Austrian German Phrases Tourists Actually Need (With Pronunciation)
Planning a trip to Austria this year? Review these top 120+ Austrian German words and phrases, curated to help tourists travel a little easier around this spectacular country.
If you’re planning a trip to Austria this year, it’s time to start preparing yourself by learning a bit of the local language – German. Sure, we live in a world where Google Translate is at our fingertips at all times, but just because you can translate what you need to say at any time doesn’t mean you want to. Whipping out your phone every time you order a drink? It’s a little embarrassing, and paints a giant flashing billboard over your head that screams “I’m a tourist!” Thankfully, with just a few basic Austrian German phrases for tourists in your back pocket, you can get through a lot of daily interactions without needing Google’s help. After spending a month in Vienna, we compiled a list of the most important Austrian words and phrases you need to learn before your upcoming travels.
Visiting Vienna on your trip to Austria? Check out our post Visiting Vienna: Your 2-5 Day Itinerary for a full city guide and premade itinerary so you can skip the logistics and get straight to the fun. We also have recommendations for the best bars in Vienna and Vienna’s can’t-miss restaurants to help you round out your agenda – guten appetit!
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Basic Austrian German Words and Phrases for Tourists and Travel:
Austrian German Phrases for Tourists and Travel
We’ve broken up our list of Austrian words and basic Austrian German phrases for tourists into logical categories below to help you digest things easier. Each word or phrase in English is followed by the equivalent in German as well as a phonetic spelling afterwards, to help you pronounce it properly. As always with our blog, the foreign language words will be in italics. When relevant, we’ve included some helpful notes on when it’s appropriate (or not) to use the word or phrase.
Without further ado, let’s learn some Austrian German!
The Basics
Let’s start off with something simple – everyday basics like “hello,” “goodbye,” “please,” and “thank you” – arguably the most important Austrian phrases for tourists!
- Hello – Hallo – HAH-loh
- Goodbye – Auf Wiedersehen – owf VEE-der-zayn (Austrians also use servus – SEHR-voos as a casual goodbye/hello, similar to Italy’s ciao)
- See you later – Bis später – biss SHPAY-ter
- Nice to meet you – Freut mich – FROYT mikh
- How are you? – Wie geht’s? – vee GAYTS
- Please – Bitte – BIT-teh
- Thank you – Danke – DAHNK-uh
- Thanks a lot – Danke schön – DAHNK-uh shuhn
- You’re welcome – Bitte sehr / Gern geschehen – BIT-teh zayr / GAIRN guh-shayn
- Yes – Ja – yah
- No – Nein – nine
- Excuse me (passing, or to get someone’s attention) – Entschuldigung – ent-SHOOL-dee-goong
- Sorry – Tut mir leid – toot meer LYTE
- I don’t speak German – Ich spreche kein Deutsch – ikh SHPREKH-uh kyn DOYCH
- Do you speak English? – Sprechen Sie Englisch? – SHPREKH-en zee EHNG-lish?
- Are dogs allowed? – Sind Hunde erlaubt? – zint HOON-deh air-LAUBT (Austria is pretty dog-friendly, so expect a lot of ja‘s!)
Getting Around
Google Maps not working? These common Austrian German phrases for travel will help you out in a pinch.
- Where is…? – Wo ist…? – voh ist
- How do I get to…? – Wie komme ich nach…? – vee KOMM-eh ikh nakh…
- I’m lost – Ich habe mich verlaufen – ikh HAH-beh mikh fair-LOW-fen
- Left – Links – links
- Right – Rechts – rekhts
- Straight ahead – Geradeaus – geh-RAH-duh-owss
- Near – In der Nähe – in dair NAY-eh
- Far – Weit – vite
- Train – Zug – tsook
- Bus – Bus – booss
- Airport – Flughafen – FLOOG-hah-fen
- Train station – Bahnhof – BAHN-hof
- Platform – Bahnsteig – BAHN-shtyg
- Stop – Haltestelle – HALT-eh-shtel-leh
- A ticket for (destination) – Ein Ticket nach… – ine TIK-ket nakh…
- One-way – Einfach – EYN-fakh
- Round-trip – Hin und retour – hin oond reh-TOOR (note that Austrians typically say retour vs the German norm of zurück – very French-inspired)
- When does it leave? – Wann fährt es ab? – vahn feyrt ess ahp
- When does it arrive? – Wann kommt es an? – vahn komt ess ahn
Pro tip: Planning to take your pup on the metro? You’ll need to pack a muzzle. Yes, even small floofballs like Cali are required to wear one, and if you get caught without it, you could get hit with a hefty fee. Fines for dogs traveling without a muzzle are 50 EUR and without a dog ticket are 100 EUR! Fabric and open-mouthed varieties are not always acceptable, so we recommend a plastic closed-mouth muzzle like this one from Amazon.
