Many smaller hotels in Vienna and other cities offer comfortable surroundings and attentive service. Even bigger savings are possible by staying in a private house. The Austria for Americans program allows visitors to experience Austria's delightful character and still feel at home with English- speaking staff, menus and newspapers in English, and many other small but important services. Taking part are 115 hotels. Nonstop flights from the U.S. arrive at Schwechat Airport.
Speedy trains link Austria to all parts of Europe.
Vienna and Linz are, of course, major stops for Danube steamers cruising upriver to Passau in Germany, downriver to Budapest, and as far east as Bulgaria and Romania. For information on Austrian Railpasses and the European East Pass, see the by rail section. Vienna, Salzburg, Linz, Graz and Innsbruck offer discount cards which allow free public transport and free or discounted admission to museums. Austria began charges highway tolls via a windshield sticker. Scheduled boats operate on many Austrian lakes from May through September.