how far in advanced to book rooms in Vienna / Hallstatt

Late July/early August in Vienna seems to be a bit of a slow time, actually. It's often very hot then (more so this year!) and many shops and restaurants are closed for "Sommerpause." For my trip this year (July 28-August 3) I booked on May 6 and there was a lot of availability. And in fact, my hotel was so lightly occupied they had the top three floors closed off.

Try again after the new year, perhaps?

Really?, thank you, Astorienne, for that most helpful information. For some reason i was actually under the impression that it would be busy. I will back off and tackle in again after the new year. Yes i heard it was quite hot this year, perhaps i will make sure my hotel has ac. Did you run into many problems with the stores and restaurants being closed? we have a wedding in Europe so don't have much flexiblity on dates. thanks again for sharing your experiences..

Sure, happy to help. My hotel had no air conditioning, and of all the places I went (museums, shops, restaurants) very few had air conditioning. Even the museums had only enough to keep the atmosphere safe for the paintings. They just have a different tolerance there. But my hotel was 2- to 3-star, and if you have a bigger budget than mine you may be in luck. Or the weather might be nicer! It was nice the week before I was there. It is possible that the hotels with air conditioning are few and are sold out, but I doubt it.

I just did a check of four nights in 2018 in that time frame, with "Air Con" selected, on Travelocity, and found wide availability at various price points.

There were still plenty of restaurants and shops open, although a great many were closed. The types of places that were closed seemed to be some of the small, single-owner shops, art galleries, and some family-run restaurants. Chain stores, some boutiques and larger stores, many restaurants, and all the well-known cafes were open, and you could just eat at those and be perfectly happy. (Cafe Central does have air conditioning!) I don't want you to think it's a ghost town--you won't have any trouble.

Nearly every restaurant has sidewalk dining with umbrellas. Drink lots of water--you can pick up cold bottles of water at any coffee or ice cream shop, of which there are many, and you'll be fine.

thanks so much for your thoughts. I'm sure there will be way enough places to visit and eat at. You can't plan weather so not much you can do there,. my husband is the one who needs the ac.. good to know there are some places that offer it.. might be worth paying up a bit to keep him happy :)

Hi,

In Austria and Germany mid-July to the end of August is seen as the "slow season" which could mean, depending on the hotel, the rates offered then are cheaper than normal, or the cheapest during the entire year.

You can be certain that a two star hotel or Pension will not have AC. in Germany and Austria. A 4 star might have it but I have in a 4 star in Vienna that did not.

Just as an FYI...on booking.com a hotel might show no availability because they haven't opened up booking that far out yet - not that they are already booked.

thank you.. i appreciate all your thoughts and advice..