TripHip - Travel Tips and Advice for Traveling on a Budget

Vienna is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Creamy-white buildings, grand boulevards, winding alleyways and stunning Gothic churches, Vienna embodies so much of what is best about Old Europe. The problem is, however, that much of this beauty comes at a cost; a hotel or rented short-term apartment in the Inner Stadt, Vienna's "inner city" and prime historical region, which houses the State Opera, the Hofburg Palace, the main shopping street, and the Stephansdom cathedral, is hugely expensive, although admittedly less so than prime districts in other major European cities like Paris and Rome. The best thing to do is to consider some other neighborhoods if you want a recession-friendly retreat.

If you're young and trendy - but don't want the grunge and overly hipster druggie scene of the area near Erdberg, where rockers and goths spend their time - consider the charming district of Mariahilf. Located between Karlsplatz and the big commercial shopping street Mariahilferstrasse (Gumpendorferstrasse is the main street of the district), Mariahilf is full of delicious and "in," restaurants, bars, clubs, and cocktail venues, along with art house cinemas and the Naschtmarkt, a flea and food market with a decidedly Turkish bent heading out from Karlsplatz. It's certainly an unmissable area to visit, but it's also surprisingly affordable - if not the cheapest - to stay in. For example, at Cafe Phil - a retro cafe-cum-bookstore-cum-bar-cum-video-store, etc., - you can get one of their enormous breakfast menus, including yoghurt, grains, meats, cheeses, rolls, vegetables, and more, for between 5 and 7 euro. Mariahilf is also less than 5 minutes on foot from the Opera House! Slightly, but only slightly further out, on the other side of Mariahilferstrasse, is Mariahilf's neighbor, Neubau, with a similar, but slightly more hippie/less "trendy" feel. Neubaugasse, the main street of Neubau, is also famous for its Indian restaurants. The block has many of Vienna's best.