BPG_Salzburg

Accommodation

Salzburg has a wide selection of accommodation, including the usual chain hotels such as Radisson, Sheraton, Mercure and Dorint, but also offers privately run hotels that tend to be friendlier and more characterful.

For most of the year it is not necessary to book accommodation in advance, but during peak times (Easter, July, August and December) advance reservations are essential. The Salzburg Tourist Office website, www.salzburg.info, offers an online booking service, in English as well as German. The Tourist Office also publishes a booklet of accommodation every year, though this is not a complete listing of all the hotels and guesthouses in the city.

If you have not booked somewhere to stay before you arrive, the tourist information offices at the railway station and on Mozartplatz can assist with finding accommodation.

Pensionen are the equivalent of guesthouses or bed and breakfasts, and are less expensive than hotels.

a guesthouse eine Pension

a single/double room ein Einzelzimmer/Doppelzimmer

with/without bath (shower) mit/ohne Bad (Dusche)

What’s the rate per night? Was kostet eine Übernachtung?

Airport

Salzburg’s airport, W.A. Mozart, www.salzburg-airport.com, is located on the western edge of the city. The airport is small, but offers all the usual facilities: restaurant, bar, banks, shops, cafés and a newsagent. There are regular buses (€2.60 for a single ticket) to the railway station (direct) and the city centre (change of bus). The journey to the station takes approximately 30 minutes. There is also a taxi rank directly outside the arrivals terminal. All car-hire offices are across the road in the multistorey car park.

Arrivals are through Terminal I, but in winter the ski charter flights depart from Terminal II.

Bicycle hire

Salzburg is considered Austria’s most bike-friendly community. It has a superb network of cycle paths around the city and along the riverbanks. A number of hotels offer free bike loan. If yours does not, there are plenty of bike-hire shops (about €6 for 2 hours, €10 for 4 hours, €15 for a day). Bikepalast Salzburg (tel: 633 030) has an office at Bayerhamerstrasse. The Bike Map of Salzburg is available at www.salzburg.info.

The Mozartradweg (Mozart Bike Trail) runs from the city through the Salzburg Lake District (Salzkammergut) on to Bavaria and its lakes, before ending at Berchtesgaden, near Hitler’s former holiday retreat (for more information, click here). The route stretches about 450km (280 miles) and is primarily flat, with just a few hills along the way. It’s ideal for families. Salzburg tourist offices will provide trail maps (for more information, click here).

Budgeting for your trip

The currency in Austria is the euro. To give you a rough guide of how much things cost, the following is a list of average prices:

Drinks: non-alcoholic drinks in bars and restaurants around €2.50–3.50, 0.5l beer €3.50–4, 0.125l wine €4 upwards.

Entertainment: cinema ticket around €10, entrance into a nightclub or disco from around €5.

Hotels: a double room with breakfast will cost €160 and upwards per night in a five-star hotel, between €65 and €80 in a two-star.

Meals: a three-course evening meal in a mid-range restaurant will cost between €25 and €35 per head, including a drink.

Museums: admission fees vary greatly; there are reductions for children and students. A Salzburg Card (for more information, click here) provides free admission to many museums.

Public transport: single tickets cost €2.60 if you buy them on the bus and €1.90 if you buy them in advance in a block of five from tobacconists or customer care centres. Day passes cost €5.70 if you buy them on the bus, €4 using a mobile phone or a vending machine and €3.80 if you buy in advance from tobacconists or customer care centres (https://salzburg-verkehr.at). Bus travel is included in the Salzburg Card.

Sightseeing: a Fiaker (horse-drawn carriage) trip for up to five people costs €185 for a 50-minute tour (www.fiaker-salzburg.at). A boat trip on the Amadeus Salzburg costs €15–29 for adults and €7.50–19 for children (www.salzburghighlights.at). If you join a Salzburg city guide for a guided group tour, it costs around €10 per person.

