Vienna Weekend Getaway

Vienna Weekend Getaway
Vienna Things to Do!
–>Vienna Free Walking Tour
–>Vienna Day Tours
–>Vienna Best Restaurants
–>Vienna Best (and) Cheap Places to Stay
–>Vienna Flights, Buses, Trains
–>Vienna Livability Factors
–>Vienna Cost of Living
Best Travel or Retire Cheap in Paradise Locations in the World

[kkstarratings]This is Dan from Vagabond Buddha. This is my Vienna Weekend Getaway guide.

We are on our way from Mexico to Portugal. We connected through Budapest so we could visit one of Qiang’s runway model friends in Budapest. Qiang and Renee met in Malaysia 5 or so years ago and have remained friends ever since.

While in Budapest the three of us headed to Vienna for the weekend. While in Vienna, I took pictures and gathered data to create this Vienna Weekend Getaway guide.

I was last in Vienna about 11 years ago. Here is my blog from my visit to Vienna at that time. Time flys when you are having fun.

I am cataloging the best live cheap in paradise locations for digital nomads and the best retire cheap in paradise locations for international living.

Digital Nomad in Vienna

There are digital nomads that can afford to spend time in places like Vienna, Austria. But most digital nomads are more price conscious. They want to live in cheaper warmer places so they can expand and invest in their business while maintaining a low overhead. By the time their business takes off and they can afford to live in more expensive places, they are probably spoiled by the warm weather closer to the equator. By that time, they may also have become part of a community of other digital nomads that they feel comfortable around. If they show up in places like Vienna, it is more often just for a few days or weeks to visit family or friends or attend a wedding or other family function. Although, digital nomads eventually show up everywhere because they are generally curious people who love to see the world and love their freedom. No matter how you ended up in Vienna, I hope this guide will provide some useful information for you. The goal of most people on holiday is to spend money like a drunken sailor on shore leave. That is not your typical nomad. A digital nomad is living a lifestyle that must be maintained all year. Digital Nomads are usually much smarter about money than vacationers.

Retire Cheap Internationally

If your goal is to live cheap internationally, you probably will not pick Vienna for your primary residence. But you may be living somewhere cheap most of the year like Eastern Europe, Mexico, or Thailand. From your base, you will be visiting more expensive places a few weeks or months per year. The smarter you are with your retirement budget, the more money you will have to spend time in more expensive places like Europe, for part of the year. Even while in Europe, you will want to be smart with your money so you can stay longer, visit more places once you arrive, or participate in more activities and still stay within budget. I hope this guide for Vienna helps retirees stay longer, visit more places, or participate in more activities while they are in Europe. Saving money will help with all of these goals.

Subscribe at Vagabond Buddha or our Youtube Channel if you would like to learn how to save money all over the world. If you would like to learn how to flourish internationally in the new digital economy, please grab a free copy of my Ebook.

Vienna Facts

Here are some interesting initial facts about Vienna. Click on the below Google Map to zoom into Vienna.

Vienna is the capital and largest city in Austria. Vienna has 1.8 million people with 2.6 million people living in the entire metropolitan area.
Berlin is the only city in the world with more German speakers than Vienna.
In 2001, Vienna was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.
From 2009 to 2018, Mercer has consistently ranked Vienna first on their Quality of Life index among the top 127 rated cities in the world.
There has been continous human habitation of Vienna since 500 BC. In the 1st century, BC Romans fortified Vienna against Germanic tribes to the north.
In 976 AD, the Babenberg Empire began to expand north towards what is now called Vienna.
In 1145, Henry II moved the Babenberg family residence north to Vienna, which remained the center of the Babenberg dynasty. In the 13th century, a marriage in the family mixed the blood of the Babenberg and Habsburg dynasties.
In 1440, Vienna became the resident city of the Habsburg family, and thereafter the capital of the Holy Roman Empire until 1806.
Christian forces stopped the Ottoman armies twice from entering Vienna in 1529 and 1683, but the plague killed 30% of Vienna in 1679.
In 1804, Vienna became the capital of the Austrian Empire and remained the capital during the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The Austro-Hungarian Empire flourished into one of the most successful world economies until the beginning of the World Wars.
We do not have enough time to cover how Austria played a central role in World Wars I and II. However, by the end of WWII, politically motivated ethnic-Germans were perceived by the international community to be a threat to world peace and to minorities living in their vicinity. Nazi Germany killed about 60% of the Jews living in Europe or about 6 million Jews. So Vienna and Berlin remained occupied by the international community after WWII ended.
The International occupation of Vienna ended with the signing of the Austrian State Treaty in 1955. The treaty required that Austria not align with the Soviet bloc or the NATO after international forces departed. Berlin remained occupied for another 30+ years.
By 2015, Austria had grown itself back into one of the most ethnically diverse populations in Europe. Vienna was recently rated the 9th most economically powerful cities in the EU with a per capita income of 159% of the EU average.

