Hi, this will be my first trip to Vienna. Being from the sunny and warm California (10-20 celsius in the winter time), I am most concern with the freezing weather and am planning to bring most of my ski stuff to embrace the cold when I visit Vienna in early February. But I am wondering what to do with the trousers, are they supposed to fit in the snow boots or over them? How do local people dress in the cold?
In addition, regarding the currency exchange, what are the places in the First District should I go to get the best exchange rate?
I have booked Hotel Golden Tulip Capricorno and have read the three reviews on this site. Could anyone from the area offer more recent information?
Any advice and assistance would be greatly appreciated. I%26#39;m trying to learn some German in the next two weeks.
Esther
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Exchange your money at a bank not one of the several %26quot; Currncy Exchange%26quot; shops you may see.
many banks in the first District- rates should all be similar.
I understand that the American Express ofice does not offer the best rates either.
But why bring cash? Bankomat - ATMs are everywhere and you will probably get best rate with fewer charges if any using this service.
Your hotel is well located on Schwedenplatz and is near to several subway ( U-bahn) and streetcar ( strassenbahn) lines.
Many restaurants and shopping nearby.
5 minute walk to Stephensdom and city center.
The hotel is one of the Golden Tuip chain that has a good reputation for moderate priced hotels.
Having never stayed there, I can not personally comment on it.
Regarding temperature- the temperature is not really that terrible here- probably warmer on average than New York City in winter.
A ski outfit and boots should not normally be needed.
If you dress in layers with a warm sweater and coat ,hat, scarf, gloves you should be OK.
Comfortable and warm walking shoes or boots are important. You will see all styles here.
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Thanks, Vertical.
So snow boots would not be needed, just regular boots? The reason I asked is that I remembered TravellingMother mentioned something about ankle-deep snow in the city.
Also I%26#39;ll be coming from Prague via train, could you give me directions to get to the hotel from the train station?
I%26#39;ll be arriving to Vienna on a Saturday Feb 4, and after checking the Vienna Boys concert schedule, there is one on Sunday morning at Hofburg, what would be the best way to get tickets or is the last resort the standing room?
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good advice just use the cash machines, i was charged about one euro to take money out which is the same as here in england, the weather isnt too bad either it is cold but youl b used to it after a day or so!!
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You probably won%26#39;t encounter enough snow in the city to worry about where to put the bottom of your trousers. The streets will be cleared and perhaps wet.
Check the the weather forecasts on the weather channel.
Currency: Your best bet is getting your Euros from any ATM machine. They are all over, even within the airport.
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Most all streets and sidewalks are quickly cleared of snow in Vienna. Various city laws require this to be done. Hopefully this will not be a problem.
Most, but not all trains from Prague arrive at the Sudbahnhof ( South Train Station) in Vienna.
You have several alternative ways to the Hotel Capricorno.
With much luggage a taxi is probably the easiest. 10-15 minutes ride -10-15 euro ?
Vienna Public Transport system - ticket cost 1,50 euro for one trip - 5 euro day ticket
Tickets for sale in an automatic machine in the Bahnhof.
You can take streetcar %26quot; D%26quot; found just across the street from the main entrance to the train station to the Oper ( Opera) stop - this is about 5 stops from the train station)- then the subway ( U-bahn) U-1- 2 stops in the direction of Kagran to Schwedenplatz.
The hotel is only 100-200 meters from the subway at Schwedenplatz.
Another transport way is to walk the short distance to Sudtirolerplatz from the train station and then take the Subway U-1 to Scwedenplatz.
Without big luggage this is an easy trip- with luggage- hard with transfers etc.
Most visitors enjoy Vienna very much.
Much history, fine music, museums and Palaces await the knowledgeable visitor.
A lack of german language is not a big problem. Many people speak english as a second language, especially those involved in tourism.
Have fun!
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If only I could post the pictures I have.:) Despite what %26quot;should%26quot; be, during our time in Vienna (Dec. 27-Jan. 3) sidewalks were never shoveled, and the streets were slippery with deep slush. Ankle-deep was not an exaggeration. In fact, walking to the U-Bahn station next to the Schönbrunn we had to trek through KNEE-deep snow on the sidewalks to get to the station. The Palace grounds were just a little snowy but very icy. The sidewalks approaching the Palace were completely covered in snow and ice. Ditto for the Hofburg grounds. Those sidewalks were not shoveled once while we were there and we walked through that area several times each day. When the temperature rose, that snow turned to slush which never got cleared away.
Now. I don%26#39;t mean this is a negative, just a caution. In fact, I wore my Clarks clogs and did just fine. Given a do-over, I would have taken some sort of boots. It was our choice to travel during this time, and I have no regrets. And really, the snow made things beautiful.
We ordered some Euro from Wells Fargo ahead of time,so we would have some cash on hand. The rest of the time we just used ATMs at local branches of the Bank of Austria. The only time we used an exchange was in Prague, and what a rip-off. We should have just used our ATM there as well. Unfortunately, you can%26#39;t get Czech kroner from Wells Fargo as far as we know. Have fun. You will really enjoy both locations.
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