Why You Should Pick Vienna for Study Abroad

Why Vienna is the Perfect Study Abroad Destination for You

If you’re wondering where to study abroad, let me tell you why Vienna is the perfect city.

You might be deciding between so many options, but Vienna truly is a magical place where everything just comes together. Let’s start with the robust public transportation system. Yes, you can take a subway anywhere in the world, but Vienna’s underground, commuter rail, and tram network is one of the best in the world. The U-bahn connects most major areas of the city and is super easy to navigate (see my guide!) and rather frequent compared to other cities. When I visited Athens, I was unfortunately impressed at how large the headways were between subways—each train was nearly 10 minutes apart!

Vienna’s tram network covers the rest of the gaps, plus they are a wonderful way to view the city and see different parts of each district. The S-bahn is a fast way to move through to major destinations like Wien Mitte, where you can purchase groceries at Interspar, or Wien Hauptbahnhof, where you can board trains to nearly every major European city. Plus, the entire city is covered under the Vienna fare zone, meaning you only need the semester-long ticket to travel throughout Vienna. The airport train is cheap, fast, and reliable—I wish I had one of these at Davidson or where I live in Boston!

Then there’s the food. Yes, schnitzel is what Vienna is known for, but a great Wurstelstand and a Kasekrainer on a cold November evening after class is exactly what you need, even if you don’t know it right now! There is a huge diversity of food options. It might not be the cheapest, I rarely had a meal that I didn’t love. Off the top of my head, I can think of three to four places that are cheap, quick, and delicious. Austrian food isn’t the most interesting, but the city is right in the middle of Western and Eastern Europe, so it has a lot of cool influences and spots. 

Vienna’s beauty isn’t just with the food and the practical city life. There is also a lot of green space and beautiful buildings. From St. Stephan’s Cathedral to the Staatsoper at Karlsplatz, the Musikverein building near Schwartzenbergplatz, to Schonbrunn, Belvedere, and the several city parks, there is something for everyone to enjoy. I really feel like all the green space and the palaces creates a really magical atmosphere whenever I walk around. Schonbrunn alone is worth three or four visits to explore the different parks, while the Inner City has several different options to clear your mind or just take a nice walk.

The city as a whole is just a perfect combination of everything you’d want from a European experience. You have the local, residential feeling neighbourhoods throughout the city, the exciting, bustling inner city with beautiful architecture, the robust transit network to use, and of course, that’s not even mentioning the culture of the city, like the bars and cafes. 

Lastly, as a cherry on top, Vienna is a major gateway to eastern Europe. The one thing I know is that most people will visit France, Spain, Germany, or Italy once eventually in their life. But Sarajevo? Dubrovnik? You get that opportunity on a cheap $30 Wizz Air flight from Vienna that you wouldn’t otherwise. So what are you waiting for! Come to Vienna and have the time of your life!