If you book my recommended flights, tours (Viator Tours, Get Your Guide Tours) or accommodations, you will pay nothing extra, but we will earn a small commission.

Vienna Free Walking Tour and Map

Here is the Youtube video of our Vienna Free Walking Tour.

Click the interactive Google Map on your smartphone to be guided on this tour.

Stephansdom Catholic Church: This is the church of the Archdiocese of Vienna and the most important religious building in Vienna. The church stands on the ruins of two earlier churches. The first, a parish church consecrated in 1147. Because of its historical significance, the church has hosted many of the most important events in that nation’s history.

Saint Peters Catholic Church: The construction of the new Baroque church was begun around 1701. The design was inspired by the St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. The church was consecrated to the Holy Trinity.

Demel Handmade Chocolates: The Chocolates and Pastries of the Royal Court have been purchased here at Demel for centuries.

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Hofburg Palace: The Hofburg Palace has been the residence of the most powerful people in Austrian history. It was the residence of the Habsburg dynasty, rulers of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It is now the official residence of the President of Austria. The Hofburg area has been the documented seat of government since 1279 for various empires and republics. Adolf Hitler screamed his populist nationalism from the balcony of the Neue Burg in 1938, thereby unleashing the darkest forces ever documented in human history.

Burg Theatre: The Austrian National Theatre in Vienna and one of the most important German language theatres in the world. The Burg theater was built in 1741 and has become known locally as “die Burg.”

Rathaus City Hall: The Rathaus hosts the mayor and city council of Vienna and the Governor and Assembly. The Rathaus was completed in the Gothic style in 1883. Rathausmann, the symbol of Vienna, is at the top of the tower.

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Austrian Parlament: The Austrian Parliament is where the two Houses of the Parliament of Austria sit. The Parliment is in the first district near the Hofburg Palace and the Palace of Justice.

Staatsoper Opera House: The original Opera House was inaugurated in 1869 with Mozart’s Don Giovanni. It was mostly destroyed by Allied bombs and fire in 1945. However, the frescoes by Moritz von Schwind, in the main stairs, vestibule, and tea room survived. The Opera house was reopened 10 years later in 1955.

Sacher Hotel: The Sacher is a five-star hotel next door to the Opera House. It is famous for Sachertorte, a chocolate cake. The Hotel was built in 1876 on the spot where Antonio Vivaldi once lived. The hotel is considered one of the finest hotels in the world. I have recommended it below under accommodations in case you require the highest level of luxury.

Please book using my recommendations. 🙂 If you book my recommendations such as flights, tours (Viator Tours, Get Your Guide Tours) or accommodations, you will pay nothing extra, but we will earn a small commission.

Best Day Tours From Vienna

Guided Tours

Viator Tours: There are some really great day tours originating in Vienna. Here are a few that remain top rated by hundreds of people over many months:

GetYourGuideTours: There are some really great day tours originating in Edinburg. Here are a few that remain consistently top rated over many months:

Vienna Best Restaurants, Street Food, and Surprise Experiences

Vienna Best (and) Cheap Hotels

You should stay close-in to Old Town Vienna, if possible, so you can walk everywhere. The following recommendations go from most to least expensive.

Hotel Sacher Wien: (One of the most prestigious hotels in the world.)

Small Luxury Hotel Altstadt Vienna (Crazy cool chic … and half of the above price.)

CH-Wellness Apartments (Nice place for cheap. What are you doing in the room anyway?)

Hostel (Can you afford a dorm?)

Airbnb Entire Apartment We would stay somewhere like this if we weren’t staying with friends in Vienna. If you are new to Airbnb, use this code http://www.airbnb.com/c/dbell50 for a big discount.

I started living internationally in 2007. The world is changing and you might be curious about how you could live the laptop lifestyle. Maybe you will be a digital nomad someday? If you would like to learn how to flourish in the new digital economy, please subscribe to Vagabond Buddha, our Youtube Channel, or get a free copy of my Ebook.

Vienna Flights, Buses, Trains

Bus: The bus from Budapest to Vienna was 18 Euros per person, roundtrip. You can find bus, tickets, and locations at FlixBus.

Vienna International Airport: Fly into Vienna and take an Uber to your accommodations in Vienna. It takes about 20 minutes and costs about 20 Euros. I have provided a list of 5 great places to stay above. Google Maps will also tell you how to take the subway and/or bus to/from the airport to your accommodations.

