Word & Pictures by Shaun Troke
Though Vienna’s Travel cards are good value for money, I can’t hold their transportation system in such high regards…
So, before I go into details about how Wiener Linien ruined my visit to Vienna, I’ll start at the beginning of this trip to Austria’s capital.
CLEANLINESS
Airport
Upon arrival, I loved Vienna International Airport (VIE) – it appeared brand new!
It was clean, it didn’t seem to be chaotic like many airports, and, it was a brilliant welcome into Austria.
And, underneath the airport, is the railway station.
I was in Vienna for 4-nights – arriving Thursday evening, departing Monday morning – so, it made sense to wait until Friday morning to purchase a 72-hour Vienna Card.
Why?
I figured if I bought the 72-hour Vienna Card at 10am on Friday morning, then it would still be usable on Monday morning, to get me back to the airport before 10am…72-hours exactly.
That was the plan.
But first, I needed to get to my accommodation…
So, a separate single ticket would need to be purchased from one of the machines at the airport’s railway station.
Ticket Machines
At first, the machine is tricky to work out. Not just tricky for me, but I watched as others stepped away from the machine, looking quizzed, before returning to the machine to try again…
This inevitably caused the forming of small queues from the machines.
TIP: Before you use a ticket machine at the airport railway station, make sure you know the correct spelling of the station you’re travelling to!
On that Thursday night and on the Friday morning, I was already loving my time in Vienna…
And, at 10am on Friday morning, it was time to buy that 72-hour Vienna Card.
THIS ticket was much easier to purchase from a ticket machine.
Boarding the train to my first destination, I was excited & ready to explore Vienna!
But, little did I know that, within 10 minutes of owning this 72-Hour Vienna Card…
My exploration plans were about to be ruined.
RIDICULOUSNESS
Rushing down the steps to catch the train, I noticed there weren’t any barriers/machines to slide my ticket into, like the ones you see in London, or in New York City’s subway stations…
I just assumed that maybe some stations in Vienna didn’t have these.
My destination was only three stops away, but just before the second stop, a man asked to see my ticket…
I produced my ticket, he took it, and then, just as the train was arriving at the second stop, he began getting off the train…with my ticket!
Immediately panicked, I went after him, grabbing my ticket as I did so…
He refused to let go of the ticket, while I was telling him, “this isn’t my stop!”
Until finally, when his compadre arrived by his side, he uttered the confusing words, “your ticket isn’t validated”.
What the Hell was he talking about?!?
Validation
The two rude & abrupt ticket inspectors informed me that, when you buy a ticket from a machine, the ticket needs validating in another machine…
To which, one of the guards pointed to a sign on the wall – written in GERMAN – that says you’ll be fined €105 if you don’t validate your ticket!
“I can’t read German!”, I argued.
But, it was no good…these guards were determined to fine me.
I couldn’t believe this was happening!
I’d just spent nearly €20 on this 72-hour ticket, and now they wanted MORE money from me…for PURCHASING a ticket?!?
My brain was struggling to understand the ridiculousness of this situation…
After many “This is crazy!”’s left my mouth – and, because I didn’t have enough cash in my wallet – I was marched to the nearest ATM (in a supermarket!) to withdraw €100!
This all happened within the 10 minutes after buying the ticket!
Bleakness
It was the most expensive train ticket I’ve ever bought…and, I’ve travelled on the Trans-Siberian Railway!
My budget for Vienna had now gone.
My plans were now scuppered.
And, my mood certainly wasn’t good for the next 72 hours.
Pretty much everywhere else I’ve been to in the world, when you buy a ticket from the machine, THAT’S when it’s valid from! It’s valid from the moment you purchase the ticket! From the moment that ticket drops out of the machine!
I, and others, feel that tourists are truly being targeted this way in Vienna:
https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/vienna-train-ticket-validation-1293934/
http://vanillaskydreaming.com/viennas-ridiculous-metro-system-couldnt-wait-leave/
In theory, we did nothing wrong: We purchased a ticket; We put money into Vienna’s tourism system; We didn’t know about – or understand – the validation process; We get fined.
It’s so wrong.
Less than 24hrs after arriving into Vienna, my excitement had turned to anger.
And, as well as leaving a huge dent in my wallet, Vienna had left a bitter & sour taste in my mouth, too.
GOODBYE VIENNA
Because of the €105 fine, I had no budget to do the things I wanted to do in Vienna…
Which is why I was glad to leave this city when my departure day arrived.
Yet, Vienna was to give me one final struggle before she let me go…
As much as I liked the airport upon arrival, the departure system was different to most places:
Whereas most places allow you to go through security first, when you can then sit in a cafe/bar area or do some shopping (for food & beverages) to relax yourself before the flight, Vienna International Airport prefer that you buy things like Duty Free and food/water/beverages BEFORE going through security!
This made no sense to me.
And, this method also becomes a little problematic when reaching security.
Bottles of water (that you’ve just purchased) have to be placed – and sealed – in a special separate bag, with the receipt inside the bag, too (surely this additional plastic isn’t helping the environment in any way at all!)…
To be honest, it’s all just extra hassle on top of going through security like you usually would.
And, it took SIX attempts for my bag to get through security, too! Either they really are just extra cautious or I just look really shifty!
WOULD I RETURN?
Compared to many other cities in the world, the transportation system (and the airport departure system) in Vienna is indeed very foreign.
I will never ever forget this experience – the abrupt guards, the non-logical validation system, the severe fine from buying a ticket – and, I will ALWAYS hold a grudge against Vienna because of this…
Yet, if I was to ever return one day, I’d most likely avoid using anything related to Wiener Linien, which may be a little tricky, but right now, I do not want to give this company any more of my money.
I tried to reclaim the money back from Wiener Linien, to which I received this response:
“We regret that you disagree with our decision. But since you did not show a valid ticket during the check, you had to pay a fee like any other passenger without a valid ticket“…
Even though I HAD A TICKET (as I write this, it still makes me angry, because IT MAKES NO SENSE!)
I argued with Wiener Linien (via email) that I could show them my arrival & departure flight tickets, to PROVE I wasn’t scamming their system, or, trying to use the ticket for longer than 72-hours…
But, no.
Validation is what they require.
So, if you purchase a ticket in Vienna, make sure you validate yours…
Because, Wiener Linien have no intentions of excusing ignorance…
Even if you HAVE a ticket!