Austria in Camping-Car: advice, areas, routes

How do I visit Austria by camping-car or furnished van?

Are you going on a road trip through the Balkans, Eastern Europe, Germany and/or Austria? Visit Austria camping-car or in a furnished van, it is to choose the option freedom of movement and accommodation: sleep freely – in the areas dedicated to the campsite – without worrying about hotels!

Austria is a pivotal country between Western Europe and the Balkan countries, between Latin and Slavic cultures, between the Alps and the Danube valley: a country that is not visited yet replete with curiosities, rich with a multi-millenary historical and cultural heritage.

Visiting Austria by camping-car or in furnished van allows you to see natural landscapes and the vertiginous summits of the Alps, historic cities (Berceaux des Habsbourg) – Vienna, Graz , Linz, Salzburg, Innsbruck . The Austrian population is only 8.8 million, of whom 1.8 million live in Vienna.

You will thus have vast natural areas to explore the Austrian roads, between the lakes with clear waters, surrounded by the high mountains, the forests, the typical and folk villages, the plains to the east of the country and the mountains where hiking: two-thirds of the country are covered by the mountain massif.

Are you planning to visit Austria in a camper or in a fitted van? We've been thinking about a mini-guide of visiting this unique country in Central Europe.

Route Idea in Austria by motorhome

Austria is a relatively small country – only 83,879 km2, an area equivalent to that of the United Arab Emirates – but its cultural diversity, natural capital, its historical and architectural heritage are such that you will need several stays to have a fine knowledge of the country.

Let’s say: Austria is a destination for both athletes, ecolo-bobobos, adventure thirsty in the middle of nature, and tourists looking for comfort, looking for historical wonders (palais, castles, museums, etc.). Of course, we'll have to make a route.

What are we doing and where are we going to visit Austria on a motorhome for a week, 15 days or a month? Here are some ideas of routes to be made in Austria, depending on the duration:

• One week: the shores of Lake Constance, Bregenz, Voralberg and Tyrol (Innsbruck)

Photo credit: Caramaps

• 15 days: same course, plus the Grossglockner Pass, Salzburg, Oberösterrich, Styria, and Vienna

Photo credit: Caramaps

• One month: the same route, plus the region and the lakes of Salzkammergut, Worth Lake and the Kämten Region and the Lakes of Carinthia, Burgenland, Neusiedler See Lake, Schönbrunn Castle, Hallstadt, Graz, Linz, Danube Valley in Wachau

Coming to Austria on a motorhome, you will need to see the old town of Hallstadt, Vienna and Neusiedler See National Park. These steps are, of course, indicative.

Only one part – the west, for example – will be required if you have only one week. When you come to Austria by camping-car or van for 15 or 20 days, you can relax a little more on each area by staying for several nights at a magical spot you will find.

It all depends, of course, on everyone’s desires: you can visit Austria for its lakes and mountains, its cities and their historical heritage, ride on the Weinviertel wine routes in Burgenland.

How and where to rent a motorhome in France?

It is now easy to rent a motorhome in France. How? By passing through interrelationship platforms between tenants ( yourself) and particular camper owners as Yescapa For example.

How does it work?

• Start by choose the motorhome in your city (For example Bordeaux, Nantes, Toulouse, Paris, Montpellier or Marseille).

• Careful choose unlimited mileage, to check the number of beds available and if it is possible to travel abroad.

• Perform one online rental request and share your travel information (dates, rental options, mileage, etc.) to the owner.

• If your application is accepted, you will have after payment access to the owner's contact information to set up a First meeting.

• On the day of departure, present your driver's license and pour the bail.

• L’status of premises is executed and a lease is signed between the two parties. On return, after having made an unforgettable road trip, sign the state of the return places and the tour is played!

How and where to rent a motorhome in Austria?

Before landing to visit Austria in motorhome, it is recommended to make an online reservation. And yes, it would be a shame to arrive at Vienna , Graz or Salzburg and discover that there is no vehicle available in any agency, or worse, that the rates have climbed up.

To have a camping-car, we recommend you go through a rental platform for motorhomes and vans arranged online. These sites are now numerous on the road-trip and wild camping market. The principle is simple: you choose the desired vehicle – depending on the daily price, the type of camper/van/van fitted, the equipment of the vehicle -, you send an inquiry to the owner.

Last step: After the online payment, you receive a confirmation email and here you go to visit Austria on a camping-car!

Drive to Austria by motorhome: traffic rules to know

How is it going, driving in Austria on motorhome, van and van? As in most countries, the rules of the road code are singularly the same as in France. The driving is on the right and it is mandatory to attach its safety belt for all passengers on board when the vehicle is driving.

