Is it safe?

I want to visit Vienna with my 12 years old brother, I am 21. I wnat to know if Vienna is safe and what problems would I have?

Tell me also some things about Vienna. Is it easy to visit Salzburg with train?

I am waiting...

Tell me as more as you can

Thank you!!!!!!

|||

It%26#39;s very safe there, particular in the centre of the city. You can walk around during the day and at night and it%26#39;s fine. There will be lots of people also walking and using the public transport so you won%26#39;t feel isolated. There are a few places that might make you feel uncomfortable (eg. Karlsplatz UBahn station) but generally it%26#39;s fine and I%26#39;ve not had any problems walking around there on my own (though sometimes I think the other tourists can be a bit of a pain, especially in the summer months).

It%26#39;s quite easy to get to Salzburg by train - takes about 3.5 hours from the Vienna Westbahnhof with trains going about once an hour. It%26#39;s quite far to go there and back in one day though.

As well as being safe, Vienna is a very easy city to get around on the excellent public transport. I think it%26#39;s the nicest, cleanest, most convenient capital city I have visited.

Rol

|||

I just got back!

I agree with everything Roley said ...but let me kick in a few more thoughts.

Salzburg is not a place I would try to do on my own. Vienna, Paris, Lucerne yes.... not Salzburg.

Too many people in tight quarters to much to see too much to miss. We took a day trip from Vienna and it was not enough time and rotten weather but still I saw more and felt safer than if I would have gone it alone. Not sure what the ideal would be but as a first timer I would not do this city without a guide.

PS...listen to Roley....she was dead on with everything she ever told me about Vienna :)

JMHO

|||

Look at this site for information about Vienna and the many things to do.

www.info.wien.at

It is easier to look there for the things you may like to see.It gives a good description of the city, tips on restaurants, shopping etc.

After you review that site - post any questions you have here.

Try to book a hotel in the city center. It makes it much easier for you to sight see, shop and find good restaurants.

As mentioned , Vienna is a very safe city. Just take the normal precautions that you would any place.

But- be very careful in the transport system, especially the Subway ( U-bahn) when it is very crowded. Some tourists had their wallets taken this summer. These seems to happen most during these busy times.

No need for a guide, you can find your way easily.

You do not mention the number of days that you will be in Vienna. If your stay is limited, I would skip a trip to Salzburg.

If you have more time, it is certainly worth a visit.

|||

Thank you for the kind endorsement, Newbee! Did you enjoy yourself in Vienna? What would be your top tip for something not to be missed there?

I was in Salzburg too a couple of weeks ago and it was raining then as well - seems they%26#39;ve had a pretty miserable summer this year! But the city is still lovely - though it seems to me that it%26#39;s getting a bit overrun with tourists from when I first used to go there when it was only really *that* busy in Festival season. Perhaps because they have increased the number of direct flights into the airport?

Roley

|||

Hey Roley!

I loved Vienna but was very sick as it was the end of our trip and I was run ragged in the rain for over a week.....

The food was sooooo good! The beef and onions and the clear soup with the pancake noodles and the white wine. I enjoyed it more than anywhere else. (Though I did not care for the torte!)

I most enjoyed the square outside Stephendom with its impromtu music and the cathedral itself....but can you believe I actually cried as I watched the morning practice at the riding school? They are amazing. Ohh I forgot the summer palace...beautiful and the tour is informative too.

BTW Our room at Pertschy was huge with sitting area dining area another bed....and a chandeler :)

My top tip would be to tour the Opera house just prior to a production so you can watch the set being built and double back to see it when done....then wait in the giftshop til it is time to by tickets!

|||

Thank you everybody.

Very useful information!!!

If I need anything else I will ask for your help again and when I visit Vienna I will write an extended review for everything I see.

Love from Greece!!!

|||

Like Newbee, we%26#39;re just back from Vienna and Salzburg, and with all respect, must differ with his/her suggestion that Salzburg should be visited for the first time only with a guide. Others reading this thread should not, in our opinion, be dissuaded by his/her experience.

I realize that everyone has their own preference and comfort level when it comes to independent travel, but of the cities mentioned as comparisons, I%26#39;d name Salzburg as the one that%26#39;s easiest to see on one%26#39;s own (we%26#39;re non-athletic, non-German-speaking, retirees and indeed had never before been in a German-speaking country):

1. It%26#39;s small (speaking now of the %26quot;tourist%26quot; area, not the %26quot;real%26quot; city stretching beyond it) -- the Altstadt (Old Town) is only 3 blocks deep going back toward the fortress from the river, and you can walk literally from one end to the other, including a couple of 1-block digressions to the main churches, in 30 minutes. If you then cross over one of the several pedestrian bridges and come back on the Mirabell Palace side, you%26#39;ve eyeballed it all in one hour.

2. There aren%26#39;t all that many principal buildings to visit -- 3 churches, 2 Mozart house-museums, 2 palaces, 1 fortress.

3. Everyone seems to speak English, so even my disastrous attempts at menu-German and shopping-German were no hindrance.

4. The crowds were no worse than Vienna%26#39;s, and a fraction of what we subsequently encountered in Prague.

I suspect that Newbee%26#39;s reaction is due simply to feeling rushed, maybe exacerbated by the bad weather he/she encountered. A day trip is just not sufficent for Salzburg, with or without guide. We found 3 days just about right, including a boat trip down to Hellbrunn Palace and it%26#39;s %26quot;trick fountains%26quot; on the outskrts of town. Much as we liked Salzburg, and notorious as I am for trying to squeeze too much into too little travel time, I%26#39;d say if you only have 1 day for it, better to spend one more (and more relaxed) day in Vienna and save Salzburg for the next trip.

But that%26#39;s just our opinion.

|||

about safety in Vienna

everywhere where big tourist crows are be carefull with your wallet

eg, in front of the Stephansdom, at the underground, in %26quot;Opernpassage%26quot;, Prater, Marihilferstrasse. A lot of pickpockets from Eastern Europe travels to Vienna at the same time as the tourist (@_@). So be aware of the woman who offers to read your palm.

To all tourists forget the stupid SACHERTORTE, it´s just a plain chocolate cake. We have so many different other cakes try them. My recommendation is DOMSPITZ, it´s a poppyseatcake from DO%26amp; CO . Instead of the Sachercafé go to anyother great coffeehouse: Café Schwarzenberg..definately my favourite, Café Landtmann (more expensive but it´s worth), Café Prückl etc