Anyone Been to Vienna, Austria--Need Travel Advice

you'll probably be using plenty of taxis (cheaper than here). email hotel and ask about their shuttle. most hotels have airport shuttles so you shouldn't have to take the train. downtowns are huge, so there isn't like we think of it as in the states they're big so you might want to do some research on what you want to see. a 16 month will be bored out of her skull, so nail down parks first, or at least include a park trip at least once a day. i prefer zurich to vienna, for some reason vienna seems very sterile to me. zurich was fun, they almost always have some kind of street festivals (this is pre-bebe era for me and my husband), but we used to stroll around, sit at caffes, then go to street markets, a little sightseeing etc. instead of doing vienna and zurich (which both are german type of cities), you may take the eurotrain to italy, northern italy, might be a change of scenery and architecture for you guys.
as for carseats, i have taken my now 5 year olds to europe a few times. we never bring our car seats. just impossible to drag them around. when you're in a taxi you're in and out and no taxi will be waiting for us to load and unload. taxis are cheaper than renting a car.we never did rent a car.
you're in luck euro value going down, just 2 weeks ago was almost 1.4 to 1 with dollar and now it's down to 1.2 :). so follow that and if you see it creeping up go exchange some dollars now. i don't recommend using credit cards. i always use cash or traveler's check because cc exchange ratio is not the best, pus i am afraid for fraud.
anyways, happy traveling

Hi V.,

You can do a lot on foot on Vienna and I'm not sure if carrying a car seat around will be easy. Once you get to your destination you will be carrying it and they are heavy. You want to be able to have your hands free for things including being prepared for anything to happen. Have you thought about a frontpack/backpack that is secure like a car seat that one of you could wear with her in it when you ride. When we traveled my husband would buckle himself in, then put the pack on his front and if there was any problem he could hold her to his chest. You can also call ahead and see if the Hilton could provide you with one if you really need it.

I personally loved the Sound of Music tour (shows you my age). There was a lot of city sites as well as the countryside. Schoebrun (sp?) Palace is beautiful. AND the food is incredible. Eating was one of our favorite things to do.

Also, stay on the tourist beat for safety unless you are traveling with a native. Keep your little one close! That's advise for all of Europe!

God bless,

M.

We lived in Germany for 2 years and loved it. From my experience we were able to get around by train, metro, taxi, walking, subway. I dont remember vienna specifically but as long as you are in the city you shouldn't have to rent a car. I would not bring a carseat. You could always buy one if needed. They do have stores like kmart or walmart. Definately invest in a good umbrella stroller. It wouldnt be as comfortable as a travel system stroller but you can quickly and easily pack it up for getting on and off trains and metros. Europe is great for train travel. Have you checked train prices. I think that there are passes that you can buy before you go. Ryan Air (kinda like southwest) had great air fare. In Germany each village has a summer festival and Austria might be the same way. The festivals are fun there are rides, food, usually wine and beer and all kinds of neat things to look at. In the rural areas the cows have bells around their necks.

Have you looked at travel books? Someone suggested Rick Steves I liked them and I think they have one for travel with kids. I also liked the eyewitness travel guides they have lots of pictures. Overall I thought Europe in general was kid friendly. My kids were 1 and 4 when we moved there and we survived.

Oh and we found good restraunts and fun things to do just by asking the receptionist at the hotels.

If you have any more questions you can alway sent me a message. I don't even know you and I am so excited for you, I loved Austria.

V.,
You may not need to rent a car once you are there, but you'll probably find it easier to have the car-seat on the airplane (assuming your daughter is getting her own seat, which for a looooong flight like this is advisable), and I agree with you - even in a cab ride, it is MUCH safer to have her in a car-seat. If you have her car-seat on the plane, it will be more like what she is already used to, and she may fall asleep easier, etc., etc. If you don't need it while you are there, you can always leave it in the hotel.
Best of luck and enjoy your trip!
-Christina

Downtown Vienna is approximately one square mile in size and you can walk around the town and it is bricked and it is mainly a walkway (no cars). If you have a fold up stroller that would be great instead of carrying baby. There are several churches with beautifuly stained glass windows, a shopping area (lots of high end items), an Roman bath for history, places to eat including a McDonalds near a park. The marina was the site for one of the Bond films. You will find the country very clean and picturesque.

It's been a bit since I have been there but you will enjoy your trip.

The other S.

You are not too far from Munich, Germany by train. You have the site of the Octoberfest and the museum has a large clock with figurenes, there's a hugh thoroughfare that looks like a Roman city near the university, there's the Olympic site from 1970 and the BMW headquarters for tours.

You should not need a rental car at all in Vienna even if you are not in the downtown Hilton. I stayed at a Hilton on the Danube and there was a van service to the trolley as I recall. Once you are in the city, almost everything is accessible by foot. There is one castle/palace as I recall that is outside the city but is reachable via public transport (a train as I recall). You don't mention the length of your trip. I highly recommend you go to Budapest - <2.5 hours by car from Vienna but very accessible via train. Also, Rick Steve's books are great for traveling on your own and he has good suggestions for day trips which might be easier with a child versus having to move hotels. My personal preference is to spend more time on one place in Europe rather than city hopping - for a weeklong trip, I will generally spend more time in one city and then take some day trips. If you have more than a week, Munich is another fantastic base city for excellent day trips, although Vienna is one of my absolute favorite cities and with a young child you really could have a great time spending time enjoying the lovely city - the sidewalk cafes are wonderful.