This page is your homebase for general tips on traveling to Austria, as well as recommendations for activities in Vienna and Burgenland.
Health and Travel Tips
- Bring a converter! Austria, like much of continental Europe, uses a two-pin (Type F) plug. 230 Volts. Not all devices switch automatically, so check your device's voltage.
- Pack for sun and rain. Temperatures in the Vila Vita area are expected to range between 11C/52F and 19C/66F
- Tip about 10%, plus a little more on small orders
- Although rare, there are disease-carrying ticks and mosquitos, so try to deter encounters by exercising caution, wearing protective clothing on excursions, and considering the use of repellants.
- For medical assistance:
- The general emergency number in Austria is 112
- For an ambulance: call 144
- For emergency medical service: call 141
- Film & photography permits are not required in the Nationalpark, but you must obey "Wegegebot", meaning staying on paths and not ignoring fences. As long as your stay on roads and dirts paths, you can film and photography anything. Drone use is prohibited.
About Burgenland
Burgenland, is the only state in Austria without a slice of the Alps, and home to the only steppe national park in the country. The least populated and youngest addition to the Republic of Austria (incorporated from The Kingdom of Hungary under the Hapsburg Empire), it is known for its sunshine, mild climate, vineyards and excellent wines, extensive bike trails, and for its Lake Neusiedl.
Neusiedler See-Seewinkel National Park, which is a transition zone between the Alps and the Pannonian lowlands, is centered around Lake Neusiedl. With its surrounding wetlands and meadows, the area draws a wide range of wildlife, particularly migrating and nesting birds. The lake is the largest endorheic lake in Central Europe (water flows into, but not out of the lake, which leads to large fluctuations in water levels). And, because the water is relatively shallow and gentle, the area is considered a great place for family swimming.
Neusiedler See-Seewinkel National Park, which is a transition zone between the Alps and the Pannonian lowlands, is centered around Lake Neusiedl. With its surrounding wetlands and meadows, the area draws a wide range of wildlife, particularly migrating and nesting birds. The lake is the largest endorheic lake in Central Europe (water flows into, but not out of the lake, which leads to large fluctuations in water levels). And, because the water is relatively shallow and gentle, the area is considered a great place for family swimming.
Activities in Burgenland
Bird and other wildlife spotting
Baroque donkeys, Hungarian Gray Cattle, Przewalski horses, water buffalo, South Russian tarantulas, and hundreds of species of birds all call Burgenland home. Remember to pack your binoculars! Click here to plan your individual or group safaris at Seewinkel National Park. Cycling, swimming and water sports Pedal boats and row boats are available a 20 minute drive from Vila Vita, here. Bike rentals are available a 10 minute drive from Vila Vita, here. Also, the nextbike app is the country's largest bike rental network throughout Austria. Trails Explore Lange Lacke loop on Alltrails. Climb the Observation Tower at Sandeck (just south of Illmitz) Horseback riding and horse carriage riding Explore towns around Lake Neusiedl, such as Podersdorf am See (and take a walk to its lighthouse) Experience Burgenland's cultural architectural landmarks For more ideas, visit - Burgenland Tourism - Nationalpark Neusiedler-See - Lake Neusiedl |
Activities in Vienna
Download the official Vienna City Guide App: ivie - Wien Guide
For visitors with disabilities and special needs: https://www.wien.info/resource/blob/321726/2bbb2311ce8c135d46ba6b16e6d99e17/accessible-vienna-en-data.pdf A Walking Tour of Vienna City Center
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- For an alternative agenda, or an extremely museum-packed day, cross the Ringstrasse and continue to the Naturhistorisches Museum (Natural History Museum) and the Kunsthistorisches Museum (The Museum of Fine Arts, or literal translation: Art History Museum). These symmetrical, twin museums are 19th century palatial buildings, embellished with architectural details that are as striking as the works they display.
- The Naturhistorisches Museum (Natural History Museum) houses the Imperial collections, and continues to be a research museum. Among its multitude of objects, is the world’s largest and oldest public collection of meteorites. Part of its charm is the occasional, unexpected surprise from the past. On the way to the dinosaur bones, for example, you can view Maria Therese’s favorite lapdog, a dwarf spaniel from the 18th century, owned by the Habsburgs.
- Its sister museum, The Kunsthistorisches Museum, is one of the word’s leading fine art museums. Its primary collections are the art collections of the Habsburgs, which includes an armor collection, the world’s largest Bruegel collection, and noteworthy paintings from a long list of “old masters”.
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- Continue the curve a few paces, as it bends into Helmut Zilk-Platz, and you’ll find the entrance to one of the world’s finest collections of graphic art, including works from Leonardo Da Vinci and Albrecht Dürer. (Note: the Albertina Modern is a separate museum, at Karlsplatz, with ever-changing contemporary exhibitions.
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- When you Exit Hotel Sacher, turn the corner into Kärntner Straße, and you’ll find yourself on one of the main pedestrian streets, that leads straight back to to Stephansdom, ending full circle, where this excursion began.
Additional Places to Explore
Viennese traditional coffee houses in the city center
The banks of the Danube Canal, just at the edge of the first district
A good place to start a (or hang out) is around Motto am Fluss.
Upper Belvedere and some more amazing museums
Naschmarkt: a vibrant open market with stalls running parallel to restaurants
Schonbrunn Palace and its garden (explore the maze!)
Schönbrunn Zoo: the oldest existing zoo, and today one of the most modern ones, in the world.
Prater: A pay-by-the-ride amusement park (no entrance fee) with the famous “Riesenrad” ferris wheel, featured in the Orson Wells film The Third Man…and so much more
Viennese traditional coffee houses in the city center
The banks of the Danube Canal, just at the edge of the first district
A good place to start a (or hang out) is around Motto am Fluss.
Upper Belvedere and some more amazing museums
Naschmarkt: a vibrant open market with stalls running parallel to restaurants
Schonbrunn Palace and its garden (explore the maze!)
Schönbrunn Zoo: the oldest existing zoo, and today one of the most modern ones, in the world.
Prater: A pay-by-the-ride amusement park (no entrance fee) with the famous “Riesenrad” ferris wheel, featured in the Orson Wells film The Third Man…and so much more