Guide: Swimming in Austria (2023)

FAQs

Guide: Swimming in Austria? ›

Austrias' most beautiful bathing lakes

Surrounded by picturesque mountains and lush green meadows, Lake Achensee offers countless water sports activities including swimming, surfing, sailing, paddling and diving.

Austrias' most beautiful bathing lakes

Surrounded by picturesque mountains and lush green meadows, Lake Achensee offers countless water sports activities including swimming, surfing, sailing, paddling and diving.

The Faaker See is considered to be the lake in Austria with the cleanest, most drinkable water. As you might imagine, that means the water quality is incredible, and there is plenty of visibility throughout the lake.

Austria has the cleanest bathing water in Europe, according to the European Environment Agency. Nearly 98 per cent of its bathing areas - where people regularly swim - were given an 'excellent' rating last year.

Lake Achensee is not only called "Fjord of the Alps", but also the "Tyrolean Sea", as the lake offers perfect wind conditions for sailers and surfers. Due to its extraordinary water quality the range of underwater vision amounts to up to 10 metres.

Yes, you certainly can drink the water that comes out of the taps or use it to clean your teeth. In fact, you never realize how bad the tap water is back home until you experience the Viennese equivalent; Vienna's water supply comes almost exclusively through two direct pipelines from the Alps mountains.

Everyone should avoid wearing shorter shorts and cutoffs. You'll likely feel out of place unless it's a really hot day. Given that Austria has an alpine climate, it's smart to carry a light cardigan or pullover sweater (sans college or sports logos) just in case a wind blows through.

Join Salzburgers for a dip at the popular Salzachsee (Lieferinger Badesee) On the north side of the city, out past the A1 motorway but still only a short trolleybus (take the number 7) or bike ride away, you'll find Salzburg's largest and most popular swimming area.

Why is the lake green? Its clear water derives from the snowmelt in the karst mountains and has a temperature of 6-7 °C (43-45 °F). Pure water absorbs red light and therefore appears blue-greenish. Moreover, finely eroded rock suspended in the water reflects above all the blue-green parts of the light.

Land of Rivers - Austria's Water. Water is one of Austria's most valuable resources. It is not for nothing that a line in the national anthem is dedicated to water. In 2021, too, the water quality in Austria will receive an excellent rating: 99.6% of the 261 water bodies examined were rated “excellent” or “good”.

Do Europeans take baths or showers? ›

With baths out of fashion, the shower is the preferred option for most Europeans looking to balance time constraints with personal hygiene.

Blue Lake, New Zealand

A sacred place for the Ngati Apa, a local Maori tribe, this lake is considered the clearest in the world, with a visibility of 76 meters, compared with 80 meters for distilled water, according to The Guardian.

According to Kantar Worldpanel, Brazil takes the cake when it comes to overall showering. The average Brazilian averages 14 showers per week, or around two showers a day. This is nearly double the rate of every other country in the survey. For the rest of the world, the average number of showers per week is five.

The water that melts from the glaciers and seasonal snows heads downhill, gathering in some places and flowing all the way to rivers in others. That glacial melt is directly responsible for the creation of the blue green color that makes alpine lakes so stunning.

Apart from the pastel city of Salzburg in Austria, there is another popular attraction called Hallstatt located in Upper Austria. There, a surrounding lake and mountains are waiting for you to take a look.

Many people consider fjords the very symbol of Norway. This country contains some of the longest, deepest, and most beautiful fjords in the world.

How much should you tip? When tipping serving staff, Austrians normally add 5% to 15% to the bill so it's rounded up to a convenient number. If the bill is 9 Euro, maybe round up to 10. If it's 25, round up to 28.

No, water is not typically free in Austrian restaurants.

Instead, you may be offered a choice of bottled water or other beverages, which will incur an additional cost.

In Austria, purchasing alcohol is regulated at the regional level. There are two different age requirements – either 16 or 18 years – depending on the region and the percentage of alcohol involved.

You cannot take meat, milk or products containing them into EU countries. There are some exceptions for medical reasons, for example certain amounts of powdered infant milk, infant food, or pet food required for medical reasons. Check the rules about taking food and drink into the EU on the European Commission website.

Can I wear sneakers in Vienna? ›

Make sure your footwear is smart but comfortable – we recommend Hotter shoes, for guaranteed comfort with style. Heels are great in the evenings though, teemed with a smart dress or skirt. If you can, avoid wearing sneakers as they will mark you out as a tourist.

