By air: Austria is easily accessible by air, with the main international airport located in Vienna. There are other international airports located across the country, in Linz, Graz, Salzburg, Innsbruck and Klagenfurt. The major domestic airlines are Austrian Airlines, Lauda Air and Tyrolean Air.

By rail: The Austrian federal railway, the Österreichische Bundesbahnen covers 6,123 km of track. The railway network is connected to neighbouring countries such as the Czech Republic, Germany and Italy.

By road: Austria is served by the autobahn (motorway) system with 2,178 km of roads. Traffic drives on the right. Users of the autobahn system will have to purchase a vignette (toll sticker), which are available in varying lengths of validity (10 days, 2 months or a year). An additional toll may be levied on routes which are more expensive to maintain (such as mountainous routes with tunnels), collected at the time of use via toll plazas.

Buses: A comprehensive bus network (Bundesbus) serves Austria that contains domestic and international routes. Domestic buses are most useful for accessing some of the ski resorts in the Tirol and Vorarlberg regions while international buses can be used by travellers to access Eastern Europe, with connections to several major cities in Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary and Italy.

Car-hire: Major international and domestic car rental companies such as Hertz are available at all major airports and hotels to those above 21 years old.

Public Transport: Most large towns and cities are served by a comprehensive public transport system which includes underground systems, buses, tramlines and suburban railways. Getting around without a car in Austria is generally not a problem. Most routes have a flat fare and there are multi-journey passes and tickets. The Postbus system complements the national railway network by reaching remote destinations and small villages that aren’t serviced by trains. Service frequency is generally reduced on Saturdays and there may be no service at all on Sundays.

Bicycles: These can be rented from railway stations for use in the towns. It is a relatively cost efficient and environmentally friendly mode of transportation. The bicycles have to be returned to the train stations after use.

Some recommended dishes:

• Wiener Schnitzel (Fried veal coated with breadcrumbs and served with a lemon slice, lingonberry jam or cranberry sauce either with potato salad or potatoes with parsley or butter)
• Apfelstrudel (A popular dessert item that has layers of thin pastry surrounding a filling of apple, usually with cinnamon and raisins)
• Topfenstrudel (Similar to the Apfelstrudel, however, the pastry is surrounded with a filling of cream cheese)
• Goulash (soup made with beef and onions and traditionally served with dumplings – Semmelknödel)
• Kaiserschmarrn (A soft, fluffy pancake made with raisins and other fruits, served with a fruit compote for dipping)

• The Alps for winter sports such as skiing, snowboarding and sleigh riding (Vorarlberg, Hohe Tauern National Park)
• St Martinstrum, the world’s largest floating stage for summer opera productions (Bregenz and the Upper City)
• Lederhosen Festival, where traditional Austrian costumes are displayed and varieties of beer available (Windischgarsten)
• Salzburg Festival, to listen to a wide variety of music (Salzburg)
• Riesenrad, the Ferris Wheel at Prater Amusement Park (Vienna)
• Lakes, for breathtaking views (Wörthersee, Wolfgangsee, Traunsee, Hallstättersee and Mondsee)
• Mozart’s birthplace (Mozart Geburthaus, Salzburg)
• Ice caves or Eisreisenwelt, where ice sculptures are available all year round (Werfen)

• Austrian Embassy in Singapore: (http://www.austria.org.sg/)
• Austrian Tourist Office Online (http://www.austria.info/uk)
• Lonely Planet Austria: (http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/europe/austria/index.htm)