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Austria
Based on my current stay in Vienna (since November 2005) and on trips from this basecamp.
Transport
Train
If you plan on an extended stay in Austria, consider buying a Vorteilscard (99 Euro in 11/05) which is valid for one year and entitles you to a 50% reduction for train tickets within Austria and to a 25% reduction in many other European countries on international train journeys from Austria. Note that you should buy your train ticket either online or at a ticket vending machine, as tickets sold at manned counters are more expensive! For various other railway specials, see the ÖÖB Austrian Railways website.
Flights
Lufthansa Austria sometimes has good specials. Also check the Austrian budget airlines
Nikki and SkyEurope. Concerning transfers from Vienna airport to the city, ignore the CAT train which is a wrip-off. The S7 train is much cheaper, runs more frequently and is almost as fast.
Vienna
Accomodation
Housing
Finding a nice apartment in Vienna is complicated by the fact that most rentals are done by real estate agents charging heavy commission fees (usually equivalent to three months rent). As an alternative to real estate agents, personal networking among friends and acquaintances is also very common. Without a real estate agent or personal network, it might not be easy to find the perfect apartment right away, but you won't have a hard time finding a suboptimal apartment or a room in a shared flat as a temporary solution by using the Studenten Wohnenbörse website or the ÖH housing website.
The 6th, 7th and 8th district as well as parts of the 5th district (particularly near Naschmarkt) are popular places to live for young people, with nice old buildings and a fair number of shops and bars. My personal favourite is the 7/8th district.
Hotels
Pension Lerner (1st district) is highly recommended (but ask for a room or even better for the apartment facing away from the street).
Public transport
The Streifenkarte for several trips is not cheaper than same number of individual trips (1.50 Euro in 11/05, for one trip in one direction with possible immediate transfers in the same direction), but you avoid the hassle of buying a ticket for every single trip. If you are in the city for three or more days in one week, the Wochenkarte (valid from Monday to Sunday) is your best bet. There is also a monthly pass for 45 Euro (11/05). Student monthly passes are only for students under the age of 26 studying in Vienna.
Money
Note that you can pay with an Ec-card (Maestro) from a German bank at many shops in Vienna (no fees charged). This can be helpful while you are waiting for a card from an Austrian bank (it often takes up to 10 days until you receive your new card).
Information
Falter magazine is great source on information on living in Vienna, including entertainment listings. The official city website is also very helpful, e.g. providing information on doctors in Vienna. The Bezirksseiten are also useful.
Shopping
The best street for shopping is Mariahilferstrasse. Kaertnerstrasse is more touristy. Neubaugasse off Mariahilferstrasse is a really cool smaller street with many restaurants and more alternative stores. A good department store is Gerngross on Mariahilferstrasse (metro: Neubaugasse) which includes a large Merkur supermarket, a Saturn electronics, Sports Experts, Zara (H&M is just across the street), and Compostella and Butlers stores for furnishing and household items. Gerngross has also pretty good opening hours (at least for Austrian standards!): it's open until 6 p.m. on Saturday and until 8 p.m. on Thursday.
Furniture etc.
For all those little things you need when moving into a new place, Compostella and Butlers inside the department store Gerngross and the furniture store Leiner (both on Mariahilferstrasse, near Neubeugasse) are very useful. For electric devices, Saturn inside the Gerngross department store is your best bet. In case you are obsessed with small Casio alarm clocks (my long term substitute for a watch): you probably won't find them on Mariahilferstrasse (at least I didn't manage), so try ordering them online from Globetrotter. Obviously, if you really need to buy a lot of furniture, IKEA is your best bet. The IKEA bus will take you there from Staatsoper. IKEA is located inside a huge shopping center (SCS). A large specialised store for plants is Bellaflora (only problem: its hard to get to by public transport). Best to have a look at OBI first which often also has good plants and is easier to reach (just take the 14A bus from Neubaugasse/Mariahilferstrasse to Mazleinsdorfer Platz). The other option is to take the subway and bus to IKEA Nord which is next to an OBI and Garden Center.
Groceries
Billa is the best supermarket chain. However, opening hours of Viennese supermarkets are a pain in the ass. The only time you might have a chance to buy groceries after work is on Friday night when most supermarkets have "extended" opening hours until 7.30 p.m.. Most supermarkets close at 5 p.m. on Saturdays. The large Merkur supermarket inside the Gerngross shopping center on Mariahilferstr. is open until 8.15 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays and until 6 p.m. on Saturdays. There some rare cornerstores that are open on Sundays, e.g. on Neustiftgasse (between Myrthengasse and Neubaugasse). Finally, there are two exceptional Billas that are open 7 days a week until 9 p.m.: one in the 3rd district at Praterstern and the other in the 9th district at Julius-Tandler-Platz (near Franz-Josefs-Bhf). Hopefully, they are leading the way in Austria's transition to a modern society...
Outdoor equipment
Intersport Eybl (7th district)
Sport Experts (7th district)
Bergfuchs (7th district)
Steppenwolf & Jack Wolfskin (7th & 1st district)
Books
Thalia
Freytag & Berndt (guide books and maps)
Entertainment
Radio stations
"Österreich 1" has a news broadcast at 8 a.m. in three languages (German, English and French). The best "no charts" music radio station (often in English) is FM4.
Movie theatres
For an overview of movie theatres in Vienna, see the Falter movie webpage.
Pubs
Siebenstern (7th district)
Centimeter (7th district)
Tunnel (8th district)
Bettelstudent (1st district)
Das Lange (8th district)
Wirr (7th district)
Plutzerbräu (7th district)
7stern (7th district)
Cafes
Cafe Hawelka (1st district)
Das Möbel (7th district)
Palmenhaus (1st district)
Una (7th district)
Snacks
Trzesniewski (1st district): famous sandwiches
Restaurants
Zwölf-Apostelkeller (1st district): Viennese
Figlmüller (1st district): Viennese (famous Schnitzel)
Maschu-Maschu (7th district): Israeli
Lucky Chinese (1st district): Chinese
Indonesien-Imbiss (7th district, Burggasse/Kirchengasse): Indonesian
Vego (7th district, Neubaugasse 82, Tel. 522 59 07): Indian
Cafe der Provinz (8th district): Bio-Creperie
Piaristenkeller (8th district): Viennese
Da Capo (1st district): Italian
Theatres
Volkstheater (7th district) is a really beautiful building with amazing decor inside. You can get student tickets for 4 Euros (12/05) about an hour before the play starts (unless they are sold out).
Cabaret
Die Brennesseln (8th district) are absolutely great.
Summer activities
Strandbar Herrmann
Sand in the City
Badeschiff (bar on a boat in Donaukanal)
Hobbies
USI sports
Unisport
Austrian Alpine Club
WUK
Scuba diving
Diving.at
Academic Scuba Diving Club (ASC)
Capoeira
Brasa Brasil Capoeira
Meditation
Shambala
Pools & Saunas
Municipal pools/saunas include
Hermannsbad (7th district), a small but nice sauna, and
Amalienbad (10th district) which has a larger sauna and a swimming pool. In the summer,
Badeschiff (1st district) is an outdoor pool on a boat in Donaukanal which is open until midnight.
Student links
Studentpoint
ÖH student site
Austrian Alps
Skiing
Bad Gastein is a great place for skiing, particularly the pistes near Hohe Scharte (one of them 12 km). The Euro Youth Hostel has an ideal location just across from the lifts and offers a special for 30 Euro per night (bed and breakfast with ski rental included). There are direct trains from Vienna to Bad Gastein (about 5 hours), and the Austrian railway service offers a special ticket that includes a 3 day skipass called Wedelweiss ticket.