It was just an overnight for an event and to see my son; not really tourism. Vienna is a magnificent city, but because of my plans I didn’t really touch on much of what makes Vienna special on this trip. Didn’t have to, as I have been before. Still, maybe a few observations, costs, transportation and hotel are worth talking about in the context of tourism. To get the most out of Vienna in a cost-effective way I would do a lot of research and pick the minds of the locals here quite a bit. This is one of those places where it will really pay off.
Trains were full on the way there and on the way back. 9:40am Friday up and 3:40pm Saturday back. On Friday, the train pulled into Budapest 10 minutes late. Standing room only. Train stopped in Austria and parked for a while. We were about 35 minutes late on arrival. Which was okay because my son was coming to get me and Vienna commuter train he was on was late. Vienna train station is not a fun place. Nothing about it is appealing. It functions and does its job in a Piggly-Wiggly supermarket sort of way. More on the trains here: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/transportation/train-travel-and-reserved-seats
If you are going to use public transportation in Vienna, then do take a few hours to study it before you get there. It’s excellent if you know the city but a hard learn when you just walk in. But we got to my hotel in about 35 minutes.
I went to booking.com a week ago and put in the search $150 max and bar. I ended about a block outside the Southwest side of the Ringstrasse, which I think, other than being within the Ringstrasse, is ideal for tourism. The price you cant beat with a stick in Vienna these days. Very nice hotel. Exceptional staff. It has a bit of classic charm and enough modern to be comfortable. Great room but the window was only a window by the most liberal definition.
Inside the Ringstrasse is wonderful Vienna, outside the Ringstrasse I am not as excited about. It’s just a big city with traffic and grime. Nothing bad at all, one of Europe’s great cities, but very little Ewwww! Ahhhhhh!; for me at least. But this trip wasn’t so much about tourism. The objective was something called the Amadeus International School. Every year, or maybe every other year (?) they have a violin competition and Friday was the finals. The winner ended up with the 2-year use of a 1709 Stradivarius violin and some money. Gettig to the competition on public transportation looked to be about an hour so we called Uber. Don’t know what it cost, son paid.
After the competition we went out for Thai Food. For 15-euro mains it should have been better. I know good (authentic) Thai and this wasn’t it. But the time with family was what was important.
The next day we took the short walk to Maria-Theresien-Platz which could use a facelift and to Kunsthistorisches Museum which was very good. The ticket was 23 euro, and I suspect that will be more or less the cost in most of the museums and galleries within the Ringstrasse. If you are spending a lot of time in the city and are planning multiple museums, I think there are package deals that might save you a few euro. Otherwise, it could add up fast.
I didn’t want to mess with the public transportation getting back to the train station, so I called Uber. 20 euro and about 30 minutes from the hotel. The train departed 15 minutes late from Vienna. The train was full and had many people standing in the aisle. The 2:40 ride took closer to 3:20 hours. Keleti Station is a breeze to navigate and I was on the metro and on my way home about 10 minutes after arrival.
Despite what it sounds like, each time I return to Vienna it grows on me a bit more.