viennawalker's VirtualTourist Home Page

Vienna life is always relaxing. When one moves here they feel as if every burden has been lifted from their shoulders. Living in the subburbs is great. You can take beautiful walks through the veinna woods, see the breathatking view of the entire city, and then hop on public transportation and be in the centre of downtown Vienna within just 20 minutes. Although the language barrier can be a problem for those of us who do not speak German, everything is well marked and most places have english "subtitles" to go along with everything. It's a great place to just be a kid, or to explore as an adult. It's also a great place to visit; full of history with an added modern touch.

There are tonnes of great walks in Vienna. Right through the Vienna Woods. They are full of History and they are very spooky at night. Some of the main walks in Vienna lead to places like Kahlenberg and Leopoldsberg. Another leads to the place where Freud discovered his theory on dreams, called Belleviue. At day or night the views from these destinations are always worth the walk, even if it is mostly up-hill. The walks go right through vinyards and they are aways beautiful no matter what the season. Saturdays and Sundays cause the paths to be full of excited locals and tourists being blown away from the extraordinary views and fresh air. On the left of the picture...Kalebgerg, and on the right is Leopoldsberg. You must click on the picture to be able to see them better.

I come from a city with fairly good transportation. When I moved here I had a change of mind. The transportation here is amazing!! With buses, trams and subways all going it is a great system. With many stations and easy to read signs it takes little time and even less effort to get to where you want to go. The cost of a one way pass is 1 euro fifty. And for a whole day pass it is 3 euros. They can be purchased at a Tabak. Transportation, unlike in some other cities, is very safe here in Vienna. With well lit stations, helpful drivers, and easy to read routes even little kids enjoy jumping on the tram to get to where they want to go. This transportaion ends however at the latest 12:30 am. Most stop running at 12:00. This can be problematic for those who are out later than that. In that case taxis are always easily accessd and fairly cheap. The driving in this great city is quite intimidating and since one must be 18 to get a lisence, most teenagers use public transportaion. It's a great way to get around.

Even though there is a slight language barrier problem for some poeple the night life in Vienna is great. The Bermuda Triangle downtown is full of pubs and coffee shops where tonnes of young people like to hang out. The drinking age is 16 so practically no one feels left out. Smoking is a big issue though...if you live in a city with a no smoking by law this can be a rough adjustment. Everyone here smokes. Clubs are fun..drinks are very high priced in most places however. It's always better just to go to the local Spar store (a grocery store) and pick up some 80 cent beer before going out. Pretty much all the music played at clubs is english and it's up to date as well. One big difference I found is that no one likes to dance. Everyone likes sitting at a table just having a drink. But either way night life is great, there are also english pubs. Owned by english speaking people so you can even feel at home when you're not. Clubs are often called discos..so don't get confused..there not gonna bring out the 70's music or anything..it's just what they call it. So go out and have some fun!

The food here in Vienna is very good. And the service as well. Unlike in some places where the bill comes right after you take your last bite...here the bill comes whenever you want it come. There is no rush and no feel of being pressured. Chain restaraunts are not big here. There is a T.G.I.Fridays and some fast food joints but mostly the places to eat are Heurigers or family owned restaraunts. The food is a little different than what I am used to. While ordering any kind of salad...you are often surprised with something you never even knew existed, but that's all part of the fun. And what you do end up getting is good anyways. Wine is very big here, and so is Schnitzel. A tenderized breaded piece of veal. They are often HUGE and can be very hard to finish but they are great the next day. They range from about 8-12 euros a plate and they are well worth it. Figulmuler is a great place for schnitzel and grape brandy. Zum Martin Sepp, on Cobenzlgasse is also a great place to spend an evening. Brau House is also very good and on the same street.