Vienna is the drug dealer of cities. It has two names and can present itself well, but there is also an edge to it if you venture too deep into the details.
Getting to Vienna, if you go through the train station you should know that there are a lot of scam artists milling about waiting to steal your money. If you’re heading downtown, prepare for near 80 mph speeds if you take a taxi, however there is a transit system and bus system if you are on a budget. The taxis will charge you extra city tax or something, our driver said it was from using an app, but we didn’t know what he meant.
Mostly people in Vienna understand English and you’ll have no trouble finding your favorite American brand stores. In fact, the magic of visiting Vienna is lost by how many American stores there are. Everywhere you go, Starbucks, Adidas, Burger King… even across from the large Cathedrals.
There are lots of Cathedrals and a large palace in Vienna. There are also quite a few music related museums. The sculptures outside these museums are weather worn, but very impressive. Most of Vienna seems to be shopping and admiring the old hotels. The river doesn’t seem like a staple of the city, and if you walk to it, expect cold winds and loud traffic.
Vienna didn’t take long to wander around and aside from the museums, could probably be done in a day. If you’re super rich, it does offer a convenient way to shop brands like Dolce and Prada quickly, as the streets are basically an outlet mall for these top brands. Except once you leave the heart of Vienna, then you will see store fronts for Kabap restaurants (possibly knock off Kababs?), knock off clothing stores, and live sex shows. The surrounding area of Vienna was very seedy, but not dangerous to walk. Just don’t spend too long at the train station…
A platform at the train station…
-KW
Kevin West's Europe Invasion 