| Information for Accompanying Persons |
People luckily enough to have some spare time to spend during the working group meeting might find some useful information on this page. The focus lies on things to do in Baden and in Vienna, and there is certainly more to do as easily fits into only a couple of days. And having said this, there is even more around. Therefore, if you have any questions, or miss information on something you would like to see or learn about, please let me know: knoop@complang.tuwien.ac.at.
Baden, located in Lower Austria and close to the Viennese Woods, roughly 25 km south of Vienna, and 33 km south-west of the Vienna airport, is home to around 25,000 inhabitants. Especially in the first half of the 19th century it was the preferred summer resort of the Imperial Family. Baden is also known as a city of music. All great Austrian composers, almost all the composers of operattas as well as many famous poets visited or even lived in Baden for some time. Mozart, Strauß, Beethoven, Salieri, Schubert, Mendelssohn-Bartholdy are just a few names which have to be mentioned here. Nowadays Baden - sometimes also called Schwefelstadt (sulphurous city) - is a well-known health resort, actually already even appreciated by the Romans for its sulphur springs 2000 years ago. Baden offers a rich variety of baths and springs, parks and gardens, coffeehouses, "Heurigen" (taverns), idyllic wine places as well as leisure and sports facilities. In addition, Baden also hosts a casino - it is said to be the largest one in Europe, a trotting course, 8 golf courses (within 25 km), fine shops, an ice-rink, and much more. If there is snow, there are plenty of cross-country skiing opportunities. Baden itself is very idyllic. It is stamped by its biedermeier houses alternating with classicist facades, its villas and palaces, markets, theatres, concert houses, and museums, among them a Beethoven museum, which is located in the house, where Beethoven wrote part of his 9th symphony. To get a first impression of Baden please click here, and for a more comprehensive overview here.
As you can see, there are a lot of things to do in Baden. First of all stroll around its markets and places. Points of interest are the Josephplatz, a good starting point to explore the amenities of Baden, the Frauengasse, the Grüner Markt. Make sure not to miss the Parish Church, have a look at the Theatre, enjoy the Spa Park and the Doblhoffpark. Browse the shops in the pedistrian zone, make a fortune in the Casino, relax at a Heuriger, and don't forget to enjoy the wellness facilities, possibly after having had a walk to the ruins of the medivial fortresses Rauheneck and Rauhenstein, which will reward you with a splendid view of the Helenental.
For further recommendations and informations please check out the links below.
Finally, the Tourist-Info Baden can be found at:
There is a bus network operated by Wiener Lokalbahnen AG. Timetables are available as pdf-files and can be down-loaded here. Fortunately, Baden is small enough allowing you to conveniently explore (most of) its attractions just by strolling around.
Vienna has so much to offer and to explore that it is fair to say it is a mission impossible to even only aim at providing a roughly complete list of things to do in Vienna. Instead you will thus find below a collection of introductory and basic links allowing you to start discovering and exploring Vienna on your own. In addition, it provides some useful information on public transport in Vienna. As an appetizer I recommend that you might have a look at the link to Vienna Guide below and browse the plenty of guided walking tours offered to select a tour matching your interests best or to get inspired for making up a tour of your own or even more. Check out for tours sorted by topic.
Further interesting links:
Finally, the Tourist-Info Wien can be found at:
Wiener Linien operates an excellent service of public transport in Vienna. As mentioned elsewhere, there is a metro, streetcar, and bus network, but almost all of the major attractions in Vienna can easily be reached by only riding metro. This makes getting around in Vienna especially fast and easy. On the other hand, you have a bunch of options to buy tickets for Wiener Linien. To purchase the ticket which serves you best and provides the best value for your money, please take some time to browse the ticket options at your disposal. Except for the Vienna Card - it is sold at counters of Wiener Linien (located at major metro stops such as Karlsplatz, Landstr., Spittelau, ...), major hotels, Vienna tourist information, etc. - all other tickets are available from vending machines. The vending machines accept cash (both coins and bank notes) as well as major credit cards and bank cards carrying the Maestro logo.
Fur further information on tickets, etc., please consult the homepage of Wiener Linien. A nice summary can also be found here.
Tip: If you have a valid ticket, which entitles you to ride within the city limits of Vienna (see above), and would like to go from Baden to Vienna or back, you only need to buy a ticket from Baden to Wien Liesing. A single-ticket from Baden to Wien Liesing costs 3 EUR (or equivalently, 2 stripes of a stripe ticket). In comparison to a ticket from any place within Vienna to Baden (or back) this saves you 1.50 EUR on each trip.
If you are going to come back to Vienna or Baden once (and at another time of the year), you may find some of the following links useful.