What can you see and do in Vienna in half a day?
Is Vienna train station close to town?
Can I store my luggage for a couple of hours?
Do I need to watch the Sound of Music before going?
1 - What can you see and do in Vienna in half a day?
See the city from the top of St. Stephan's Cathedral - climb the South Tower for a view of the entire city or descend into the Catacombs for a view of the eternal homes of bishops and royals past. Tickets can be pre-booked direct on their website, but are not time/date specific. subway stop: Stephansplatz
Do some shopping with the locals at Naschmarkt - the most popular market in Vienna. Open everyday of the week except Sunday, Naschmarket is THE place to come for fresh and prepared food in Vienna. You can pick some tasty treats up to take with you on the next train or sit down to eat, drink and people watch in one of the many restaurants and cafes that run along the middle of the market. On Saturdays there is a large flea market at the western end of Naschmarkt where you can pick up a souvenir or an antique to take home. Subway stop: Karlsplatz (From Wien hbf - U1 line, 3mins)
See Hofburg Imperial Palace - current home to the President of Austria and 3 areas are open to the public, but unless you are palace obsessed the outside should suffice. Hofburg is in the centre of Vienna so it's an easy one to visit. subway stop: Stephansplatz
Do some shopping and dining on the trendy Graben street and while there check out the Plague Column, a memorial constructed at the end of a terrible plague in 1679 which cost over 100,000 lives. Graben street is also a good place for a sit down meal, so you can try a Wiener Schnitzel or Sacher Torte while there subway stop: Stephansplatz
See the amazing horses of the Spanish Riding School, show times and tickets are available on the SRS website. Outside mid-summer there are training sessions and performances most days. subway stop: Stephansplatz or Herrengasse
2 - Is Vienna train station close to town?
Yes. The main train station in Vienna is Wien Hbf (Wien Hauptbahnof) is only 3km south of the city centre.
Wien Hbf is well connected to public transport. The Subway U1 Line will connect you to Stephansplatz in 5 minutes and departs every 3 minutes from Sudtiroer Platz-Hbf.
Using Public transport in Vienna is fairly straightforward. The same ticket is valid for all types of public transport (bus, tram, subway). A single ticket can be used to travel once in one direction, you can change modes of transport as much as needed and travel as far as you want as long as you don't interrupt the journey.
Tickets can be purchased from ticket machines and offices, at tobacconists around town and on the tram. An adult single ticket is €2.40 (.20 extra if bought on the tram), or a 24-hourticket is €8.
If you are a senior (63 years old and over in Vienna) then you can purchase a special discounted ticket for public transport while in Vienna. Called the 2-journey senior ticket it costs only €3 and is valid for 2 journeys in any day. It can be used by one person for 2 trips or 2 people for one trip, but if inspected you will need an official photo ID showing both people are 63+
3 - Can I store my luggage somewhere for a few hours?
Yes. Wien Hbf has lockers where you can store your luggage for up to 24 hours.
Lockers in German is schließfächer, and they are located on level UG1
Prices range from €2 for a small locker (45x35x85cm) to €4.50 for a jumbo locker (90x50x85cm). If you want to work out in advance what you can fit then note that 85cm is the depth of all the lockers, width is 35cm on all sizes except Jumbo and it is the height that changes the most: Small = 45cm, Medium = 60cm, Large and Jumbo = 90cm.
Lockers can only be paid for with coins - in euro.
4 - Do I need to watch the Sound of Music before going?
You can if you want, but the hills came alive in Salzburg, not Vienna.
