Austria is a country in the central part of the European continent that has gained worldwide fame thanks to the great opportunities for the development of both traditional and green tourism, which has gained special popularity in recent years. The tourism industry in the Austrian economy accounts for almost 9% of Austria's total gross domestic product.
In this beautiful country, every tourist who comes here will find his "tidbit." If you are attracted by the cleanest mountain lakes and hot mineral springs, then you need to go to the southernmost federal state of Austria - Carinthia. If you are a fan of opera, then you are in the capital, in Vienna. Fans of beautiful landscapes and classical music will discover all this in Salzburg. We will go there.
Visa application
Austria is a country that is included in the Schengen area, therefore, to get there, citizens of Russia and most CIS countries, except Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia, require an entry visa. To get it for the first time, you must personally submit documents to the Austrian embassy or consulate. After that, you will have to wait for a while until a decision is made.
A visa can also be obtained by contacting the travel agency where you intend to purchase a tour, or through visa centers accredited with the Austrian Embassy. Although diplomatic missions are involved in obtaining visas, it is much more convenient to draw up documents through similar offices, which are located in almost every major city in Russia. Here, a wide network of visa centers in Austria is represented by the operator VFS.GLOBAL.
To obtain an Austrian visa, the following steps must be taken:
- Clearly indicate the purpose of the trip. It must be real, otherwise, if there is any doubt about the truth of the stated goal, you may be denied permission.
- Collect all the documents that need to be submitted to the Austrian diplomatic missions.
- Hand over the documents and expect what decision will be made. In most cases, it is positive.
How to get there
If you decide to make a short independent trip to Austria and visit Salzburg, you will naturally be faced with the question of how to get there most conveniently. Don’t worry. You will not have any problems with this. Salzburg today is a major transport hub in the center of Austria.
It has its own international airport, from where flights are made to Munich, Stockholm, Dusseldorf, London, Tallinn and many other cities and countries of Europe. Railway and bus services also provide an opportunity to get here to many tourists who prefer to travel by land modes of transport.
There are no direct flights from Russia to Salzburg, and they are quite expensive both in terms of money and time. From Moscow you can get here with one change in Munich, Vienna or Frankfurt. The most budget flight can be made using the services of Lufthansa airline with a round-trip ticket.
You can get to Salzburg from Moscow by using two modes of transport - by plane and by train. The latter option is less expensive in terms of money, but not in time.
A brief introduction to Salzburg
This small town is one of the most famous tourist centers of the country and the capital of the eponymous federal district. A huge number of tourists are attracted here annually by numerous historical monuments of architecture, which are perfectly preserved in the old part of the city. This area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Here you can get acquainted with the gallery of European painting, which is located in a 17th-century building, the former residence of the archbishop. It is also worth visiting the city cathedral, Benedictine Abbey of St. Peter and others. But the main attraction of Salzburg is the place where the world-famous composer Wolfgang A. Mozart was born.
To accommodate such a large number of guests in the city there are several hostels, many hotels and guest houses. In Salzburg, hotels are mainly of 3 * and 4 * class. There are very few five-star and non-star hotels. Most of them operate on an all-inclusive basis. It is also possible to cook for yourself.
City center hotels: Salzburg City 4 *
Each traveler, arriving in a foreign city in order to get acquainted with its attractions, always tries to find a hotel in the center for himself. In Salzburg there are a lot of such places. They are ideal for both ordinary tourists and business travelers. One of these hotels is NH Salzburg City, which is located in the very center of Salzburg, just a few minutes walk from the old town.
This 4-star hotel offers 140 spacious, air-conditioned rooms with free Wi-Fi and satellite TV. The rooms have parquet floors, a minibar and a bathroom. The hotel also has nine superior rooms that are great for families.
Guests can also enjoy the sauna, relaxation room and gym in the hotel’s spa. For convenience, a free car park is available on site.
Hotel "Mercury" 4 *
At the foot of the Kapuzinerberg Mountain, the 4-star Hotel Mercure Salzburg Central is located. From it, which tourists mention in their reviews, to the Old Town and the railway station - no more than 15 minutes walk. It offers 139 comfortable rooms with a private balcony, satellite TV, telephone, minibar, bathroom with hairdryer and other amenities.
The hotel is surrounded by greenery. It has a well-equipped business center with conference rooms, making Mercure Salzburg city an ideal venue for business meetings. For tourists, there is also a library, souvenir and newsagents.
A buffet breakfast is served every morning at the hotel, while Amadeo Restaurant serves local and Mediterranean dishes.
The hotel offers steam baths and massages. To make it easier for guests to get to know the city and its surroundings, the hotel has a car and bicycle rental service. Mercure Salzburg is one of the most popular hotels in Salzburg among traveling young couples and family tourists, which is easy to understand from the reviews they left. The guests say that the staff is friendly, good service and excellent conditions of stay.
