Photo: C.Stadler/Bwag · CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Vienna
Habsburg palaces, Klimt, coffee houses and opera for the price of a meal.
The old Habsburg capital: palaces, grand museums and a ring of boulevards around a compact medieval centre, with coffee houses, wine taverns and cheap standing places at the opera. The Wachau valley and Bratislava are easy day trips by train (check).
Places to see
St Stephen's CathedralChurch · A soaring Gothic cathedral in the middle of the old town, with a roof of glazed tiles in…Free
Hofburg: Sisi Museum and Imperial ApartmentsMuseum · The Habsburgs' winter palace, a sprawl of wings and courtyards.≈ A$44
Kunsthistorisches MuseumMuseum · One of the world's great art museums in a domed palace on the Ring: rooms of Bruegel,…≈ A$40
Naschmarkt
When to go
- Jan3° / -2°Some rainQuiet
- Feb6° / -1°Some rainQuiet
- Mar11° / 2°Some rainQuiet
- Apr16° / 6°Some rainBusy
- May21° / 11°Some rainBusy
- Jun24° / 14°Some rainBusy
- Jul27° / 16°Some rainBusy
- Aug26° / 16°Some rainBusy
- Sep
Staying and getting around
Good areas to stay
The Ring and west to Schönbrunn. The museums on the Ring, the MuseumsQuartier, the Naschmarkt and Mariahilf's shopping street, with hostels near Westbahnhof; Schönbrunn is at the end of the U4.
Landstrasse and around the Hauptbahnhof. The Belvedere, the Hundertwasser House and the main station, with newer budget hotels and hostels.
Leopoldstadt. Across the Danube Canal: the Prater, the Augarten and a lively bar scene, a few stops from the centre.
Flying in
Vienna (VIE): S-Bahn or ÖBB train into the city, about 25 min, ≈ A$9. The ordinary train is far cheaper than the airport express (check).
Flewaway's estimate for the usual budget way into Vienna; check times and fares before you fly.
Getting around
Mostly on foot. A single ticket is ≈ A$6. The old centre and the Ring are walkable; the U-Bahn and trams reach Schönbrunn, the Belvedere and the Prater. One ticket covers U-Bahn, trams and buses (check).
72-hour ticket (≈ A$33, 72 hours): Unlimited U-Bahn, trams and buses; worth it from about two rides a day (check).
Tourist tax
Vienna's city tax is a share of the room price, usually a few euros a person a night, often added at check-in (check).
