Austria: The Don'ts of Visiting Austria

Whether you are heading to Vienna for the museums and culture or Salzburg for the cathedral and the Sound of Music or Innsbruck to take in the Tirolean beauty there are a lot of do's and a few don'ts when it comes to visiting Austria. Here we got through what not to do in Austria as a tourist. From cultural faux pas to more fun little things.
Filmed in Vienna, Austria

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Copyright Mark Wolters 2023

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[cyanah]

There is a big misunderstanding of the Austrian waiter culture. Similar to the noise level of your conversation in public, it's considered extremely unpolite for waiters to be intrusive or disturb the conversation of the guests. The perfect waiter stays invisible and shows up only when called or when serving or - and this makes a top waiter in Austria - when his sixth sense tells him he's needed at the table. Bringing the bill without being asked for is an absolute no-go.

[eat.food.not.friends]

I agree, we aren't overly friendly. This is because we value sincerity and we don't like fake friendliness.

[HeidiBird]

As an Austrian, I'm really impressed with how well you have grasped our culture and how things work around here. I can confirm almost everything in this video is 100% correct.

[idnwiw]

As a local let me add a don't for Vienna: Don't queue in front of one of the famous coffee houses - that takes the idea ad absurdum. How can you enjoy your visit there if you know somebody else is standing outside waiting for you to leave? Just go to a less famous coffee house. The Sachertorte or Apfelstrudel there taste better, because they can't relay on an endless stream of one-time-tourists.

[rocmike]

as an austrian, i can guarantee you that wolter is pretty spot on with this video!

[harrisoneps]

1. Don’t eat at the overpriced Five Guys at Graben,
2. Don’t wait in line more than 10 minutes to grab a cake and coffee. There are more than 2 Cafes in Vienna
3. Don’t drive, take the train or trams
4. Don’t bunch up in small streets with large groups
5. Don’t expect to understand Vienna by visiting the first district (city center) only.

[liamzulficari]

As a Slovenian I have to say that I love Austrians.
Normal people (not loud, well behaved, they don’t fake etc.).

Probably one of the best on the world🫶🏻

[christians]

As a Finn i feel right at home with the cold and quiet Austrian people, as somebody who enjoys nature and lives around flat farmland all year i would recommend to anybody who wants to visit Austria to just head to the Tirol region and explore that, you will not regret it

[ushiefreebird]

As an Austrian who lives in France it always strikes me how similar etiquette is in these two countries. The smokers, the greeting when entering, the quietness, even the :-)))

[shannonbradley]

I LOVED Austria. I flew into Vienna for a few days, took the train to Graz in southern Austria to see friends for a couple of days (Did a trip to Italy for dinner) train to Salzberg for a few days, train back to Vienna for the last two days and then flew back to the US. The train going down to Southern Austria had the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen. I lost count on how many waterfalls I passed. Thank you for this video.

[Justwantmoretekno]

Hi Mark. Thank you for your very fitting video about Austria. As somebody who lives now in Vienna for arround 10 years I hope you don't mind if I add some additional points (especially with regards to Vienna) (For all (espacially austrian) readers, this is just my personal opinion, trying to be objective, so don't be upset if one or more mentioned points contradicts your opinion. Thank you!

1. Don't stay an the left side of the escalator! Viennesse people are very relaxed when it comes to going out to eat & drink or similar but don't expect people at public transport stations to be this calm, since vienna is a big and busy city and vienesse people really hate it in particular when they are in a hurry (e.g. for work) when you are standing in their way.
2. Don't stick just to the most known viennesse dishes, espacially when it comes to desserts and sweets. Vienna (but also other austrian cities like salzburg) is known in europe to be one main capital for cake and coffee. A lot of austrian people even say the "Sachertorte" which you get in the cafés is the worst choice you can make on dozens of other cake choices and really marks you as a tourist.
3. If you are the type of person, which loves to get lost: Don't just stick to the 1st district. (I don't want to say that the 1st district is not beautiful and worth a visit, but vienna is not just its 1st district) You also will get very beautiful architecture and also often way more authentic shops, cafés and cuisine in other districts. Every district in vienna is worth a visit and a discovery on its own, which makes vienna (at least for me) one of the most interesting cities in europe. But if you come the first time to vienna, try at least to "get lost" in some of the districts ranging from the 3rd to the 9th.
4. My biggest "negative don't" in vienna. Don't expect vienna to be a party city. Of course there are more than enough possibilities to go out and have fun. But if your main goal is to "party hard", vienna can't compare to cities like Berlin, Barcelona, Madrid, London and so on.
5. My biggest "positive don't" in vienna. Even if vienna has the reputation to be a very unpolite city, don't stick to that cliché. Of course like in every other metropolis, there are some really rude people living in Vienna. But in general, viennesse and austrian people in general are very friendly and welcoming. I have been to a lot of other countries in Europe and even if I personally think its nuts to judge a whole country's friendliness after just being 1 or 2 weeks there, I personally had way worse first time impressions in other countries compared to my first time(s) in austria (as a tourist). Just keep Mark's advice in mind and don't compare or confuse austrians with germans (or australians ;) ) and you'll be fine.

Hope I could help somebody out there.

[sarahibbotson]

I am an American and have lived in Austria for almost 30 years! I love it here and it is well worth touring Austria! I live in Upper Austria about an hour and a half east of Salzburg! It is very beautiful in Austria and well worth visiting!

[MrJazznerd]

As an Austrian I'll completely agree on most points you mentioned, just wanted to add some things.
In terms of service it's true there are restaurants, cafes etc. where you get treated badly, especially in Vienna, but times are changing and the variety and number of places where u can go eat and drink is bigger than ever. There are plenty of great places with excellent service and food, not only the more pricy ones.

My advice: don't pick too touristic places for lunch and dinner, if you have time, visit the districts around the inner district (2.-9.).
Also the younger locals tend to be more friendly and welcoming to foreigners.

[monologue]

As a foreigner who has been here for years, this video is spot on. Accurate information and fair commentary. And yes, coffee and cake is really a thing in Vienna: the French word for pastries is after all viennoiserie.

By the way, if schnitzel is not your thing, try Tafelspitz. Who would have thought boiled meat could be so good. Have it with Kren.

[Curzonvie]

As an Austrian/Viennese it's heartwarming to see how much you like our country. Great to have someone that positive here. We are way to grantig all the time 😬

[zwiderwurzn]

Some information is a little out of date. In Austria, smoking has been banned in cafés, restaurants and pubs etc. since January 2019.

[architectoverlord]

Best chocolate we have ever had was in Vienna. Dear lord, it is indescribable... just, amazing. Sample box from the little shop in Ferstel Passage. Worth it!

[MrCyberSlacker]

I am taking my son to Austria in May. This video is gold. Thank you!!!

[raw.]

I went to Austria on holiday last summer. Zell-Am-See, Kaprun and Salzburg . Sensationally beautiful.

[rgoonewardene]

I was in Austria last year, and thought all wait staff were really friendly, and fantastic.