Etiquette in Austria: greetings, meals and everyday manners

Some of the biggest adjustments for Americans in Austria are not about language or paperwork but about rhythm. Shops close on Sundays by law. Holidays you may never have heard of shut the country down on a Thursday in May. Rubbish goes into a series of carefully sorted bins, and bottles carry a deposit. None of this is hard once you know it, and much of it is written into law. This guide covers the customs that rest on official rules, using federal law, the Ministry of Economy, the City of Vienna and the federal portal oesterreich.gv.at.

Sundays are for rest

The single most noticeable difference is Sunday. Under the Opening Hours Act of 2003, shops must stay closed on Sundays, on public holidays, on Saturdays after 6 p.m. and on Mondays until 6 a.m., unless an exception applies.

### Regular opening hours

The Ministry of Economy summarizes the general limits:

• Monday to Friday, shops may open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• Saturday, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Total opening time may not exceed 72 hours in a calendar week.
• Bakeries may open from 5:30 a.m.

Many shops open for less time than the law allows, especially outside big cities. Provincial governors can extend hours by regulation for special needs, such as commuters' early shopping, shopping events or tourism.

### Where you can shop on Sunday

The Ministry lists exceptions for certain kinds of shops, such as those in airports and train stations, theatre and museum shops, and duty-free shops at airports. Provinces can also allow Sunday opening for a particular regional need. Vending machines, limited sales in restaurants and cafes, limited sales at petrol stations, and markets fall outside the Opening Hours Act.

In practice, Americans learn to shop on Saturday. If you forget, the station supermarket is the usual rescue.

Thirteen public holidays

The Holiday Rest Act lists Austria's 13 public holidays:

1. January 1, New Year's Day
2. January 6, Epiphany
3. Easter Monday
4. May 1, State Holiday
5. Ascension Day
6. Whit Monday
7. Corpus Christi
8. August 15, Assumption Day
9. October 26, National Day
10. November 1, All Saints' Day
11. December 8, Immaculate Conception
12. December 25, Christmas Day
13. December 26, St. Stephen's Day

Several are tied to Easter and move each year. The City of Vienna publishes the dates in advance; in 2027, for example, Easter Monday falls on March 29, Ascension on May 6, Whit Monday on May 17 and Corpus Christi on May 27. Vienna also offers the holidays as a calendar file you can add to Outlook, iCal or Google Calendar.

Shops are closed on these days under the same rules as Sundays. Holidays that fall on a Thursday often lead people to take the Friday off, so expect quiet offices and busy roads and trains.

Note that December 24 and December 31 are not on the list, although many businesses close early.

### National Day

October 26 is Austria's National Day and a public holiday across the country. In 2026 it fell on a Monday, and schools followed it with a full week of autumn holidays.

School holidays shape family life

If you have children, the school calendar sets the pace of the year. The federal portal publishes the official holiday calendar. For the 2026/27 school year it lists, among others:

• autumn holidays from October 27 to 31, 2026, in all provinces, followed by All Souls' Day on November 2 as a school-free day;
• Christmas holidays from December 24, 2026 to January 6, 2027;
• semester holidays in February, staggered by province: Lower Austria and Vienna first, then Burgenland and Carinthia, then the remaining provinces;
• Easter holidays from March 20 to 29, 2027;
• summer holidays starting July 3, 2027 in Burgenland, Lower Austria and Vienna, and July 10 in the other provinces.

The staggering of February and summer breaks matters for travel planning, since ski resorts and trains fill up with families from the provinces on break.

Waste separation is taken seriously

Austrians sort their rubbish more thoroughly than most Americans are used to. Vienna's waste department, MA 48, publishes a pocket guide in English and many other languages. The basic streams are:

• Paper and cardboard.
• Glass.
• Organic waste, such as uncooked vegetable scraps and garden waste.
• Lightweight packaging (the yellow bin): plastic bottles, beverage cartons, plastic film and packaging, yogurt containers with the lid removed, and metal packaging and tins.
• Residual waste for what cannot be recycled, such as tissues, ceramics, nappies and receipts on thermal paper.

The city's A to Z guide covers hundreds of items. Cooked vegetables go into residual waste, while uncooked vegetable scraps go into organic waste. Batteries can be dropped off free in many shops, old medicines at pharmacies, and household quantities of recyclables at the city's waste collection centres free of charge.

For questions, Vienna runs a waste hotline at 01 546 48, staffed Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Other cities have their own rules and calendars, so check your municipality's guide when you move in.

### Bulky items and things in good condition

Furniture, appliances, large cardboard, paint and batteries do not belong in courtyard bins. Vienna's English pocket guide lists the city's waste collection centres, which accept bulky waste, scrap, household appliances and hazardous household waste from Viennese households. Most are open Monday to Saturday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Items still in good repair can go into the 48er-Tandler box at a collection centre; the guide explains that such items are re-used, with support going to charities. When you move out of a furnished flat or replace a sofa, this is the expected route, rather than leaving furniture on the pavement.

The bottle and can deposit

Since 2025, Austria has a deposit on single-use plastic bottles and cans. Vienna's waste guide asks residents to return glass bottles, PET bottles and beverage cans with the return logo to a retailer, and its A to Z guide lists deposit return points for containers carrying a deposit logo. Keep empties for your next supermarket trip; returning them gets your deposit back.

Registering where you live

A custom Americans find unusual is registration. Austrian law requires you to register your residence within three days of moving in. It is a routine part of life, and offices, banks and schools will expect your registration confirmation.

A few habits that help

1. Shop on Saturday and keep basics at home for Sundays and holidays.
2. Put the public holidays in your calendar at the start of each year.
3. Check school holidays early if you plan family travel.
4. Learn your building's bin setup in the first week.
5. Keep deposit bottles and cans separate.

Common questions

Are shops open on Sundays in Austria? Generally no. The Opening Hours Act requires shops to close on Sundays and public holidays, with exceptions such as airport and train station shops.

How many public holidays does Austria have? Thirteen, listed in the Holiday Rest Act, including October 26, Austria's National Day.

What are shop opening hours in Austria? Shops may open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Friday and 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, up to 72 hours a week.

Is there a bottle deposit in Austria? Yes. Since 2025, single-use plastic bottles and cans carry a deposit and can be returned to retailers.