- In December, it starts getting dark at around 3 pm. When we landed in Vienna around that time, the sun was already setting. This doesn’t leave you with a whole lot of hours of daylight to explore.
Picture of Naschmarkt taken at around 2:30 PM, when the sun was already starting to go down - Ticketing for the transit system is kind of confusing. We had a two-day transit pass. I think we were only supposed to put it in the stamping machine after the first use. It took a few stamps for us to realize that, and by then, you couldn’t even tell the start date/time it said on our passes. Also, no one ever checks your ticket on the bus, trams, or subways.
Catching the train to the Schonbrunn Palace - Backpacks are not allowed in museums. Chances are, if you’re a tourist, then you’ve probably got a backpack of some sort. They make you check your book bag at museums (at least 90% of the museums we went to). It’s free of charge but going through the drop off/pick up process can be a bit of a hassle.
- The Vienna Pass is only worth it if you’re into museums. There are non-museum attractions but the main ones are the big museums like the Hofburg, Belvedere, and Schonbrunn. If you are like me and can’t seem to find yourself to appreciate the arts, it might be worth skipping. After the second or third museum, a lot of the stuff starts to look the same. But the good thing was that it allowed us to check out attractions that we normally would not have, if we didn’t have the pass. We went with the two-day pass, which ran us 78 euros. This means that we also jam-packed a lot of things into the two days in order to get the most bang for our buck. You can order online (there might be a small discount if you do so) and pick it up at the airport or their office in the city center.
- It is COLD. It was expected, considering the time of year we went. However, I did not expect it to be colder than NYC. Plus the early sunset only made it feel gloomier.
Our hotel had no fridge, so we used the window sill as the fridge and it worked out perfectly - Food is pretty cheap. At least compared to other European cities that I’ve visited. For the most part, the cost of dining out in other parts of Europe were parallel to the costs of of dining out in New York City. In Vienna, it was probably 3/4 of the price. A main in a typical two-dollar sign restaurant would be about $10, and a beer or wine would be about $4.
A glass of wine at the rooftop bar with a view of Stephansdom cost about $6. In NYC at a rooftop, It would have been 2-3 times that
how to be a tourist 
Having just come back, it’s definitely not cold in May! I was surprised by how warm it was. A gorgeous city.
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I might have to do a trip back there in the springtime then!
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