Languages

Languages in Austria

The national language of Austria is German which, differs from the standard German in only a few words and phrases but has it's own distinct pronunciation and accent. In addition, a few additional languages locally have some official status (e.g., Slovenian in Carinthia, Croatian and Hungarian in Burgenland).

Most Austrians do not speak standard language for day to day use, but rather some local dialect. Most Austrian dialects are related to the Bavarian dialect.

English, however, is very widely spoken, and the only area most tourists have trouble is with the translation of some of the food names. Many competent German speakers may be surprised to find that they are replied to in English, and it is quite common to hear Austrians talking among themselves in English. In parts of Vienna languages such as Italian and French will often be understood as well. Italian is widespread in those regions bordering Italy.

Some rural areas have populations where English is not common, especially in those older than 40, so a learning a few basic German phrases can be helpful.

The international dialing code for Austria is +43. When calling Austria from abroad, if the number starts with the city code 0222, it's in Vienna. Drop all four of those digits and replace it with a 1, then dial the remaining digits of the phone number. 0222 was the former dialing prefix for Vienna. It should be replaced by 1 also for domestic calls to Vienna. If the number doesn't start with 0222, simply drop the initial zero from the city code and dial the remaining digits.

For cheap international calls from Austria, consider using low-cost dial-around services such as pennyphone, austriaphone, or fuchstarife,. Dial-around services are directly available from any landline in Austria. No contract, no registration is required. Most dial-around services offer USA, Canada, Western Europe and many other countries at the price of a local call. They also work from public payphones.

The cell phone network in Austria very good with nearly 100% coverage and a comparatively large number of suppliers. Prepaid sim cards are widely available for GSM (900MHz /1800MHz) and 3G WCDMA (2100MHz) handsets.

Internet cafes are common in bigger cities. Hotels in cities normally have internet terminals and more expensive hotels provide internet access in rooms. Wireless hotspots in restaurants and cafes are becoming more and more popular as well.