How to Get Around Vienna on the Cheap

Vienna is a clean, friendly and beautiful city with an excellent transit system. You can get around town inexpensively even if you don't speak a word of German.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Walking Shoes
• German Phrase Books
• Maps
• Travel Guides
• Travel Services
• Day Packs

1. Get a guidebook, preferably one with a good section on transportation and a selection of helpful phrases in German. Some guidebooks even explain in detail how to get to specific sites on foot or via public transit.
2. Use the affordable public transportation system. It's easy to use, and the aboveground trams are a great way to see the city without signing up for an expensive tour.
3. Get a Vienna Card. This 72-hour transit pass allows you unlimited travel on trams, buses and subways (U-bahn); it also offers discounts at some museums, restaurants and other places of interest. There are a number of other transit passes available ' just ask at the tourist information office.
4. Walk whenever possible. Most of the best-known sights in the city are contained within a central pedestrian-only zone, but districts outside the central tourist area also offer a lot for walkers to enjoy.
5. See Vienna by bike. Vienna is on the Danube cycle route, and guided bike tours in and around the city are available. The main tourist information office can tell you where to rent a bike or where to find a reputable tour operator.

Tips & Warnings

• If you would rather not carry a phrasebook, just copy out a few important sentences onto note cards before you leave home. Cards containing questions such as, "How do I get from here to Hotel X?" or "Where is the nearest public bathroom?" can be extremely useful.
• Don't forget to wear comfortable shoes. The older parts of the city sometimes have cobbled or uneven sidewalks, so flat shoes with good arch and ankle support are a necessity.