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My mouth opened and closed like a goldfish, with no sound coming out (it’s not often I’m lost for words)! When Pauline told him, the Manager of the Vienna Volksoper was aghast that someone should do such a thing in Vienna! What had happened to cause such outrage? We’d just found, on arrival at the theatre through the crowded Metro, that our tickets had been taken from what I thought was safekeeping in my shoulder bag.
I’d read warnings in VT about the light-fingered people found in most European cities but had thought I was safe. My shoulder bag hangs in front of me and is zippered across the top. The opera tickets were in an envelope in the ‘first opening’ part of the bag. Fortunately my wallet was in a separate internal zippered pocket.
How had it happened? The Metro was crowded and I found myself standing, separated from Pauline and at times unable even to move; not thinking about it, I held an overhead rail, leaving the bag exposed; as we left the train, a woman jostled me, then turned to abuse someone in the carriage before disappearing in the crowd. Going down the stairs from the Metro I noticed the bag’s zipper mostly open and closed it, thinking no more at the time. Reality dawned at the door of the theatre! The moral of the story is that it just is not possible to be too cautious, especially in crowds.
There is a happy end to this story. The good people at the Volksoper checked our VISA card to confirm our previous reservation – then gave us new tickets to some of the best seats in the house, adding that they wished to help restore Vienna’s good name. I can only say that they certainly did that – we shall forever remember their kindness: it does restore one’s faith in humanity.
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 GO ON! YOU KNOW YOU WANT
TO!! by themajorLeave a Comment
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 by WStat
So be aware of those dangers, don`t leave your purse or briefcase unattended.
Frequently those pickpockets work in gangs, using children as the "approaching pickpocket", who passes his booties quickly to a grown-up. If you have problems or your purse has vanished, get out and inform the station-manager at the next stop immediately. As there are some police-officers in charge at various stations, your information may be important also for other passengers in danger of beeing robbed.
Dont forget to get a protocoll at the next police-station for your insurance !
The service-number below is valid from whole of Austria; there are english-speaking officers who will tell you the address of the next police-station. Leave a Comment
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 Watch out on the U-bahn! by TheWanderingCamel
It was a very neat little operation. Two of us on the platform, no one else close by. The train pulled in, I stepped forward, my friend a step behind. A young girl slipped in front of me and stepped into the train first, then stopped just a few steps in from the door, apparently looking at the map over the door, blocking us from moving forward. Annoyed at her lack of manners as much as anything else and impatient with her, I pushed past her after a few seconds, sat down and was joined by my friend, who then told me how three other girls had crowded her, making it difficult for her to move forward. My moving forward had cleared the way for her to move, but not before she felt something on her bag. The girls moved to seats down the train and were joined by the girl who had stepped on first. They all got off together at the next stop, no doubt hoping to set up someone else in the same way. There's no doubt in my mind that, had I not moved as I did, my friend's bag would have been snatched and the girls would have been off the train just as the doors closed, ready to play the same trick again as soon as their friend joined them. Leave a Comment
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Karlsplatz is probably one of Vienna's busiest underground stations, with three underground lines converging here. It is also a haven for drop-outs, drugdealers and alcoholic vagrants. Whilst some keep themselves to themself, others can be confrontational. The police is aware of the problem but does not seem to be able to keep it in check - they scoop up many but it is like cutting the heads of the hydra. The establishment of a protection zone surrounding the nearby school has really only caused the problem to move back inside the station. There are security cameras throughout the station, but vigilance is recommended when walking through the station, especially towards the Resselpark end at night. Keep your belongings well concealed, and walk briskly and confidently through the station. Do not stop if someone asks you for change, food etc. Leave a Comment
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 Trams, bikes cars - Keep to
the right lane. by Ekaterinburg
Here the off street area is very wide and you tend to think you can meander all over the place without paying attention. I discovered that this is not true when I narrowly missed being knocked down by a cyclist zooming by at considerable speed. It was entirely my own fault, as gazing at some point of interest, I crossed over from the pedestrian lane into the cyclists lane without thinking.This is very easily done so you really do need to be careful. I did learn a new word from the experience though. It was shouted at me very loudly. Scheisse ? Now I wonder what that means.
You also need to be careful of the tramlines when crossing the street.
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Be careful with your belongings when you are in the public transports, in crowded public areas, in cafes and restaurants, etc., because there are pickpockets waiting to steal your valuables when you are distracted or unawares. Even though Vienna is relatively safer compared with other major European cities, it is still plagues with petty crimes, especially pickpockets.
Be vigilant and aware of your surroundings. Be alert always. Don't be easily distracted. Don't expose your wallets/purse, don't count your money in the open (you would think some tourists are smart enough not to do this!),
Pickpockets operate in groups and one or two will try to distract you and another will take your money/bag when you are not looking. Also do not leave your bags unattended while sitting in cafes or restaurants. Petty thieves will take the opportunity to grab your bags when you're not looking.
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Vienna's public transport system operates based on trust. That's why you don't see any barriers or ticket controllers selling tickets on the buses, trams and underground trains. After you buy the ticket from the vending machines, you must validate the ticket (on blue stamping machines) before boarding the underground trains or validate in the buses or trams.
The ticket for one journey is Euro 1.80 which can be used on all the public transport within the Zone 1. One journey is defined as an uninterrupted journey using trains, buses or trams, or the duration of 60 minutes, whichever is shorter.
However tempting it is to just cheat the system and ride for free, be warned that if you get caught by the ticket controllers, you will be fined on the spot, no matter what excuses you give. They don't care if you are a tourist or a resident.
Update: In the past, the ticket controllers would come into the transport and those with no tickets would quickly leave as soon as the vehicle stops. However nowadays, they would be waiting by the exits of the trains; i.e. as soon as you get out of the train and step on the platform, they will be waiting there to ask for your validated tickets. So, if you don't want to pay Euro 50 - 60 fine, just take a few minutes to buy a ticket.
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Having lived in Vienna for quite a while now, I can conclude this is one of the safest cities I've ever been to. There are no really "dangerous" areas at all, public transport is very safe.
The only real dangers, I guess, are pickpocketing and bicycle theft. Use caution and common sense.
Some areas (Karlsplatz, Praterstern, Schwedenplatz) have crowds of drug addicts hanging around. These people may look scary to some, but are generally harmless (I walk through Karlsplatz on a daily basis and have never seen any actual trouble). There's also a lot of police surveillance there. You may also see drunk and aggressive individuals sometimes, in that case simply stay away.
Just as in *any* major city of the world, it is always advisable to "blend in", stay calm, try not to look too much like a helpless and clueless tourist. Although I haven't seen any place in Vienna I wouldn't walk alone at night, it's probably sensible for women to stay in company if possible.
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 Ava at the Vienna Airport by alaskamomLeave a Comment
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