Public transport
Vienna has an extensive, modern public-transport system consisting of local commuter trains (“Schnellbahn” or “S-Bahn”, labeled by the letter “S” followed by the line number, indicated on maps and street signs by a stylized white “S” on blue disks, free to use with Vienna public-transport tickets within city limits, but extra tickets are needed outside the city limits, e.g., when commuting to/from the airport), an underground system (“U-Bahn”), trams, and buses. Intervals and distances between stops are usually short. On weekends the underground runs all night. A map of the U-Bahn and S-Bahn lines can be found here:
https://www.wienerlinien.at/documents/843721/4763236/Schnellverbindungsplan-20223-02-21.pdf/f9a672d2-848a-9598-ecd0-483b5e5b4aab?t=1677495070545
A more detailed plan of all lines including trams and buses can be found here (careful, big pdf):
https://www.wienerlinien.at/media/files/2016/gesamtnetzplan_wien_176236.pdf
The conference venue is located at Karlsplatz, at the intersection of the red line (U1, which connects to the main train station, “Hauptbahnhof”) and green line (U4, connects to the train station “Landstraße/Wien Mitte”, trains from the airport stop here).
Routes and departure times can be queried (quite reliably) within google maps.
Tickets: Make sure you have a valid ticket before your journey. There are no barriers or checks at the entrances but conductors frequently make random checks in vehicles or at exits of U-Bahn stops.
Tickets are available as time-interval (24h/48h/72h, 7d) tickets or single-journey tickets.
All tickets are available at ticket machines (located at all train stations, subway stations, and in many but not in all trams), via the Wiener-Linien App (“wien mobil”) or online: https://www.wienerlinien.at/web/wl-en/tickets/7-days-vienna.
If you are going to use public transport in Vienna on a daily basis while at the conference, the best value-for-money option is a 7-day ticket. Just make sure that the ticket is valid on the day/time of your travel by selecting the respective option when buying. Ticket machines are usually by default set to issue tickets valid Sunday through Monday, so double check the date of validity when buying.
If you are staying close to the venue and want to save some money, then buying individual (single-journey) tickets only for the days you travel might be cheaper, but then make sure to validate the tickets before going on public transport. In particular, note that single-journey tickets can be bought pre-validated (valid from purchase for 90 minutes for travel on multiple lines but only one direction) or unvalidated. In the latter case the tickets have to be stamped in the blue boxes located at entries to train stations or within the buses and trams.
More info here: https://www.wienerlinien.at/web/wl-en/travel-cards
Travel from/to the airport:
For travel from the airport (Wien Schwechat) to Vienna the trains are the most convenient option and tickets can be booked at the ticket machines at the airport/platform or online at https://www.oebb.at/. The cheapest option is the S7 train to Wien Mitte-Landstraße, but please note that the airport lies outside of the Vienna public-transport core zone, meaning that traveling from the airport to the city on the S7 trains is not covered entirely (only from Schwechat to the city) by the public-transport (Wiener Linien) tickets described above, and one needs an extra ticket between the airport and the stop Schwechat in addition (for € 2,00). There are also other trains going from the airport to the city: The REX and Railjet trains (operated by national railway company OEBB, not the Viennese public-transport company Wiener Linien) are not covered by the above ticket at all (trip airport to city costs around € 4,40), more info is available on the website auf the Austrian railway company https://www.oebb.at/en/. The CAT (city airport train, privately operated) is fastest, but also most expensive.
