Hi, my husband %26amp; I will be in vienna early Oct and we have 4 days after his convention and though of going to Salzburg, Innsbruck and Bratislava.
1) we stay around westbahnhof and would like to know is that possible that we walk from there to the major attraction at city centre ? I get to know that wien stadt museum is free on sunday. Would anyone know any other free activity / entrance around vienna ?
2) About the trip to Innsbruck, a 1 way 2nd class saver for 2 from vienna cost ER115.80 while a 3 days rail pass cost ER89. It seems that the rail pass is a better deal compare to ptp ticket? Can i get this rail pass in austria? I dont want to buy the pass in advance coz there might have change of plan.
3) I like to buy the ER14 Euregio special bratislava ticket. Is this ticket available all year round and easy to get in any train station on the day of travel ?
4) About the Einfach-Raus ticket. Is this ticket available all year round and easy to get in any train station on the day of travel ? Where can i get the regional train schedule ?
5) Anyone know about the Semmering bahn and Arlbergline Route scenic trains? what kind of view can be expected ? what is the duration of the ride and where can i get more information about these scenic trains ?
Thanks in advance.
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NZ888 In January I took the scenic route south from Vienna along the Semmering Bahn. If when you buy the ticket you specify that this is the route you want to travel you want to travel you should be able to do it no problems. If you have a rail pass of course the different routes are at no extra charge.
From what I remember they are just the ordinary train- you can choose expresss or one of the regoinal ones depending on your ticket choice. I enjoyed the journey very mush as I wanted to see mountains !!! so for me it was a far more scenic route for getting into Hallstatt. It did not take me that mush extra time- what time it was I felt was worth it for the view of the mountains.
I am sure someone here can give you more specific advice but as a visitor to Austria it was worth it.
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1: Yes and no. You can walk down Mariahilfer Strasse from Westbahnhof, Vienna´s main shopping street, which leads you into the historic city centre, where you will find most of the major sights (you´d come out to the right of Museumsquartier www.museumsquartier.at and could cross over to the Fine Arts and Natural History Museum www.khm.at and www.nhm-wien.ac.at or walk straight on to Ringstrasse), but mind that this is 3 stops on underground line U3 so it all depends on how much you care to walk.
Schönbrunn Palace www.schoenbrunn.at , probably the most famous/popular sight, is located in the 13th district so not walkable.
MAK (Museum of Applied Arts) used to have free admission on Saturdays, I think it was, so you might like to check that www.mak.at . As such, most to all sights charge admission fees (House of Music www.hdm.at , for example, offers 50% reduction every Tuesday from 5 p.m.). Churches are generally free or, like St Charles, come with small fee/donation.
2) I am not sure which rail pass you are referring to (I suppose one aimed at visitors, which generally are not available here) but if you mean to go on a day trip to Innsbruck, I´d not at all recommend it, it´s a long train journey (about 5 hours) and you´d be more on the train than actually exploring Innsbruck. Salzburg can be done, it is about 3 hours or a little less, depending on the connection, and the historic centre is not only quite lovely but quite compact.
3) EURegio tickets can be bought on the same day prior to departure, no need to book in advance. The Bratislava ticket includes public transport in Bratislava, so all trams and buses in the city. Mind that Bratislava´s historic centre, though lovely, is quite small and there is not really an awful lot to do there, so half a day would probably suffice for that. Trains go hourly from Südbahnhof and take an hour.
4) The Einfach Raus-Ticket is available any time at the major stations, but only valid on regional trains (you can´t use it on the fast EC or IC!). You can look up all train connections on www.oebb.at/en/index.jsp . The ticket is generally aimed at people who take short trips to the surroundings of where the live rather than cross-country trips, e.g. from Vienna you could use it for a trip to the Wachau.
5) My opinion of any train journeys via the Semmering route is this - an achievement, the construction of the same, yes, and partly with lovely views, but God the train trudges along ;). If you e.g. go to Graz from Vienna, it takes you via the Semmering and that part of the journey takes felt decades and I usually wish I could have gone straight through the mountain(s) instead of across. That said, the Semmeringbahn website comes with images, so you might wish to click on %26quot;Impressionen%26quot; at www.semmeringbahn.at .
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Ad 2) All trains going to Innsbruck stop in Salzburg. If you want to see them both, I would bring them together. A regular train ticket between Vienna and Innsbruck allows interruptions in between without any measures or notifications as long as you do not exceed the ticket validity of 6 days. That also saves a lot of money as the price per kilometer goes down the farther you travel. You could also fly between Vienna and Innsbruck oneway and go back to Vienna by train. Take the morning flight to Innsbruck and spend your time there before you catch your train to Salzburg in the (early) evening. Upon arriving in Salzburg get to your hotel (and start exploring your neighborhood). The next day is fully dedicated to Salzburg%26#39;s marvellous sights and landmarks. In the evening take one of the numerous trains back to Vienna.
www.flyniki.at
Ad 5) Both railroads are impressive (for someone not knowing mountainous landscapes) but you may not compare them with e.g. the glacier express in Switzerland which is a real Alpine railway line. The mountains which can be seen along the Arlberg Railroad are fairly dramatic but I would not go there just for that. If someone intends going to Graz or any other destination in the South of Austria (ex Vienna), then it is a very welcoming experience but I would not do it just for itself.
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Hi all, thanks for the advice given. The website link provided has all the info that i am looking for and now i have a better idea about vienna.
One more question here, can anyone tell me where is the best place to get some souvenir for family and friends and what kind of souvenir is recommended (some figure will be appreciated) ? I have a friend ask for mozart chocolate ???
Thanks !
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%26quot;I have a friend ask for mozart chocolate%26quot;
Mozartkugels are all over the place, very hard to miss.
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