Why Austria and not France or Spain ?

• Austria is an all year round location. Everyone knows it as a top winter sports location but Austria has something to offer all year round with surprisingly warm summer temperatures!
• It is not expensive as you may have been led to believe. Diesel is now about 90 cents a litre. (Jan 2009)   Bottles of drinkable wine cost from 1€-3€. Food is much cheaper. Property is not expensive and has fallen relatively in price over the past few years, but has stabilised.  (2008)
• French & Spanish property prices have risen in recent years. So has the cost of living there.
• It is a clean, safe country in which to live. There is little crime in country areas. The hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions are invariably spotless. The lakes and rivers are maintained at "drinking water" quality. There is no litter anywhere, and strict  recycling laws are in place to keep the environment safe.
• The population is only 8 million so things are generally less complicated.
• It is so central to everywhere else - Prague, Venice and Budapest are in very easy reach.
• Public transport is excellent. The buses are regular and clean, no smoking and air conditioned. Transport is properly 'joined up' - the buses connect with the railway stations etc.
• It is rich in culture. Mozart, Lehár, & Strauss - to name a few, all came from there. The Austrians really know their music.
• There is skiing on the doorstep . Everything from family friendly resorts to the  extreme.  The Salzburgerland Ski Pass covers over 2000 kilometres of piste including Europa Ski Region (Zell am See and Kaprun), Ski Amade ( see Altenmarkt, Eben,Filzmoos and Radstadt)Saalbach-Hinterglemm Ski Circus ( Saalbach, Hinterglemm and Leogang), Hochkönig (Maria Alm and the TheMühlbachtal), Gasteinertal ( Bad Gastein,Dorfgasteina nd Bad Hofgastein) and the Planai ( Schladming and Ramsau). You will be spoilt for choice!

• For amusement there is walking, skiing, skating, sailing, tobogganing, langlauf, riding, cycling, scuba diving, hang gliding, swimming, climbing, golf,  potholing, paragliding, water skiing, rafting, concerts, thermal baths, theatre, operetta, cable cars, mountain railways, horse drawn sleigh rides . . .all within a few miles.
• The summers are quite hot enough with 25-35ºC on many days during the summer months, this is punctuated by thunderstorms which are very welcome and freshen things up. It's hot enough but still nice and green. Winters are a wonderland of ice and snow and the skiing, skating, cross country, curling etc all get into full swing.
• The meadows are full of wild flowers. There are fields of orchids, and the woods are scented with the perfume of wild cyclamen.
• The health service is excellent.
• Motorway access through Germany is straightforward.
• Inheritance Tax was abolished for Tax Residents in 2008
•  Airports are  serviced by cheap flights from across Europe. Take a look at flights into  Salzburg, Innsbruck, Munich and Linz.
• A holiday property can be put to full use all the year round and is of interest to all ages.