How to arrive in Vienna

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Where do I register? How does the public transport system exactly work? Don’t panic: We will help you out with 5 tips on how to arrive in Vienna.

Our guide to start your new adventure right!

1. Just arrived at the Airport. What‘s next?

It’s always smart to get familiar with the public transport system as soon as you arrive somewhere new. Therefore, buying a ticket should be one of your first actions.

The company that runs public transport in Vienna is called „Wiener Linien“. You can buy your ticket at one of the numerous ticket machines inside every station, in tobacco stores or on board of buses and trams (at a slightly increased rate though).

For all those digital natives among you, the easiest way to get your ticket will be the Wiener Linien app (iOS and Android available) or online shop.

Start with a day-ticket or another short-term ticket until you know how regularly you will use public transport. If you’re a student, you might also purchase a semester ticket at a lower rate.

More info on public transport in Vienna: https://www.wienerlinien.at/eportal3/ep/channelView.do/pageTypeId/66533/channelId/-47643

2. Registering your new Residence

We know, we know… Everything’s so new and all you want to do now is to explore the neighborhood with your just bought public transport ticket.Unfortunately, there are things to be done which are not as exciting but necessary when moving to a new place.

Such as registering your residence. In Vienna, you are required to register at any of the Registration Service Centers in the Vienna District Offices within three days after your arrival. Most of the times these offices are quite crowded, so try to be an early bird at least once in your life or bring some time with you.

Check out the following link to get all the relevant information on your registration: https://www.wien.gv.at/english/living-working/registration/

If you’re an EU/EEA resident or Swiss national and plan to stay in Austria for more than three months, you will also need a confirmation of registration from Municipal Department 35 (MA 35).

Everything you need for the confirmation of your registration is described in the link below: https://www.wien.gv.at/english/administration/civilstatus/

3. Buy (or rent) a Bicycle!

A boy with purple hair and a colourful shirt is standing beside a bike in a bicycle cellar.

Done with the boring stuff? Good! It’s finally time to explore the city.

Vienna is full of cycle paths which are accumulated about 1,300 km (800 miles) long. With your own bike, you will not only save money on public transport and be more flexible, but you’ll also burn some carbs. In town, there are several bike stores and flea markets where you can buy your affordable and very own piece of freedom.

We couldn’t convince you yet? Give cycling in the city a first try with the public bike rental system Citybike Vienna (https://www.citybikewien.at/en/) and its over 120 bike stations. 

4. Learn the Language

OK, we admit that this point is not necessarily mandatory as you will go along with English quite well. But, learning to speak some German will make it easier for you to get in touch with locals and it will make your stay in Vienna more fun and memorable.

If you want to take it to the next level, you can even take some language courses. There are plenty of opportunities in the city.

Most of them are listed here: https://www.wien.info/en/vienna-for/learn-german

5. Get in touch with People and make Friends

Vienna Brigittenau rooftop terrace students

Making new and exciting experiences is great. Being able to share them with people is even better! And by people, we don’t mean your „friends“ on Instagram who couldn’t care less about which museum you went to.

Even if you live in THE FIZZ or a similar housing community, getting to know new people doesn’t come from anywhere. You won’t meet anybody if you stay in your apartment all day. 

Take initiative, hang out, study or work in the common areas and use all these great new technologies to connect and interact with people (e.g. THE FIZZ Closed Community on Facebook). There are plenty of opportunities. You only need to grab some!

We hope we managed to make your arrival in Vienna a little more convenient by providing you with this guide. Is there anything we’ve been missing? Just let us know on Facebook!

If you have any question during your time at THE FIZZ Vienna that we did not answer in our guide, you can still ask our staff on site who will be happy to help.

All photo rights by International Campus GmbH.