A practical, no-fluff start checklist for arriving in Vienna.
First-week paperwork
- Anmeldung (3-day deadline) — bring passport + signed Meldezettel + landlord's signature to any Bezirksamt. Free.
- Open a bank account — Erste Bank, Bank Austria, Raiffeisen, or N26 online (€0/month). Bring passport + Meldezettel.
- ÖGK student insurance enrolment — show admission letter + Meldezettel; €72/month auto-debits.
- SIM card — HoT (€10/month, 25 GB), yesss! (€8/month), or A1 for premium.
- Internet at home — Magenta or Drei entry plans €25–€30/month, no router fee for students.
Coffee, classics, culture
Vienna's coffeehouses are UNESCO heritage. Order a Verlängerter (espresso + water), sit for hours, journals provided.
- Café Sperl (6th) — 1880, marble + chess
- Café Hawelka (1st) — bohemian, late hours
- Café Phil (6th) — books, brunch, queer-friendly
- Espresso (8th) — small, perfect espresso
Free things to do
- Donauinsel — 21 km island for swimming, BBQ, jogging
- Schönbrunn gardens — free entry (only the palace tours cost)
- MUMOK / Albertina / Belvedere — free for students under 19, half-price under 27
- Wien Bibliothek im Rathaus — free reading room
Quiet rules
- Sundays: shops closed, no DIY noise
- 22:00–06:00: Hausordnung silence — no music, no shouting in stairwells
- Recycling is sorted: yellow (plastic), blue (paper), green/brown (bio), grey (residual). Wrong bin = neighbours' wrath.
Learning German
- ÖSD is the official certificate (A1–C2)
- Free ÖH courses at every uni
- VHS courses €100–€180 / 8-week module
- Tandem language exchange at Café Phil and ÖH events