First trip to Austria from India? Below is everything we wish someone had told us — Schengen paperwork, what to install before you fly, how to actually get from the airport to your hotel, and how to survive as a vegetarian in a country where the menu is mostly schnitzel. Read it end-to-end before you book flights.
Prices in INR/EUR are 2024-era estimates. Schengen rules change — verify at vfsglobal.com/in/en/visa/austria before applying.
⚠️ Things to Take Care Of
Austria is genuinely one of the safest countries we've been to — Vienna's metro and trams sometimes go unchecked (we accidentally rode without a ticket for two days, which is a story, not a recommendation — random checks do happen and the fine is €105 on the spot). For Eisriesenwelt and Hohensalzburg both, the climb and the cold are bigger threats than any scammer: bring layers even in summer for the ice cave (year-round 0°C), and proper walking shoes for everything. Tap water is excellent and bottled is a waste of money. Most pharmacies don't stock common Indian medicines, so bring your own kit.
🛂 Visa Process (Indian Passport)
Austria is a Schengen visa country — apply through VFS Global if Austria is your primary destination (longest stay). Tourist visa fee is €80 (~₹7,300) + VFS service fee ~₹2,200. Processing officially takes 15 working days but slots tighten in summer (Salzburg Festival season) — apply at least 6–8 weeks out. You'll need: passport with at least 3 months validity beyond return + 2 blank pages, two recent photos (35×45mm, white background), bank statements for the last 3 months (rule of thumb ~₹1 lakh per traveler per week), ITR for the last 2 years, confirmed flight reservation (NOT a paid ticket — use a hold service), all hotel bookings, day-by-day itinerary, travel insurance covering at least €30,000 medical, leave letter from your employer, and a cover letter. Don't pay for flights until your visa is in hand.
🛫 Before You Land
Buy an Airalo or Holafly Europe eSIM (5GB ~₹1,400, works across all Schengen) before you fly. Install these apps before takeoff: Google Maps with the Austria offline pack downloaded, Google Translate with German offline, ÖBB Scotty for trains (book at least a week ahead for Sparschiene fares), WienMobil for Vienna public transport, Salzburg Verkehr for buses in/around Salzburg, and Bolt or Uber for licensed taxis. Carry around ₹12,000 worth of EUR in cash — Austria is mostly card-friendly but mountain huts, small village cafés and the Eisriesenwelt combined ticket office are still cash-first. Book Eisriesenwelt and Hohensalzburg combined tickets at the village tourist office, not online.
🛬 After You Land
From Vienna International (VIE): the City Airport Train (CAT) is €14, 16 min direct to Wien Mitte, or the much cheaper S7 S-Bahn at €4.40 in ~25 min. From Salzburg W.A. Mozart (SZG): bus 2 runs from outside the terminal to Salzburg Hauptbahnhof for €2.50 in 20 min. Many Austria trips fly into Munich (MUC) and take the ÖBB train Munich → Salzburg (~1h 30m, €30–50 advance) — often the cheaper combo. Withdraw your first batch of EUR from a bank-branded ATM (Erste, Raiffeisen, BAWAG) and decline the dynamic currency conversion — always pay in EUR.
🚄 Transport
ÖBB Railjet trains are excellent: Vienna → Salzburg ~2h 30m for €30–55, Salzburg → Hallstatt ~2h 15m (with one easy change at Attnang-Puchheim) for €20–25, Salzburg → Werfen 40 min for €8–12. Book through the ÖBB Scotty app — Sparschiene advance fares can be half the walk-up price. Inside Vienna, get a 24h/48h/72h transit pass (€8/€14/€17 — covers U-Bahn, tram and bus). In Salzburg, a 24h Salzburg Card (€31) bundles transit + free entry to the fortress funicular, Mozart house, and most museums; do the maths against individual entry if you're picking only one or two. For Hallstatt and Werfen day trips, the regional fares are cheap enough that the card isn't worth it.
🏨 Accommodation
Vienna and Salzburg city centres run €100–180 for 3-star hotels and €70–120 for guesthouses; in Salzburg, basing yourself near Mirabellplatz (right bank) is the sweet spot for old-town access without old-town prices. Hostels like Wombat's (Vienna) and YoHo (Salzburg) run €25–50 for dorms, €80–130 for private rooms. Hallstatt is famously expensive and limited — book 3+ months ahead if you want to stay overnight, otherwise day-trip from Salzburg. Werfen has a couple of basic guesthouses; most people day-trip from Salzburg too. Most cities charge a small tourist tax (€1.50–3 per person per night) payable at check-in. Sep–Oct and May–Jun are the sweet spots; Aug is peak; Dec is Christmas-market magic but cold and pricey.
🍽️ Food in a Nutshell
Austria is not a vegetarian's paradise — schnitzel, sausage, goulash and gulasch are the headline acts. Vegetarian survival: Käsespätzle (cheese egg noodles), Kasnocken (cheese dumplings), Kaiserschmarrn (torn caramelised pancake — usually with stewed plums), Brettljause (a wooden board of cheese, bread, pickles — ask for vegetarian), and the entire bakery aisle. Vienna's vegan scene has grown a lot — Tian and Yamm! are landmark; Indian restaurants like Demi Tandoor are good for daal chawal cravings (the writers behind this site have cooked rice and dal in hotel rooms before, so we know the urge). Apple strudel and Sachertorte are the headline desserts; Viennese coffee is a culture in itself — order a Melange (closest to a cappuccino) or an Einspänner (black with whipped cream). Eat at least one slice of Sachertorte at Café Sacher in Vienna — the original — and one at Tomaselli in Salzburg. The cake-trolley experience is the experience.