Tickets: concerts €10–60; Salzburger Landestheater €11–70; Marionette Theatre €20–37 for adults, €15 for children. Salzburg Festival (www.salzburgerfestspiele.at): tickets vary greatly in price according to the performance.

Camping

There are three campsites in the vicinity of Salzburg: Nord Sam (tel: 660 494, www.camping-nord-sam.com, open mid-Apr–early Dec, Christmas–early Jan); Camping Panorama Stadtblick (tel: 450 652, www.panorama-camping.at, open end Mar–early Nov, early Dec, late Dec–early Jan) and Camping Schloss Aigen (tel: 622 079, www.campingaigen.com, open May–Sept).

Car hire (see also Driving)

To explore Salzburg it is not necessary to have a car. It is easy to lose your bearings in the maze of one-way streets, and parking is expensive and very limited. However, should you need car hire for trips out of town, most of the major car hire companies have offices at the airport and will deliver cars to your hotel. Costs are around €70 for an economy class car for one day, €120 for a weekend.

For hiring a car, you need to be aged over 19, hold a driving licence, passport and one of the major credit cards. A fire and third-party liability insurance is mandatory and included in all rentals.

Europcar tel: 1866 161 633, www.europcar.at

Avis tel: 877 278, www.avis.at

Buchbinder tel: 0810 007 010, www.buchbinder-rent-a-car.at

Hertz tel: 876 674, www.hertz.at

Sixt tel: 977 424, www.sixt.at

I’d like to rent a car Ich möchte bitte ein Auto mieten

Tomorrow für morgen

for one day/week für einen Tag/für eine Woche

Please include full insurance. Mit Vollkaskoversicherung, bitte.

Climate

Salzburg has a well-deserved reputation for being a rainy city and the watery weather even has a nickname: Schnürlregen (string-rain). It can rain for three seasons of the year, and in winter it snows instead. Salzburg can be quite cold in winter and stiflingly hot in summer. The best times of year for visiting the city in pleasant temperatures are spring and autumn. In spring the alpine flowers are in full bloom, and in autumn the colours of the forest are aglow. At these times the streets are not filled to bursting point with tourists. If you are looking for some romantic winter atmosphere, then December, when the Christmas Markets are in full swing, is also a good time, but much busier.

Clothing

Whatever the time of year, it is always best to bring layers and something waterproof. It may be freezing cold outside in winter, but the buildings are all very well heated and insulated inside. There can be cold snaps in summer, so light jumpers or jackets will be useful.

Austrians dress casually for most occasions, but they do like to be smart when going to the theatre, opera, ballet or a ball. Evening dress is often worn to festival performances.

Crime and safety

Salzburg is a very safe city. You do need to watch out for pickpockets in busy places (such as markets) and make sure you lock up your bicycle if you park it anywhere. Do not leave valuables in your car, and ensure that it is locked. In the event of theft or crime call 112 or 133 to get the nearest police station (Polizeiwache).

Disabled travellers

Salzburg Information has good website information (www.salzburg.info/en/salzburg/barrier-free) and has published the free guide Experience Barrier-Free Salzburg, listing sights, hotels and places of interest with their level of wheelchair access. It includes a map and plenty of useful information for wheelchair users. Most of the buses in the city are accessible with a wheelchair, although some of the older ones are not.

Driving (See also Car hire)

If you are taking your car to Austria, you must have a valid driving licence, third-party insurance, car registration papers, a red warning triangle and a reflective high-visibility waistcoat in case of breakdown, and a first-aid kit. From 1st November to 15th April only cars with winter tyres are allowed to drive on roads with snow and ice (snow chains are recommended for the mountains).

For Austrian motorways you will require a toll sticker (Vignette), valid between 10 days and a year. They are sold at petrol stations, post offices and tobacconists.

driving licence Führerschein

car registration papers Zulassungsschein

Green Card Grüne Karte

Where’s the nearest car park, please? Wo ist der nächste Parkplatz, bitte?

