Eurovision trams in the streets of Vienna. Photo: Wiener Linien

Grüsse aus Wien! Eurovision Ireland is already here on the ground in stunning Vienna, bringing you all the latest happenings from the rehearsals and backstage at the Wiener Stadthalle. Will you be joining us soon in the Austrian capital? Wondering where to start with it all? Welcome to our Vienna Survival Series – let us do the hard work so you can just turn up, relax and have a great time!

So by Dark Magic or an insane amount of luck, you’ve got your ticket for the final. Wünderbar! But how do you get around the Austrian capital? Thankfully, travel in Vienna is straightforward as the city has an extensive public transport network, including trams, buses and an underground system. Vienna has 5 underground lines (confusingly there are 5, but one is called U6!) and it’s probably the easiest and fastest way around the city centre.

The stations you’ll need for the upcoming Eurovision events are:
Wiener Stadthalle: Burggasse Stadthalle or Westbahnhof (10 mins walk)
EuroCafe: Kardinal Nagl-Platz
EuroVillage: Rauthaus
EuroClub: Ottakring or Josefstädter Strasse (both about 15/20 mins walk)

When buying your ticket, a weekly ticket works out cheaper in the long run than buying tickets for individual journeys. Especially as it affords you unlimited travel on Vienna’s buses, trams and metro for just €16.20 – bargin! Ticket sellers in the stations generally speak excellent English and the touch-screen ticket machines can be changed from German into English, Italian and many other languages, so no need to worry about having your phrasebook at the ready when buying your ticket!

REMEMBER – CARRY YOUR TICKET WITH YOU AT ALL TIMES. The Viennese travel networks are patrolled by plain-clothes officers who do random spot checks for tickets. If you are caught without one, you will be hauled off, tried before a kangaroo court and summarily executed. Well ok, not quite that dramatic – but you will be ejected from your transport and have to pay a €50 fine…

And as if this guide wasn’t enough, we’ve even made a video of Eurovision Ireland Editor-in-Chief Garret and regular Eurovision Ireland writer James buying their passes for the Vienna transport network (apologies for the slightly startled look, no time to rehearse!)

Stay tuned for more Viennese delights as we explore Austria’s capital and show you the short cuts to making your Eurovision trip to Austria one to remember!