Drinking and Dining
We were shocked by how much we enjoyed Austrian food. We expected it to be one-note and heavy, but instead, we were treated to a huge variety of delicious food! Make sure to check out our post Where to Eat in Vienna: 13 Exceptional Eateries if you’re visiting Vienna for all of our favorite restaurants, including recommendations for what to order.
- Restaurant – Restaurant – res-tow-RAHN
- A table for two – Ein Tisch für zwei – ine tish fyoor tsvy
- Menu – Speisekarte – SHPY-zeh-kar-teh
- Waiter(ess) – Kellner(in) – KELL-ner(-rin)
- I’d like… – Ich hätte gern… – ikh HET-teh gairn
- What do you recommend? – Was empfehlen Sie? – vahs em-FAY-len zee
- Where is the bathroom? – Wo ist die Toilette? – voh ist dee toy-LET-teh
- Can I pay? – Kann ich zahlen? – kahn ikh TSAH-len
- The bill/check – Die Rechnung – dee REKH-noong
- Water still / sparkling – Leitungswasser / Mineralwasser – LYE-toongs-vah-ser / mee-neh-RAHL-vah-ser
- Wine red / white – Rotwein / Weißwein – ROHT-vine / VICE-vine
- A glass of… – Ein Glas… – ine glahs
- Beer – Bier – beer
- Small beer (0.3L) – Seidel – ZY-del
- Large beer (0.5L) – Krügerl – KROO-gerl
- Coffee – Kaffee – kah-FAY
- Cheers! – Prost! – PROHST
- Delicious – Guat – goo-aht
- I’m allergic to… – Ich bin allergisch gegen… – ikh bin al-LAIR-gish gay-gen
- Vegetarian – Vegetarier – veh-geh-TAH-ree-er
- Gluten-free – Glutenfrei – GLOO-ten-fry
If you really want to impress the Austrians, pay extra respect to their culinary religion – coffee. Don’t just order a “coffee” here – try asking for ein Verlängerter (ine fair-LENG-er-ter – similar to an Americano) or ein Melange (ein meh-LAHNSH – the Austrian specialty, similar to a cappuccino). Try these Austrian words during your Vienna itinerary at one of the city’s incredible cafés, like Café Landtmann.
Shopping
Whether you’re buying a bag of incredible Austrian coffee to bring home with you or just some Advil at the market, here are some basic Austrian German phrases for tourists to help you complete your purchase.
- What is this? – Was ist das? – vahs ist dahs
- How much is this? – Wie viel kostet das? – vee feel KOSS-tet dahs
- Do you accept credit card? – Nehmen Sie Kreditkarte? – NAY-men zee kreh-DEET-kar-teh
- Do you have change? – Haben Sie Wechselgeld? – HAH-ben zee VEX-el-gelt
- Do you have…? – Haben Sie…? – HAH-ben zee…
- Where can I find…? – Wo finde ich…? – voh FIN-deh ikh…
- I’m just looking – Ich schaue nur – ikh SHOW-eh noor
- Can I try it on? – Kann ich es anprobieren? – kahn ikh ess AHN-pro-beer-en
- I’ll take it – Ich nehme es – ikh NAY-meh ess
- Size – Größe – GROO-seh
- Do you have this in small/medium/large? – Haben Sie das in klein/mittel/groß? – HAH-ben zee dahs in kline / MIT-tel / grohs
- Open – Geöffnet – geh-OFF-net
- Closed – Geschlossen – geh-SHLOSS-en
Heads up – need a bag for your purchases? Austrians say sackerl (ZAHK-erl), compared to the German norm of tüte (TOO-teh). Make sure to use the Austrian words when they’re different from the common German phrases to blend in better!
At the Hotel
Checking in at the hotel always leads to a few key questions to facilitate your stay. Ask for extra towels and make sure you don’t miss breakfast with these Austrian phrases for travel below. And, if you’re visiting Vienna, make sure to check out our guide to the best districts for where to stay!