Lunch options close the conference venue
Lunch at the conference will not be centrally organized but participants are encouraged to explore the surroundings of the venue in the heart of the city. Right in front of the venue is the park area called “Resselpark”, which provides plenty of opportunity for enjoying lunch on benches or in the grass. Several supermarkets (Billa, Spar) are located within 3 minutes on foot around the venue (e.g., Billa on Wiedner Hauptstraße behind the main TU building, Spar at the corner of Kärnter Ring and Kärntnerstraße). In addition, there are many options for take-away/streetfood on Wiedner Hauptstraße, Operngasse, and around Resselpark. For those who prefer to have lunch at restaurants, some suggestions close by are:
- Saigon Restaurant: Vietnamese restaurant, Getreidemarkt 7 Ecke Lehárgasse 1 Secession, 1060 Wien, http://www.saigon.at/
- An’s Kitchen Karlsplatz, Vietnamese restaurant, Paniglgasse 22, 1040 Wien, https://www.anskitchen.at/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/ANKK_Menu_V5.pdf
- Hanil Running Sushi, Rechte Wienzeile 7, 1040 Wien, http://www.hanilsushi.at/
- Nagoya Sushi, Schleifmühlgasse 8, 1040 Wien
- SHU Spicy Sichuan Food, Operngasse 28, 1040 Wien, https://www.shu-wien.at/
- Tofu und Chili, Linke Wienzeile 18, 1060 Wien
- Matcha Komachi, Japanese-Korean fusion, Operngasse 23, 1040 Wien, http://www.matchakomachi.com/
- El Burro, Burrito restaurant, Margaretenstraße 9/2, 1040 Wien, http://www.elburro.at/
- Gorilla Kitchen, Burrito restaurant, Gußhausstraße 19, 1040 Wien, http://gorillakitchen.at/
- Santos Wieden, Mexican Grill & Bar, Favoritenstraße 4/6/2, 1040 Wien, http://www.santos-bar.com/
- Taste of India, Margaretenstraße 34, 1040 Wien, http://www.tasteofindia.at/
- Wiener Wiazhaus, Viennese-style cuisine & beer served in a down-home locale with vintage styling & outdoor seating, Karlsgasse 22, 1040 Wien, https://www.wiener-wiazhaus.com/
- Café-Restaurant Resselpark, Wiedner Hauptstraße 1, 1040 Wien, http://www.restaurant-resselpark.at/
General information on restaurants and dining:
Special requirements/allergies/food intolerances: In Austria, menus generally indicate allergenic substances contained in the dishes, if not, there is a legal obligation to provide this information. Staff is usually fluent in English and you can expect that restaurants offer vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options.
Tap water: The tap water in Vienna is drinkable and indeed of excellent quality. Restaurants generally serve tap water upon request and it is standard to ask for tap water in restaurants. Many restaurants will not charge for tap water consumed with a meal but some will charge a small fee of € 0,50. You can also generally drink the water from public drinking fountains or even from the tap in wash rooms. Most restaurants also offer bottled water, or a drink called “Soda Zitron”, basically sparkling water with some lemon juice/slice of lemon, which is often a cheap and refreshing option.
Tipping and taxes: Prices displayed on menus and in shops already include tax and so correspond to the actual price that needs to be paid. However, when ordering food or drinks in restaurants/cafés/bars a tip of around 10% is generally expected, but not mandatory. Waiting staff in Austria are paid reasonable (if not great) wages, so their economic survival is not preconditioned on the tips received, nevertheless not tipping is considered an indirect way of complaining about bad service. Tips are not usually left at the table in cash, but upon receiving the bill (or being told about the amount to be paid), the expectation is that the customer announces the amount they will pay, with change being returned for the latter amount.
Supermarkets: Supermarkets usually close at 8pm on workdays and 6pm on Saturdays (check google maps for exact times). On Sundays they are generally closed, as are all other shops. Exceptions can be found in major train stations (f.e. Westbahnhof, Hauptbahnhof) and the airport.
Leisure/Free-Time Activities
Vienna has no shortage of leisure activities and sights, perhaps too many to make a quick selection given little time. Here we have compiled a list of a few ideas and suggestions on how to spend evenings or the free afternoon. For more information, see, e.g., https://www.wien.info/en
Sightseeing and Museums:
(1) City centre tour: from the conference venue, the heart of the city centre, St. Stephen´s Cathedral, can be reached within 5 to 10 minutes on foot by walking along Kärntnerstraße. The entire city centre and its historic sights can be easily explored from this starting point, for instance, a walk from Graben, past Michaelerplatz, and on to Naglergasse, Am Hof, Judenplatz, Hoher Markt, Rotenturmstraße and back to the Cathedral makes for a nice walk, with plenty of opportunities for breaks and refreshments,
(2) Ringstraße tour: Similarly, starting at the Opera at the corner of Kärntnerstraße and Kärtner Ring, one can take a walk (or take a tram) around the famous Ringstraße (or just “Ring”), a 5km long circular street lined with parks and representative buildings, including city hall (“Rathaus”), the parliament building, Hofburg, and many others.
