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General1 min readUpdated September 24, 2026

Practical checklist

A practical, no-fluff start checklist for arriving in Vienna.

First-week paperwork

  1. Anmeldung (3-day deadline) — bring passport + signed Meldezettel + landlord's signature to any Bezirksamt. Free.
  2. Open a bank account — Erste Bank, Bank Austria, Raiffeisen, or N26 online (€0/month). Bring passport + Meldezettel.
  3. ÖGK student insurance enrolment — show admission letter + Meldezettel; €78.84/month auto-debits.
  4. SIM card — HoT (€10/month, 25 GB), yesss! (€8/month), or A1 for premium.
  5. 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: red (paper), yellow (plastic and metal packaging), brown (organic), white and green containers (glass); everything else is residual waste.

Learning German

  • ÖSD is the official certificate (A1–C2)
  • VHS courses €100–€180 / 8-week module

Frequently asked

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  • Do I really need to register at the Bezirksamt?

    Yes — the Meldegesetz makes it law; missing it can cost a fine of up to €726. It takes about 30 minutes — do it in your first days.

  • Can I work part-time without a permit change?

    EU/EEA/Swiss: yes, no limit. Non-EU students: up to 20 hours a week, once the employer has a Beschäftigungsbewilligung (work permit) from the AMS — granted to students without a labour-market test.

  • Where do I dump bulky waste (broken IKEA shelf)?

    MA 48’s Mistplätze (recycling centres) across the city take household amounts of bulky waste for free — addresses and opening hours at wien.gv.at.