Vienna is small enough that you will not need a car, and the Wiener Linien annual pass is the cheapest way to move: it covers trams, buses, U-Bahn and the S-Bahn inside the city. If you are on shift work, the night buses run when the U-Bahn does not.
Get a prepaid SIM on day one — you will need a local number for the bank, the Meldezettel appointment and every clinic form. Prepaid works fine until your employment contract starts.
The Meldezettel (residence registration) has to be filed within three days of moving into an address. Your landlord signs it, you bring your passport, and you file it at any Magistratisches Bezirksamt. Almost everything else, including your bank account, waits on this piece of paper.
Quick takeaways
- •Annual transport pass beats monthly if you are staying a year
- •Prepaid SIM first, contract later
- •Meldezettel within 3 days — landlord signature required
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