Can I park here? Darf ich hier parken?

Are we on the right road for …? Sind wir auf der richtigen Strasse nach …?

Check the oil/tyres/battery, please. Öl/Reifen/Batterie prüfen, bitte.

I’ve had a breakdown. Ich habe eine Panne.

There’s been an accident. Es ist ein Unfall passiert.

Road conditions. The roads in Austria are very good on the whole. The north–south routes can get very busy at weekends in the summer, and in winter, when people are heading to and from the ski resorts. Information on road conditions and the traffic situation is available in English seven days a week 6am–8pm (tel: 0043-1 711 997).

Driving regulations. Austrians drive on the right. Here are some of the rules of the road that you might find useful:

It is compulsory to wear seatbelts in front and rear seats.

It is forbidden to use a hand-held mobile phone while driving.

Children under the age of 12 are not permitted to sit in the front.

It is forbidden to overtake on the right on the motorway.

Headlights must be switched on at all times.

The alcohol limit is 0.5 parts per thousand.

Speed limits. On motorways 130kmh (81mph) or 110kmh (68mph); on other roads 100kmh (62mph) or 80kmh (50mph); in built-up areas 50kmh (31mph).

Parking can be difficult in Salzburg. It is not permitted to park in the bus lanes during the stated times. For the blue parking bays you will need to display a ticket (machines are located nearby).

Breakdowns. There is a 24-hour breakdown service for motorways and main roads. The two Austrian motoring clubs are ÖAMTC (tel: 120, www.oeamtc.at) and ARBÖ (tel: 123, www.arboe.at).

Fuel and oil. There are plenty of petrol stations around Salzburg. Not all are open 24 hours, but those on the motorway and at the major entrances to the city are. Petrol, diesel and LPG are available.

Road signs. Most road signs employed in Austria are international, but here are some written signs you might come across:

Anfang (parking) start

Ausfahrt exit

Aussicht viewpoint

Bauarbeiten road works

Einbahnstrasse one way

Ende (parking) end

Fahrbahnwechsel change lanes

Fußgänger pedestrians

Gefahr danger

Geradeaus straight on

Glatteis icy roads

Halten verboten no stopping

Licht einschalten use headlights

Ortsende town ends

Parken erlaubt parking allowed

Rechts/links einbiegen turn right/left

Rollsplitt loose gravel

Sackgasse no through road

Spital hospital

Steinschlag falling stones

Umleitung detour

Vorfahrt priority

Vorsicht caution

Werktags von 7 bis 17 Uhr weekdays 7am to 5pm

Zufahrt gestattet entrance permitted

Electricity

Austrian plugs have two round pins, so an adapter is necessary if your device has a British or US plug. The voltage is 220 volts.

Embassies and consulates

Contact your consulate or embassy only for real emergencies, such as loss of a passport or all your money, a serious accident or trouble with the police. Citizens of most countries will have to contact their embassies in Vienna or a consulate in Munich. The honorary consulate in Salzburg is:

UK: Rainbergstrasse 3c, 5020 Salzburg, tel: 624 500.

Emergencies (See also Crime and safety, and Police)

Normally, in the case of an emergency, your hotel receptionist will be happy to assist. If you do need to get hold of the emergency services yourself, the numbers are as follows:

Emergency (general): 112

Police: 133

Fire brigade: 122

Ambulance, first aid: 144

Emergency medical service: 141

I need a doctor/dentist/ambulance. Ich brauche einen Arzt/Zahnarzt/Krankenwagen.

Fire! Feuer!

Help! Hilfe!

hospital Spital

police Polizei

Gay and lesbian travellers

The gay and lesbian scene in Salzburg is not very evident, though there is the gay-friendly Wolf-Dietrich hotel right in the city centre in Wolf-Dietrich-Strasse 7 and the hottest party spot for gays and lesbians, Mexxx Gay Bar (www.mexxxgaybar.at), in Schallmooser Hauptstrasse 20. Four times a year HOSI Festival for gays and lesbians takes place at ArgeKultur, organised by the HOSI Homosexual Initiative in Salzburg (www.hosi.or.at), which also runs a gay bar in Gabelsbergerstrasse 26.