- Hotel – Hotel – ho-TELL
- Hostel – Hostel – HO-stell
- I have a reservation – Ich habe reserviert – ikh HAH-beh reh-zair-VEERT
- Do you have a room available? – Haben Sie ein Zimmer frei? – HAH-ben zee ine TSIH-mer fry
- What time is checkout / breakfast? – Wann ist Check-out / Frühstück? – vahn ist CHECK-out / FROOSH-took
- Can we leave our bags here? – Können wir unser Gepäck hier lassen? – KUHN-en veer OON-ser geh-PECK heer LAH-sen
- More towels – Mehr Handtücher – mair HAHND-too-cher
- Key – Schlüssel – SHLOO-sel
- Elevator – Lift – lift (note that Austrians say lift, compared to the Germans’ aufzug)
- Wi-fi password – WLAN-Passwort – VAY-lahn PASS-vort
Numbers and Time
Keeping track of time is key on vacation to make sure you don’t miss out on any of your activities! Use these Austrian words to make sure you get to the ticket office on time – and understand the price, too.
- One – Eins – ynce
- Two – Zwei – tsvy
- Three – Drei – dry
- Four – Vier – fear
- Five – Fünf – foonf
- Six – Sechs – zex
- Seven – Sieben – ZEE-ben
- Eight – Acht – ahkht
- Nine – Neun – noyn
- Ten – Zehn – tsayn
- Eleven – Elf – elf
- Twelve – Zwölf – tsvulf (or mittag – MIT-tag if you mean noon)
- Twenty – Zwanzig – TSVAN-tsig
- One hundred – Hundert – HOON-dert
- What time is it? – Wie spät ist es? – vee shpayt ist ess
- Today – Heute – HOY-teh
- Tomorrow – Morgen – MOR-gen
- This morning – Heute Vormittag – HOY-teh FOR-mi-tag
- In the afternoon – Am Nachmittag – ahm NAKH-mi-tag
- Tonight – Heute Abend – HOY-teh AH-bent
- Half past (time) – Halb (zwei) – halp (tsvy)
- Quarter past – Viertel nach – FEER-tel nakh
- Quarter till – Viertel vor – FEER-tel for
In an Emergency
Sometimes, bad things happen. While we hope your vacation goes flawlessly, it’s best to be prepared with these basic Austrian German phrases for tourist emergencies, just in case.
- Help! – Hilfe! – HIL-feh
- Can you help me? – Können Sie mir helfen? – KURN-en zee meer HELL-fen
- Can I borrow your phone? – Kann ich Ihr Telefon benutzen? – kahn ikh eer TAY-leh-fohn beh-NOOT-sen
- Call the police! – Rufen Sie die Polizei! – ROO-fen zee dee poh-li-TSYE
- Call an ambulance! – Rufen Sie einen Krankenwagen! – ROO-fen zee EYE-nen KRAHN-ken-vah-gen
- Emergency – Notfall – NOTE-fahl
- I’m sick – Ich bin krank – ikh bin krank
- I need a doctor – Ich brauche einen Arzt – ikh BROW-kheh EYE-nen artst
- Pharmacy – Apotheke – ah-poh-TAY-keh
- Hospital – Krankenhaus – KRAHN-ken-house
- I lost my passport – Ich habe meinen Pass verloren – ikh HAH-beh MY-nen pahss fair-LOH-ren (we really, really hope you don’t need this one)
Austria is a very safe country, but make sure to take common sense precautions, especially when you’re in crowded tourist areas. Wear a purse with a zipper, don’t keep your phone in your back pocket, and leave your passport locked in the safe at your hotel room.
Bonus: Colloquial Phrases
Want to really blend in with the locals? Learn some of these common colloquial phrases to sling around.
- What’s up? – Was geht ab? – vahs gayt ahp
- Really? – Wirklich? – VEERK-likh
- No way! – Na geh! – nah gay (very Austrian disbelief)
- So… / Well… – Also… – AHL-soh (common filler word)
- It’s all good – Passt schon – pahst shohn (very Austrian “it’s fine”)
- Let’s go! – Los geht’s! – lohs GAYTS (informal, common; literally “off we go”)
- It’s beautiful – Es ist schön – ess ist shern (for landscapes, try Wunderschön! – VOON-der-shuhn, a more authentically Austrian word imparting an understated beauty)
- Awesome! – Super! – ZOO-per
- Very good! – Sehr gut! – zair goot
- Cool! – Leiwand – LYE-vahnd (Austrian slang for awesome)
- Dude/man/seriously? – Oida – OY-dah (very casual, use only amongst friends)
- I love Austria! – Ich liebe Österreich – ikh LEE-beh OOS-ter-ryke
FAQs - Other Austria Travel Tips
When Is the Best Time to Visit Austria?
Austria is a lovely place to visit all year round, with pleasant summers and snowy winters for skiing and other outdoor sports. Peak season is from June to August, but December is also a popular time to enjoy Christmas markets. If you’re looking to save a few bucks, consider visiting during the shoulder seasons from April to May and September to October. We visited during September – tourist attractions were less busy and the weather was still lovely, though a bit rainy.
