August is a quiet month in Austria, and it sometimes seems as if half the country spends it enjoying long, lazy days at the lake, hiking the Alps or simply escaping somewhere warm and sunny.

Nevertheless, a few key changes are coming up that you may want to know about – even if you’re planning on taking a few well-deserved weeks off yourself.

Patchy public transport in Vienna

Some of the main routes for the public transport system in Vienna will be closed during summer, including the entire month of August, as The Local reported. 

The line between Praterstern and Floridsdorf will be closed from midnight on June 29th until 4 am on September 2nd. Work will be done at the Praterstern, Handelskai, and Traisengasse stations. The work includes adding new control systems to enable closer train intervals and extending the platforms to accommodate longer trains. 

Again, one of the main Vienna metro lines will be closed during the summer. The U4 will be split in two from June 29th to September 1st, when it will not run between Schwedenplatz and Schottenring—right in the city centre. 

The trams in Vienna will also be affected by construction work over the summer. Lines 2, 26, and O will have restrictions due to work to build the new lines 12 and 27. 

You can read more about it here: Vienna public transport chaos: Which routes will be closed during summer?

Renovation work disrupting Vienna’s roads

The public transport system in Vienna will undergo some major renovations, but drivers in the city will also have to face potential traffic and definitely some road closures in August.

Several streets will be closed, or traffic will be limited to one or two lanes, including on significant connections such as the äusseren Gürtel.

Lanes between Getreidemarkt and Karlsplatz will also be closed during the summer months. Two lanes will be available in the direction of Schwarzenbergplatz on Rechte Wienzeile and Karlsplatz from Getreidemarkt to Kärntner Straße.

You can check out a complete list of construction works and disruptions HERE.

Mariä Himmelfahrt public holiday 

On August 15th, Maria Himmelfahrt – a Catholic celebration marking the day Mary ascended to heaven – takes place in Austria.

Since this year’s Christian festival occurs on a Thursday, savvy workers may want to take what’s known as a ‘Brückentag’ to nab themselves a three-day week.

This simply involves booking Friday off and getting a four-day weekend from Thursday to Monday without using too many of your precious paid leave days. 

Yearly car vignettes are no longer worth it 

With just four months left until the 2025 annual vignette is released, it no longer makes financial sense to purchase an annual sticker for 2024 after August 1st. 

The vignette is a small sticker showing that you’ve paid the tolls necessary to travel on Austrian expressways and motorways.

Expect ‘out of office’ replies 

If Americans have the impression that Europeans are on holiday for the entire month of August, Austrians certainly don’t do much to change that view.

Whether it’s your doctor, your colleagues or the owner of your local corner shop, you can expect to see plenty of ‘out of office’ replies this month – especially for anyone who hasn’t taken time off in July. 

Even politics comes to a standstill over the summer as parliament closes its door from July 9th to September 10th this year. 

Our advice is to try not to stress too much about getting this done this month and maybe enjoy some quality time off yourself. Then, once September rolls around, you can start booking all those necessary appointments and ticking things off your to-do list again.