Sturm

When the summer draws to a close for another year – and the outdoor venues pull down their shutters at the end of the season, all is not lost. The golden season comes first – the season of young wine, pumpkins, goose and early Christmas markets. We all know and love Austrian wine, cheap and cheerful, sophisticated…

Real Estate Glossary

Ablöse = charges for fixtures and fittings (e.g. kitchen left in) ablösefrei = no charges for fixtures and fittings Alle Zimmer zentral begehbar = all rooms can be accessed from a hallway (rather than going through a room to get to another room) Altbau = pre-war building (usually has high ceilings) Aufzug = lift Bad…

Austrian Beer

Many VE members enjoy nothing more than meeting for a beer, and with around 4,000 locations serving beer in Vienna, there is certainly no shortage of choice. Indeed the Federation of Austrian Breweries (Verband der Bräuereien Österreichs) proudly boasts on its website, that Austria has the highest level of breweries per capita of any EU…

Buying property in Austria

One of the particular features of buying property in Austria is that fact the the ancillary costs in relation to the purchase are pretty high – apparently among the highest in Europe, with ancillary costs when buying property in Austria being around 10-11% of the purchase price (e.g. on a property costing EUR 250,000 between EUR…

Austrian Public Holidays 2016

The statutory public holidays for 2016 for Austria are as follows – good to consider when planning vacations – particularly to use “Fenstertage” (occasionally called Zwickeltage) to make your leave go further.

Nickelodeon now also in English

Nickelodeon Austria is now broadcasting most of its programming in two languages – thanks to Zweikanalton you can now select whether you listen in German or English.

10 facts about UK citizens voting overseas

With the “Brexit referendum” being held on 23 June 2016, it seems timely to inform British Citizens about registering as an overseas voter. Our contacts at HM British Embassy have passed on this list of 10 things you need to know about registering as an overseas voter. In particular, make sure that other people find out…

The Cost of Skiing – To Rent or Buy?

Let’s start with the facts, or the fact actually: skiing is expensive. High tech equipment, accessories for every weather condition, ever increasing lift ticket prices, not to mention getting there, staying there and eating there, and it all adds up to some pretty pricey alpine fun. Yet we still do it. This is Austria after…