Car rental Vienna
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Vienna guide
Vienna is the capital of Austria, and is located on the Danube River in the northeast of the country. The city has 1.7 million inhabitants (2011).
Vienna is the country’s cultural and economic center, and an important industrial and science city. The city’s university was founded in 1365. Vienna is also a major transport hub, and has great tourism.
Vienna is known for being one of the world’s most important centers of classical music. Here you will find museums for famous composers and musicians such as Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Shubert and Strauss – all of whom have lived for shorter or longer periods of their lives in Vienna. The city is also famous for its annual music and theatre festivals.
Attractions
The historic centre of Vienna is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and there are many beautiful churches and monasteries. Stephansdomen (built in the period 1304 – 1511) is a popular tourist attraction here – with its characteristic 136.7 meter high tower.
Other attractions in Vienna include the 18th-century “Belvedere” ,the “Vienna State Opera” – the main opera house in the city from 1869, the Gothic church “Ruprechtkirche” from the 13th century, the Natural History Museum – with geological and botanical collections as well as the Museum of Art History – where, among other things, the Natural History Museum – was built in the 13th century. can see works of art by Rembrandt and Rubens.
The city also has a theatre museum, a museum devoted to the psychologist Sigmund Freud as well as a zoo.
A little southwest of the city center is the palace “Schönbrunn” from 1695, which is a major tourist attraction. The palace was formerly an imperial hunting castle and summer residence, but is today a museum. The place also has a beautiful park landscaped in the French style in 1706. Schönbrunn is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Explore Vienna with car hire
Vienna is very centrally located in relation to several exciting capitals, including Bratislava, Prague and Budapest. It is also easy to reach a number of beautiful villages, and places of historical interest. The Alps are also not far away if you have a rental car at your disposal and will take a trip skiing or on foot in the mountains. Here are a few tips for driving with Vienna as a starting point.
Burg Kreuzenstein – Fairytale Castle just outside Vienna
The medieval Kreuzenstein Castle is not a long drive from Vienna and is actually most accessible to those who have a car rental. Getting to the castle with public means of communication is cumbersome and takes a long time, while by car you reach there in minutes. The castle is very adventurous, causing one to think of princesses, dragons and heroes. What you see today dates to 1874, but it was a reconstruction of a castle that stood in the same place since sometime in the 12th century. The reconstructed castle is also built with materials from other medieval castles, which is why Kreuzenstein has a touch that makes it look much older than it really is. The castle stands neatly located on a hill, which made it impossible to conquer until the Swedish Army conquered Kreuzenstein during the Thirty Years’ War. You may have seen Burg Kreuzenstein before, since it’s been used as a coup in a variety of movies and TV shows– such as The Witcher which came on Netflix in 2019.
- From the center of Vienna to Burg Kreuzenstein it is only 26 kilometers. You drive north along the Danube on the A22 and will normally take 25 to 30 minutes on the trip.
Milk and Krems in the Wachau Valley
Wachau is the name of a beautiful valley and cultural landscape located west of Vienna. The Danube flows through the valley, making Wachau a fertile area. The climatic conditions mean that Wachau is a suitable place for growing grapes, and there are therefore several famous wine-producing farms here. At each end of the valley you will find the two small towns of Melk and Krems, both of which are great places to visit. In Melk you will find one of the most famous and impressive monasteries in Austria,Stift Melk which was founded in 1089. There are also several other sights of historical significance in Melk. Krems is the largest city of the two, and is famous for its beautiful old town in the city center. This is also a popular city to go on shopping trips to, and especially if you are looking for good white wines from the Wachau Valley.
- From Vienna to Melk it is about 88 kilometers. The driving time is about 1 hour and 5 minutes.
- If you want to drive along the river through the beautiful valley to Krems an der Donau, this will take about 35 minutes (the distance is about 37 kilometers).
Budapest – Twin City to the East
There is a strong historical bond between Vienna and Budapest in Hungary. The cities shared the status of capital of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. The short distance has also meant that there has been a lot of trade and exchange of traditions between these two regions. Although history dictates that there are many similarities between Budapest and Vienna, the contrasts are also great. Taking a trip to Budapest by car rental is one of the best and most popular excursions you can take when you are in Austria’s capital. The same applies if the case were to be reversed. In Budapest you should visit some of the many sights that are on the UNESCO World Heritage List,not to mention one of the city’s Roman or Turkish baths. The city also has a lot of museums and galleries (over 220 in total in the city centre), a very great opera, and a couple of islands in the Danube River that offer green parks and beautiful gardens.
