Vienna
Vienna, the capital of Austria, is a city with a varied history and a multitude of cultural sights. This metropolis on the Danube combines historical architecture, musical heritage and modern culture in a unique way.
Vienna was once the centre of the Habsburg Empire, and numerous buildings still bear witness to this glorious past. Schönbrunn Palace, the summer residence of the Habsburgs, offers visitors the opportunity to tour the magnificent rooms and extensive baroque gardens. Also of importance is the Hofburg, the former winter residence of the emperors, which today houses the Sisi Museum and the Imperial Apartments, among other things.
Vienna is known for its musical heritage and was home to many famous composers such as Mozart, Beethoven and Strauss. The Vienna State Opera and the Konzerthaus regularly offer performances of the highest calibre. The Musikverein and the Wiener Konzerthaus also host numerous concerts that enrich the city’s musical programme.
In addition to the historical sights, Vienna also has a lively modern cultural scene. The MuseumsQuartier, one of the largest cultural complexes in the world, is home to numerous museums and contemporary art exhibitions. The Neubau and Mariahilf districts are known for their trendy boutiques, galleries and cafés.
The Danube plays an important role in the life of the city. A boat trip on the river offers a special view of Vienna’s architecture and landscape. The Danube Island is a popular recreational area that offers opportunities for both relaxation and sporting activities.
Viennese cuisine is varied and enjoys an excellent reputation. Typical dishes such as Wiener Schnitzel and Sachertorte are known far beyond the city limits. Traditional coffee houses such as Café Central or Café Sacher invite you to take a relaxing break. The Naschmarkt offers a wide selection of regional and international specialities and is a popular meeting place.
Vienna attractions
One of the most striking landmarks of Vienna is St. Stephen's Cathedral in the city centre. It is considered the most important Gothic building in Austria and I think you should not miss visiting this church.
Besides architecture, nothing says so much about a city or country as a cemetery. Here you look at the history, the culture, the faith - yes almost a little into the soul of people. We enjoy the tranquility of cemeteries and were therefore thrilled to be able to discover the Central Cemetery in Vienna together…
Hardly any other city is associated with Mozart as much as Vienna. Here he lived for many years and here the composer died on 5.12.1791.
For me, one of the highlights of our stay in Vienna - the Spanish Riding School. Equestrian sports have been part of our family life for years, so I was very excited to see what was in store for us.
What could be more beautiful than discovering a city from above? For us, it is always an experience to get a completely different view of a region from vantage points. The Danube Tower in Vienna is simply ideal for such a city view.
For me, Friedensreich Hundertwasser is one of the artists who never fails to impress with his choice of shapes and colours. It goes without saying that I had to see the Hundertwasser House on our trip to Vienna.
The Prater in Vienna is one of the must-see attractions, therefore the Prater was high on our to-do list. Unfortunately, it did not live up to our anticipation. We were not impressed and should I be again in Vienna again, I will certainly not visit the Prater.
Vienna museums
Sometimes chance finds are simply some of the most beautiful discoveries. We actually wanted to go for a walk when we discovered the Vienna Transport Museum (remise - Transport Museum of the Vienna Lines). And then we were lucky, the museum was open and we could go on an exciting discovery tour.
Mozart lived in several apartments in Vienna for several years of his short life. From 1784 to 1787 he lived in the house in Domgasse in the most beautiful and also most expensive apartment of his Viennese time. Today, this is his only surviving apartment in Vienna and can be visited in Mozarthaus Vienna.
Do you still know the film "The Third Man" by Carol Reed? I admit, the black and white film from 1949 is not exactly current in the cinema, but it belongs to the classics for me and it is always fun to watch it again.
I love going to museums and was really looking forward to the Dom Museum Vienna. Right next to St. Stephen's Cathedral is Austria's most important museum for historical sacred art and I was really excited to see everything.
Book a tour
Insider tips in Vienna
On our way through Vienna, we arrived at Mexikoplatz and stood with our mouths open in amazement in front of a building that reminded me a lot of the fairytale castles in Disney films. At first glance, I didn't immediately realise that I was standing in front of a church.
