Good to know before your trip — Austria

A traveller buys a vignette through an app the evening before their trip, assuming they are covered. An annual or two-month DIGITAL vignette purchased online or through the ASFINAG app is only valid from the 18th day after purchase. A vignette purchased in person (at a petrol station, newsagent, toll booth, or vending machine) is valid IMMEDIATELY. This rule does not apply to the one-day or ten-day vignette.

A traveller is unsure which vignette to buy for a short stay. For 2026, prices for vehicles up to 3.5 t are as follows: annual 106.80 EUR, two-month 32.00 EUR, ten-day 12.80 EUR, one-day 9.60 EUR. Motorcycles: 42.70 / 12.80 / 5.10 / 3.80 EUR. The 2026 annual vignette is valid from 1 December 2025 to 31 January 2027 — so it also covers travel in January. Prices for 2027 have not yet been announced. The 2026 sticker is the last physical vignette — from 1 January 2027, only a digital vignette exists, but it can still be purchased in person at a counter (newsagents, petrol stations, toll booths), so an internet connection is not required.

Many travellers arrive with only a card, expecting the same cashless convenience found in other Western European countries. According to a study by the Austrian National Bank, in 2025 cash accounted for 55% of all point-of-sale payments, rising to 71% for transactions under €10. Nearly a quarter of those who primarily pay electronically experienced at least one declined card payment during the year.

Many travellers buy their ticket on the day of travel and end up paying significantly more. ÖBB Sparschiene tickets start from 9.90 EUR in second class and can be purchased up to 6 months in advance, but are valid ONLY for the chosen train and cannot be cancelled or refunded. With each adult Sparschiene ticket, up to four children under the age of 15 travel free of charge.

Travellers from neighbouring countries often expect to be able to do their grocery shopping on a Sunday, just as they would at home. Under Austrian trading hours legislation, shops are closed on Saturdays after 18:00, on Sundays, on public holidays, and on Mondays until 06:00. Exceptions include shops at airports and railway stations (up to 80 m², with a limited range of products), museum and theatre shops, and petrol stations, which are not subject to this law at all.