Which Destinations Should I Visit in Austria?
Top of the list, of course, is Austria’s stunning capital city, Vienna. We spent a month there and provide all our tips on where to stay, what to do, and what to eat in our Vienna travel guide and itinerary here. However, there are tons of other excellent destinations to visit in Austria!
For scenic alpine beauty, consider Hallstatt, known for its fairytale charm and wealth of outdoor activities. If you’re a music lover, you can’t miss Salzburg, birthplace of Mozart and backdrop of “The Sound of Music” – though we don’t recommend mentioning that to the locals, unless you want to receive some eyerolls in return. Finally, if you’re looking to enjoy some skiing in the Alps, try Innsbruck, with cable cars that can get you on the slopes in no time.
Do I Need a Visa to Visit Austria?
Visitors from many countries can travel to Austria (and the rest of the EU) visa-free for up to 90 days. Check if Austria requires a visa for visitors from your home country here.
Are There Helpful Apps I Should Download Before I Visit Austria?
Absolutely! These are the top apps we recommend you download before your trip to Austria:
- Airalo – having full use of your phone while traveling is incredibly important! eSIM apps like Airalo make getting cell service anywhere you travel easy and affordable. If you haven’t used it before, you can use this Airalo code to get a discount on your first purchase.
- Bolt – while Austria does have Uber, we generally found competitor Bolt to be much more affordable, all with the same ease of use.
- Omio – one of the greatest joys of European travel is their incredible train network. Use Omio to find and compare routes and purchase your tickets. And, if you’re on a budget, they show bus routes too!
- Foodora – this is your go-to for food delivery, in case you’re too tired to go out for the night.
- TooGoodToGo – perfect for budget-concious and sustainability-driven travelers, this app sells surplus food from restaurants and bakeries at a fraction of the cost, saving your budget and the planet from excess food waste.
- Google Translate – we recommend downloading the German language for offline use on Google Translate, so you can always communicate even if you lose cell service. While our language guide is helpful, we don’t expect you to memorize all the basic German Austrian phrases you may need to know while visiting!
- Google Maps – for the same reason, we also recommend downloading the offline map of the city you’re visiting on Google Maps.
Which Travel Resources Should I Use to Plan My Trip to Austria?
For starters, use our site! Check out all of our Austria travel guides to help you decide where to go, what to do, and where to stay. We’ve got detailed itineraries and travel guides, plus recommendations on all our favorite bars, restaurants, and more.
Once you’re ready to plan your trip, we recommend the following resources:
- Flights – we use Google Flights and Skyscanner to book our flights. These resources help you compare all the airlines at once, plus give you tips on the best times to purchase. I use their price tracking features religiously to make sure we get the best deal. If you’re ready to book, head to Skyscanner now to get started:
- Hotels – we always use Booking.com for choosing hotel stays. We think they have the best prices, their star ratings are super reliable, and we love the perks we get with their rewards system.
- Transit – if you’re traveling throughout Austria on anything other than planes – like trains and buses – we recommend Omio. Omio lets you find and compare and buy bus, train, flight, and ferry routes across Europe in one easy-to-use platform.
- Trip Planning – the most frequently opened app on our phone, regardless of our destination, is Wanderlog. This app makes travel planning SO easy. You can import all your flights, hotels, and transit information, add top sites to your itinerary, and even track and split your budget amongst your travel buddies. It also provides recommendations on where to visit and a map of all the attractions you plan to see, with transit time between each.
Do I Need Travel Insurance to Visit Austria?
While it’s not required, we highly recommend it, especially if you’ll be taking part in any of Austria’s great outdoor sports like hiking or skiing. You never know when something might go wrong, and it’s best to be prepared. We use and recommend SafetyWing, which is an especially good option for those traveling for a month or more. For as little as $56, it covers everything from lost luggage to hospital stays – a heck of a deal if you encounter any emergencies while abroad.
Final Thoughts on Basic Austrian German Words and Phrases for Travel
Also – that’s all she wrote for our list of basic Austrian German phrases for travel and tourists! We hope these Austrian words make your vacation go a little smoother. Showing your respect for the country you’re visiting by speaking the native language goes a long way to warming the locals to you, and can lead to special encounters that may become some of your fondest memories. Share your favorite memory from visiting Austria with us below!
Don’t forget, we’ve got a full travel guide for Vienna with everything you need to know to make planning your vacation there a breeze – where to stay, what to eat, and all the top sites and activities you can’t miss during your visit. We’ve also got posts on the top restaurants in Vienna and Vienna’s best nightlife and bars to help you round out your itinerary – enjoy!
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