Hotels in Austria

Austria is a country which is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Hungary and Slovakia to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west. The capital of this country and the largest city centre in Vienna. Austria covers an area of 83,879 square kilometres and consists of around 8,857,960 in population as recorded in October 2018. Vienna which is the capital and largest city has a population exceeding 1.8 million. The word "Austria" is a Latinisation of the German name and was first recorded in the 12th century.

Austria was called the Central European Land was settled in pre-Roman times by various Celtic tribes. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the area invaded by Bavarians, Slavs, and Avars, Charlemagne, King of the Franks, conquered the city in AD 788 and encouraged colonisation and introduced Christianity. As part of Eastern Francia, the core areas that now encompass Austria bequeathed to the house of Babenberg. The city was known as the marchia Orientalis and given to Leopold of Babenberg in 976.

Austria was recorded as the name Ostarrichi, referring to the area of Babenberg March in 996. In 1156, the Privilegium Minus elevated Austria to the status of a duchy. In 1192, the Babenbergs also acquired the Duchy of Styria. With the death of Frederick II in 1246, the line of the Babenbergs extinguished. After that, the Ottokar II of Bohemia got control of the Asutria, Sytria and Carinthia. He was then fought with Rudolph I in 1278 and defeat at Dunkrut.

The Habsburgs began to rule and accumulate other provinces in the vicinity of the Duchy of Austria in the 14th and 15th century. After the Battle of Mohacs in 1526, Bohemia and the part of Hungary not occupied by the Ottomans came under Austrian rule. The Ottoman expansion follows this into Hungary which led to frequent conflicts between the two empires especially in the Long War of 1593 to 1606. The Turks made incursions into Styria nearly 20 times.

In 1683, the successful defence of Vienna against the Turks led to a series of campaigns resulted in bringing most of Hungary to Austrian control by the Treaty of Karlowitz. In the 18th century, Austria emerged from the Congress of Vienna in 1815 as one of the continent's four dominant powers and the German Confederation was also founded under the presidency of Austria.  After that, the assembly established the Republic of German Austria by appointing a government, called Staatsrat in 1918. Currently, Austria is divided into American, British, French, and Soviet zones and governed by the Allied Commission for Austria.

In Austria, about 74% of Austria's population registered as Roman Catholic, and 5% as Protestants, as well as 20%, in the absence of religion. The number of Muslims has doubled in 15 years to 700,000 in 2016, and about 8,100 are Jewish. The official national language of Austria is German which, in its standard domestic variety, known as Austrian (Standard) German. It is generally identical to the German used in Germany, with some significant vocabulary differences. Besides that, English is also used as communication language mostly at the city centre, not at the villages.

Around 91.1% of the population regarded as ethnic Austrians, and others are mainly immigrants from Serbia and Hungary. Serbian immigrants moved to Austria during the time of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, when Vojvodina was under Imperial control. After World War II, the number of Serbs expanded again and formed The Austrian Serbian Society in 1936. Serbs in Austria mainly found in Vienna, Salzburg, and Graz.

Austrian German is Austria's official language and used in education, publications, announcements and websites. It is almost identical to the German used in Germany but with some vocabulary differences. The German language was standardised between countries of the German mother tongue,

Austria's cuisine derived from that of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It is famous for its well-balanced variations of beef and pork and countless variations of vegetables. In Vienna, the Tafelspitz (boiled beef with potatoes and horseradish) is traditionally served on Sundays and is usually accompanied by clear broth with dumplings and herbs. Apart from these, Austria is renowned for its pastries and desserts, the most well-known of which is probably the Apfelstrudel. Besides that, there is also the "Mehlspeisen" Bakery, which created particular delicacies such as Sachertorte, "Krapfen" which are doughnuts usually filled with apricot jam or custard, and "Strudel" such as "Apfelstrudel" filled with apple, "Topfenstrudel" filled with a type of cheese curd called "topfen", and "Millirahmstrudel" (milk-cream strudel).

Typical Austrian dishes include Wiener Schnitzel, Schweinsbraten, Kaiserschmarren, Knödel, Sachertorte and Tafelspitz. Austria is also famous for its Mozartkugeln and its coffee tradition. It has the sixth highest per capita coffee consumption worldwide with over 8 kilograms per year. On top of that, bread is also a common staple for Austrian people. There is a bakery making bread at every village, and the main type of bread found is Rye bread.

How to Get There?

By Flight

The tourists who came from Singapore that wants to get to Austria, they need travel there by plane. They need to take a flight from Changi International Airport and can choose for transit flights or direct flights to Austria. The most common place to transit flight is Doha Hamad International Airport. The ticket price per person will be around SGD 700 to SGD 6000. The cost of the ticket will increase at the peak season which is during the public holiday and school holiday season. Therefore, it is recommended for tourists to plan and buy tickets before the peak season. The main airport in Austria will be Vienna International Airport. The journey from Changi International Airport to Vienna Airport will be around 16 hours to 21 hours. Once they have arrived, they can grab a taxi and travel around the city. Among the airlines that cater the flight from Singapore to Denmark are Emirates, Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines as well as Etihad.

