Best accommodation in Austria

Outside popular tourist spots such as Vienna and Salzburg, accommodation need not be too expensive. Good-value B&B is usually available in the many small family-run hotels known as Gasthöfe and Gasthaüser, with prices from €60 per double. In the larger towns and cities a pension or Frühstuckspension will offer similar prices. Most places also have a stock of private rooms or Privatzimmer, although in well-travelled rural areas, roadside signs offering Zimmer Frei (vacancies) are common (double rooms from around €50). Local tourist offices have lists of these and will often ring around and book for you.

There are around a hundred HI hostels (Jugendherberge or Jugendgästehaus), run by or affiliated to ÖJHV or the ÖJHW. Rates are €20-27, normally including breakfast; non-members pay around €3.50 a night extra. There are also a few excellent independent hostels in Salzburg and Vienna, plus affiliated youth hotel chains.

Austria’s numerous campsites often have laundry facilities, shops and snack bars. Most open April to September, although some open year-round.