Getting there

By air

Scheduled flights. There are regular flights year-round from several UK airports, and from Dublin, to Salzburg. Ryanair, www.ryanair.com, has daily flights to Salzburg from London Stansted, British Airways, www.britishairways.com, from London Heathrow and London Gatwick, and Easyjet, www.easyjet.com, weekly flights from London Gatwick, London Luton, Bristol and Liverpool and Norwegian, www.norwegian.com, from London Gatwick during skiing season.

Charter flights. During the summer and winter seasons there are charter flights from a number of UK and Republic of Ireland airports. These are normally sold on a seat-only basis unless you are booking a package. Many UK tour operators offer Salzburg as a city break. Check with your travel agent for details.

Via Munich. The choice of scheduled flights to Munich is much greater than to Salzburg. Munich is about 1.5–2 hours away from Salzburg by train (buy a Bayern Ticket from ticket machines at stations – this gives you all-day travel on regional trains within Bavaria and Salzburg) and 1.5 hours by car.

By car

Salzburg is a long drive from the UK and you should allow two days’ travelling time. Although the German motorways are pretty good, they can get very busy over the summer months. The quickest route is via Ostende, Cologne, Stuttgart and Munich.

Comfortable motor rails/car trains run between Hamburg and Vienna via Munich. Contact Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) for details (www.oebb.at) or Deutsche Bahn (www.bahn.de).

By rail

There are regular train services from London St Pancras International to Salzburg via Paris and Munich. The journey takes about 16 hours. Sleepers and couchettes are available if booked in advance. Contact ÖBB (see above) for further information.

Guides and tours

There are two major bus tour companies in Salzburg that offer guided tours of the city in English both by coach and on foot, and also to places of interest nearby: Salzburg Sightseeing Tours (tel: 881 616, www.salzburg-sightseeingtours.at) and Panorama Tours (tel: 883 2110, www.panoramatours.com). Both have The Sound of Music tours, which visit all the film locations in and around the city.

The local tourist office at Mozartplatz also organises guided tours on foot with English-speaking guides.

Outside the Residenz you will find a row of horse-drawn carriages awaiting customers. These are known as Fiakers and will take you through the old town at a leisurely pace (for more information, click here).

Boat trips on the Salzach aboard the Amadeus Salzburg are available between May and September. They leave at regular intervals from the Makartsteg (pedestrian bridge) in the Old Town and take you as far as Hellbrunn Castle and the zoo.

We’d like an English-speaking guide. Wir möchten einen englisch sprachigen Fremdenführer.

I need an English interpreter. Ich brauche einen Dolmetscher für Englisch.

How long will the ride take? Wie lange dauert die Fahrt?

What does it cost? Was kostet es?

Health and medical care

The health service in Salzburg is excellent. There are numerous medical facilities, including the Unfallkrankenhaus (Accident Hospital) on Dr-Franz-Rehrl-Platz 5 (tel: 65 800) and the Krankenhaus und Konvent der Barmherzigen Brüder, Kajetanerplatz 1 (tel: 80 880). The Unfallkrankenhaus is renowned for treating injured skiers. Austria and the UK have a reciprocal agreement as far as hospital treatment is concerned. UK citizens (and citizens of other EU countries) should obtain the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) before travelling, available online at www.ehic.org.uk. This entitles them to reduced-cost, sometimes free, medical treatment. However, full travel insurance is still advised.

If you are taking prescription drugs, bring with you enough supply for the duration of your trip. The same drugs may not be available in Salzburg.

In order to buy any sort of medication, you will have to go to a chemist (Apotheke). Should you require a chemist outside normal opening times, there is usually a duty roster posted on the door of all chemists.