- It is about 244 kilometers from the center of Vienna to Budapest, the capital of Hungary. With no stops along the way, the drive will take about 2 hours and 40 minutes.
Prague – Golden City of the Czech Republic
The capital of The Czech Republic also has a similar historical connection to Vienna, as Budapest has it. The city played an important role in the monarchy of Austria-Hungary, and large parts of the city centre have architecture reminiscent of what you see in Vienna. The traditions and culture are also not unlike what you find in Austria. It is relatively short distance to Prague,and possible to take a day trip, but we recommend that you spend some time in this magnificent city. In Prague, the sights are close-in-dense, it is affordable to stay there, and the city has an exciting cultural and nightlife. If you come by car, consider putting this from you in the hotel garage or similar. Prague is best experienced on foot (or by tram/metro), not least because you should also stop by a Czech pub and taste the good pilsners.
- From Vienna to Prague it is approximately 294 kilometers if you drive the shortest route via Znojmo and Jihlava in the Czech Republic. The driving time without a stop will then be about 3 hours and 45 minutes.
Petronell-Carnuntum – A Roman Outpost
Carnuntum was the name of a Roman fortress town and settlement dating back to about 50 e.Kr. At the time, Tiberius, and then Marcus Aurelius were rulers of the Roman Empire. Carnuntum was a strategically important base for the wars against the Markomanners, a Germanic people who lived here. These wars are, incidentally, the inspiration for the famous film “The Gladiator” by Ridley Scott, starring Russell Crowe. Today, Carnuntum is one of Austria’s most important sights. Here you will find remnants of the Roman fortress, including amphitheatre, Roman bath, gladiator school,and several administrative buildings. Some of this has been reconstructed. The city also has an exciting museum where artifacts from archaeological excavations are on display.
- From Vienna to Petronell-Carnuntum it is about 43 kilometers if you drive via the A4 and B9. The driving time will then be about 35 minutes.
Parking and traffic with car hire
As a rule, parking spaces in the streets are marked with white stripes in wines center. Also look for signs showing that it is allowed to park. The sign will show the word “Gebührenpflichtig” if the parking space is charge. It will also say which time you will have to pay the fee. You will naturally find a number of parking garages in the city centre,and the largest hotels’ garages are also good options when looking for parking space. The most affordable solution is to use Park-And-Ride. These are serviced parking spaces on the outskirts of the city centre and are always in close proximity to public transport.
Driving in Vienna is relatively easy and straightforward, with the exception of the Old Town (Innere Stadt). Most streets are closed to traffic. What you should pay extra attention to in this city are the many cyclists and pedestrians in the streets. The roads often have their own fields for cyclists (do not confuse these fields with parking spaces). There are also many tram tracks in Vienna, and you should be extra careful at the tram stops. On the motorways and country roads outside Vienna and in the rest of Austria, it is about as easy as driving in Germany.
Airport
The airport serving Vienna is called Vienna International Airport, or Flughafen Wien-Schwechat in Austrian. It is located a short drive southeast of the center of the capital. In total, approximately 27 million passengers use the airport within a year. Traffic comes mainly from European cities. You can also fly directly to Vienna from Canada, USA, Thailand, China, Japan, Egypt, Morocco, emirates and countries in the Middle East. The airport has 4 terminals, three of which are connected to each other. The fourth, Terminal 1A is located opposite Terminal 1. Most scheduled flights with the largest airlines arrive at Terminal 3, while many low-cost airlines use Terminal 1A.
At Vienna International Airport, the companies that offer car hire are collected at a separate center at the exit to parking lot 4 (P4) on the ground floor. There are also rental cars. The arrivals hall of terminals 1,2 and 3 is connected to the center. The companies you find here are Alamo, National, Avis, Payless, Hertz, Flizzr, Sixt, Thrifty, Enterprise, Buchbinder, Budget and Europcar. The car rental company U-Save has its desk right next to the parking lot.
- From Vienna International Airport into the center of Vienna it is about 23 kilometers. The driving time is approximately 25 minutes in normal traffic on the roads.