Hotel Sacher Salzburg 5 *
Among the few 5 * hotels that are located in the city center, I would like to note one of the oldest, opened back in 1866. It is located on the banks of the Salzbach River. The hotel offers a wonderful view of the old city.
Hotel Sacher Salzburg offers 113 cozy rooms and suites, each individually decorated. Original paintings and silk wallpapers hang on the walls. The room has a private bathroom, air conditioning, minibar, satellite TV and free internet access. If you come to rest with a child, then for him in the room you can place an extra crib. These families also have babysitting services.
In the hotel restaurant, tourists can get acquainted with Austrian dishes, reviews recommend that you enjoy a special Sacher cake, which can be found in the hotel’s cafe. The cozy bar will pamper guests with not only a variety of drinks, but also live music.
The hotel has a sauna with massage services, where everyone can relax after a busy day. The fitness center has the opportunity to work out, and unorganized tourists can rent bicycles for easy access to the city and the surrounding area.
Old Town: Auersperg Boutique Hotel
There is a hotel in the Old Town district of Salzburg, the rooms of which are designed exclusively for non-smoking guests. It is called Auersperg. This 4-star hotel opened in 1890. It belongs to the class of boutique hotels and has been managed by one family for the past three generations. The hotel complex also includes a villa located nearby.
The hotel rooms are tastefully decorated in a classic or modern style. The windows offer a wonderful view of the city. All rooms have private bathrooms with showers.
Guests from 6.00 to 11.00 receive a complimentary breakfast in the bar. The hotel has a restaurant where guests can relax and dine.
Travelers who relax in it recommend a visit to the spa with a jacuzzi. There is a steam and Turkish baths, an office for massage sessions. Golf, aerobics and yoga classes are also available. Gambling enthusiasts can visit the casino located next to the hotel.
Radisson Hotel 5 *
Romantically inclined travelers enthusiastically describe one of the oldest hotels in Salzburg, Radisson Blu Altstadt, which is located in a medieval building dating back to 1377. This 5-star hotel is close to all major city attractions.
The hotel has 62 double rooms, equipped with air conditioning, bathrooms, TV, free Wi-Fi and other modern amenities. All are elegantly decorated and offer views of the Kapuzinerberg mountain and the Salzach river.
The hotel serves a daily buffet breakfast. At the hotel's restaurant, guests can enjoy both local and English dishes. The bar menu offers a wide range of cocktails, coffee and other drinks. According to reviews, the food here is very tasty.
Thermal hotels: Mozart 3 *
In addition to its historical monuments and ski resorts, Austria is also known for its thermal springs. Thanks to them, a new direction in the tourism industry has appeared - health tourism. This was made possible thanks to the advent of spa resorts with numerous thermal springs.
The further rapid development of tourism in this direction was facilitated by the construction of special thermal hotels for vacationers in resort areas. In Salzburg, we will get acquainted with two of them.
Mozart 3 * is located just 200 meters from the center of the spa town of Bad Gastein (Salzburg land).
The comfortable rooms of the hotel include cable TV, a bathroom and a private balcony. Guests can enjoy local dishes at the hotel's restaurant.
For guests - free sauna and steam bath.
Gruner Baum Hotel 4 *
This 4-star hotel from Bad Gastein is just 2.5 km away. The hotel complex Gruner Baum 4 * includes three buildings, the main of which is built in the style of a village house. The hotel has 80 rooms, designed for a maximum of 3 people.
The rooms are equipped with shower, satellite TV, telephone, minibar and internet. There is a thermal outdoor pool, 2 tennis courts and ski slopes.
Breakfast - buffet. The restaurant offers a menu of local dishes.
According to reviews, it has well-equipped rooms, free Wi-Fi, friendly staff, an excellent breakfast and a good restaurant.
Budget hotels
In addition to 4 * and 5 * hotels in Salzburg, there is also a sufficient amount of housing belonging to the so-called budget class. These are usually 3 * hotels or no stars at all. Cheap hotels in Salzburg are especially popular among students and honeymooners. We will name some of them (based on the positive reviews of vacationers), the cost of living in which, as a rule, does not exceed 3000 rubles. per day:
- Berlandhotel Salzburg - free Wi-Fi, in-room fridge, breakfast is possible, good value for money. The cost of living is 2801 rubles per day.
- Hohenstauffen Hotel - free Wi-Fi, breakfast included, free parking, laundry. Cost - 2821 rubles.
- Hotel Turnerwirt 3 * - family rooms, free parking, free Wi-Fi. Cost - 1790 rubles.