101
Vienna International Schwechat
Airport and from there you can
either take a bus that leaves
every thirty minutes or take the
S-Bahn commuter’s train to reach
the city center that is about 20 km
away. In addition, you can also
take the fast train CAT that leaves
every thirty minutes to reach
the city center. Those who want
to make Turkish practice can
prefer taking a taxi that will cost
about 30-35 euros. There are
five subway lines (U-Bahn) you
can spot with the U sign, about
a hundred bus lines, 29 tram
lines and a perfect transportation
network fully adopted to the
S-Bahn and it is possible to go
to almost anywhere in Vienna
via public transportation. All
public transportation vehicles do
not have a turnstile or a control
system. No one asks if you have
a ticket or not. However, there is
a substantial fee for those who
are caught without a ticket during
one of the rare controls. It is wiser
to prefer transportation passes of
24, 48, 72 hours or a weekly pass
instead of purchasing tickets one
by one. You will have to carry the
card with you throughout your
travels after showing it to the
system once.
Vienna is suited to travelling
around with a bike. It is possible
to rent a bike with a credit card
for 1 euro from the Citybike bike
sharing system that you can find
in many parts of the city. The first
hours are free. Actually travelling
around with a bike seems like
the wisest choice for those who
like biking and those who trust
their performance since the bike
roads have been organized in
a continuous manner and are
the primary roads of transport
in the city. The city seems to be
invaded by bikes and bikers as
is the case in almost all other
European cities. And of course by
horse-drawn carriages that I will
mention shortly…
Vienna is a really expensive
city. That is why it is important
to organize the flight and hotel
reservations as early as possible.
Even though it seems there is a
crowded list of things to do and
see in Vienna, it is possible to
accomplish most of them during
a 2-3 day trip. Most of these are
within walking distance at the 1st
Vienna which is the old city center
(the city is run from 23 different
administrative centers). One
should select the hotel from this
region or at least from a region
that is within a few subway stops
to here.
The old city center known as
1st Vienna located to the south
of the Danube Channel is the
touristic center of attraction. We
may start by making our own
city tour on the 1st and 2nd
tram lines running in opposite
directions along the Ringstrasse,
which is a large circular street
that has been made after the
surrounding old city bastions
have been taken down. The
Maria-Theresienplatz Square
with Stadtpark, Musikverein
and the famous opera building
Staatsoper, Hofburg Palace,
Museums of History of Art and
History of Nature along with the
Parliament Building, Burgtheater,
University Building and Votiv
Church are all on this line. You
can alternatively select 1A, 2A ve
3A ring lines of the buses to make
the same tour in a more detailed
manner. The Stephan Cathedral
or Stephansdom is located at
the center of the old city center
surrounded by this ring which is
the most important icon of the
city with all its grandeur. If we
have left the tram than we can
say that our location is good to
start a walking tour. The 136,7
meter tall cathedral deserves
to be the symbol of Vienna with
its colorful roof, magnificent
Gothic architecture and since it
has witnessed the history of the
city since the 14th century. It is
rumored that the bell located
on the southern tower of the
cathedral has been made by
melting the weapons left behind
by Turkish soldiers after the 2nd
Siege of Vienna. Those who
wish to climb to the top face
373 steps. The bell tower has
another interesting story. The
clerk that was stationed at this
tower in 1534 was responsible
from observing the Ottoman
raiders and to ring the bell in
case of a possible raid to warn
the public. And this has gone on
for centuries. Until 1956, when
the Vienna City Council has
decided that there is no more
an Ottoman threat. The interior
of Stephansdom and its high
dome, stained glasses and all
details are worth seeing. There