Etiquette in Austria

A quick, firm handshake is the traditional greeting. Maintain eye contact during the greeting. Some Austrian men, particularly those who are older, may kiss the hand of a female. A male from another country should not kiss an Austrian woman's hand.

You can go open water swimming almost anywhere in the New Danube. But we especially like the area around the Vienna City Beach Club,even if this Danube side arm offers many other possibilities for swimming. As this is a very large body of water, one should not underestimate currents, wind and swell.

It is permissible to swim in the Bratislava Danube only in the river branches, since all the river banks in the capital are actually part of the local public port. Swimming in the port is strictly prohibited due to safety reasons, according to Martin Kontúr, spokesperson of the Verejné Prístavy public ports company.

You can freely swim in the fjords, but it will be a little bit colder than freshwater sources or even the ocean during the early summer. However, swimming in the fjords is a unique experience that makes for some great photos!

In Vienna, water hardness levels are between 6 and 11 German hardness degrees – this range is also referred to as "soft water". In exceptional cases, water hardness can rise to 16 degrees in the 2nd , 3rd , 11th , 21st and 22nd municipal districts.

Depending on the brand, it is usually called "still" or "ohne". "ohne" means "without" as in "without bubbles".

Visitors can dive and swim among the trees, benches, paths and bridges, caressing the green grass of the lawn below you and the underwater blossomed flowers. The light which enters the water creates a playful and stunning atmosphere.

The water reaches consumers mostly in a natural state and with excellent quality. Comprehensive monitoring - from source to tap - ensures a high level of protection for drinking water supplies in Austria. Drinking water suppliers must have the water they supply tested at regular intervals.

Iceland had the highest clean water index score In Europe in 2021, achieving 86 out of 100. This shows that pollution levels of estuarine, coastal, and open ocean waters in the country were minimal. Other countries that had a higher score than the goal of 70 out of 100 were Norway and Finland.

What city has the cleanest water in the world? ›

Luxembourg's well-developed water infrastructure ensures that all its citizens have access to clean drinking water. The country follows strict standards for water purification, ensuring excellent water quality free from harmful contaminants.

“The trend originates from Europe as far back as the '80s, where the bathrooms in historic properties are typically small and don't have the clearance for swinging doors, so partial hinged glass works better,” he says. Half doors (or no doors) serve a handful of practical purchases as well.

While there is no ideal frequency, experts suggest that showering several times per week is plenty for most people (unless you are grimy, sweaty, or have other reasons to shower more often). Short showers (lasting three or four minutes) with a focus on the armpits and groin may suffice.

Brazilians are the cleanest people in the world. Their personal higiene comes from the native índios. The índios took showers daily and sometimes even twice! There are many stories about Brazilian's showering habits across the world.

Lake Tahoe, California/Nevada

The crystal-clear waters of Lake Tahoe reach a maximum depth of 1,645 feet at a height of 6,225 feet above sea level. The water of this long-existent lake is the cleanest in North America, making it one of the cleanest lakes in the United States.

When counting people who shower every day, Mexicans and Australians led significantly, followed by Americans and the French. Brits, Russians, Swedes and Germans averaged less, with Chinese coming in the least frequent.

Lowest sanitation standards worldwide by select country 2020

In that year, around 76 percent of the population in Eritrea still defecate in the open.

The waves of bubonic plague that blighted Europe repeatedly during the middle ages contributed to suspicion that bathing might expose the body to disease, and this fear culminated in England's remaining public bath-houses being closed by Royal decree of King Henry VIII in 1546.

Where is the bluest lake in the world? ›

Blue Lake. Located in the top half of New Zealand's South Island, Blue Lake is said to be the clearest lake in the world.

Faakersee - beautiful blue mountain lake in Carinthia, Austria, the Alps.

The high level of dissolved organic content contributes to the water colour of Brown Lake; staining the lake a brownish tea colour; characterising the lake as dystrophic.

Hallstatt is known for its production of salt, dating back to prehistoric times, and gave its name to the Hallstatt culture, the archaeological culture linked to Proto-Celtic and early Celtic people of the Early Iron Age in Europe, c. 800–450 BC.

