Moving to Austria

I may have an opportunity to move to Austria next year. I'd rather not live in a huge city like Vienna. Right now I'm between Salzburg and Klagenfurt. What would you choose between these places? I'd like a place that has a good amount to do, has decent weather and is close to water.

Hi - and welcome to Thorn Tree.

How do you define 'Decent weather?' Austria in autumn and winter has a lot of rain and snow.
Whether you are in Salzburg or somewhere else, the weather is pretty much the same.
The higher up you are, the more chance of more rain, more snow and colder temperatures.
If I had a choice of places to live and not to live in Austria.... Innsbruck and Salzburg - yes, Vienna - no.

Rain and Snow are ok. By decent I mean more sunny days than cloudy ones and not terribly cold in the winter.

Are there places to swim within innsbruck?

I've spent quite a bit of time in both these places and it's really hard to split them...

For weather and water, then Klagenfurt would have the edge but Salzburg probably has more to do and is well situated for trips to Vienna, Munich, Prague, etc...I spent quite a bit of time in Klagenfurt last spring/summer and loved it there but it might be a tad provincial for some...but the lake (Woerthersee) is paradise for water-lovers and the scenery is just as impressive as Salzburgland...

On the other hand, SZG isn't really too far from the Salzkammergut which is the Austrian Lake District...if mass tourism is an issue for you then Salzburg gets thronged at times during the summer but KFT gets more Austrian/German holidaymakers who spread themselves out around the lake which leaves it more sedate...

You could also consider Graz which is another lovely city with a high quality of life but unfortunately no real water adjacent...something similar with Innsbruck...

First off all Vienna is not so huge that you feel like you are stuck in urban sprawl. Although Salzburg and Innsbruck are nice, you will get bored during the harsh winter. You will find yourself traveling to Vienna for various reasons anyway even if it is to catch a flight. Klagenfurt is a definite no no this is where all the Nazi's live and the mentality is still quite old fashioned. If you want to live somewhere not in the city but with all the advantages that city brings, find something within 30-45 min of Vienna to the North (Danube side) or South (Baden) near one of schnellbahn train lines. Remember Vienna is surrounded by vineyards.

Cwgraffix are there are any towns near Vienna you recommend?

Between Salzburg and Klagenfurt is a little nice town called Krumpendorf with the lake in front.

Klagenfurt is a definite no no this is where all the Nazi's live and the mentality is still quite old fashioned.

I'd agree with the second half of that sentence, maybe, but not the first...one of the friendliest towns I've ever spent time in...but it's definitely a slice of 'Old Austria'...

This is an impossible question to answer for someone else anyway...and, on top of all that, we don't even know the age of the OP or whether they speak German...

Between Salzburg and Klagenfurt is a little nice town called Krumpendorf with the lake in front.

I thought for a moment, regards, you were having a laugh...not exactly 'between' Salzburg and Klagenfurt...))

Krumpendorf is a nice place to visit from Klag and maybe spend the afternoon but given the OP has instanced cities here, I presume they would go a little mad if based in tiny Krump...

To live in Salzburg you have to earn enough money to afford the rent. When my friends were students they all lived up to an hour away from the city and went there every day because they could not afford to live in Salzburg.
My boyfriends (Australian) favourite Austrian city is Linz, as you got enough to do there but they are not as used to tourists and you still got a bonus point if you are a foreigner (I think he never paid for his own drinks in Linz). Its about 40 min from the Salzkammergut but you are pretty fast in Vienna, Salzburg or Prague if you want to check out other cities.

Yes Jack, I know but he wrote he is between both in the moment and looks for a place to swim.

regards, I think he/she means 'between' in the sense of making up one's mind and not geographically...either way, we're not getting much feedback or background information to justify wasting any more time on this query...

I apologize for not providing more info. I'm 26 and work remotely so I can be anywhere. I only speak English, so this could be an issue. Austria seemed like an area with a good amount of English speaking individuals, but I could be wrong.

if you only speak English I would move to Vienna. it will make your life much easier. its hard to find English speaking doctors etc. in the smaller cities.

I apologize for not providing more info. I'm 26 and work remotely so I can be anywhere. I only speak English, so this could be an issue. Austria seemed like an area with a good amount of English speaking individuals, but I could be wrong.

Thanks for getting back to us...most young people in Austria are proficient in English, so I wouldn't anticipate much bother among your own age-group...

Taking you at your word about avoiding Vienna and re-reading above, perhaps Salzburg might be the slightly best option with its 3 universities and cosmopolitan ambience...decisions, decisions...

Just a quick word - Vienna is not huge by any means - you can get from one side to other on the u-bahn in 30 minutes. I am currently living in Vienna, and although I do speak German, I think it's the best place to be if you don't. Most people here speak English, but this is not true for other parts of Austria.