VIEVienna · ATExchange destination
Vienna pairs imperial grandeur with one of Europe's biggest student populations, so you get world-class culture on a manageable budget in a city that consistently tops global liveability rankings.
Austria avg / mo
€900–1,350
Languages
German (Austrian dialect)
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c/o Vienna group chat · Fall 2026
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Insidoor
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City Guide
Vienna is a capital that runs like clockwork: spotless public transport, drinkable tap water, safe streets at 3am and around 200,000 students across nine universities. You get the cultural weight of Mozart, Klimt and the coffee houses without the frantic pace of Paris or London, plus fast trains that put Budapest, Prague and Bratislava within a couple of hours. It is pricey by Austrian standards but still gentler on your wallet than Zurich or Munich.
The scene splits between the imperial and the alternative. In summer everyone drifts to the Donaukanal bars and the Danube Island for free swimming and open-air festivals; in winter it moves to the Guertel arches under the U6 line and the Bermuda Triangle near Schwedenplatz. The Erasmus Student Network runs weekly meet-ups, and the university mensa canteen is where you will make your first friends over a cheap lunch.
Vienna sits at the top of the Austrian range: budget roughly 1,000 to 1,400 euros a month once rent is in, though frugal students in a shared flat manage closer to 950. Your single best money move is the student semester transport ticket at around 75 euros for the whole term. Eating at a university mensa costs 5 to 8 euros, and a half-litre of beer runs 4 to 5 euros in a normal bar.
Vienna's rental market is calmer than Barcelona's but you still want to start early. The classic student option is a WG (a shared flat) found on WG-Gesucht, or a subsidised dorm room booked through a provider like OeAD, home4students or WIHAST. Beware any landlord asking for a deposit before you have viewed the place, a common scam targeting arriving students.
The Wiener Linien network of five U-Bahn lines, dozens of trams and a dense bus web will get you anywhere, and night buses plus 24-hour weekend metros cover the small hours. Almost everything inside the Ringstrasse is walkable, and the flat centre is a dream for cycling. You will rarely wait more than five minutes for a train.
Vienna's universities are huge: the University of Vienna is one of the oldest in the German-speaking world, TU Wien is the top technical school, and WU Wien's Zaha Hadid campus is a destination in itself. Lectures can feel impersonal with hundreds of students, so registration for seminars and exams via u:space or TISS opens on fixed dates and fills fast, so set an alarm.
This depends entirely on your nationality. EU/EEA and Swiss students don't need a visa, you just register your address (the Meldezettel) at the local Magistrat within three days of arriving, and if you stay over three months you file an Anmeldebescheinigung (registration certificate) at the MA 35 immigration office.
Non-EU students need a residence permit. For a semester under six months it's usually a Visa D (national visa); for a full year it's the Aufenthaltsbewilligung Studierende (student residence permit), which you generally apply for at an Austrian embassy before you travel. Expect to prove funds (roughly €600+/month), health insurance and your acceptance letter. Start early, appointments and processing are slow.
Vienna's soul lives in its coffee houses, where you can nurse a melange for hours as a paying guest at Central, Sperl or Pruckel. Food-wise, work through a proper Wiener schnitzel, a Kaesekrainer from a late-night sausage stand, and a slice of Sachertorte, then head to a Heuriger wine tavern in Grinzing for young wine straight from the grower.
Vienna is carved into 23 numbered districts, and the number tells you the vibe. The 7th (Neubau) is the creative heart of boutiques, Spittelberg's cobbled lanes and the MuseumsQuartier; the 2nd (Leopoldstadt) has the Prater, the Karmelitermarkt and a young mixed crowd; the 9th (Alsergrund) is studenty and close to the main campus. Broadly, the higher the district number, the cheaper the rent.
Vienna is one of the best-connected launch pads in central Europe. Bratislava is barely an hour away by train or the Twin City Liner boat down the Danube, Budapest and Prague are easy weekends, and the Wachau Valley's vineyards and the Semmering Alpine railway are on your doorstep. OeBB regional tickets make group day-trips absurdly cheap.
Vienna rewards you for playing by its many rules. Register your address at the Meldeamt within three days of arriving, as you need the Meldezettel for everything from a bank account to your transport pass. Locals are formal at first but warm up quickly, and a mumbled 'Gruess Gott' goes further than 'hallo'. On Sundays almost everything except restaurants shuts, so shop on Saturday.
Student Reviews
“I take courses from the biomedical engineering master of TU Wien. I recommend to take the Biosensors ans signals class, though it is a little difficult, the lecturer makes the class very interesting. If one likes mechanics, one should take introduction to biomechanics class and transport phenomena in biological system (more related on fluid mechanics). I would recommend the class Biocompatible materials only if you are very interesting on the subject or if you have notions of material science, because the lectures can be difficult to follow. Personnally, I find the Biology class and Anatomy and Hislogy course interesting but there are so many things to learn by heart for the exams, I don't like this point. It feels more like medicine studies than engineering studies, for these two courses.”
“What I was surprised the most was it’s safety, especially for girls, of course as in every city there are areas to better avoid late at night, but beside that I always felt super safe going back home alone at night ( I rarely took taxis).The public transportation is excellent, the only downside is that the metro is open all night long just on Fridays and Saturdays during the week you can use night buses.Another aspect to keep in mind is that most of the shops/supermarkets are closed on Sundays ( except for the ones in the stations).Overall it is a super efficient city, you won’t have much to complain about!”
“Gadeanus Sprachwissenschaft Unterrichte Einführungen sind auf jeden Fall sehr interessant, da die akademische Methodes hier sehr unterschiedlich als in Frankreich sind. Auch würde ich euch NICHT sagen, der Veranstaltungen von Frau Dr. Wozonig, sie ist sehr nett aber SEHR akademisch, was wirklich für Erasmus Studente anstrengend ist”
“Yes, i recommend it. I would probably pick the same place, but i almost never see my roommates. If you don't speak German here, people don't talk to you, so i had hoped for more fun roommates. But the accomodation and location is good!”
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