Hi all,

I shall be taking the B190 (Bregenzer Strasse) from Lindau to Bregenz, the B202 through Bregenz, and the B203 to the Swiss Border.

Will an Austrian road tax sticker be required?

Thanks.

The austrian toll sticker is a vignette.

Normally it only applies to those roadways with prefix A or S

A = autobahn
S= schnellstrasse - main roads

As you seem to only travel on B ( bundesstrasse ) no problem-
to check more try the website

www.asfinag.at

the sustrian quasi public firm that maintains these roadways.

Currently a 10 day vignette is 7.70 euro not a bad investment if spending anytime in Austria. Police patrol regularly looking for these stickers - large fine if found not to have one - they do not accept excuses - probably have heard them all.

Also be careful to check other countries toll systems - many have them now.

No, you do not a "Pickerl". The drive is so short that it makes sense to save 7.70€.

Thanks for the responses.

I didn't think that I needed one, but wanted to be sure.

One has to be careful. In contrast to France and Italy, Austrian and Swiss road signs generally do not give alternatives to the limited access highways.

Ira,

We found ourselves in Austria for a few minutes en route to Dachau from Zurich (had no idea our trip would route us that way) and ended up with a large fine. We never saw the signs saying we needed the sticker...They were pulling over every car.

Stay alert - if you need it they sell them in all the petro stations.

gruezi

Where do you display these stickers? You don't stick them on the window, do you? I'd think that'd be bad news on a rental car.

"Stay alert - if you need it they sell them in all the petro stations."

They sell them at the Swiss-Austrian border before entering Bregenz.

jenblase,

Yes, you do put the sticker on the windshield.

ira,

We always get a vignette in Austria, even if we don't plan on using the highways. Plans do change, "stuff" happens and you just never know. I'd MUCH rather buy a 7.70 Euro sticker (whether we really need it or not) than pay a hefty fine. We call it insurance.

Paul

Hi Gru,

Do you remember what road you were on?
..................................
Hi Paul,

I am a firm believer in insurance, which is why I will have one for Switzerland, where I will spend less than 0:20 hr on an "A" road, but my only foray into Austria will be on the B190 and the B202.

Hi Ira,

I'm very sorry I don't.

We were happily following our GPS on a rainy morning and were quite surprised to learn we were even in Austria...I believe the highway passed from Switzerland through Austria for less than 3 kms.

Honestly, I felt it was a bit of a scam. Quite a few German-speaking folks were having a battle over it, but we decided to pay the fine and move on. (Not that we had a choice!)

Sorry I can't help more.

gruezi

Many travel Germany - Switzerland on the Autobahn A- 14 - known here as the Korridor and the major connection through this area in the Austrian State of Vorarlberg passing towns like Bregenz, Dornbirn Wolfurt.
Large Signs indicate the need for a vignette .
The cost 2 euro one way - this price to accomodate those travelers not needing a longer term vignette.

>You don't stick them on the window, do you? I'd think that'd be bad news on a rental car.

Why? You suddenly enhance the rental value for the rental agency. They even might say "thank you"!

A few more questions....Do Austrian rental cars typically come with an 'A' vignette as part of the rental? Do the rental car firms sell them separately? Are two different vignettes needed for 'A' and 'S' roads?
Thanks.

Hi MileKing,

The Austrian Vignette is sold at gas stations, convenience stores and so on. If your renting in Austria, check with the rental co. or just look at the windshield for the Vignette. Here's a picture of what it looks like:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vignette_(road_tax)

There are no seperate A or S stickers. Just one sticker for using the highways. The Vignette takes the place of having tolls on the highways.

There are seperate ones for the length of time it is valid:
You can buy one good for 10 days, 2 months or a year.

Which one to buy depends on how long you plan to be driving in Austria. Even if you plan to be there between 10 and 20 days, buying 2-10 day stickers is cheaper than buying the 1-2 month sticker. meaning on your 10th day, simply buy another 10 day Vignette. Don't buy them at the same time, as they punch the date you bought the Vignette on the sticker.

Paul

Thanks Ira for the questions & others for the answers, I've just started my own trip homework (as you may remember!)and it's amazing how many people have put threads out just lately that answer lots of my questions. Have a good trip