Driving in Austria

Whether you arrive in your own car or take a rental car, you will have to deal with the Austrian Highway Code and its rules.

Driving in Austria is made quite easy by very simple traffic rules, respectful drivers and generally good road conditions.

You do not need any special documents to drive in Austria, just your driving licence, registration card and insurance certificate; if you drive a car that is not your own, get a written authorisation from the owner authorising you to use it.

The permitted blood alcohol limit is 0.049%, but drops to 0.01% for drivers who have had their licence for less than two years and drivers of commercial vehicles.

Motorway vignette

Austrian motorways are toll roads. It is necessary to obtain a motorway sticker (also called a ‘vignette’ or ‘toll’), which is compulsory and is available in various forms: the cheapest for tourists is the 10-day sticker, but you can also choose the 60-day sticker or the annual sticker, which covers the 12 months from January to December plus December of the previous year and January of the following year.

For all information, costs and how to purchase, see the in-depth Vignette for Austrian motorways.

Speed limits in Austria

The speed limits in force in Austria are:

• 50 km/h in built-up areas
• 100 km/h outside built-up areas;
• 130 km/h on motorways (on some motorways it can drop to 110 km/h from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.).

Beware of speed limits in case of snow: with chains the maximum speed allowed is 50 km; the limit for cars with snow tyres is 100 km/h on motorways and 80 km/h on other roads.

Parking in Austria

Parking in the blue strip es is chargeable and allowed for a duration ranging from 30 minutes to 3 hours, the maximum time is indicated in the vicinity of the stripes. The charging periods are usually Monday to Friday, from 08:00/09:00 until 19:00/22:00. In some cities you also pay on Saturdays.
On Sundays you can usually park for free unless otherwise indicated.