Apartment, Hotel, Aparthotel, Boarding House, Bed & Breakfast – that are all possible accomodations for your stay in Vienna. But which one is the right one for you?
Apartment
Apartments for a city break or holidays in a capital is quite new. About 10 years ago City Breaks grew popular and so the price for a hotel or a boarding house suddenly increased in Vienna. At this point many private flat owners started private apartment rentals for a single or several apartments. These apartments are usually self-catering, but provide a kitchen and all cookware you need. These private apartments can be found all over vienna and especially internet booking helped that small businesses to grow.
Plus:
- reasonable price
- often at top locations
- much space
- good for families
- washing machine
- usually good equipped
Minus:
- No daily sheet/towel change or cleaning
- Usually no breakfast provided
Aparthotel
An Aparthotel is a special kind of apartment rental where a complete house of apartments is provided. It is kind of a mixture between apartments and a hotel as usually breakfast is provided or is at least an option. There exist a few aparthotels for holiday guests (weekend or up to a week). Most aparthotels provide serviced apartments at a high class level – at a highlevel price.
Plus:
- best of two worlds
- breakfast
- change of sheets/towels and cleaning
Minus:
- ofter high price
- top locations only bookable a month or more
Bed & Breakfast
Bed & Breakfast is in the UK and Ireland a very common form of accomodation. In Austria that would be called "Urlaub am Bauernhof", which is set on the landside not in the city center. So a classical bed & breakfast with single/double rooms and breakfast and the family living nearby is not very common in Vienna.
Plus:
- Price
- Breakfast
- perfect for short stays
Minus:
- not everyone likes that familial style
- not very common
- no kitchen on your own
- small rooms
Boarding House
A boarding house is the bed&breakfast in bigger cities. In German a boarding house is called "Pension". Rooms from 1 – 8 persons are usual and breakfast is always in cluded. Boarding Houses can be found everywhere in Vienna – from the historical city center to the edges in small "Heurigen"-Areas.
Plus:
- price
- breakfast included
- often good locations
Minus:
- often old fashioned
- often no modern equipment (TV, internet)
- small rooms
- no kitchen
- no washing machine
Hotel
Booking a hotel room is the most common way to travel to another city. And that has not changed in the time of internet booking. Especially the 4 and 5 star hotels are booming in Vienna. Every year at least one new highend 5-star hotel is opening. The disadvantage is the gap that is getting every year bigger: the gap between 3-star or less and upper class hotels. The midrange hotel and a reasonable price is usually at least 20 years old.
Plus:
- new high class 5 star hotels every year
- luxurious
- top city center locations
Minus:
- price
- high price
- no kitchen
- no washing machine
- all services cost extra money