When I arrived in Vienna, I was expecting Vienna to be more rural with a quaint, small-town European vibe. However, Vienna is as city as it gets and its city-like nature particularly shines through with its efficient transportation system. My German teacher, who did grow up in the countryside of Austria tells me that she loves living in Vienna because she doesn't need a car and can get to any destination in seconds. For just 51 Euros a month, you can ride the Ubahn (subway), trams, and buses. The ticket can be purchased in-person at a kiosk, or online through their mobile app. You don't have to "swipe in" to get into the train station, in fact, the only way to get onto the bus is to hop on through the backdoor. Purchasing transportation tickets works on an honor code system, which means that the Vienna government is trusting you to buy a ticket before riding. Failure to buy a ticket can result in a 200 Euro fine, so you don't want to be that person who doesn't buy their ticket and then gets randomly checked for it on the train one day.
To get to school, I take the U1 train for three stops from Praterstern to Stephensplatz (two touristy areas). All forms of transportation are usually really prompt; they're never late and they don't wait for people.
