Let's Go Europe 2019. Harvard Student Agencies

go here. In case of a life-threatening emergency, an ambulance will transport you to the nearest one; they are both well equipped to deal with a range of medical issues.

      • AKH (Währinger Gürtel 18-20; 1 40400 0; open daily 24hr)

      • UKH (Kundratstraße 37; 5 93 934 50 00; open daily 24hr)

      Pharmacies: Pharmacies typically will say “Apotheke.” They are marked with a red symbol that looks like a cursive “L” connected to a pillar, making a shape that looks sort of like a “4.”

      • Internationale Apotheke (01 512 28 25)

      • Apotheke am Naschmarkt (01 586 51 59)

       ACCOMMODATIONS

       HAPPY HOSTEL ($$)

      Kurzgasse 2; 1 208 26 18; www.happyhostel.at; reception open 24hr

      Happy Hostel offers a quiet, sleepy stay on the western edge of the Naschmarkt district, with small but homey rooms and facilities. All rooms are equipped with access to a kitchenette, but the hostel also provides breakfast. The hostel donates breakfast tips to their partner NGO Happy Africa, which works building schoolhouses and medical facilities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Unfortunately, the existence of dorms at the Happy Hostel is on the fritz because of noise considerations for the building’s other tenants, but apartment prices are generally still affordable.

       i Apartments with shared facilities single from €35, double from €24, triple from €22, quad from €21; other dorms from €20; reservation recommended; BGLTQ+ friendly; limited wheelchair accessibility; Wi-Fi; laundry €2 per wash or dry; breakfast served for tips

       A&O WIEN HAUPTBAHNHOF ($$)

      Sonnwendgasse 11; 1602 0617 3800; www.aohostels.com; reception open 24hr

      A&O Wien Hauptbahnhof feels more like a hotel than a hostel, with wide tiled corridors and a lobby where kids run around or cling to their parents’ legs waiting to check-in. Between the tile and the blue and orange color scheme, it somehow seems like a public pool doing its best to seem sterile. Large common areas provide opportunities to meet other solo travelers, but it may take a little extra effort. Our greatest critique is that A&O will nickel and dime you. Here, you’ll pay for everything from using the foosball table (€5/hr) to renting sheets (€3.50).

       i Dorms from €20; reservation recommended; max stay 14 nights; wheelchair accessible; Wi-Fi; €2.95 fee if paying with card; towels and linens not included

       HOSTEL RUTHSTEINER ($$)

      Robert Hamerlinggasse 24; 189 34202; www.hostelruthensteiner.com; reception open 24hr

      Hostel Ruthensteiner sometimes feels like a commercial. Sitting in the common areas or sipping a beer in the garden, you will find groups of travelers planning their activities, meeting other backpackers for the first time, or breaking out a deck of Uno playing cards. Ambiguous rock music plays in the background and occasionally, someone pulls down a guitar or a ukulele from the wall and starts strumming out a familiar melody. With spacious, usually well-populated common areas and helpful staff, Ruthensteiner is a great place to meet other travelers.

       i Dorms from €10, singles from €36; reservation recommended; BGLTQ+ friendly; no wheelchair accessibility; Wi-Fi; 3% charge if paying with card; laundry €2 per wash or dry; breakfast buffet €4.50

       MENINGER HOSTEL CENTRAL STATION ($$)

      Columbusgasse 16; 0720 88 14 53; www.meininger-hotels.com; reception open 24hr

      Part hostel and part hotel, Meininger Central Station (Hauptbahnhof) has a clean, modern aesthetic. Meininger sometimes hosts large groups, and, in our few days there, we overlapped with a lacrosse team, a boys’ choir, and a bunch of other people rubbing it in our face that they travel with friends. The group dynamic of travelers here can make it hard to meet people, so we recommend the hostel more to groups than to solo travelers. It is a convenient ride on the U1 from the city center, which is ideal because the walk is not particularly exciting.

       i Dorms from €20; reservation recommended; min stay 2 nights on peak weekends; wheelchair accessible; Wi-Fi; towels not included; breakfast €6.90; packed lunch €4.50

       SEVEN HOSTEL ($)

      Lindengasse 4A; 1070; 06908 012 813; www.bestlocation.at; reception open daily 9am-11:30am, 1:30pm-7pm, and 9-11pm

      Seven Hostel Vienna will not be the cleanest hostel you have ever stayed in. But if all you need is a bed, it does the trick. The hostel isn’t insurmountably dirty, but most of the time it smells just a little bit like sweat and urine, reminiscent of that one kid we all had in our high school PE class. The shower-stall floors are always wet and, on summer nights, when everyone gets in bed, it can become extremely humid. The perks of the hostel are few, but significant: the showers are hot and well pressured, the location is very central, and the beds are some of the cheapest in the city.

       i Dorms from €10; reservation recommended; BGLTQ+ friendly; wheelchair accessible; Wi-Fi

       SIGHTS

      CULTURE

       KARLS KIRCHE (ST. CHARLES CHURCH)

      Karlsplatz; 1 505 62 94; www.karlskirche.at; open M-Sa 9am-6pm, Su noon-7pm

      You’ll find St. Charles Church looming over the plaza at Karlsplatz, where dogs splash nearby in the fountain and the sun beats down on the church’s high, green dome. Inside, incense burns steadily, making the air is as thick as a Young Thug music video. Behind the haze, a huge altar shows off an opulent work of gold and stone meant to depict God’s light. The dome of the church is 74m high and guests can visit the top, where there is a view of the city, though unfortunately it hides behind windows and fencing. The walk to the top will take you through a monstrous collection of scaffolding, giving you a rare personal look at the ceiling frescos, but if you drop your phone, you’re so screwed.

       i Admission €8, students €4; no wheelchair accessibility

       MUSIK MÜLLER

      Krugerstraße 4A; 01512 28 75; www.may-rische.at; open M-F 10am-1pm and 2pm-7pm

      In the heart of Vienna lies a small storefront that reads “Musik Müller.” Musik Müller is a sheet music store where you will find a selection ranging from orchestral classics to the score of La La Land. Our favorites are titles that claim to offer “The 14 Most Passionate Latin Songs,” and “Love Songs from the Movies,” with music from Pretty Woman, Dirty Dancing, and Footloose, among others. Maybe one day, they’ll have sheet music written by you. Because in a city of music, the true magic is to play your own. The highest form of being is artistry; isn’t that why Kanye claimed to be a god?

       i Free; no wheelchair accessibility

       NASCHMARKT

      Naschmarkt; www.naschmarkt-vienna.com

      Open air markets are often where cities show off their best selves. The Naschmarkt, at the confluence of Vienna’s first, fifth, and sixth districts, pulls out all the stops. Picture this: aisles lined with colorful assortments of food