Travel to Vienna: 8 tips from experienced travelers

1. How do I get from Vienna Airport to the city center?

There are several ways to get from Vienna Schwechat Airport to the city center:

• The City-Airport Train CAT, which takes you to the Landstrasse/Wien Mitte metro station for €11. Tickets are paid for at a machine at the entrance, be careful not to miss them and be sure to pay the fare because there are controllers on the line. The ride will take about 15 minutes. You can see the schedule here;
• the high-speed train Railjet. It departs twice an hour and takes you from Vienna Airport to Vienna Central Station in 15 minutes. Tickets cost €3.90.
• Vienna Airport Lines bus for €8. The buses depart directly from the arrival terminal and follow several routes. Their final station, timetable and travel time can be viewed at the link;
• S7 city train. Departs from the airport at 30-minute intervals and stops at Vienna-Center station. Travel time is 25 minutes. Fare for adults: €4.20 (= €1.80 for a ticket from the airport to the Vienna border + €2.40 for a ticket in the Vienna city limits). Children and teenagers aged 6 to 14 years inclusive can buy a ticket for €2.10 (= €0.90 for a ticket from the airport to the Vienna border + €1.20 for a ticket in the Vienna city limits). Children under 6 years of age ride free of charge. You can save money on travel with the Vienna Card, which is described below.

2. What is the Vienna Card and do you need it?

Vienna, like many European cities, has a travel card. The Vienna Card includes a ticket for travel on the Vienna Line, Hop-On Hop-Off buses from Big Bus Tours, and more than 210 discounts - from museums to heuriger taverns - starting at €17!

The Vienna Card, as many travelers claim, is only beneficial if you're going to visit a lot of museums. Otherwise, it makes sense to just take a 48 or 72 hour pass and not overpay.

But if you buy Vienna Card (cost €21.90 for 48 hours and €24.90 for 72 hours), you will get discounts for visiting sights, cafes and restaurants. You can see the full list of establishments and the amount of discount (10-15% on average) in the brochure, which is given out at the places where the card is sold - in tourist offices and information points in the subway.

Vienna City Card with Vienna Lines (red card)

• Free travel on the metro, streetcars and buses.
• Discount card for 24, 48 or 72 hours
• More than 210 discounts
• One child under 15 years of age can travel free of charge with each Vienna City Card holder.

The card can be purchased at hotels, as well as at the Tourist Information Center at Albertinaplatz (daily from 09:00 to 19:00), the Tourist Information Center at the Central Station (daily from 09:00 to 19:00) and at the Tourist Information Center at the airport (daily from 07:00 to 22:00), at the shopping and information points of the Vienna Lines (e.g. Stefansplatz, Karlsplatz, Western Station, Landstraße/Vienna Center), in the Vienna City Card app or in the online store.

Vienna City Card with Big Bus Vienna (white card)

• Ticket for Hop-On Hop-Off rides on Big Bus Vienna.
• Discount card for 24, 48 or 72 hours
• More than 210 discounts
• Including guided night city tour
• Including guided city tour
• Not including public transportation
• One child under 16 years of age can travel free of charge with each Vienna City Card holder.

The card can be purchased at hotels, the Tourist Information Center at Albertinaplatz (daily from 09:00 to 19:00), the Tourist Information Center at the Central Station (daily from 09:00 to 19:00) and the Tourist Information Center at the airport (daily from 07:00 to 22:00), Big Bus Vienna, the Vienna City Card app or the online store.

3. Vienna: unusual ways to explore the city

Many tourists use the subway, city buses and sightseeing buses to explore the city. We suggest you to look at Vienna from a new angle:

• Take a bike ride. The city is organized for cycling, so you don't have to worry about your safety. And it's very cheap. There are Citybike public bicycle parking lots all over Vienna, where you can easily rent an iron friend. The first hour is free, the second hour costs €1, three hours will cost €2. Renting a bike for the whole day is only €4. Cycling routes are laid out on a map of the city, which you can pick up for free at tourist information centers. You can make it easier on yourself and take the "Vienna by Segway or bike!" tour, where everything is thought out for you. All that's left to do is to view the ancient city on horseback on modern transportation!
• The Vienna Ring Tram is a great alternative to the usual Hop on Hop off buses. The Vienna Ring Tram route passes through the main sights, which you can get around in just half an hour. Passengers are also offered an audio tour. Tickets cost €9 for adults and €4 for children under 15.
• Getting around the city in Car2go cars. A great alternative to cabs, as there are parking lots all over the city where you can pick up and drop off a small car. It costs €0.31 for a minute and €19.90 for 2 hours. You can check where the nearest parking lot is, how to get to it and the availability of free cars and parking spaces using the app or on the website.

