Travel Vienna to Prague

Leaving Vienna is no easy matter for the uninitiated. If you want to reach the airport, the train leaves from Vienna Mitte. But there’s no U-bahn station by that name. The same station that is called Vienna Mitte on the suburban railway system is called Landstrasse on the U-bahn. Westbahnhof is a little better with stations actually having the same name but, if you don’t know the ropes, you’ll probably surface at a small building surrounded by four pairs of tramlines. But following everyone else will get you round the building to the station itself. The Sudbahnhof doesn’t even have an U-bahn station. You have a messy walk along to SudTyrolaplatz.

Unfortunately Sufbahnhofwas recently destryed – complete with ‘pop’ concert! -and is now being completely rebuilt so that trains now leave from elsewhere. The fast Prague trains leave from Vienna Meidling but, as usual, there is no such station on the U-bahn. I ask at the information desk and they tell me “It’s on the U6 stupid” – the “stupid” is implied by the incredulous look they give me. Unsurprisingly, there’s no Vienna Meidling but I find out that Philadelphiabrücke is the same station, again by another name.

Arriving far too early, as is my wont this cold morning, I spend an hour wolfing croissants and surprisingly good coffee in the warm first class lounge. With my Vorteils card, I have one of todays “specials” which entitles me to travel first class at less than the cost of second class. The sojourn in the first class lounge is added pleasure as it is very cold outside today.

The train arrives on time despite having come from Villach. Its destination is Hamburg via Berlin, Dresden and Prague. It’s only obvious when you look on the map that the most direct route to Berlin is via Prague.

Although Vienna first district is almost free of snow, the route out of Vienna has substantial depths of snow. As the Czech Republic is part of the the European Common Market, there are no passport checks on the border and we are soon passing through glaringly white landscapes dotted with villages along the way. After passing through a number of large cities and meandering along lines going through very pleasant countryside, we reach the rather large station of Prague.

Wenceslas Square is not far from the station. As I pass the State Opera House I see a group of young people watching one of their number with a needle in his arm as I pass. They seem unperturbed by my presence. At the other end of the Opera House tunnel under the main road, I see another group around yet another with a needle in his arm. I have never seen anybody injecting drugs before, thank goodness, but to see two people on one day does not bode well for Prague. Both groups seem quite healthy and well dressed. They are using those tiny syringes with which I had my flu and H1N1 injections not so long ago in Vienna.

I usually stay in the old grotty historical part of town. In Prague, I have struck gold with a studio apartment – letting agent speak for one room – that has a lift!!! It’s perched over Marks and Sparks in Wenceslas Square no less, a ten minute walk from the station. The balcony above Marks is the place from which those famous speeches by Havel (and Dubcek) were given in November 1989. I am staying in (the rather ‘rundown’ remains of) a famous building.

But I am in friendly territory! Besides Marks and Sparks below me, I have Debenhams exactly opposite and C&A a little to the right of Debenhams. Round the corner is the biggest TESCO store I have ever seen. And they all seem to be doing good business as far as I can see.

The entrance and office of the rooms are definitely grotty. The people are all exceedingly friendly and I am surprised by the number of security staff around the place. To get to my room, I walk down a long corridor into the very bowels of the building. I then take the lift until I am above two levels of dancing school, two levels of Marks and Sparks, and finally two levels of ‘Wellness Centre’. No sooner have I settled in my room then the owner appears and chats. He rents rooms long term and lets them out short term. He’s a nice man and asks if he can do anything for me. I point out things like the fact that there is an oven but no means of using it because there are no cooking utensils. That doesn’t seem to concern him much but he has put a vase of tulips on my table!! You cannot have a better welcome than that!!!

But, as I have only booked a short stay, I also negotiate a further stay at ten euros a night less than the advertised rate, which is already very low. But I only get this after a lot of muttering and clicking on the agent’s calculator. I normally only do this when there is evidently heaps of capacity on the internet booking sights for a city. Many of these rooms are occupied by Marks and Sparks employees. As the rooms are a long way back from the Square and my room looks out on to rooftops, it is ideal for me. I am happy!!