Austria is situated in Europe and is surrounded by the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia to the northeast, Hungary to the east, Slovenia to the south, Italy to the southwest, Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west, and Germany to the northwest. It is a federal republic country surrounded by land all over. The population of the country is nearly 8.5 million. The country has a moderate and alpine climate. The median temperature in the lowlands and hilly eastern areas ranges from around 30 °F (1 °C) in January to about 68 °F (20 °C) in July. In areas above 10,000 feet (3,000 meters), the temperature varies between about 12 °F (11 °C) in January, with a snow cover of about 10 feet (3 meters), and about 36 °F (2 °C) in July, with a snow cover of about 5 feet (1.5 meters). It is mostly covered by mountains due to the Alps. German is the official language, and people often speak local Bavarian dialects of German as their indigenous language. Vienna is the most popular city and state in Austria.
Austria is a federal republic with a democratically chosen parliament. The president is elected by the people for a term of six years. The president then nominates a federal chancellor who is the leader of the most prominent party in the parliament for a period of four years, which is the term of the parliament also. The president also appoints cabinet ministers upon the chancellor’s proposal who head the administrative section of the government. They also devise and address the national policy. All citizens older than 24 years of age are eligible to serve the parliament and voting rights are allowed from the age of 18. Presidential voting is compulsory for all.
Austria, one of Europe's most popular tourist locations, attracts visitors all year round, with sites to explore in both summer and winter. Winter tourism includes the famous skiing resorts and the spectacular musical events in Vienna. Summer tourism includes the attraction of scenery, sports, and cultural festivals, especially in Salzburg and Vienna. There are nearly two thousand communities in Austria, which are considered tourist centers. Tourist spots in the capital consist of the Vienna State Opera and more than fifteen state theatres. They also include the Vienna Boys’ Choir, St. Stephen’s Cathedral, the Schonbrunn and Belvedere palaces, and the Spanish Riding Academy having renowned Lipizzaner stallions. On the outskirts of the city, there we could see the Vienna Woods with their beautiful wine taverns. In the winter, Alpine skiing becomes the main tourist attraction. Other than this, motor racing, motorcycle racing, and speedway racing are also very well-known sports in Austria.
The transportation network in the country is thick. The railway consists of 5,565 kilometres of standard gauge track in which some distances are electrified and a total of 456 kilometres of electrified narrow-gauge track. Austria also consists of inland waterways generally navigated by motor-powered vessels. There are 55 airports in Austria of which, Schwechat airport is the most important one. Traveling by Train to Austria is without a doubt one of the best options for your Austria travel in terms of transportation and connections. The contemporary Austrian rail network has a comprehensive schedule with multiple daily departures, making it simple to organize your upcoming journey. Meanwhile, Austria trains not only to connect all main cities in the country, but also run on over 30 different routes between Germany, Denmark, Hungary, Czechia, Switzerland, and other European destinations.
As Austria is a landlocked country, people travel there more by cars, flights, and trains rather than ferries. Getting to Austria by car is simple and fast due to its fast, well-maintained highways throughout all the surrounding countries. All the main border checkpoints are open day and night, and the roads are excellent. The ferry is also an option to get into Austria. Some ferries can use a rail pass instead of money. Others can give you a discount. Getting to Austria by flight is the most convenient way though it is a mountainous country and cheap flights are available from anywhere. As it is centrally located in Europe, flights are easily available from all the countries. It is easy to travel from the UK to Austria by train. Traveling by train is cheap, fast, convenient and a good alternative to flying. Visitors entering Austria only need a valid passport if they are from the European Union Countries or the US but for visits more than three months, you need a valid visa for Austria.