Do you know the Gasometer Wien? During a walk in Simmering we discovered the really eye-catching buildings and went on a discovery tour.
Sometimes chance finds are simply some of the most beautiful discoveries. We actually wanted to go for a walk when we discovered the Vienna Transport Museum (remise - Transport Museum of the Vienna Lines). And then we were lucky, the museum was open and we could go on an exciting discovery tour.
Do you still know the film "The Third Man" by Carol Reed? I admit, the black and white film from 1949 is not exactly current in the cinema, but it belongs to the classics for me and it is always fun to watch it again.
Food-Tips
We love good beer and hearty food as much as vegan food or the "quick" sausage on the hand. We enjoyed the food in Vienna and would like to present some of our visited restaurants.
Information and accommodation tips
During our stay in Vienna, we were able to take advantage of the Vienna City Card. We don't often travel with a card of this type during our city trips. This is not because of the offer that these cards provide, it is more because of the nature of our trips.
JUFA Hotel Wien City
Holiday Inn Vienna City, an IHG Hotel
Zoku Vienna
Hotel Josefine
Travel information for Vienna
Arrival
By train
Vienna has several long-distance train stations (Hauptbahnhof, Wien Meidling, Westbahnhof) and several regional train stations.
The main station of Vienna is served daily by numerous trains from all over Europe. From there, you can reach the city center in just 5 minutes with the metro line 1. Vienna Meidling station is also served by almost all long-distance trains that stop at the main station. The station is located a little outside the city center, but is easily accessible by Suburban train and metro.
By bus
Vienna has two long-distance bus stations:
Vienna International Busterminal (Erdberg bus station) and Busterminal Vienna (Station Center).
Both are served by the major long-distance bus companies and are connected to Vienna’s public transport system by metro.
By boat
The Danube flows through the city. It is thus possible to reach other cities along the river by boat.
At Schwedenplatz, for example, is the pier for the TwinCityLiner, which regularly connects Vienna with Bratislava.
The liner service to Budapest departs from Mexikoplatz. The Danube cruise ships and excursion boats also depart from here.
By car
Vienna is surrounded by a ring of highways, into which freeways arrive from all directions. During rush hour, the feeder roads to the city are heavily congested.
Please note: the freeways in Austria including the Vienna city freeway are subject to vignette!
Parking in Vienna is subject to charges in large areas. It is worth parking the car in the Park&Ride parking lots outside the city. These are located at metro or Suburban trains stations and parking over several days is also relatively cheap.
By plane
Vienna Airport is located about 20 kilometers outside the city center in the municipality of Schwechat. In addition to Austrian airlines, numerous European lines fly to the airport.
Coming from the city, you can easily reach the airport Vienna-Schwechat by public transport. Please note that in addition to the ticket for the Vienna core zone, you also need the one-way ticket VOR. Then you can continue your journey on all public transport within Vienna (Vienna core zone). Important! The tickets are not valid on the airport buses VAL and the City Airport Train CAT.
The CAT is the slightly more expensive alternative to public transport. The train leaves every half hour without a stopover to the Wien Mitte train station. At Wien Mitte station you can check in and check in your luggage 24 hours in advance with some airlines. In addition, there are some large luggage lockers, seating areas with electricity and internet connection.
The Vienna Airport Lines connect the airport with buses. There are several stops in the city.
As an alternative to Vienna Airport, you can also use Bratislava Airport, about 70 kilometers away, which is mainly served by low-cost airlines. From there, a bus runs hourly to Vienna.
On the way in Vienna
By public transport
Anyone looking at the numbering of bus lines in Vienna is initially confused. The system is still based on a numbering from 1907, which was first introduced for the trams and then later extended to buses.
- Letter lines:
Tram lines D and O, comprising two radial branches and crossing the city center - Line numbers 1 to 20:
Travel on a part of a circular arc around the city center.
Exceptions: Lines 1 and 2, however, are through lines today. - Line numbers from 21
Start near the city center (not always at the ring) and travel to the outskirts.