Language

German is spoken in Austria. As Salzburg relies heavily on tourism, many of the people here speak at least a little English. Even so, you can try with a little German: Entschuldigen Sie bitte (Excuse me, please) is always appreciated. You could also ask, Sprechen Sie Englisch? (Do you speak English?), another good way to start. The Berlitz German Phrase Book & Dictionary covers most situations you may come across in Austria.

Lost property

The city lost property office is on the ground floor of the town hall in Mirabell Palace, open Mon–Thu 7.30am–4pm, Fri 7.30am–1pm, tel: 8072 3580, fundamt@stadt-salzburg.at, www.fundamt.gv.at.

I’ve lost my passport/wallet/handbag. Ich habe meinen Pass/meine Brieftasche/Handtasche verloren.

Maps

The tourist office and hotels have free street maps of Salzburg, which are detailed enough for walking around the centre. Bigger city maps are available from the tourist board and bookshops.

Maps of the bus routes can be picked up free in either the tourist information offices or from the railway station.

Media

English-language newspapers are available at the airport, the railway station and some newsagents throughout the town. Most hotels also have a stock of the dailies. The English-language daily papers available in Salzburg are usually one day late. Salzburger Nachrichten (www.salzburg.com) is the leading regional daily. Der Standard (www.derstandard.at), Die Presse (www.diepresse.com) and Kronen Zeitung (www.krone.at) are the main national daily newspapers.

Most of the hotels in Salzburg have cable TV. If your hotel has satellite TV, you will probably have a greater choice of English-speaking channels.

Money

Currency. Austria’s monetary unit is the euro. The euro is divided into 100 cents. Banknotes in denominations of 500, 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5 are in circulation. There are coins to the value of 1 and 2 euros, 50, 20, 5, 2 and 1 cents.

Changing money. You can exchange your money at any of the banks in the city. Hotels also offer money-exchange facilities, but their rates are not as good as those of the banks. All banks have ATM machines (cashpoints); most of them accept UK debit cards. Bureaux de change are also scattered throughout the city. These have the advantage of being open after the banks have closed.

Credit cards. The major credit and debit cards are widely accepted in Austria, but smaller shops, bars and restaurants still do not accept them.

I want to change some pounds/dollars. Ich möchte Pfund/Dollar wechseln.

Do you accept traveller’s cheques? Nehmen Sie Reiseschecks an?

Do you have any change, please? Haben Sie Kleingeld, bitte?

Where’s the nearest cashpoint, please? Wo ist der nächste Geldautomat, bitte?

Opening times

Shops. These can be divided into two categories when it comes to opening times. The first are the small shops in the shopping districts in town. These are mostly open from 9am until 6pm (some close for an hour or two at lunchtime) Mondays to Fridays and until 5pm on Saturdays. Supermarkets and shopping centres tend to be open from 9am until 7.30 or 8pm Mondays to Fridays and until 5pm on Saturdays. The only shops open on Sundays are those selling souvenirs.

Museums. These vary widely; for opening times check the individual entries in the Where to Go section, or the website www.salzburg.info.

Banks. Mostly Mon–Fri 8am–12.30pm and 2–4.30pm, Thu until 5.30pm.

Chemists. Mostly Mon–Fri 8am–noon and 2pm–6pm, Sat 8am–noon.

Police (see also Crime and safety and Emergencies)

Police have blue uniforms with dark blue caps and carry guns. If you are fined for a traffic offence, you are likely to be asked to pay on the spot. Street parking in Salzburg is supervised by traffic wardens, who wear dark blue trousers and white shirts.

The main police station is at Landespolizeikommando Salzburg, Alpenstrasse 88–90, 5020 Salzburg; tel: 059 13350.

In an emergency, contact the police on 112 or 133.

Where is the nearest police station, please? Wo ist die nächste Polizeiwachstube, bitte?

