Vienna Travel Forum

Hello!

I will be in Vienna for 3 days by the end of April and my hotel is in the 15th district and does not have parking space available. So, what is the cheapest (if not free) way to park your car in Vienna? I don't mind if I have to park a little far if there is something good or cheap near an U-Bahn station. In general, is it safe to park your car in Vienna?

Furthermore where can I find some good traditional but not very expensive or tourist trap restaurants and cafe? What about classical music concerts?

Overall what are the 2-3 "must-do" in Vienna for a visitor?

Thanx :)

Hi!
Parts of the 15th district are short-term parking, as are all of the more central districts.
You should find parking space in the 15th district during the day, just check that you're not in a short term parking area. Parking in Vienna is pretty safe.

For eating out, I just found this list on the Internet, rather reasonable suggestions on it :http://www.fodors.com/world/europe/austria/vienna/listings_nam_20002.html

Classical Music: in the city center you won't miss (or better: they won't miss you) ticket vendors, dressed in historical costumes. Of course you won't find Viennese people in those concerts, but they are in nice historic locations, and rather popular with the tourists.
Or try these homepages for a more "authentic" experience:
http://www.wiener-staatsoper.at/
http://konzerthaus.at/

must-do
#1 city-center
#2 schönbrunn

have a nice trip

15th district is not really far from the city centre, actually, my personal feeling is that no matter where I go (apart from the very outskirts) it seems like I need max. 25 mins. Public transportation is wonderful. I suppose your hotel is in Outer Mariahilferstrasse, ie. only a few minutes away from the famous shopping area and the west train station. 15th district is also a short tramride away from Schönbrunn, Austria's #1 tourist site. There are two tramlines in Mariahilferstrasse, 15th district is also covered by buses and underground (U-Bahn).

Parking on the street is free outside the so-called Gürtel, ie. in the districts #10-23. Just make sure you're not parking on a private parking area or a short-time parking area. However, parking can be difficult to find. You may look for a Tiefgarage - there are quite many of them, they are safe and not very expensive.

For "good traditional but not very expensive or tourist trap restaurant and cafe" it is a bit tricky because 1) the good traditional ones very often are expensive and are visited by tourists as well as the Viennese and 2) they should be on your must-do list. Coffee is expensive in these good old ones, however, you may sit and read all their newspapers and only order a small espresso if you like. And don't be offended by the grumpy waiters - they ARE grumpy here. Imo opinion you should try and avoid Cafe Central, Cafe Diglas, Cafe Westend, Cafe Landtmann, Cafe Griensteidl. Cafe Prückel I would say is a good choice for a coffee and a cake - if not dinner (more expensive) - located on Ringstrasse (another must-do) vis-a-vis Stadtpark/MAK/Stubentor U-Bahn station. You can simply walk down Wollzeile after having seen Stephansdom (another must).

Another traditional restaurant/cafe is Cafe Eiles. It is darker than Prückel and is located near Rathaus (the City Council). Here they have wienerschnitzel for 7 euros - not the cheapest meal you could get, but certainly one of the best schnitzels in town for that price - and with superb Viennese ambiente.

For classical music concerts I recommend that you contact either Konzerthaus or Musikverein or the Opera directly. They are all centrally located. You can get unsold same-day tickets for half the price. The chances are good that they actually have decent concerts and decent tickets. Do not buy from the funny Mozart-dressed people in the city centre.

15th district is okay for parking, just take care of signs and do NOT park around "Stadthalle" please, there you would have to pay.


for good food try the 8th district ;) not too cheap but very authentic ;) If you take smaller streets in the city, you can find good restaurants too. Avoid the ones where you find english menus an the windows ;)

and yes, PLEASE do NOT buy the tickets from some vendors at the street, go to opera/theatres about 2 hours before show starts(or call them) and get cheaper tickets.