E.g. the 40 lines go to the northwest, the 60 lines to the southwest, the 70 lines in Simmering or the 80 and 90 lines in the eastern Donaustadt. - Buses follow this numbering system and are given an additional letter (e.g. 13A), night buses also have an N in front of the number (e.g. N13A).
- Regional buses have a three-digit number. The first digit indicates the outer zone.
Tickets
There are one-way tickets and a strip ticket (2 one-way tickets). With these tickets you are only allowed to travel in one direction within the city limits.
In addition, 24-/ 48-/72-hour tickets are offered for the numerous visitors to Vienna. Who is longer than 4 days in Vienna and much with the means of transport on the way, should fall back on a weekly ticket. But attention! It is always valid from Monday 0 o’clock until the following Monday 9 o’clock.
Tickets can be purchased at fixed ticket machines, for example in the subway station, in tobacconists, in advance booking offices of Wiener Linien and, when traveling by bus, in buses without ticket machines.
Metro
There are five color-coded subway lines:
- Red: U 1 from Oberlaa to Leopoldau
- Purple: U 2 from Karlsplatz to Seestadt
- Orange: U 3 from Ottakring to Simmering
- Green: U 4 from Hütteldorf to Heiligenstadt
- Turquoise: U 5 still under construction
- Brown: U 6 from Siebenhirten and Alt-Erlaa to Floridsdorf
Metro trains run from 5:00 to 0:30.
Suburban train
In addition to a few other Suburban train lines, there is the Suburban train main line, which runs between Meidling and Floridsdorf and is ideal for fast city crossings.
The individual lines run at different intervals depending on utilization.
Tram
There are 28 tram lines running through Vienna, some of which also pass by the city’s most famous sights.
Particularly popular with city visitors is a tram that travels the ring around the old town in half an hour. The Vienna Ring Tram has to be paid extra, but offers additional information about the sights along the route via headphones and screens. It is possible to interrupt the ride as many times as you like within a day.
Bus
Vienna has a fairly dense network of bus lines, many of which are equipped with LPG or electric motors.
By Taxi
There are numerous taxi companies passing through the city. The prices are fixed and are charged by the taximeter. If you are driven to a destination outside the city limits, you have to pay for the return trip. The taxis are not allowed to pick up customers there.
Fares are rather high.
By car
It is actually not necessary to travel by car in Vienna. With public transport, you can actually reach any place in 45 minutes.
Parking is limited in the city.
By bike
In the Vienna metro, the bike can be carried free of charge at some times.
On express and regional train lines as well as VOR routes, the carriage of bikes is permitted for a fee all day.
With Citybike Vienna, rental bikes are available in the city after registration and are paid for by the hour. The first hour is always free of charge. A little tip: If you return the bike, wait at least 15 minutes and then rent it again, the first hour is free again.
A small disadvantage: Foreign
Parking
Almost the entire city center is a short-term parking zone:
- Districts 1-11, 12, 15 and 19 and 20 always,
- in parts of districts 14, 16, 17, 18 all day from 9-22.
In the non-parking areas, there is usually always a shortage of parking space.
The parking fee for metered short-term parking zones in Vienna is approx. 1.10 €/30 min (as of 2021). Different rates apply for parking garages, underground garages and privately managed parking spaces.
Attention! Parking tickets cannot be purchased from vending machines. They must be purchased in advance at tobacconists, ticket agencies and ticket vending machines of Wiener Linien, post offices and gas stations. Parking tickets in Vienna are therefore not automatically valid from the moment of purchase. You have to enter the date and time yourself with a ballpoint pen.
Best time to visit
Vienna is actually worth a visit at any time of year. However, you should expect the one or other winter day to be icy, and on many a midsummer day the sweltering heat in the city will make you sweat.
The climate is continental in character. There can be great differences in temperature: cold, wet winters and hot, stormy summers. In autumn or spring, the weather is characterized by a pleasant freshness.
WLAN
There are about 400 free wifi hotspots in the city, for example:
- at Rathausplatz,
- Stephansplatz,
- MuseumsQuartier
- at Naschmarkt,
- Prater
- Donauinsel
- in train stations and many metro stations
