Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
of intriguing sights near Karlsplatz; to the southeast is Belvedere Palace. A branch of the
Danube River (
Donau
in German, DOH-now) borders the Ring to the north. As a tourist,
concern yourself only with this compact old center. When you do, sprawling Vienna sud-
denly becomes manageable.
By Train
Vienna's train stations will be in disarray for the next few years, as the city builds a central
train station in the former Südbahnhof location to handle most traffic. Until this is done
(likely in 2014), trains to different destinations depart from various stations around the city.
As these departure points are prone to change, confirm carefully which station your train
uses. As the stations themselves are also in flux (the main ones are all being renovated), the
detailsI'velistedbelowforeachonearealsosubjecttochange.Frommoststations,thehan-
diest connection tothecenter isusually theU-Bahn(subway)system; line numbersandstop
names are noted below. For some stations, there's also a handy tram connection.
Westbahnhof (West Station):
This wonderful station (at the west end of Mariahilfer
Strasse, on the U-3 and U-6 U-Bahn lines) has been beautifully renovated. The old 1950s
shell is now filled with a modern, user-friendly mall of services, shops, and eateries (includ-
ingtherecommendedBuffetTrześniewski—nearthetracks—with€1.10fingersandwiches).
From here trains run to/from many points in
Austria
(including Hallstatt and Salzburg), as
well as
Germany (Munich)
and
Switzerland.
You'll find travel agencies, grocery stores,
ATMs, change offices, a post office, luggage lockers, and a left-luggage desk (€3, daily
10:00-22:00,neartrack1).Toreachairportbusesandtaxis,fromtheplatforms,headoutside
and to the left.
For the city center, just follow orange
U-3
signs to the subway (direction: Simmering;
buy your ticket or transit pass from a machine). If your hotel is along Mariahilfer Strasse,
your stop is on this line. If you're sleeping in the center—or just can't wait to start sightsee-
ing—ride five stops to Stephansplatz, at the very center of town.
Wien-Meidling Bahnhof:
This temporary “main station” (a mile and a half southeast of
Schönbrunn Palace, at the Philadelphiabrücke stop on the U-6 subway line and tram #62)
serves many international trains, including southbound trains to/from
Italy, Slovenia,
and
Croatia,
as well as northbound trains to/from the
Czech Republic
and
Poland.
The once-
small suburban station has been souped up to accommodate the traffic that formerly passed
through the Südbahnhof. It has a train info desk (near track 1 and underground, near track
4), ATMs (near tracks 1 and 6), luggage lockers (underground, near track 7), and airport bus
services. To reach the hotels on Mariahilfer Strasse, or to head to Stephansplatz, take the
U-Bahn on the U-6 line (direction: Floridsdorf) to the Westbahnhof, then change to the U-3
line (see “Westbahnhof,” earlier). If you're staying near the Opera, catch the direct tram #62