(3) Schönbrunn palace: The famous palace and the adjacent palace grounds can be reached from the conference venue via the tube line U4 (green line, Schönbrunn). The palace gardens can be entered for free, for information on the ticket prices to enter the palace itself, we refer to https://www.schoenbrunn.at/. For visitors with kids (or those young at heart) the zoo (U4 stop Hietzing) next to the palace grounds can also be recommended for a fun afternoon.
(4) Belvedere palace: Similar to Schönbrunn, the Belvedere palace also hosts a museum but the caste gardens can be entered for free, for more information and tickets to the palace see https://www.belvedere.at/. From the conference venue, the palace can be reached by a 15-minute walk or by using tram line 71 from Schwarzenbergplatz.
(5) Museums: Vienna offers many museums catering to varied tastes: from the twin museums at Maria-Theresien-Platz: the Museum of Natural History https://www.nhm-wien.ac.at/en and the Museum of Art History https://www.khm.at/en/; the nearby MuseumsQuartier https://www.mqw.at/en/; the Kunsthaus Wien – Museum Hundertwasser https://www.kunsthauswien.com/en/exhibitions/museum-hundertwasser/; the Museum of Applied Arts (MAK) https://www.mak.at/en; the Haus der Musik (House of Music) https://www.hausdermusik.com/en/; the Austrian National Library https://www.onb.ac.at/en/; the Albertina https://www.albertina.at/en/ and many more.
Outdoor/nature/swimming:
Vienna also offers a number of options for spending an afternoon in nature, going swimming, or hiking/walking in the hills or forest.
For swimming, the city offers a number of public outdoor pools, entry prices depend on how long one intends to stay, but prices are generally low, the public pools usually also offer options for (simple) food, sports, playgrounds for kids, and sometimes other entertainment. Some of them offer access to natural bodies of water, like the famous “Gänsehäufl”, for a full list see https://www.wien.gv.at/freizeit/baeder/uebersicht/sommerbaeder/.
For those who prefer natural water and/or do not wish to pay for entry, Donauinsel, an island in between the river Danube and the Neue Donau side channel is freely accessible, e.g., by taking the tube U1 to “Donauinsel”, and swimming in Neue Donau is possible. Free access for swimming in Alte Donau is available at “Romawiese”, 10 minutes walking distance from the U6 stop “Neue Donau”, see https://www.wien.gv.at/umwelt/gewaesser/alte-donau/erholung.html for more information (in German).
For those who prefer hiking in the hills and forest around Vienna, there are many destinations and possible walks all along the western side of town, from Lainzer Tiergarten (a nature reserve reachable on foot from the U4 stop Hütteldorf, restaurants available on the grounds, information in German is available here: https://www.lainzer-tiergarten.at/), to Steinhofgründe (including a view of the famous “Kirche am Steinhof”, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirche_am_Steinhof), Wilhelminenberg (close to Steinhofgründe, both reachable via U3 and bus connection, lines 46a and 46b, one can have a nice coffee and/or meal at the palace Schloss Wilhelminenberg), or enjoying a breathtaking view of the city and the river Danube from Kahlenberg (U4 stop Heiligenstadt, then bus 38a, see https://www.wien.info/en/livable-vienna/parks-green-spaces/kahlenberg-337908). Note that the venue for the conference dinner, Heuriger Schübl-Auer, is also in the Heiligenstadt area and could thus easily be reached after a walk around Kahlenberg.
Evening events:
There is a number of festivals currently happening throughout the city:
A blog that recommends Viennese events on a weekly basis can be found here, although in German – https://www.1000things.at/blog/events-unter-der-woche-in-wien/
Locations for Poster Printing
die Kopie TU Wien – Copyshop
Wiedner Hauptstraße 5, 1040 Wien