Does anyone have a recommendation about where to stay in Vienna? We are a family of 5 adults that want to stay economically together. I have been looking at renting an apartment through airbnb.com. What are the trade-offs of doing that versus using an inexpensive hotel and getting two rooms?
Phil, We were in Vienna last month and stayed in the Ibis hotel which is within walking distance from the train station. Ibis hotels, if you don't know are about the least expensive good hotels wherever they are, and most are close enough to train stations to get to by foot. We use quite a few Ibis hotels in Europe. They are plain, have WiFi, clean, and breakfast is extra. Across the street from back door of the Vienna Ibis is a small Italian restaurant that is, we think, spectacular. One of the guys showed Sharon how to throw pizza dough. If we can help let us know.
Hotel Weisse Taube or Hotel Goldenen Enter.
Can't help with apartments, but take a look at Pension Suzanne. Great location right in the old center about half a block from the opera house. Nice hotel but very reasonable. Although the building itself looks like a Communist Party Headquarters from the front, you'll find a nice hotel inside and up the stairs. It's been a few years since I was there, but I believe it still gets high marks on tripadvisor. Rates were very reasonable. I know they have quad rooms for four...not sure about 5 people.
We were in Vienna last month and stayed at Pension Hargita (it's in Rick's book.) It's certainly not fancy but it's a great location and an excellent price for Vienna - we paid 68 Euro for a double. Breakfast is extra but there are plenty of places for breakfast nearby. Check out the reviews on Trip Advisor to see if it might work for you.
Thanks for the suggestions. We decided to try the Pension Suzanne since we can get one room for the five of us.
Unfortunately I don't have any recommendations for staying in Vienna, but another option may be (this may or may not be appealing to you, depending on what your priorities are) staying in Bratislava, Slovakia and taking the train to Vienna for one or two of the days. A round trip ticket between the cities is 10€ or you can buy a 14€ ticket that includes all public transportation in Vienna for the day you use your ticket. Bratislava is a very cool city with a lovely "old town" part of the city. Accommodations, food and drinks are cheaper (we got a 1/2 litre of Hoegaarden for less than 2€.) If your priority is to see a lot of Vienna, especially at night, of course you should stay there! If one or two day trips into the city would suffice, it may be more economical to consider Bratislava. Also, other apartment websites to check out are vrbo.com and holiday-rentals.co.uk.