Driving in Vienna

I've driven in all of them and I'd say Vienna is a tad easier, but only a tad. It's big and busy. Be sure to get a GPS with your rental car. If you can't get a GPS, get a detailed city map & have a driver and navigator. If you have to rely on a map, get a small compass too. A compass has saved us more than once.

Driving in Vienna is definitely easier than in Rome, Paris or London. Parking is tricky as it is in every big city in the world. Don't worry about driving in Vienna...

Thank you for your help. Now I'll start planning our itinerary.

We have picked up our car in Vienna to drive west twice...very easy to get out, but confusing coming back in to drop it off...I wouldn't keep a car in the city unless it is just a quick stopover because you don't need one in Vienna and parking is probably very expensive.

Found Vienna extremely easy to drive in, and I hate city driving. Would never drive in a big Italian city. Vienna was easy though - no complaints.

As the previous posted said, no need for the car while you're there, so pick up or drop of at the beginning/end of your stay.

Now that I've been helped about the driving issue in Vienna...any tips regarding the parking issue? We are starting our trip in Germany, then on to Vienna and then back to Germany. So we have the car during our entire stay in Europe. Should we stay outside Vienna and use public transportation going in?

We drove from Germany to Vienna. No problem at all until we hit construction out of Vienna. Sat still for about two hours. Vienna was no problem to drive in. We stayed at the Ibis Hotel and the car was in the parking garage for most of the time. It was easy to leave the city on our way to the Austrian Alps. Do make reservations for dinner. We had a hard time finding a place and ended up eating several times in the hotel.

You'll have absolutely 0 need for the car in Vienna itself. It's (personal opinion here) the best public transportation I've used in Europe. Easy to figure out, and between trams, underground, and buses you can get everywhere. Taxis also abound throughout.

I would try to find a cheap place to park your car for the duration. Check with you hotel to see if they have a garage, or have one they can recommend.

If you're heading back into Germany, Salzburg has a huge number of parking garages with ample space. Ran around $13-14 when we were there last (last May). Maybe you can get a deal for multiple days? Then just catch the train into Vienna. :)

Ref your most recent question, yes, I would stay on the outskirts of Vienna and take the public transportation into the city. As others have said, their metro system is excellent. We stayed at this pension several years ago. We found it easily accessible to the metro and there was lots of parking: www.waldhof-gross.at The owners are very gracious and their homemade dinners are excellent. Have fun!

Ellen,

I agree with the posters who have said that driving in Vienna is not all that bad, but the traffic can be horrendous, and parking is always a challenge.

As already mentioned, Vienna has a fantastic public transportation system, it is easy to navigate,, fast, extensive and efficient.

I can only council and encourage you to leave the car on the outskirts, for example at the Heiligenstadt station, from where you can take the U4 line into the heart of the city.