Mouthwash in Vienna

[Mouthwash]

I'm in Vienna for two weeks by myself, so some advice/input from members more familiar with Europe is appreciated.

Thoughts on my journey to the hotel:

1. Train system is terrible. You have to buy a ticket for every individual train you use, neither the machine or ticket tell you what platform to go to (the German-speakers I asked pointed me in different directions, resulting in me wasting 20 minutes running around the station), and no one ever checked my tickets. It goes on the honor system?

I've not appreciated the Israeli railway as much as I should have.

2. Why are the train stations and the underground designed to resemble a totalitarian hellhole? I was regretting my visit until I got to the surface... like stepping out of Stalinist Russia into Disney World. Is that contrast also deliberate?

3. In that single journey I saw a group of junkies and one guy screaming like a lunatic and shoving someone else. I did travel at night, but one of the reasons I came here was Vienna's reputation for safety!

Okay, now here's my situation: I'm staying til the fifth of April. Currently have a hotel booked in Neubau for the next two days, and have about 1200 Euros to spend. Should I look for hostels after the hotel? Stay outside of Vienna? I'd like to explore the countryside as well (it's cold, but it isn't snowing).

 

[Arakhor]

When I was in Vienna, I was recommended to buy a combined Metro ticket (something like £15 for three days) which then gave me full access to trains, trams and the U-bahn within Vienna. My ticket was only checked once, but there is a hefty fine for not having a ticket when you're checked.

 

[Kyriakos]

This means nothing to me...

Spoiler :

 

[Lillefix]

I've been there several times. It never occured to me the public transportation was a problem. And I've taken trains between Vienna and four, five different cities. I stayed at a hostel called wombat or something. Quite nice and cheap and central.

 

[Kyriakos]

I only went to Vienna when i was 14, iirc. In a trip to Vienna and Budapest. I just recall the cathedral and Stefansplatz (?), and that i first saw the cathedral while exiting the underground station. I was far more impressed by the parliament at Budapest.

 

[uppi]

Thoughts on my journey to the hotel:

1. Train system is terrible. You have to buy a ticket for every individual train you use, neither the machine or ticket tell you what platform to go to (and the German-speakers I asked pointed me in different directions, resulting in me wasting 20 minutes running around the station). Also, no one ever checked my tickets. It goes on the honor system?

I am not familiar with the Vienna public transportation, but usually (and that's what the website is also telling me) as long as you are using trains within Vienna, you buy one ticket and you can take as many trains as you like as long as you go into one direction (so no return trips).

Tickets are not checked regularly, but there are teams around that select a wagon at random and check all tickets within that wagon. If you get caught without a ticket you pay a large fine and may get into legal trouble. The idea is that in the long run, it is better to buy tickets all the time instead of relying on luck to avoid all checks.

 

[Kozmos]

I don't remember much of Vienna other than that the stores had some pretty sweet Legos and sweets.

 

[Mouthwash]

I am not familiar with the Vienna public transportation, but usually (and that's what the website is also telling me) as long as you are using trains within Vienna, you buy one ticket and you can take as many trains as you like as long as you go into one direction (so no return trips).

Ah, that makes sense. So I just buy a ticket to my final destination.

 

[uppi]

Ah, that makes sense. So I just buy a ticket to my final destination.

Exactly. That also explains why there is no platform information on the ticket, because there might be multiple train combinations to your destination and the system does not know which one you are going to use.

 

[warpus]

If you can get wifi at the station, maybe google maps will tell you what platform to go to. About 70% of the time it did when I used it in Japan. Which is a totally different place, but maybe they have some cities in Europe covered too.

As for deciding how to plan out your 2 weeks wrt the 1200 euro you have, I would break that up on a day by day basis and see how much you have to spend each day for accommodations. Maybe you can't afford a hotel for each night. Hostels are also usually places where it's a lot easier to meet people, other travellers, hipsters playing guitars, etc. To get a more varied experience I personally always mix it up between hotels and hostels, with an airbnb thrown in here and there.

I also always dislike the first day of using public transit in a new city. In a way it's a fun & exciting adventure, but in another way it's good to get that all over with and focus on making use of the system rather figuring out how it works and how to make efficient use of it

 

[sophie]

Dope. If you get a chance, try to catch a show at the Opera House. I remember when I was there they were offering standing-room only tickets first-come first-served for something like €6 a pop.

Also buses are super cheap out there. Try to get up to Salzburg if you can.

 

[shadowplay]

the OP reads like the summary of a Woody Allen movie.

 

[Mouthwash]

I'm far too used to shekels now. I spent thirty-five euros on a breakfast buffet and it didn't hit me till afternoon just how much that was. I mean, I knew it was around fifty dollars, so I must be losing my sense for them as well. Thirty-five just seems low to me now.

(Shekels are worth about a fifth of a euro, so lunch in Israel is usually around fifty).

EDIT: Just found out I walked past the free hotel breakfast to boot.

Exactly. That also explains why there is no platform information on the ticket, because there might be multiple train combinations to your destination and the system does not know which one you are going to use.

It's still completely insane that nothing tells you where you're supposed to go. I didn't have internet access, even.

I also always dislike the first day of using public transit in a new city.

I will not enter that underground horror ever again. Haven't tried the buses yet (spent my first day within walking distance of the hotel.)

Dope. If you get a chance, try to catch a show at the Opera House. I remember when I was there they were offering standing-room only tickets first-come first-served for something like €6 a pop.

Also buses are super cheap out there. Try to get up to Salzburg if you can.

Will do, thanks!

 

[Lillefix]

If you're going to Salzburg. Take a stop at the Melk Abbey. A small detour perhaps, but it's very impressive.

