Over Christmas my family and I ventured around Austria for just over a week. It truly was one of the best trips I’ve ever taken. Sure, the winter season isn’t always a popular time for travelling to a new city but if you pick the country wisely, it could actually be the best time to visit.

The best thing about Austria is that you can combine outdoor adventures with city ones. It’s the perfect blend of activities for a larger group.

Before doing my research on Austria I assumed that it would be expensive to travel around. You know what they say about assumptions though. After digging a little further I realized it was quite reasonable. Keep in mind however that some of these prices are inflated because we were travelling over New Year’s which can always be a very expensive time to travel anywhere.

We tried our best to keep the costs down as much as possible but because we were travelling with my parents we weren’t staying in hostels either. During our trip we also ate in restaurants.

Flights | $1100 CAD / $885 USD

This is likely where your price will vary from mine. These flights were also more expensive than what you could usually find because we traveled over Christmas and wanted direct flights. After searching for what seemed like ever, the cheapest direct flight we could find was into Munich.

Because of this we technically started our trip 2 days prior in Munich. It actually ended up being a great way for everyone to overcome their jetlag before the real adventure began.

If you’re looking to cut down costs on your Austria budget I would recommend choosing a flight with a stopover or two. As with any trip, be flexible with the flight times. It may be much more of a pain in the ass getting there but your wallet will thank you.

Transportation | $212 CAD / $169 USD

We really wanted to see as much of Austria as we possibly could have during our trip. I’ll admit that the train systems in Austria were far superior to what I was expecting. We never had a delayed or late train in all of the various trains we took and they were very reasonably priced. This really helped to keep our Austria budget down.

From my research, the only train systems you can use within the country are OBB trains. We managed to book all of our tickets online in advance which definitely helped us to save money, especially since we were travelling during the Christmas break.

The OBB trains give you an option of either printing your tickets at home and bringing them to the station or printing your tickets at the station. In all honesty, I preferred printing them at the station, that way I knew I wasn’t going to lose them.

I would also highly recommend booking a seat. It’ll cost you a little extra but when you’re traveling in a group and with a lot of luggage, it can get quite stressful. At least twice we had to kick people out of our booked seats which meant they were left struggling to find a seat even after the train left the station. It will only cost you about $8 per person and seriously, it’s worth it.

Here are all of the trains we took for the cost:

Munich > Innsbruck
Innsbruck > Kitzbuhel > Innsbruck (day trip)
Innsbruck > Salzburg
Salzburg > Vienna

Accommodations | $1070 CAD / $860 USD

This is another place where you could save money on your overall Austria budget. Accommodations are obviously everyone’s personal preference. While some prefer to stay in 5* hotels, others can rough it in hostels. For the sake of this budget, we typically stayed in 4* hotels that were centrally located and close to everything.

Innsbruck hotel | Hotel Salier 

This hotel was very much a pleasant surprise. Nestled in the little town of Innsbruck, it’s walking distance from the main streets and very close to the train station. The coolest part of the place was their glass elevator. You could admire the mountains as you travelled up from the main lobby to your room. It was stunning. It’s also worth noting that the hotel restaurant was particularly great. The wine selection is a highlight as well.

Salzburg hotel | NH Salzburg City 

This was another hotel that really surprised me actually. I poured over our reviews before landing in Salzburg because we were staying in the city the longest and I wanted to make sure we had a comfortable stay. The hotel was far enough away from the centre that the price was really reasonable but also right around the corner from some amazing shops and restaurants. The walk to the old city took less than 15 minutes.

Vienna hotel | Ruby Sofie Hotel 

If you’re looking to stay somewhere with style than the Ruby hotels is where it’s at. I couldn’t believe this place when I walked inside. The decor and furniture was completel modern. The main colour of the hotel was black but it still felt inviting. There were amazing little surprised throughout the hotel as well like; a yoga terrace, tea stations and a shower in the actual room! I also can’t rave enough about the breakfast, truly divine. There are a few Ruby hotels in the city, I believe the Ruby Marie is the closest in the city.

Entertainment | $500 CAD / $400 USD

This budget might seem a little low but it’s because we mostly walked around and ate at restaurants. There were a few museums and touristy things we did that you absolutely can’t miss.

One that comes top of mind is the Salzburg fortress. While the history lessons you’ll learn on the audio tour are great, nothing can compare to those views. At the very least, pay for the tram ticket to the top of the fortress, it’s worth it. I would highly recommend the Original Sound of Music tour as well. Honestly, the tour was incredible. Even those who haven’t seen the movie or don’t love it, will certainly fall in love with the cool history.

The bulk of our entertainment budget was eaten up by our ski day at Kitzbuhel. This was very high on mine, and my father’s bucket list so it was worth every single penny we spent. For those of you who aren’t familiar, Kitzbuhel is the deadliest race on the Alpine ski circuit. It’s world renowned and I grew up watching the races with my dad. Being on the same hill and standing at the same start gate as so many other famous racers.

Food | $1000 CAD / $800 USD

In all honesty, this is a rough estimate and possibly more than what we actually spent. It was hard to keep track after a while but we didn’t splash out by any means. It also helped that breakfast was included with all of our hotel stays (this is why I love Europe). 

With breakfast paid for, lunch was typically a little lighter, except on days where we had done a lot of walking. Also, keep in mind that alcohol is very much a part of this Austria budget. I mean really you can’t visit Bavaria and not enjoy a few, or more, beers.

If you’re travelling to Austria you absolutely cannot leave the country without trying an Apple Strudel. I’ve had Strudel before but honestly never anything like this. Melted in your mouth.

And the running total is ……….

Total: $3882 CAD / $3115 USD

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