A €5,000 fine you can avoid for the price of a tyre change, two enrolment windows you can't miss, and the date the Rathausplatz lights go on
October was the month of new rules arriving. November is the month of deadlines — the kind where missing the window costs you a school place, a train connection, or several thousand euros.
Here's what's coming, in the order I'd deal with it.
1. Winter tyres are compulsory again from November 1st
This is the one with real money attached.
Austria's Winterreifenpflicht returns on November 1st and runs until April 15th, 2027. It covers passenger cars and light commercial vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes.
The important thing most people get wrong: it's situational, not calendar-based. You don't have to fit winter tyres on November 1st if the roads are dry. You must have the vehicle properly equipped before you drive in winter conditions — snow, slush or ice on the road. The catch is that conditions change faster than you can get to a garage, especially in the evening and especially outside Vienna.
What counts:
- Tyres marked M+S or carrying the snowflake symbol. All-season tyres qualify if they're marked.
- Minimum tread depth of 4mm (5mm for diagonal tyres). This is stricter than the summer minimum of 1.6mm, and worn winter tyres are the most common failure.
- Snow chains on at least two drive wheels are a permitted alternative where the road is continuously covered in snow or ice.
Lorries over 3.5 tonnes and buses face stricter rules and must use winter tyres through the required period regardless of the weather.
The penalty is the part worth repeating. A traffic check can bring a fine running into the thousands, and in cases involving endangerment the maximum reaches €10,000. Worse, if you have an accident on summer tyres in winter conditions, expect an argument with your insurer about partial liability.
What I'd do: book the tyre change this week. Garages fill up in the last week of October every single year.
2. Two public holidays that mostly aren't days off
Austria has one public holiday in November: All Saints' Day (Allerheiligen) on November 1st. This year it falls on a Sunday, so most Monday-to-Friday workers get nothing extra.
Monday, November 2nd is All Souls' Day (Allerseelen) and schools are closed nationwide. Pupils return on Tuesday, November 3rd after the autumn half-term.
Two regional ones: St Martin's Day (Martinstag) on November 11th is a school holiday in Burgenland, and St Leopold's Day (Leopolditag) on November 15th is traditionally a school holiday in Vienna and Lower Austria — but it falls on a Sunday this year, so it's lost too.
If you're reading this on the weekend of the 24th, you're at the start of the long autumn break that runs through to November 2nd. Enjoy it, because November gives nothing back.
- Enrolment deadlines — the ones you genuinely cannot miss
This section matters most if you have children, and the windows are short.
Primary school, starting September 2027:
- Vienna: November 9th to 20th, for children born between September 2nd 2020 and September 1st 2021. Apply at your preferred school with the required documents. Registering does not guarantee a place there.
- Graz: online preference registration November 3rd to 13th, with formal enrolment January 25th to 28th 2027.
- Linz: November 10th.
Vienna municipal kindergartens: the main registration period runs November 1st to December 31st for places starting September 2027. You can list two preferred kindergartens, and places are not allocated first-come-first-served — so applying on day one buys you nothing except peace of mind.
University of Vienna, summer semester 2027: applications open November 16th. For many programmes without an entrance exam, EU/EEA and Swiss applicants have until February 5th 2027. For most applicants from outside the EU and EEA, the deadline is earlier: January 7th. Exceptions vary by course, so check the official calendar rather than trusting a summary — including this one.
That earlier non-EU deadline catches people out every year. If that's you, put January 7th in your calendar now, not in December.
4. Free vaccination sessions from November 10th
The SVS, Austria's social insurance institution for the self-employed, begins free vaccination sessions at its service centres nationwide from November 10th.
The useful detail: it's open to everyone, not just the self-employed. Anyone can get the flu vaccine. People aged 60 and over, and those with underlying health conditions, can also get the pneumococcal vaccine.
It's free and walk-ins are accepted, though booking ahead is sensible. Bring your e-card, photo ID, and proof of previous vaccinations if you have it. Locations and opening hours are on the SVS website.
5. Christmas bonus season, and a metalworking pay rise
November is when many employees in Austria receive their Weihnachtsgeld, the Christmas bonus that forms part of what's commonly called the 13th and 14th month's salary.
One thing worth understanding if you're new here: there is no general law guaranteeing these payments. Entitlement, amount and payment date all depend on your Kollektivvertrag or your individual employment contract. If you've never seen one, check your contract rather than assuming.
Separately, workers under the metalworking collective agreement get a pay rise from November 1st: 1.9 percent on actual wages and 2.1 percent on minimum wages.
6. Two transport disruptions worth planning around
Vienna — Salztorbrücke closes. The bridge linking the 1st and 2nd districts across the Danube Canal closes to cars and lorries from November 10th for structural safety reasons. Pedestrians, cyclists and the 2A bus can still cross. Everything else needs a different route. This is not a short closure — it's expected to last several years, with construction on a replacement bridge starting in 2029.
Arlberg railway line. ÖBB suspends services between Ötztal and Bludenz from 9:15am on November 18th. Buses replace some trains, certain night services are diverted via Germany, and connections to Switzerland are affected. If you're travelling west between November 18th and 23rd, check ÖBB's engineering works notices and leave extra time.
7. Christmas markets, ice rinks, and Black Friday
The good part.
- Wiener Eislauf-Verein opens its outdoor season on November 5th — earliest of the lot.
- Vienna Rathausplatz market and ice rink: November 13th
- Innsbruck historic centre and Marktplatz: November 13th
- Salzburg main market: November 19th
- Graz Advent markets: November 20th
- Linz main markets: November 21st
- First Sunday of Advent: November 29th
Black Friday is November 27th and Cyber Monday November 30th. Neither is a public holiday here, but retailers run promotions around both.
One cost note for online shoppers: the €2 parcel tax that arrived on October 1st is still in force, so Black Friday bundling is worth more this year than last.
The short version
Date What
Nov 1 Winter tyre rules return, All Saints' Day
Nov 2 Schools closed (All Souls' Day)
Nov 1–Dec 31 Vienna kindergarten registration
Nov 3–13 Graz primary school preference registration
Nov 5 Vienna outdoor ice rink opens
Nov 9–20 Vienna primary school enrolment
Nov 10 Linz primary enrolment · SVS vaccinations · Salztorbrücke closes
Nov 13 Vienna and Innsbruck Christmas markets open
Nov 16 University of Vienna summer semester applications open
Nov 18 Arlberg line suspended
Nov 27 / 30 Black Friday / Cyber Monday
Nov 29 First Sunday of Advent
Three things to do this week
Book your tyre change. Garages are full by the last week of October.
If your child starts school in 2027, put the enrolment window in your calendar today.
If you're applying to Uni Wien from outside the EU, note January 7th, not February 5th.
Key vocabulary
Winterreifenpflicht — the obligation to use winter tyres in winter conditions
Schuleinschreibung — school enrolment
Weihnachtsgeld — Christmas bonus
Kollektivvertrag — collective agreement setting minimum working conditions
Heizkostenzuschuss — heating cost assistance
Allerheiligen — All Saints' Day
Sources: The Local Austria, City of Vienna, ÖBB, SVS, ARBÖ/ÖAMTC guidance on winter tyre requirements.