Post offices

Salzburg’s main post office is at Residenzplatz 9. Opening times are Mon–Fri 8am–6pm. The post office in the station is open Mon–Fri 8am–7pm, Sat 9am–1pm. If you just need stamps, you can also buy these from any tobacconist. Information on Austrian postal services can be found at: www.post.at. Salzburg’s post boxes are yellow.

Express (special delivery) Express/Eilbote

Airmail Luftpost

Have you any mail for …? Haben Sie Post für…?

A stamp for this letter/postcard, please Eine Marke für diesen Brief/diese Postkarte, bitte.

Public holidays

On public holidays in Austria all offices and banks, most shops and some restaurants are closed. Note that on Good Friday, a holiday for Protestants only, shops etc remain open. On 24 December (Christmas Eve) all theatres and cinemas are closed, and most shops and restaurants close at midday.

1 January Neujahrstag New Year’s Day

6 January Heilige Drei Könige Epiphany

1 May Tag der Arbeit Labour Day

15 August Maria Himmelfahrt Assumption

26 October Nationalfeiertag National Holiday

1 November Allerheiligen All Saints’ Day

8 December Maria Empfängnis Immaculate Conception

25 December Weihnachten Christmas Day

26 December Stefanitag Boxing Day

Movable dates:

Ostermontag Easter Monday

Christi Himmelfahrt Ascension Day

Pfingstmontag Whit Monday

Fronleichnam Corpus Christi

Are you open tomorrow? Haben Sie morgen geöffnet?

Religion

Most Austrians are Roman Catholics, but there are Protestant parishes everywhere and also Muslim communities. English-language Catholic services are held every Sunday at the Sacellum on Herbert-von-Karajan-Platz at 11.30am. Protestant services are held in the Christus Kirche, Schwarzstrasse 25, Sunday 9.30am.

The synagogue is at Lasserstrasse 8.

Telephones

Try to avoid using the phone in your hotel room: hotels can charge well over the odds. The net coverage for mobile phones is excellent, making roaming possible. To buy a local SIM-card can work out cheaper for longer stays.

The international dialling code for Austria is 43, the code for Salzburg 0662 (leave off the 0 if calling from abroad). To make an international call from Austria, dial 00 and then the country code (44 for the UK, 1 for the USA and Canada) and again omit the first zero from your area code.

Tickets

There are a number of ticket agencies in the city and all charge booking fees. The most central and best known is Salzburg Ticket Service, Mozartplatz 5 (tel: 840 310, www.salzburgticket.com).

Salzburg Festival. Tickets for the Salzburg Festival go on sale in November and can be applied for online at www.salzburgerfestspiele.at until the first week in January. Remaining tickets go on sale from April onwards. Ticket office: Herbert-von-Karajan-Platz 11 (tel: 804 5500).

Mozart Festival. Tickets for the Mozart Festival in January can be booked with the Stiftung Mozarteum (tel: 889 400, www.mozarteum.at).

Other events. Tickets for the Marionette Theatre can be booked directly with the box office or online (tel: 872 406, www.marionetten.at). The Mozart Dinner Concert can be booked with Salzburger Konzertgesellschaft at Getreidegasse 47 (tel: 828 695, www.salzburg-concerts.com), or at the box office before the start of a performance.

Time zones

The time in Austria is Central European Time, which is one hour ahead of GMT. There is daylight saving time as in the UK, with the clocks going forward one hour at the end of March and back one hour at the end of October. The time differences are as follows:

Tipping

In bars, restaurants and cafés it is customary to tip around 10 percent, even though a service charge is normally included. For smaller amounts, it is good practice to round up the bill. Although service charges are included in hotel bills, porters and maids do expect a tip. Tour guides, taxi drivers and hairdressers also rely heavily on the tips they receive.

Toilets

There are many public toilets around the city, especially in the centre. There is usually a 50-cent charge for toilets with an attendant. Signs in toilets are Damen (ladies) and Herren (gents).