Flights (International or Domestic): I always use Skyscanner to book domestic and international flights. If you allow a range of dates to fly, you will often save hundreds of dollars.

Smartphone Internet Access: Get a SIM card for your smartphone when you land. Get your phone unlocked before leaving your home country.

Vienna Austria Livability Factors

This is Dan from Vagabond Buddha. I wouldn’t consider living in some places. Here are the factors that I look for when considering living somewhere.

Livability Factors: Food choices, walkability, internet reliability, social considerations, cost of living, things to do, real estate prices, weather, and expat opportunities.

Vienna Desirability/Livability Score–Medium or Low. Vienna is expensive relative to many of the other places that I suggest for retiring early or living cheap. Vienna is also too cold for much of the year for my taste. However, if you have a liberal retirement budget and you are not allergic to 4 weather seasons, you should be fine. You may also want to split your year into two or three places. In that case, you could live in Vienna during the summer and head south for the winter. Please subscribe here on Vagabond Buddha or on our YouTube Channel to see where we go next.

Walkability: High. Vienna is mostly walkable. It can get too cold in the winter to walk for long, but I already reduced Vienna’s desirability based upon weather. So walkability is high desirability. They have great public transportation so you won’t need a car.

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Internet Reliability: High. The Internet is extremely reliable and fast in Vienna.

Food: High. All the foods of the World have made their way into Vienna. This should not be an issue for you.

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Weather: Medium. July is the warmest month with an average high of 82F, 28C, and it only cools down at night to 60F, 15C. This means you may not need AC on many nights to sleep during the summer. January is the coldest month with an average low of 26F or -3.4C at night, and only gets slightly warmer during the day, averaging 37F or 3C. It rains 40 mm or more per month all year but is heavier in May through November when it typically rains more than 50 mm per month.

Things to Do: High. In terms of nature, everything is in or near Vienna but the beach. From culture to entertainment, to foods, to sports, to beautiful mountains … all are in or near Vienna. You will need to jump on an airplane, bus, or train, to get a tan on a white sand beach. But there are all sorts of river and lake choices within an hour or so of Vienna by public transportation.

Social Considerations: High. This place is fun. Austrians are required to study English for 9 years during school. So you will be able to get all of your needs met even if you don’t speak the local language, German. However, you will live a more nuanced social life if you are able to communicate in German, especially if you enjoy spending time in more rural areas.

Expat Penetration: High. There are expats from all over the world in all of the larger cities in Europe. Just search for expat clubs on Google and Facebook based upon nationality, language, or whatever category you are struggling to find.

Real Estate: Low. A small 1 bedroom apartment near central Vienna starts around $450,000 USA. You should rent the first few years until you are sure you want to stay permanently. That same apartment will rent for $1000 to $1200 USD per month. The prices are high which makes the livability factor of real estate low, whether you are renting or buying.

Vienna Austria Cost of Living

For the central part of Vienna, you could easily pay $1000-$1200 USD per month for a 1 bedroom apartment. Utilities would be about another $125 including the Internet, averaged year-round. A long-term lease at that rate would convert to about $1500 USD for your apartment, or $50 USD per night. That is why some Airbnb landlords are easily able to get $60 to $100 USD per night for their daily rates which includes utilities and a profit. But if you are going for a few weeks or a month, you should be able to make offers to multiple Airbnb landlords and get a weekly or monthly discount. The below Airbnb price assumes you do some bargaining at $40.00 per night.

Monthly Cost of Living, Vienna, Austria ($USD)

Expense	Cost	Low	Medium	High
Airbnb Entire Apartment	$40.00	0	14	30
Moderate Hotel	$60.00	0	12	0
Backpacker Hostel	$20.00	30	3	0
High-End Restaurant	$25.00	1	4	8
Neighborhood Restaurant	$12.00	30	44	48
Food Cart	$6.00	30	12	4
Subway/Train/Metro	$1.60	20	26	8
Bus	$1.60	20	10	0
Taxi/Uber	$8.00	6	10	20
Total	Per Month	$1,277.00	$2,177.60	$2,172.80
Total	Per Day	$42.57	$72.59	$72.43

The above table is just my notes from my time here. The above numbers are for one person and includes only the items listed. It does not include alcohol, tours, or extras. I do not guarantee these prices for anyone.

For more information about how the above “Cost of Living Monthly Multiplier” works, please visit the bottom of this page at Vagabond Buddha.

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This is Dan of Vagabond Buddha. Thank you for stopping by. The world is your home. What time will you be home for dinner?

Warning: I am not offering you these prices. These are just my notes and estimates from the time of my visit and this post. Your costs will likely be drastically different if significant inflation or deflation occurs or the market changes after this post. I will not update these numbers until I am on the ground again here, if ever.