You can book a hotel with a discount of up to 65% on the website.

4. What to see in Vienna: the best non-tourist destinations

To get a better feel for the city and get a non-tourist perspective, it's worth deviating from the standard itineraries. Especially since Vienna has plenty of unusual places to see. Here are just a few of them:

• Coffee Museum (Vogelsanggasse, 36) - Vienna is soaked in the flavor of this beverage, why not learn more about its history?
• Inoperable Street Art Gallery (Burggasse, 24) - a permanent exhibition of original works by contemporary avant-garde artists.
• WestLicht Photo Gallery (Westbahnstraße, 40, entrance fee €6.50) is an amazing exhibition/museum featuring vintage cameras and a retrospective of reportage tourist shots from the mid-19th century to the present day.
• House of Music (Seilerstätte, 30) - Vienna is considered the music capital of Europe, so it's a sin not to visit this interactive museum that tells the history and future of the world's musical heritage.

5. What to try in Vienna?

It is easy to find an establishment to suit your taste and budget in Vienna, there are plenty of cafes. Naturally, in the tourist center, prices in establishments will be much higher than in the average city.

Travelers refute the uniqueness of Viennese schnitzels and even the famous Sacher cake. But they still advise to try local coffee with Viennese strudel.

Another must eat item is sausages. You can buy them right on the street. There are many places, but the best ones are at the Wurstelstand fast food outlets on Albertina Square, Graben and Ringstrasse. The hot dogs there are amazing with different additives and sauces.

For groceries in Vienna you can go to MERKUR markets, there are quite a few of them all over the city. Locals love this chain for its bargain prices, large selection and the design of the stores - they look more like food boutiques.

You don't have to spend extra money to buy drinking water. If you are in Vienna on a hot day, you can quench your thirst for free.

Special drinking water fountains have been installed in the city. There are about a thousand of them, so there is enough for everyone. The main thing is to bring an empty bottle. How to recognize these fountains? That's easy. They have Trinkwasser written on them in blue. These devices look interesting and quite futuristic. You don't have to worry about the purity of the water - it is carefully filtered.

6. WI-FI hotspots in Vienna

The city's wireless network in Vienna has good coverage:

• in the central squares;
• in tourist information centers;
• at the Naschmarkt market;
• on the Danube Island;
• the Mariahilferstrasse shopping street;
• in the Westbahnhof station building.

7. When is the cheapest time to vacation in Vienna?

Are you planning to buy air tickets to Vienna, but haven't decided when to fly? It is cheapest to travel from April to May or from September to October. In spring and fall there are fewer tourists, better prices and a calm climate for sightseeing around the city. Summer is certainly a good time in terms of weather, but keep in mind that accommodation prices in these months (June through August) rise very rapidly. The same thing happens in December. Vienna is famous for its Christmas fairs and tourists come here to enjoy the picturesque winter city.

8. What can I do for free in Vienna?

You don't have to pay for everything in the Austrian capital - there are things you can do for free:

• Most churches have free admission. Both at St. Stephen's Cathedral, St. Michael's Church and the Augustinian Church.
• On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 13:00 there are free guided tours of the beautiful neo-Gothic Town Hall.
• Many of the city's majestic gardens are also open. So if it's a nice day, why not take a walk or picnic to the Belvedere or Schoenbrunn Gardens.
• Admission to the Museum of Arts and Crafts is free on Tuesdays from 18:00 to 22:00. The Museum of the City of Vienna has free admission on the first Sunday of the month.
• Away from the center, there are attractions too. You can, for example, visit the city cemetery, which contains the graves of famous composers such as Beethoven, Strauss and Schubert.

If you like history, music, architecture, good food and fun, don't hesitate - start planning your trip to Vienna!