Austria on a budget: how to do it well
Short answer
Yes, if you plan: hostels, lunch menus and saver train fares keep Austria affordable, and many of the best experiences — palace gardens, lakes and Alpine walks — are free. A realistic minimum is about €115 a day per person sharing a room: roughly €45 for a bed, €35 for food, €20 for sights and €15 for transport.
A realistic daily budget
| Budget | Mid-range | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed (per person, sharing) | €45 | €90 | €200 |
| Food & drink | €35 | €60 | €110 |
| Sights & tickets | €20 | €40 | €60 |
| Local transport | €15 | €30 | €55 |
| Per person, per day | €115 | €220 | €425 |
Approximate 2026 prices, two people sharing a room. From our Austria day-cost table.
Free things to do
- The gardens of Schönbrunn Palace and the climb to the Gloriette
- The nave of St Stephen's Cathedral (towers and tours cost extra)
- The Naschmarkt in Vienna (closed on Sundays)
- The Mirabell Gardens in Salzburg
- The summer film festival on Vienna's Rathausplatz (July–August)
- Walking the lakeside and old town of Hallstatt
Cheap eats
- Würstel from a Vienna sausage stand, such as Käsekrainer with bread — about €5–7
- Lunch menu (Mittagsmenü) in a Beisl — often about €11–15
- A quarter-litre of wine and the cold buffet at a Heuriger — about €4–5 for wine plus a few euros per item
- Leberkäse roll from a butcher or bakery — about €3–5
- Kaiserschmarrn or Kasnocken in a mountain hut — about €10–15
Where to sleep for less
In Vienna, budget travellers stay in Neubau and Mariahilf near the U3 and U6, where hostel dorm beds often cost about €25–45 and simple doubles €80–130. In Salzburg, the Neustadt near the station has hostels and cheaper hotels. Around Hallstatt, Obertraun has youth hostels and guesthouses at lower prices than Hallstatt itself.
Getting around cheaply
Use trains for long distances and book ÖBB Sparschiene or Westbahn saver fares early. In Vienna, buy a 24-, 48- or 72-hour ticket, or a weekly ticket if you stay longer. From Vienna Airport, the regular ÖBB S-Bahn (S7) is much cheaper than the City Airport Train or a taxi. Regional buses (Postbus) reach the lakes and valleys at low prices.
A sample budget day
- Morning: walk the Ringstrasse and see St Stephen's Cathedral (free nave)
- Lunch: Mittagsmenü in a Beisl (about €13)
- Afternoon: Schönbrunn gardens and the Gloriette (free) with a 24-hour ticket (about €8–9)
- Evening: Würstel and a beer at a stand, or wine at a Heuriger (about €12–15)
- Total: about €115 including a hostel bed or shared room (about €45)
More ways to save
- Choose one or two palace interiors rather than all of them; the gardens and exteriors are free.
- Buy groceries at Billa, Spar or Hofer for breakfast and picnics.
- Buy standing-room opera tickets in Vienna for a few euros instead of seated tickets.
- Visit Hallstatt as a day trip by train and ferry from Obertraun or Bad Goisern rather than sleeping in the village.
- Travel in shoulder season (May or late September) for better room rates than July and August.
- Check for free museum days and evening discounts at individual museums.
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Common questions
Can you travel around Austria on a budget?
Yes. Hostels, lunch menus and saver train fares keep costs to about €115 a day per person.
What is the cheapest way to get from Vienna Airport to the city?
The ÖBB S-Bahn (S7) with a standard ticket, which is much cheaper than the City Airport Train or a taxi.
Are train fares expensive in Austria?
Full fares can be, but Sparschiene saver fares booked weeks ahead start from about €20 between Vienna and Salzburg.