Capital: Vienna

Currency: Euro

Electricity: 220 volts AC, 50Hz; round two-pin plugs are standard

Time Zone: GMT +1 hr

Government: Federal Parliamentary Republic 

Land size: 83,872 km2

Language: German

Population: 8,000,000 approx

Religion: 74 % of Austrians are Roman Catholic, 5 % are Protestant, the rest belongs to other faiths.

 

Driver's License: International driver's license required. 

 

Entry Requirements: Canadian citizens need a valid passport. For other countries and additional information please check the Austrian Tourism website.

The grandiose capital of the Austrian Republic, Vienna offers many different sightseeing and cultural attractions. Once the showpiece for the Habsburg Dynasty, monumental buildings line the city centre, world-class museums showcase countless treasures, and renowned orchestras and choirs perform in lavish concert halls. One of the city's oldest buildings is the unique St. Stephan's Cathedral, which features a variety of different architectural styles because of its long construction time. A must for tourists is the Schloss Schönbrunn, the former residence of the Habsburgs, which features beautiful parks, a palm house, butterfly house and zoo.

 

The picturesque city of Salzburg, located between two mountains, with the River Salzach running through it, is a place of small alleys, colourful houses, rich castles and palaces, neat gardens and a high density of churches and monasteries. Not to be missed is the Fortress of Hohensalzburg, a 900-year-old building you cannot overlook, which is considered to be the best-preserved Medieval Fortress in Europe. St. Sebastian is the city's most impressive church, which is built in the Gothic style and lays proof to the wealth and power of the Archbishop and the Catholic Church. Salzburg is also a city of music. It is here where the Julie Andrews sang that the hills are alive, it is the birthplace of Mozart, and site of the annual Salzburg Festival, which offers a variety of operas, and concerts and theatre plays, reaching from classical to contemporary styles.