Daily Costs

Budget: Less than €80

» Dorm bed, shared apartment or cheap double per person: €25

» Self-catering or lunchtime specials: €6–12

» Visit cheap museums (€4) and free sights; drink at happy hours

Midrange: €80–160

» Hotel single: €60–90; per person double: €40–100

» Two-course midrange meal with glass of wine: €30

» High profile museums (€12) and day trips

Top end: Over €160

» Upmarket hotel double: from €200

» Eat superbly, enjoying several courses with wine for €70

» High-profile museums, opera, clubs and wine bars

Advance Planning

Three months before Reserve tickets for Staatsoper seating, Vienna Boys’ Choir, the Spanish Riding School and top-flight events.

One month before Make reservations for top-shelf restaurants; use www.wien.info and venue websites for event planning. Book hotel in summer.

One week before Check out Falter (www.falter.at) for tips, reserve table in favourite classy restaurant for Friday or Saturday night.

Useful Websites

» Tourist Info Wien (www.wien.info) Information, hotel booking, events, special interest.

» Falter (www.falter.at) Eating and entertainment listings, special interest.

» Lonely Planet (lonelyplanet.com/vienna) Destination information, hotel bookings, traveller forum and more.

» Vienna Webservice (www.wien.gv.at) Official Vienna city council website.

Arriving in Vienna

Vienna International Airport City Airport Train (CAT) leaves the airport half-hourly from 6.06am till 11.36pm 365 days. The S7 suburban train is cheaper and takes 30 minutes. Expect to pay €36 to €50 for a taxi.

Vienna Hauptbahnhof Due to be fully completed in January 2015. Until then, many services arrive in Wien-Meidling and Westbahnhof. Trains from Bratislava and some other parts of Austria already arrive at Hauptbahnhof. Trains from Germany and western Austria arrive at Westbahnhof until Hauptbahnhof station is fully operational. A taxi to the centre costs about €10. All stations are quite safe late at night and have good connections with the centre and suburbs.

Getting Around

» U-Bahn Fast, comfortable and safe. U-Bahn runs all night on weekends (Friday through to Sunday night or early Monday morning). Tickets are bought at machines or windows at stations.

» Tram Slower but more enjoyable. Depending on route, runs from around 5.15am to about 12.30am. Tickets are bought from kiosks or from the driver (more expensive). Validate ticket when boarding.

» Bus Reliable, punctual, several very useful routes for visitors, sometimes sporadic or nonexistent on weekends. Tickets can bought from the driver or from tobacconists. Validate on boarding.

» Night Bus Useful for outer areas especially. Main hubs for night buses are located at Schwedenplatz, Schottentor and Kärntner Ring/Oper.

Sleeping

During the summer months, book at least a few days ahead for any accommodation, and at least a few weeks ahead for popular hotels (especially those close to the centre). Except over Christmas, New Year, Easter and during large trade fairs, a day or two ahead or no booking is required from late October to March. The most convenient places are in the centre, inside the Gürtel or near U-Bahn stations just outside it. Short notice booking on hotel booking portals are possible but many offerings are far from the centre.

Useful Websites

» Tourist Info Wien (www.wien.info) Hotel booking service, small extra charge.

» Hostelworld.com (www.hostelworld.com) Only hostels.

» Booking.com (www.booking.com) One of many good portals.