Selected Travel Guide:		More Vienna Travel Guides:			Adjust Font Size:

Location
Vienna (federal province), eastern Austria.

Dialling code
43.

Population
1,660,000 (city); 1,710,000 (metropolitan area).

Time zone
GMT + 1 (GMT + 2 from last Sunday in March to Saturday before last Sunday in October).

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

Average January temperatures
1°C (34°F).

Average July temperatures
25°C (77°F).

Annual rainfall
616mm (24.3 inches).

Language
Introduction
German is the official language and is spoken as a first language by almost the entire population. There are a number of variations between Hochdeutsch (standard German) and Viennese German, and there are also marked differences to other Austrian regional dialects. English is the most common second language, and is widely understood and spoken by those in tourism-related fields. When speaking to strangers, it is important to use the formal forms of address. The following characters are used in German, but not in English: ä (=ae), ö (=oe), ü (=ue) and ß (=ss). It is important to pay attention to the times of performances in Vienna – halb-acht (half-eight) means 0730; similarly, viertel-acht (quarter-eight) means 0715, a quarter of the way to eight o’clock.

Phrases

Yes - Ja
No - Nein
Hello (formal) - Grüß Gott
Hello (informal) - Servus / Grüß dich
Goodbye - Auf Wiedersehen / Auf Wiederschauen / Servus
Please - Bitte
Thank you - Danke
My name is … - Ich heiße …
How are you? - Wie geht es Ihnen? (formal) / Wie geht’s? (formal)
I’m very well - Mir geht es gut / Sehr gut, danke
I feel ill - Ich fühle mich unwohl
How much does it cost? - Wieviel kostet das? / Wieviel macht das?
Do you speak English? - Sprechen Sie Englisch?
I don’t understand - Ich verstehe nicht
Where is …? - Wo findet man …?
Entrance - Eingang (Einfahrt for vehicles)
Exit - Ausgang (Ausfahrt for vehicles)
Danger - Achtung
Open - Geöffnet
Closed - Geschlossen
Toilets - Toiletten / WC
Doctor - Arzt / Ärztin
Hotel - Hotel
Restaurant - Restaurant
Beer - Bier
Wine - Wein
Menu - Speisekarte
Today - Heute
Tomorrow - Morgen
Monday - Montag
Tuesday - Dienstag
Wednesday - Mittwoch
Thursday - Donnerstag
Friday - Freitag
Saturday - Samstag
Sunday - Sonntag
One - Eins
Two - Zwei
Three - Drei
Four - Vier
Five - Fünf
Six - Sechs
Seven - Sieben
Eight - Acht
Nine - Neun
Ten - Zehn
Twenty - Zwanzig
Thirty - Dreissig
Forty - Vierzig
Fifty - Funfzig
Sixty - Sechzig
Seventy - Siebzig
Eighty - Achtzig
Ninety - Neunzig
One Hundred - Einhundert
One Thousand - Eintausend


Cost of Living:

1 Euro (€1) = £0.68; US$1.33; C$1.54; A$1.64
Currency conversion rates as of April 2007

Special Events:

Carnival and Ball Season, 2 Jan to Shrove Tuesday (day before Lent), venues throughout the city (website: www.vienneseball.org/Calendar.php)
Resonanzen, Middle Ages/Baroque music, mid-Jan, Konzerthaus
Opera Ball, last Thurs before Lent (Feb/Mar), Staatsoper
Haydn Festival, third week Feb/first week Mar, various venues
Vienna Spring Festival, arts festival with opera, concerts and plays, mid-Mar/mid-Apr, various venues
Osterklang (Sounds of Easter), music festival, late Mar-early Apr, various venues (website: www.osterklang.at)
Vienna Mozart Week, mid-Apr, various venues (website: www.mozart2006.net)
Festwochen Wien (Vienna Festival), festival featuring music, drama and dance, mid-May/mid-Jun, throughout the city (website: www.festwochen.at)
Vienna City Marathon, late Apr/May, begins Arbeiterstrandbadstrasse/Wagramerstrasse and ends Heldenplatz (website: www.vienna-marathon.com)
Donauinselfest (Danube Island Festival), contemporary music festival, late Jun weekend, Donauinsel (website: www.donauinselfest.at)
Vienna Jazz Festival, first two weeks Jul, various venues (website: www.viennajazz.org)
Im Puls Tanz, Jul-Aug, dance festival (website: www.impulstanz.com)
Klangbogen (Musical Summer), music festival, Jul-Aug, various venues
Viennale Film Festival, end of Oct, various cinemas throughout the city (website: www.viennale.at)
Wien Modern, 20th-century music festival, late Oct/late Nov, various venues, especially the Konzerthaus
International Schubert Choir Competition, mid-Nov, Konzerthaus (website: www.schubertchoralfestival.at/index_e.html)
Brahms Festival, mid-Nov, Musikverein
Christkindlmarkt (Christmas Market), mid-Nov-24 Dec, Rathausplatz, Spittleberg Quarter, Freyung (corner of Innerstadt) and throughout the city
Kaiserball (Imperial Ball), 31 Dec, Hofburg
Silvester in Wien (New Year in Vienna), ball, 31 Dec, Innerstadt
Vienna Philharmonic’s New Year’s Concert, 31 Dec, Musikverein

In 2006, Vienna will be celebrating the 250th anniversary of the birth of Mozart, with various special events throughout the year. Check out www.mozart2006.net and www.festwochen.at for more info

Related Vienna Content

Related Austria Content

Austria Airport Guides: Innsbruck Salzburg Airport W A Mozart Vienna International	Austria City Guides: Vienna City Guide
Austria Attraction Guides:
Belvedere Palace (Osterreichishce Galerie Belvedere) Giant Ferris Wheel (Riesenrad) Hofburg Palace (Hofburg)	Kunsthistorisches Museum (Museum of Fine Art) Mozarts Geburtshaus und Mozarts Wohnhaus (Mozart's Birthplace and Residence) Schonbrunn Palace (Schloss Schonbrunn)
Austria Community:
Austria Reviews Search Travel Reviews Write a Travel Review	Austria Pictures Search Travel Pictures Post your Travel Pictures
Join the iExplore Community