Tourist information

The Salzburg Tourism Office has a website in English: www.salzburg.info/en/. This includes a list of accommodation, plus all the sights to see, places to visit and events on offer in Salzburg. You can book accommodation online.

In Salzburg, the tourist information offices are at the railway station and on Mozartplatz. You can get help in finding accommodation, obtain maps, book day trips and guided tours, and buy tickets.

The website of the Austrian National Tourist Office (ANTO, www.austria.info/uk) also has a wealth of information about Salzburg. Contacts overseas:

UK: toll free tel: 0800 400 200 00, info@austria.info.

US/Canada/Australia: info@austria.info.

Transport

Buses. Salzburg has a very efficient public transport system. You will find maps of the bus and trolley bus routes at the railway station and the bus information office on Mirabellplatz. It is possible to buy tickets from the driver as you board the bus and from the machines at some of the main bus stops, but it’s cheaper to buy your tickets in advance. They are available from tobacconists (all marked with the Austria Tabak sign). You can buy blocks of five single tickets, 24-hour tickets or weekly tickets. Consider buying a Salzburg Card (for more information, click here), which includes free bus travel for the card’s duration.

Post buses. These serve the outlying districts. Timetables can again be found at the railway station. You need to pay the driver when boarding the bus.

Lokalbahn. This commuter-train route serves many destinations to the north of the city, including Oberndorf and Maria Plain. Information is available at the railway station.

Taxis. Stands are scattered throughout the city. If you need to order a taxi, ask at your hotel reception or call 8111 for the taxi switchboard (www.taxi.at). Taxis run on a meter; fares start at €3.50 during the day and €4 in the evening.

Visas and entry requirements

A valid passport is required to enter Austria. If you are a citizen of an EU country, the US, Canada, Australia or New Zealand, you do not require a visa.

All goods brought into Austria from EU countries must be duty-paid. Visitors coming from non-EU countries can bring in the following duty-free items: 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250g of tobacco; 2 litres of alcohol (of less than 22 percent), and 1 litre of alcohol (of over 22 percent).

Austria is a member of Schengen, the EU countries that have signed a treaty to end internal border checkpoints and controls. This means that if you are arriving from another Schengen state (e.g. Germany, Italy) there are no more border controls. Police do, however, carry out spot checks on some routes near the borders.

Currency restrictions. There are no restrictions on the amount of foreign currency that can be brought into Austria.

VAT reimbursement. Non-EU citizens are entitled to reclaim VAT paid on goods over a certain value (Mehrwehrtsteuer). On purchase you must obtain a form from the sales assistant, get this stamped either at the airport or at the border when leaving the country and send it back to the shop. They will then transfer the amount to your bank account.

I’ve nothing to declare. Ich habe nichts zu verzollen.

It’s for my personal use. Das ist für meinen persönlichen Gebrauch.

Websites

A great deal of information about Salzburg can be obtained from the internet, some useful addresses are:

www.salzburg.info The Salzburg Tourist Office website

www.visit-salzburg.net Detailed information on sites, hotels and dining

www.stadt-salzburg.at Detailed website of the city’s council, with an excellent section on Arts and Culture

www.weatheronline.co.uk/Austria/Salzburg.htm Reliable weather data and long-range forecasts

www.salzburgfoundation.at Details of the Salzburg Arts Project, started in 2002, which initiated the creation of fascinating sculptures in the city

Youth hostels

Salzburg has a good selection of cheap youth hostels. Probably the friendliest and most popular with backpackers is YoHo, Paracelsus Strasse 9, tel: 879 649, www.yoho.at. There is also the Jugend & Familiengästehaus (young persons’ and family guesthouse) in Josef-Preis-Allee 18, tel: 57 083 613, www.jufa.at. For more information on youth hostels in Salzburg, see the Austrian Youth Hostel Association website: www.oejhw.or.at.