The vehicle shall be equipped with signage triangle , one first aid kit and one yellow vest by passenger (you can manifest with Saturday but make sure you have it in the wheelchair...), winter tires labeled 3PMSF (for the mountain) from November 1 to April 15, an identification of the country of origin if the registration plate does not mention it. Of course, it is necessary to have its driver’s license, the vehicle’s papers and the vehicle’s permission to use by a third party (in case of rental, in particular). ♪ passing beam headlamps must be lit from day to night.

Note that mobile applications warning radar (type Coyotte, Waze, TomTom Live) are prohibited By Austrian law: this option must be turned off to use in Austria!

In Austria, the maximum permissible alcohol level is 0.5 g/l , as in France, except for young drivers (less than 2 years of permits) where it descends to 0.1 grams per litre of blood. The fine for drunk driving can rise to € 360: a glass of too much that costs!

The speed limits to visit Austria by motorhome are almost the same as in France, except on national roads:

• In agglomeration: 50 km/h
• On secondary roads: 100 km/h
• On the highways: 130 km/h

The maximum permissible speed is 110 km/h from 10:00 to 5:00 on the A10, the A12, the A13 and the A14.

In some municipalities, the speed can be seen upwards or downwards: thus, two motorway sections between Vienna and Salzburg have set a limit to 140 km/h in the test phase. And in case of pollution peak, the speed can be reduced to 80 km/h or 100 km/h on the highway.

Motorcycle toll in Austria: what price for your motorhome category?

In Austria there are paid highways, and also secondary roads and paid tunnels. A thumbnail must be glued to the windscreen of the camper to circulate on highways and express roads – schnellstrasse – but there is also a digital thumbnail that combines the registration plate with its bank account.

We can buy it online. It costs 9,20 € for ten days , 26,80 € for two months and 89,20 € for one year . The thumbnails are available in automobile clubs, tobacco offices and service stations.

Note that some sections do not impose the thumbnail but one must pay a toll . This is the case of the A13 between Austria and Austria Italy : its cost is 9,50 € . On the Austrian roads, many tunnels must be crossed, some of which are subject to to to tolls:

• On the A9, Bosrucktunnel (5,50 €) and Gleinalmtunnel (9 €)
• On the A10, Katschbergtunnel and Tauerntunnel at 12,00 €
• On the A11, Karawankentunnel (Austria-Slovenia border) at 7,40 €
• On the fast track Schnellstraße S16, the Arlbergtunnel costs 10,00 €

In addition, the authorities apply a system of paid roads, especially in the mountains:

• The collar of the Grossglockner (considered as one of the most beautiful roads in Europe) costs €36.50 for a car per day
• Le Silvretta Hochalpenstrasse, between Gaschurn and Galtür costs 16,50 €
• The pass of the Gerlospass costs 9,50 €
• The road to Nockalmstrasse : 19 € per day
• The pass of the Timmelsjochstrasse: 16 € single trip, 21 € round trip
• La route du Villacher : 18 € per passage
• The road to Gerlitzen: 7 €
• Route Malta Hochalmstrasse : 18 €

Borrowing some roads in Austria, it can be expensive!

Campsites in Austria: where to park?

Austria is, with Hungary, Germany Slovenia and Croatia , one of the Central European countries where parking is the most regulated and restrictive. Starting, making wild camping is strictly forbidden. Even stopping to sleep in his vehicle is prohibited by law.

But that is what the law says. We have already slept in a minibus the time of a road trip to Serbia and we have not been awakened by the police. To visit Austria by camping-car serenement, you will have to park on dedicated motorhomes (often paid).

However, nature and adventure enthusiasts will always try to park in the middle of nature. Two solutions: by asking the owners to bivouaquer, or by installing after 22 hours, leaving early the next day, while ensuring to leave the place in the state where they were found.

Alternatively: download the mobile app Park4night , which shares all types of passenger spots where you can park – free parking, campsites, pay and free motorhomes, outdoor spaces, etc. – you will find many parking spaces where parking is allowed, if not tolerated for the night. Let’s add that Austria is an alpine country: if you step back far enough from home, you reduce the risk of visiting by the police (on denunciation or on the usual round).

Of course, other options exist to effectively locate and find a perfect place, such as websites Campercontact or Caramaps .

Beware, however, of signs: when parking is strictly forbidden, do not brave the law. The police put sabots on the wheels or practice furnace removal, which can cost expensive and no one wants this kind of inconvenience!

What is the best time to travel by motorhome in Austria?

When do you visit Austria by camping-car or in a furnished van? As the altitude is high on the alpine mountains, winter can be very harsh on the majority of Austria’s territory. There are three major climates in Austria: continental climate (dried and hot summers, cold winters), Alpine climate (short summers, severe winters) and wet temperate climate .

The best time to visit Austria in motorhome is therefore summer and spring (from 18°C in April to 29°C in August) but the nights will be cold (1°C to 7°C). The short high season from April to September is also the time when prices are at the highest of the year. Know that outside this high tourist season, prices will be lower but it can be very cold at night, with frosts (-2°C; -3°C) and snow risks from October.