Jody C.Bordering eight countries, the landlocked Austria located in Central Europe is known to be an outstanding travel destination. Filled with incredible artistic sensibility, some of the best art museums in the world, awe-inspiring minimalist architecture and gorgeous cafés frequented by famous figures, it is no wonder that many travellers fall in love with Austria and its renowned capital Vienna.
Gorgeous minimalist architecture in Vienna
Having spent much of my time in the eastern part of Europe in countries like Romania, Hungary and Czech Republic, I immediately sensed the difference in terms of affordability. However, despite the potential dent on the wallet that a trip here might cause, this country is not to be missed out on.
Given the expensive nature of this city, it’s best to come prepared should you want to save dollars here and there. To help you out, here are some essential money-saving tips for Vienna:
Transport is expensive. It is best to get special day/weekly tickets.
Transport in Vienna is as efficient as it is expensive. Here is a quick overview of the costs of public transport tickets in Vienna:
Single ticket: €2.20 (€ 1.10 for children)
24-hour Vienna ticket: €7.60
48-hour Vienna ticket: €13.30
72-hour Vienna ticket: €16.50
Vienna weekly ticket (only valid from Monday to Monday at 9am): €16.20
Most budget-conscious travellers in Vienna will end up walking a lot to save money. A regular one-way metro ticket already costs €2.20. Hence, it would be much more cost-effective to buy the special day tickets if you’re planning to visit various sights spread around Vienna within a single day. If you are spending the whole week in Vienna – from Monday to the following week – you should purchase the weekly travel pass and utilise the trains and buses intensively!
If you need to take a taxi, try Uber, which tends to be cheaper than regular taxis.
Factor in tipping costs into your meals.
In Austria, especially touristy cities like Vienna, tipping is almost necessary. Otherwise, the waiter will likely feel like he/she didn’t do a good job serving you. From my personal experience, tips are expected – even when ordering a single drink like a €2 coke. What happened to me was that the waitress asked me very politely if the service was good, and if I could kindly leave some tips behind for good service.
Typically, a 10% to 15% tip of the total bill is appreciated. Therefore, it would certainly be wise to factor in tipping costs into your budget. After all, while you’re here, you deserve to enjoy Vienna’s wonderful cafés or restaurants at least once or twice!
On the other hand, if you’d hate to spend the money on costly (albeit really good) food, coffee or on tips, simply cook more meals. You can also patronise Austria’s many kebab or wiener stalls that won’t expect more money from you than the cost of the items listed.
Individual entrance fees for museums are costly. Get a Vienna Pass to save money.
Each entrance ticket to major museums in Vienna often costs more than €10. If you’re a museum-lover like myself, you can easily spend €50 or more on museums alone since there are so many gorgeous ones in the city.
Opt for a Vienna Pass which covers entry to most major museums, as well as rides on metro, buses and trams. If this isn’t the best deal out there for visiting Vienna, I’m not sure what is. The passes available are for 1-day, 2-day, 3-day and 6-day durations and range from €59 to €124.
Do take note that fashion stores, supermarkets and cafés/restaurants are closed on Sundays. The museums, however, remain open on Sundays, and so do museum shops and some souvenir shops in town. Hence, if you’ll be in Vienna on a Sunday, reserve that day for museum-hopping with your Vienna Pass.
Bonus tip: If you’re absolutely dying to shop on a Sunday, you can check out the fashion stores in major railway stations and airports. But aside from these, Sunday is clearly not the best day in the week to do your shopping in Vienna.
Drink the tap water. It tastes better than bottled water anyway.
Finally, something that doesn’t cost money – tap water!
Austria’s tap water is well-known to be absolutely safe for drinking. Instead of spending money on bottled water, you can fill up your empty bottles with the fresh spring water supplied daily through two mountain pipelines from the areas around Schneeberg, Rax, Schneealpe and Hochschwab!
From my personal experience, Vienna’s tap water is extremely delicious. It tastes much better than bottled water. Besides, drinking their tap water would minimise the chances of you buying the wrong type of water (by wrong, I mean the ones with gas) in supermarkets.
Keeping these few points in mind, you’d be sure to stretch every penny in Vienna and make the best out of your trip!
