I am interested in laying siege to Vienna over New Year's. Does anyone know if this is a good time to go? Also, the name of a good hotel would be greatly appreciated.

Hi,
I can't recommend a good hotel because I had a very difficult time finding any hotel at all to stay in when I was in Vienna. This advice is probably out of date but when I was there in 1998, it was almost impossible to find a hostel or hotel that would accept credit cards as payment. (I needed to use a credit card because my ATM card--issued from an American bank--wasn't compatible with the Austrian machines.) My advice would be to have cash on hand when you arrive in Austria. Anyone else, please chime in if this is no longer the case.
--Suzanne

You couldn't choose a better place to see in the New Year. However, finding a hotel at the more reasonably priced end of the market is almost impossible unless you book well in advance.(Sorry no suggestions). As for the problem with credit cards (see previous message) this was certainly an issue until recently. But things have changed pretty rapidly In Vienna - especially in the last couple of years - so you shouldn't have too many problems. Of course, a bit of extra cash is always useful.

SPK

ps - don't forget your EUROS for the 1st!!!

try nethotels online they have a booking service and each accommodation page tells you wether they take credit cards
we are just about to leave for vienna and have chosen a place called pension dr. geissler. its inexpensive, right in town and has a three star rating so we'll keep our fingers crossed!

Try http://www.aardvarktravel.net/cgi-bin/at/atsearch.cgi?Terms=vienna+hotel&Range=All

Paul

AardvarkTravel.net
The world's leading travel search engine
http://www.aardvarktravel.net

I have been to Vienna a number of times since 1996. Any VISA credit card will work in any ATM in the city - I drew cash like this all the time. I can't speak for other card types (AmEx, MasterCard, etc). I stayed in Pension Dr Geissler once (mentioned in a previous post) and it's fine. A really nice place just out of the city centre is Pension Kraml, Brauergasse 5 (fax +43 1 586 7573). It's listed in many travel guides. The cheapest hotel around is the West End Hotel (Fugergasse 3), near West Bahnhof (tel +43 1 597 6729, fax +43 1 597 6727). There are plenty of nice, cheap pensions on and around Maria Hilfer Strasse heading down from West Bahnhof towards the city centre. Note that staying just out of the city centre and buying a pass for the metro/bus every day (allowing unlimited travel) will be much cheaper than staying in the city centre.