 

[Mouthwash]

Sure.

 

[sophie]

If you're going to Salzburg. Take a stop at the Melk Abbey. A small detour perhaps, but it's very impressive.

Oh yes, Melk is gorgeous. An absurdly sumptuous example of Baroque architecture.

 

[The_J]

neither the machine or ticket tell you what platform to go to (the German-speakers I asked pointed me in different directions, resulting in me wasting 20 minutes running around the station)

hhmmm? That's completely normal in Austria, as well as in Germany and the Netherlands.
Normally you have some rather central big displays, where you can see all current trains, including the tracks.

Okay, now here's my situation: I'm staying til the fifth of April. Currently have a hotel booked in Neubau for the next two days, and have about 1200 Euros to spend. Should I look for hostels after the hotel? Stay outside of Vienna? I'd like to explore the countryside as well (it's cold, but it isn't snowing).

I'd go for hostels. They are not that cheap in Austria, as far as I remember, but you normally also get quite okay quality. If you're googling, and not using booking.com or whatever, then search for "Herberge" or "Jugendherberge".
5th of April is some time...I'd just visit a few other cities, and stay in these. I'd not do a day trip to Salzburg and go back to Vienna, doesn't make sense, rather stay in Salzburg (or Linz, Graz, Insbruck).
Bratislava is apparently also really close by (although didn't have the time to go there when I was in Vienna), and Ljubljana is also not too far of a stretch, but I'd not spend more than 2 or 3 days there, max. Train tickets to Ljubljana (and I think also to other cities over the borders) are rather cheap, if you get a discount ticket, which you need to get at the counter at least 3 or 4 days in advance.
EDIT: It's called "Sparschiene", and the website says that a train ticket then is 19€ (could be, do not remember exactly). Trip to Ljubljana is a half day trip itself though, but the country side which you can see from the rail tracks is quite nice (except when you enter Maribor).

When I was in Vienna, I was recommended to buy a combined Metro ticket (something like £15 for three days) which then gave me full access to trains, trams and the U-bahn within Vienna. My ticket was only checked once, but there is a hefty fine for not having a ticket when you're checked.

Yes, that ticket is pretty useful, had it too.

 

[sophie]

hhmmm? That's completely normal in Austria, as well as in Germany and the Netherlands.
Normally you have some rather central big displays, where you can see all current trains, including the tracks.



I'd go for hostels. They are not that cheap in Austria, as far as I remember, but you normally also get quite okay quality. If you're googling, and not using booking.com or whatever, then search for "Herberge" or "Jugendherberge".
5th of April is some time...I'd just visit a few other cities, and stay in these. I'd not do a day trip to Salzburg and go back to Vienna, doesn't make sense, rather stay in Salzburg (or Linz, Graz, Insbruck).
Bratislava is apparently also really close by (although didn't have the time to go there when I was in Vienna), and Ljubljana is also not too far of a stretch, but I'd not spend more than 2 or 3 days there, max. Train tickets to Ljubljana (and I think also to other cities over the borders) are rather cheap, if you get a discount ticket, which you need to get at the counter at least 3 or 4 days in advance.
EDIT: It's called "Sparschiene", and the website says that a train ticket then is 19€ (could be, do not remember exactly). Trip to Ljubljana is a half day trip itself though, but the country side which you can see from the rail tracks is quite nice (except when you enter Maribor).

I agree re: hostels. They're much cheaper, and you can often find single rooms (non-dorm) with quality that rivals that of a standard hotel at half the price. I've always had great success with hostels.com. I'm seeing the first listed result being a single room for $23/night. When I stayed in Florence and Rome I got single rooms (for two guests) less than a 5 minute walk from the respective city centers for under $40/night.

 

[dutchfire]

I'm in Vienna for two weeks by myself, so some advice/input from members more familiar with Europe is appreciated.

Thoughts on my journey to the hotel:

1. Train system is terrible. You have to buy a ticket for every individual train you use, neither the machine or ticket tell you what platform to go to (the German-speakers I asked pointed me in different directions, resulting in me wasting 20 minutes running around the station), and no one ever checked my tickets. It goes on the honor system?

I've not appreciated the Israeli railway as much as I should have.

2. Why are the train stations and the underground designed to resemble a totalitarian hellhole? I was regretting my visit until I got to the surface... like stepping out of Stalinist Russia into Disney World. Is that contrast also deliberate?

3. In that single journey I saw a group of junkies and one guy screaming like a lunatic and shoving someone else. I did travel at night, but one of the reasons I came here was Vienna's reputation for safety!

Okay, now here's my situation: I'm staying til the fifth of April. Currently have a hotel booked in Neubau for the next two days, and have about 1200 Euros to spend. Should I look for hostels after the hotel? Stay outside of Vienna? I'd like to explore the countryside as well (it's cold, but it isn't snowing).

The subway is usually divided in colored lines, every line has its own platform in a station, and goes frequently enough that the times are usually not indicated. But the first time in a particular station can be hard.
Do get a paper subway map (available at most stations)!

Underground stations being underground does not make them particularly pleasant. Another problem is that you can only renovate them by temporarily shuttering the subway system which will paralyse the entire city. It's a pretty universal thing, most of the NYC metro is ugly, and don't even start about Chatelet Les Halles (more like Chatelet Les Hell!).

I think Bratislava is suitable for a day trip, I enjoyed it, although you mentioned here that you don't like Stalinist design (Bratislava is an interesting mix of medieval and communist buildings), so it might not be your thing.

Yeah, food in Vienna is quite expensive.

 

[Mouthwash]

Questions:

How do I keep my money and items safe in a hostel?

Do hostels usually let you do laundry? Going to have to sometime.