Austria - Useful information for your trip

Austria is a landlocked country in Central Europe and member of the European Union with Vienna as a capital city. Its territory comprises part of the Rhaetian Alps and all of the Eastern Alps. Furthermore, three fifths of the country are occupied by the alpine territory, making it a mainly mountainous state.

Most of the country is comprised within the basin of the Danube; other relevant rivers are Lech and Inn, crossing Tyrol, Ager, Traun, Enns, Ybbs, Erlauf, Traisen, Wien, Caris and Fischa flowing in Styria, Upper Austria, Lower Austria and Vienna; Drava river, crossing Carinthia and flowing into the Danube, and finally Morava crossing part of Styria.

The climate is mainly alpine with cool windy summers and cold rigid winters. Vegetation is particularly lush, with plenty of coniferous and deciduous woods. The wildlife includes deer, hares, pheasants, partridges, foxes, badgers, martens, squirrels, marmots and chamois.

The economy is well developed and allows Austrians to enjoy high standards of living. Breeding is focused on cattle, while agriculture produces sugar beets, fruit trees and cereals. The cultivation of the vine allows the production of excellent white wines. Steel and metallurgical industries have long been key sectors of the Austrian economy, but from the crisis of the seventies other sectors developed, from the chemical to the textile, from mechanical precision to optical devices.

The service sector employs around 7 Austrians out of 10: the transportation system is modern and developed and a complex railway and road networks unravels from the capital Vienna. Finally, tourism is fundamental for the economy, both in art cities such as Vienna and Salzburg and in the winter. Modestly developed is also summer tourism in the lakes of Carinthia and Salzburg.

During a holiday in Austria it's impossible not to taste the delicious Sacher cake or the strudel in Tyrol. Do not miss to visit Vienna, the capital city with its impressive castles, or majestic Salzburg, or even, if you love skiing and snowy landscapes, good cuisine and long walks in the woods, spend your vacations in Tyrol and you won't be disappointed.