What to Do There?

Lake Attersee

Lake Attersee is Austria's largest lake, and it is one of the most popular attractions in Austria. This lake is famous for attracting sailors and swimmers. It is also known as Kammersee and Lake Atter. After Lake Constance and Lake Neusiedi, it is the third largest lake by area in Austria. Historically, the name, Atter comes from ata meaning ‘water’ probably originated from the proto-Celtic origin. There are different types of fish species that live in the lake such as brown trout, carp, perch, whitefish and rainbow trout. Visitors can choose to enjoy water sports that are offered here or relax at the lakeside bathing areas which offer splendid views of the Hollengebirge Mountain. During the season, numerous sailing competitions were held. Besides that, many artists attracted by Lake Attersee. For instance, Gustav Klimt spent many summers in this region and inspired by the harmonic landscape. Other than that, one of the most beautiful features of this lake is the Rosewind, which means breeze of roses. It is an easterly wind that crosses a castle's rose garden and fills the air across the lake with the smell of roses.

Lento Museum

Started its operation in May 2003, Lentos Art Museum is an art gallery located in Linz. After World War II, there were 120 artworks from the collection of the Berlin art dealer, Wolfgang Gurlitt and paintings and graphic works by Klimt, Schiele, Kokoschka, Nolde, Corinth and Pechstein. These artworks formed the foundation of the collection of the New Gallery of the City of Linz. In 1953, it was decided to continue the art gallery as a city museum and build the Lentos Museum in 1998 and opened in 2003. Overall, the art museum collection comprises around 1500 works from the areas of painting, sculpture and object art, over 10,000 works on paper, and about 850 photographs. Lentos seeks to present significant themes and issues of contemporary art about 20th-century art history. Appel, Bayer, Nay, Warhol and Rainer are among artists that have contributed in paintings, sculptures and graphic works. The collection also covers the inter-war period with cooperates from German and Austrian Expressionism and Neue Sachlichkeit (New Objectivity).

Mumok

Mumok or Museum Moderner Kunst is a Museum of Modern Art nestled in the Museumsquartier in Vienna. The museum has a collection of 10,000 modern and contemporary artworks, including significant works from Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso, Joseph Beuys, Nam June Paik, Wolf Vostell, Gerhard Richter, Jasper Johns and Roy Lichtenstein. The museum housed in a stone-clad building designed by Austrian architects Ortner & Ortner in 2001. Besides the artworks, the museum offers a forum for thematic series of films and conversations about current issues in art every Wednesday evening. Also, there are also rooms to rent for 20 to 500 persons for events with fully equipped equipment. The entrance fee is 12 Euro or SGD 19 for adult; annual ticket is 28 Euro or SGD 43 and free for children.

Where to Stay?

Hotel Austria

Hotel Austria located in the middle of Vienna city centre and nearby local attractions and landmarks. This hotel featured various types of rooms to choose from and furnished with traditional decorations — all guestrooms equipped with complete features such as television, mini fridge, ironing facilities and a private bathroom with complimentary toiletries. Besides that, there is an extensive buffet for breakfast and lunch and dinner; there are a restaurant and bar at the hotel. For activities, guests can always approach the receptionist at the 24-hour reception desk to assist in arranging tickets for the opera, theatre and concerts, or in organising a sightseeing tour. Among the attractions and landmarks located near this amazing hotel are the State Opera, Hofburg or Imperial Palace and several museums.

Hotel Kärntnerhof

Only a 5-minute walk from Saint Stephen’s Cathedral, this beautiful hotel offers top-class accommodation, facilities and services. This hotel was renovated in 2013 and decorated with Viennese Art Nouveau and Italian elegance and features well-appointed guestrooms with essential amenities. Besides that, there is a breakfast buffet every morning and guests also can enjoy dining in the lounge area while relaxing to live music. Also, guests also can make full use of facilities and services provided by the hotel. Among them are free Wi-Fi, business centre, luggage storage and elevator.

Hotel de France Wien

Hotel de France Wien strategically situated in the heart of Vienna and only 50 metres away from Schottentor Underground Station. The hotel offers sophisticated rooms with flat screen television, tea and coffeemakers, mini-fridge and private bathroom with slippers, hairdryer and bathrobes. There are additional features for suites which are living rooms, walk-in closet and balcony. As for dining options, the breakfast buffet served in the Beletage every morning and guests can dine at a Japanese restaurant called Daihachi Sushi Bar. Besides that, this hotel also offers free 24-hour gym access and lounge area to relax and watch television.