Israelis visiting Austria
 

We are from Israel, and we would like to visit Austria in the Saltzkammergut and Vienna areas.<BR><BR>I would like to know if there is a chance we might run into any unpleasant behavior related to our being Israeli or Jewish.<BR><BR>Thanks!

Who knows who you are or where you're from?<BR><BR>Many Americans are also concerned.<BR><BR>Most tourists are not from any one country and are not Israeli or American.<BR>

Who cares?

Limor has a valid concern. Austria has a long history of violent anti-semitism, and many Austrians who grew up exposed to this propaganda are still alive today. <BR><BR>I visited Austria 2 years ago and did not notice anything obvious in the way of anti-semitism. However, I do not have a Jewish-sounding name and am not an Israel citizen.<BR><BR><BR>

When you are travelling, people can know where you are from. For instance, in many hotels, they ask you for your passport, so at least the hotel owners would know where you are from. <BR>Some people on the web told me they had a great time in Austria, but I also heard several stories of people being treated unpleasantly, or even of a couple being turned away from a hotel in Austria because they were Israeli (although this was ten years ago).<BR>Does anyone have relevant experiences to share?<BR>

While covering a recent medical conference in Vienna, I interviewed several Israeli attendees regarding their feelings about being in the country. Although a couple of doctors in their group had canceled in protest, the rest came. Surprisingly, they found that IF the Austrians learned they were from Israel, they were treated exceptionally well. There were notable efforts to try and disprove the idea that Austrians were anti-Jewish/anti-Israel. But in most cases, no one was that interested in where they came from and they were treated no better or no worse than any other tourist would have been treated (i.e., some people were wonderful, some were rude and most were in between).

The Austrians by nature are a snotty bunch and they tend to be rude to everyone, this is a beautiful country and is only a few hours from where I currently live and every time I go there, someone is snotty and I keep thinking "What is their problem?". This has been my experience with the Austrians. I am sure that some other poster will disagree and state that they are the most welcoming of folks but that is a big lie....