We fly out of Austria at noon today and leave for the airport at 8 am, as we were unsure about the traffic conditions and the time it would take to complete our VAT refund. There are two train options for getting to the airport from Vienna Hauptbahnhof: the cheaper, slightly longer OBB (costing €4.50) or the faster and costing three times more than the OBB (€15). We took an Uber instead, as we did not want to drag our luggage to the tram station and fumble to find the train platform in Wien Hauptbahnhof. The 30-minute Uber ride from the 3rd district to the airport costs us about €37.

VAT Refund at Vienna International Airport

There are very few resources online on the tax refund process at Vienna International Airport. We were unsure if the VAT refund would be easy, like what we experienced at Paris Airport last year, or complicated, like what we experienced at Catania Airport two years ago. I catered additional time for our VAT refund. We had to complete our VAT refund before reporting to the check-in counters for our flight, as the customs may want to inspect the goods for which we are claiming a tax refund. To get our VAT refunded, we found the VAT refund counters (marked by a bright yellow DEV sign) by the second last door from the rightmost part of Terminal 3. For VAT refunds, we can scan a QR code at the DEV counters on our mobile phones (we need to connect to the airport wifi first) or use the kiosks. My friends and I tried using our mobile phones but found the wifi rather weak. We ended up using the kiosk, which was faster.

After scanning our receipts, we proceeded to the customs counter further down the lane to get our receipts validated electronically. Based on our experience, we found that the customs officer will only inspect the more expensive items. I got a Ferragamo bag for €1,350 and was not required to be inspected, whereas my friend was asked to present the €7,000 LV bag she bought. After getting our electronic stamps, for purchases that do not require inspection, we can either drop the VAT refund forms in the respective VAT refund company’s boxes (bring a pen along or fill up the receipts before coming to the airport) or claim cash from the inter-change counters after the validation counter. A small fee is charged for cash refunds. As for the items that required to be inspected, my friend had to hand carry the bag, clear immigration to the non-Schengen zone and present her bag to the DEV counter near our boarding gate. She only gets her validation stamp after the inspection.

Our Thoughts on Austria

For our 12-day trip around Austria, we thought it was more than Salzburg and Vienna, which most people used as a thoroughfare between Hungary and Germany. It was certainly more than the picturesque Hallstatt, which inspired our trip to the country in the first place. Austria is a country of musical culture, beautiful architecture, and magnificent Alps. The locals we met on our trip were mostly friendly, but some took some time to warm up. We learned a lot from this trip through the guided tours of the Alps and the museums, the different climate zones and the artefacts we saw. Perhaps we came in the low season, the towns we visited were peaceful (except Vienna), and most importantly, they were very safe. We had no problems walking at night. Most of the cities we visited offered some sort of city card that covered most of the sights and all the transportation in the city, but not all of them are worth getting (such as Graz).

Our Summarised Itinerary

During our 12 days in Austria, we visited five towns and cities. Not all attractions are open in winter, so we went with our eyes open, knowing some of the sites would be closed. Winter in Austria is about fun in the Alps, where we see larger crowds skiing, snowboarding, or simply having fun in the snow.

Day 1 to 3: Salzburg

We started our trip from Salzburg, where we visited Schloss Mirabell and the gardens. We spent one full day visiting the sites in Salzburg, including Untersberg, about a 30-minute bus ride from the heart of Salzburg. I felt the sites in Salzburg city can be seen within one day as they are close to each other and the city is highly walkable. Starting from Hohensalzburg Fortress, we visited DomQuaritier, Mozart’s Birthplace, and St Peter’s Abbey and ended the night at Mönchsberg, which offered excellent night views of the city. We spent the third day in Hallstatt. The original plan was to get to Hallstatt before the closing of the Salt Mines and Skywalk. However, these attractions closed for annual maintenance before we arrived in Austria. In replacement, we went to Dachstein Krippenstein, hoping to get a bird’s eye view of Hallstatt and the lake. But the snowfall was too heavy that the attraction was closed. Hallstatt is a small town, and with the Salt Mine closed, I reckon half a day would be sufficient to see the town.

Day 4 to 6: Innsbruck

We visited Innsbruck for the Top of Innsbruck, one of the mountains easily accessible from the town. We started our Innsbruck trip with a visit to the Swarovski Crystal World. I thought the site could be skipped unless one is passionate about crystals or has an eye for art. We spent Day 5 in the Nordkette Mountains, having fun in the snow and getting a great view of the city from Seegrube. We also took the time to visit Alpenzoo, which I felt was a little boring. Before leaving Innsbruck for Zell am See on Day 6, we visited the City Tower and St. James’s Cathedral in the morning.

Day 6 to 8: Zell am See

Zell am See was a stop we visited to break the otherwise long train ride from Innsbruck to Graz. This charming lakeside town was the most enjoyable town we visited. We spent the afternoon of Day 6 strolling in the town centre but missed out on the view of the lake from the promenade (which we never got to visit throughout our stay in Zell am See). Day 7 was dedicated to visiting Kitzsteinhorn, and we felt joining the guided tour was very insightful. Not only did we visit the mountains, but we also got to know Kitzsteinhorn better. We spent the morning on Day 8 on a snowshoe hike on Schmittenhöhe. However, the snowshoe hike with our knowledgeable guide was a refreshing experience; I would think visiting the mountain peak and seeing Lake Zell from above would be ideal (which we did not have time for).

Day 9: Graz

The second-largest city in Austria was often missed by visitors to the city. Graz was charming and compact, with sites within walking distance from each other. The people in the city were genuine and friendly. We thought Schlossberg gave us a great view of the city and the iconic Clock Tower. Joining the Walking Tour through the Historic City Centre gave us a good perspective of the city and the sites we saw. We would have missed out on some of the details if not for our guide. I reckon one full day is sufficient to cover the sites in Graz.

Day 10 to 12: Vienna

We spent our last three days in Vienna, the capital of Austria. I highly recommend joining the complimentary tour of Parliament Austria, where we learned about the country’s road to democracy and were shown places in the Parliament. We spent the rest of the evening shopping at Graben in Stephensplatz, and we were glad we did that. Shops closed earlier on Saturdays and were not open on Sundays. We had a busy day visiting the attractions on Day 11, starting with Schönbrunn Palace and Gardens, where we learned how the Habsburgs used this palace for the summer. In the afternoon, we joined a guided tour of the Vienna State Opera, visited Karlskirche and rode on the World’s Oldest Ferris Wheel in Prater Park. We started our Day 12 with a visit to the Hundertwasserhaus, followed by the Austrian National Library. In the afternoon, we joined a guided tour of Hofburg Palace; I thought touring the palace with the audio guide included in the ticket price would suffice as the guide did not add additional information about the palace. We ended our day with a visit to St Stephan’s Cathedral, where we went up the north tower, which offered a better view of Vienna from the terrace.