St. Wolfgang is a city in Upper Austria, Austria. It has many popular attractions, including St. Wolfgang, Puppenmuseum (Dorf-Alm), making it well worth a visit.

Lake Maggiore (UK: /mæˈdʒɔːreɪ, ˌmædʒiˈɔːreɪ/, US: /mɑːˈdʒɔːreɪ, məˈdʒɔːri/; Italian: Lago Maggiore Italian pronunciation: [ˈlaːɡo madˈdʒoːre]; Western Lombard: Lagh Maggior; Piedmontese: Lagh Magior; literally 'greater lake') or Verbano (pronounced [verˈbaːno]; Latin: Lacus Verbanus) is a large lake located on the ...

The summer, with its warmer weather and plenty of opportunities for outdoors activities, is the high season for travelers to Norway, with fjord Norway being a hugely popular attraction. The autumn will bring lovely fall colors to the fjord landscape and is a great season for exploring Norway's natural landscape.

As mentioned above, Scoresby Sund (sometimes known as Scoresby Sound when translated into English), which can be explored on Quark Expeditions' Under the Northern Lights: Exploring Iceland and East Greenland voyage, is the largest fjord in the world. It's 350 kilometers long and in places, it reaches 600 meters deep.

In contrast to many other countries, Austria can cover its drinking water needs entirely from protected groundwater resources. The water reaches consumers mostly in a natural state and with excellent quality.

Can you swim in Vienna? ›

Badeschiff (Pool Boat)

It doesn't get much more central than this: a boat in the Danube Canal with a pool on top. The Badeschiff (pool boat) offers the best way to go swimming in the middle of Vienna. The floating pool is moored right on the popular Danube Canal. It is 27 meters long and open until 10.00 pm.

Even though Austria does not have a centimetre of shoreline toward the sea, it is no problem to enjoy a wonderful beach holiday in the Alpine countryside. Many of Austria's lakes warm up quickly during the summer and reach water temperatures of 27-29 °C.

Austria is generally a friendly country. People love welcoming foreign visitors, and many people speak fluent English, especially those working in tourism.

Tap water is drinkable in Vienna and even comes out of the faucet ice-cool. In many places across the city, drinking fountains stand at the ready to quench the thirst in summer.

Experts warn that swimming in the Danube is not risk-free due to ship traffic on the river as well as the water currents. Nature conservationist and water athlete Jaroslav Šíbl, who himself swims in the river, agrees that one should not underrate the river and overestimate one's own abilities.

Austrians are quite friendly and foreigners are typically received with a warm welcome. Despite this, Austrians tend to lead more private personal lives. It can be difficult to make friends with locals unless one interacts with them on a daily basis at work or as part of a recreational activity.

Pack for the weather

In the summer months (June, July and August) it is hot, but women do not wear shorts in the city, even teenage girls. Even in summer the evenings can be cool, so pack a lightweight jacket or sweater. A light raincoat is useful even in the summer months, as is a travel umbrella.

Switzerland and Austria are both stunning, mostly German-speaking countries nestled in Europe's stunning Alps. Switzerland may be famous for its cheese, banks, and infamously high prices, while Austria is famous for its hills being alive with the sound of music and the stunning old city of Vienna.

Austria is famous for its castles, palaces and buildings, among other architectural works. Some of Austria's most famous castles include Festung Hohensalzburg, Burg Hohenwerfen, Castle Liechtenstein, and the Schloß Artstetten. Many of Austria's castles were created during the Habsburg reign.

You can go open water swimming almost anywhere in the New Danube. But we especially like the area around the Vienna City Beach Club,even if this Danube side arm offers many other possibilities for swimming. As this is a very large body of water, one should not underestimate currents, wind and swell.

Can you speak English in Austria? ›

While English is widely spoken in Austria, it has no official status there. Instead, official communications, signage and so forth uses German, as that is the primary language of Austria.

Plan to tip around 10-15% in Austrian restaurants. However, the exact tip amount when eating out in Austria depends on the place, occasion, and order size. It's customary to give your waiter or waitress a slightly higher tip than you would a bartender, as they are likely sharing their tip with the kitchen staff.

Speaking to locals

The locals are naturally aware that most foreign visitors, for example, cannot speak German. As a result, you're unlikely to offend anyone by addressing them in English as long as you're not arrogant about it. Indeed, you'll find people eager to practice their English on you.