All you need to know about Vienna, Austria Travel Guide

There's just so much to do in Vienna and it can be a little overwhelming for first-timers. We hope that this guide will help you in your travels to this amazing city in Austria.

Getting into Vienna

By plane

Vienna International Airport (Flughafen Wien-Schwechat) is located just outside the city of Vienna and is the most popular option for international travellers to enter Austria. We arrived in Vienna via the airport this time and had to take a train from the airport to the city.

How to get from Vienna Airport to the City Centre?

There's the faster Vienna City Airport Train (CAT) that takes you to Wien Mitte without stopping in just 16 minutes. It is also great for those who need to head back to the airport as they offer city check-in for your luggage (only for Austrian, Lufthansa, Eurowings, Swiss and Brussels Airlines). It costs 19 euros for the return trip, and 11 euros for a single trip. However, since we didn't need the return option, we decided to take the OBB Railjet train. This train has multiple stops and takes around 20 minutes to reach Wien Mitte but it is a fraction of the cost (4.20 euros for a single trip). If you, like us do not require the city check-in option, this would be a better deal! You can purchase the tickets at the OBB counter.

The train is really clean and there wasn't that many people so it felt like we had the entire train to ourselves!

Since these two options still require you to transfer to the metro, you may want to arrive in style with the Private Transfer.

By Train

On my previous trip to Vienna, train was my mode of transport. This option is exceptionally useful for travellers who are already in the European cities next to Vienna. To search for tickets to Vienna, the station often use their german name Wien. You can easily get to Vienna by the train from Switzerland, Germany, Hungary, and Slovakia.

Getting around Vienna

Metro/Underground - Vienna's U-bahn

Vienna's underground is fuss-free and well-connected throughout the city, it brings you to many of the attractions easily and a single ride costs only 2.40 euros. However, we do recommend you to get the 24/48/72 hour ticket that allows you unlimited rides on not only the U-bahn, but also the rest of Vienna's public transport like the trams and the buses. The 24-hour tickets cost only 8 euros and just taking 4 rides per day would already make the ticket worthwhile. You can get them at any subway station or at the ticket machines. Do remember to validate your pass before riding!

For those who are looking for a tourist pass that gives you unlimited rides on the public transport and also gets you discounts on entrance fees and restaurants, you can get the RED Vienna City Card. We do recommend this should you want to enter Vienna's many palaces and museums. For instance, you'll get a 3.80 euros discount on your entrance to Schloss Schonbronn, or enjoy 15 euros off a horse-drawn carriage tour! An additional plus for #travellerswithyoungchildren, your child (or teenager) below 15 can get to share your card and travel for free! :)

Tram

Trams are another great way to get around Vienna as they are up on the roads and you'll get to look at the beautiful buildings and architecture as you transit from place to place. Also, sometimes the nearest underground is still quite a bit of a walk. You may then want to take the tram to reduce your walking distance.

There used to be a Ring Tram that takes you around most of Vienna's sights. However, it has recently be changed to a Yellow tourist tram that you can take at an additional fee of 9 euros for a one-time 25-minute ride.

Otherwise, you can DIY your own ring tram ride by taking the RED trams 1 and 2. Tickets for these two trams are included when you purchase either the RED Vienna City Card, or the 24-hour pass. Both trams overlap but if you would like to complete the full round, you'll have to change trams at Schwedenplatz.

Hop-on-hop-off Buses

When we were travelling much younger, the hop-on-hop-off option was our to-go when heading to a new city. This reduces the risk of running into any pickpockets and we can always ask the staff in the buses as they will most likely be able to converse in English. However, many Viennese now speak English so it is no longer a problem for us and we very much prefer taking the public transport due to shorter wait times.

But we know that there are some of you who are travelling with young children and may not have that many pairs of eyes to watch all your kids when transferring buses, trams, or trains as it can get quite hectic, especially during the peak hours, so you can get your hop-on-hop-off tickets here! Again, if you are a keen museum-goer you may just want to pay for the Vienna Pass that includes free entry into over 70 attractions and museums plus the hop-on-hop-off buses. We've counted and it will save you some euros if you were to use it for the hop-on-hop-off plus 2 attractions:

1 day Vienna Pass (includes hop-on-hop-off + over 70 attractions): 51 euros

V.S

1 day hop-on-hop-off: 25 euros

Albertina: 16 euros

Belvedere (upper and lower): 22 euros

Total: 63 euros Total savings: 12 euros ; and that's just assuming you complete two of these attractions in a day #travelhacks #traveltips

Where to stay in Vienna?

What's a holiday without staying in a comfortable hotel? But what if I tell you that you can get all that, plus a perfect place for #travellerswithchildren #travelcouples !

25 Hours Hotel Wien MuseumQuartier

We've written extensively on it here. Situated close to Volkstheater underground and tram station, the hotel is in a central but quiet region. There's still quiet a lot of attractions around including the Palace of Justice and MuseumQuartier so you'll always have stuff to do!

Otherwise, enjoy the plethora of facilities in the hotel such as the gym, rooftop bar, bicycles for rental and more. From about 120 euros per night, enjoy the tasteful and quirky designed rooms!

Wifi in Vienna

In today's technologically advanced world, we really can't do without the internet. We need it to take our instagram shots, to check the maps so that we'll know where we're going, and to google search on what to eat and do in Vienna. For Singaporean travellers, you can purchase 4G Wifi online and collect it before you head to Vienna.

So there you go, enjoy your trip to Vienna! :)