ll find them outside of the arrivals area of the airport, however, it is still considerably more than a bus.

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 transportation 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.

What are some things to do in Austria?

There are so many wondrous things to see and do in Austria, it’s hard to choose. Here are some of our favorites:

• The Clock Museum in Vienna is filled with over 1,000 clocks, one of which is calibrated to run until the year of 9999. This astronomical clock features layers of golden gears and over 30 readings and dials. Each hand takes 20,000 years to revolve. This museum is housed in the Harpist’s House, one of the oldest homes in Vienna.
• Starkenberger Beer Pools in Tarrez is a favorite place where brew-lovers congregate. The pools began in 2005 in an old fermentation cellar of the Starkenberger Castle and became a beer spa where you soak can up the vitamins and calcium in the warm pools and enjoy an entire beer-centered experience.
• Schloss Hellbrunn in Salzburg features trick water gardens from 1619. Built over natural springs, Schloss Hellbrunn was a marvelous way to while the days away with the archbishop of Salzburg, Markus Sittikus. The Salzburg zoo and the Steintheater, a repurposed rock quarry turned amphitheater, share the grounds. A folklore exhibition displays traditional costumes, furniture styles and trends reflecting Austrian life in the 1600s.

Tips for your stay in Austria

• Salzburg is a beautiful old, elegant city. Many music enthusiasts arrive to visit the buildings associated with Mozart who was born and lived here. The yellow house at number nine, Geitregasse street is his birthplace and is now preserved as a museum.
• The country’s capital is also its cultural center and the most popular city for tourists who arrive from flights to Austria. Vienna has many museums, art galleries, churches, theatres, cafés, restaurants and hotels. The tourist board offers an organized sightseeing tour which will give an overview of the many attractions. 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 motorized scooter on which you can stand.
• .Zell-am-See, located on a lake, has been inhabited since Roman times. During the winter it is a popular ski resort, but in the summer visitors can really see the beauty of the town’s location high in the mountains.
• Cheap Austria flights should be considered by those interested in exploring Eastern Europe, because Vienna is the ideal starting point for Eastern European travel. Ferries leave daily from Vienna to Bratislava and Budapest in spring and summer, and trains from Salzburg and Vienna leave regularly for Prague and other Eastern European destinations. Bus travel is also widely available and cheaper than train and ferry fares to other Eastern European points, though departure times are more infrequent and trips take much longer.
• For classical music connoisseurs looking to book cheap flights to Austria, Salzburg is a hot spot: as it’s the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Movie buffs planning on visiting Austria should also check out Salzburg for its role in “The Sound of Music” – Salzburg is where most of the film takes place. To accommodate the droves of tourists who flock to Salzburg for their musical and movie pilgrimages, there are several tours and plenty of information available for those who wish to see Getreidegasse 9, Mozart’s birthplace, or Howenwerfen Castle, the location just south of the city where “Do Re Mi” was filmed. Check out Salzburg hotels for your stay in this musical haven.
• Vienna, Austria’s capital and cultural center, offers a wealth of museums and ornate performance halls. After you take in a matinee of Swan Lake at the Vienna Opera House or spend the afternoon admiring the masterpieces of Gustav Klimt at the Museum of Applied Arts, be sure to stop for a mélange at a street side café. Vienna’s coffee house tradition is a cultural experience not to be missed, and these cozy, intimate cafes are great places to relax and people watch if you’re still catching up on jetlag from your flight to Austria, or before you had back to your Vienna hotel.
• As two-time host of the Winter Olympic Games, Innsbruck tends to be the final destination for ski bunnies looking for cheap Austria flights. Its location between mountains makes it an ideal locale for winter sports, but Innsbruck is also home to 18 museums and cultural sights to keep you occupied on and off the slopes. Innsbruck hotels are available near top tourist attractions, or tucked away for remote privacy.

Finding Flights from Austria

When it’s time to hit the road and head out of Vienna for the next leg of your journey, use the Cheapflight “find deals” tool.

Vienna offers multiple ways to get you to the airport.

Taxi Service. A taxi ride for 3-4 people costs 35 to 40 euros ($38-$44) one-way, or you may purchase a pre-booked transfer for 29 euros ($32) if you prefer to ride alone.

Bus Service. Buses depart from two main terminals, the city center and the UN complex. The trip takes 25-35 minutes and costs approximately 8 euros ($8.50).

Urban Rail. If you have heavy luggage, this may not be a good option as you must to step UP to this train. This commuter train, the Vienna S-Bahn line S7, costs approximately 12 euros ($13).

City Airport Train (CAT) links with the Wien Mitte station and takes you to the airport in 16 minutes at a cost of 12 euros ($13) one way.

Private Car Service. Enjoy a relaxed and comfortable ride to the airport with this transportation option. The cost approximates that of a taxi, but it’s more reliable and you don’t have to wait in line.

To find the best, most affordable flights, hotel accommodations and car rentals when you travel to Vienna make Cheapflights your one-stop shopping destination.