Modes of transportation in Vienna

It occurred to me, the other day, that I haven't yet posted about the various types of city transportation here. That should've been one of the first things I'd blog about, but I was so overwhelmed with getting ready for school in August that I just didn't have time.

Besides cars, buses and taxis, there are 3 other modes of transportation in Vienna.

The first is called a Strassenbahn, or "street car".

Here's a modern-looking Strassenbahn...

...and here's an older-looking one.

When I rode this one for the first time, I felt like I was going back in time; the seats were wooden, and the interior was old but not falling apart.

I don't ride these very often because their routes are usually along back streets and lead to random places, but someday, I want to grab a book and hop on one for a few hours, just to see where they lead.

This is an U-bahn.  (I think it means "underground train".)  I ride this every day to work.

This is a sign for the Schnellbahn, or "quick train".  These aren't as common as the other 2 modes, but they traverse both within the city and around the Vienna border.  There's a special Schnellbahn that takes me to the airport in 30 minutes (I know this b/c I timed it).

View of a Schnellbahn

I've never ridden one like this, with a double deck.  (I took this photo when I was waiting on a different one.)

Route board and screen of Schnellbahn schedule

I have this to say about city transportation here:  I LOVE IT!  Overall, the stations and the transportation are extremely clean, except for the occasional mess.  All are extremely punctual and reliable, and it's cheap!  I bought a Jahreskarte that allows me to legally travel on as much city transportation as I want to each day for the price of only 1 Euro a day.  You really can't beat that!  :)

The price is low for tourists and/or people who live in the city short-term, too.

Just fyi for anyone who's thinking of visiting Vienna any time soon.  ;)