English
Tour Guide (Fremdenfuehrer)
GewO §94 Z.19
Verified: April 2026
Key Facts
- Type: Regulated trade
- Qualification: Qualification exam
- Registration cost: Free (€0)
- Languages: Multilingual guides in high demand
- Market: Vienna #1, Salzburg #2, Innsbruck #3
- Important: Unpaid volunteer guides exempt
What This Trade Covers
- City tours and walking tours
- Museum and monument guided visits
- Themed tours (culinary, music, architecture, history)
- Bus tour narration
- Multi-day tour organization
No unlicensed commercial guiding!
Offering paid guided tours without the Fremdenfuehrer license is illegal
and can result in fines. Exception: unpaid volunteer guides.
Why This Trade Is Attractive for Immigrants
Multilingual tour guides are in extremely high demand in Austrian tourist cities. If you speak English + another language (Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Russian), you have a significant competitive advantage. Vienna alone has 5+ million overnight stays per year.
Related Guides
Legally binding: German text of GewO 1994.