Vienna Hostel Ruthensteiner: How to Make the Most of Interrailing

Is it possible to mix hostelling and hiking into 1 trip? That was the question I attempted to solve when planning a European mini interrailing trip for myself and housemate, Shaun. Despite both of us having travelled to Munich and Vienna independently many years earlier, we thought it would be adventurous to add a short Alps hiking trip in the middle. The 8-day itinerary was a budget trip, staying in hostels and using trains to travel between the 3 locations, so maximising what’s possible in early June. Discover why Vienna Hostel Ruthensteiner is the best hostel in the city, as well as our favourite must-see sights! Part 1 covered the Munich section, Part 2 on Mayrhofen and finally, Part 3 on Vienna.

Vienna

Overview: Austria’s capital and cultural heart, Vienna (Wien in German), is steeped in imperial history and artistic legacy. One of the prettiest cities I’ve visited, with sculpted gardens, impressive architecture and plenty of culture to immerse yourself in! We have 2 days to immerse ourselves in the gorgeous city and visit the stunning palaces and gardens. Like most modern European cities, there is a convenient and reliable transport system to get from Schönbrunn Palace and around the city. Vienna blends modern industry to stay relevant with its musical, architectural and artistic history. It’s a city that offers a diverse culture and is perfect for tourists looking to learn about the influence Vienna has had on the world. The city is full of parks and green spaces along the stunning buildings, which have made it one of the world’s most liveable cities.

Vienna Hostel Ruthensteiner

Vienna Hostel Ruthensteiner offers a hub for backpackers around the world to meet, share stories and create everlasting memories. It’s one of the highest-rated on HosteWorld and attracts glowing reviews thanks to its community spirit. It was even voted Europe’s Best Hostel 2024!! With a history spanning back over 50 years, Hostel Ruthensteiner has built a reputation for its artsy, sustainable and friendly atmosphere. From affordable organic, nutritious breakfasts to hostel-cooked meals and group games, it’s easy to mingle and meet like-minded travellers. We met a large group of Brits, Americans, Australians and other backpackers while chatting over dinner, at the bar and then playing group games before heading to the bars.

From experience, I loved the ambience with people jamming on musical instruments, very in tune with the heritage of Vienna. There are plenty of activities to do, free bike rentals and tours of the city. The garden is a highlight with lush plants and comfortable furniture, making it the ideal place to meet fellow backpackers over a drink or board game. Vienna Hostel Ruthensteiner is located a short 5-minute walk from the Westbahnhof train station, between the city centre and the Schönbrunn Palace.

Highlights:

• Renowned for classical music, with ties to Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert.
• Architectural gems include Schönbrunn Palace, Belvedere Palace, St. Stephen’s Cathedral, and the Ringstraße.
• A hub for international diplomacy, hosting the UN, OPEC, and OSCE.

Vibe: Elegant and intellectual, Vienna offers a refined mix of history, art, and gemütlichkeit (cosy charm)

Trip Planning

Flights

• We managed to get cheap flights from Heathrow to Munich with Lufthansa (only £59 each). Then had a return from Vienna to Heathrow with British Airways costing £46 each. Overall, this trip was made possible by the bargain flights when we travelled in 2022. Vienna International Airport is 18Km from the city centre and connected by high-speed public transport links.

Hostels – Vienna Hostel Ruthensteiner

• I used HostelWorld to research accommodation, as well as using Shaun’s previous experience. In Munich, we stayed at Wombat’s City Hostel near the Hauptbahnhof for its great central location. The choices were limited in Mayrhofen, with mainly hotels and apartments available. Hostel Chillertal was much more affordable and located next to the river, a short walk from town. Finally, in Vienna, I took Shaun’s advice to stay in Hostel Ruthensteiner, which turned out to give great social vibes and to meet people. As explained above, Vienn Hostel Ruthensteiner is a must-stay in not just Austria, but in Europe too!

Transport

• From Munich Airport to the centre, there is a fast and reliable metro system costing only 4 euros. And similar to Vienna, there is cheap public transport out of the city to the Airport. We spent 11euros for both airport trains; however, the Interrailing trains were much more. From Mayrhofen to Vienna cost us 44 euros (£38) for the 3-hour scenic trip into the mountains on the ÖBB Railjet. In Vienna, the Airport is connected via the City Airport Train (CAT) to Wien Mitte in only 16 minutes, costing a Single: €14,90, return: €24,90. ÖBB Railjet is another option to the Wien Main Station, costing only €4.60 for a single. Otherwise, the S7 S-Bahn railway runs every 30mins and takes 20mins to travel into the centre. Buses are €11 for a single and take over 40 minutes, so I would recommend the S-Bahn or OBB Trains.

Kit List

• For this Hostelling Interrailing trip, I used my trusted Hostelling Packing List in my Osprey Farpoint 40 Travel Pack. As we planned 2 days hiking, the additions were my much-loved La Sportiva TX4 GTX approach shoes and a small compact 10L Quecha hiking pack (which doubled as a day-pack in the cities). This gave me sufficient quality hiking gear to safely hike out of season.

Activities

• Our plan was to visit the Allianz Arena for a Stadium Tour thanks to our shared love of football. We debated visiting the BMW Welt, but needed another day in Munich, so we visited the Englischer Garten (English Gardens) instead (for free). Mayrhofen would give us 2 incredible alpine hikes with a surprise visit to the Water Park and Swimming Pool on Day 3. In Vienna, we planned to visit the famous Schönbrunn Palace and Belvedere Palace. Then spend the rest of our time enjoying the views on foot.

Day 6- Vienna

Train

It was time to leave Mayrhofen for our last destination, Vienna. This was the longest train journey at over 5hours with a single transfer at Jenbach. I daydreamed about hiking and climbing the Austrian mountains we rolled past. It gave us a good opportunity to reflect on our backpacking trip so far and exchange ideas. It was here that Shaun and I first discussed a podcast and brand which encompasses what we enjoyed most. We talked about psychology, adventure, sports and travel for hours enthusiastically. I brainstormed different concepts and ideas to branch out. I guess the earliest ideas of a blog and website, such as Backpacker’s Mentality, came from this conversation in Vienna.

Vienna, Hostel Ruthensteiner

The train arrived at Vienna Central Station, where we changed to a metro towards Hostel Ruthensteiner. The rain was pouring, so we jumped off at Westbahnhof and raced over to the Hostel. Vienna Hostel Ruthensteiner is located down a quiet residential road. The unassuming exterior gives way to the popular Hostel. With a revolving door of backpackers, there are people moving frequently from days out into the kitchen, bar or lounge. Music can be heard from inside alongside laughter, which is a good sign upon arrival. The Check-in was detailed with many activities and recommendations to discuss before we could get to our dorm. We got ready to explore the city centre despite the poor weather.

Old Town

A short metro journey from the hostel took us to Stephansplatz, where the enormous Gothic-style Cathedral towered above us. In hindsight, we should have paid the 8 Euros entry to see the inside, but instead, we roamed around in the rain. We took shelter in various shops such as Steffl and other high-street brands, but didn’t pull the trigger on any gifts or souvenirs yet. In search of dinner, we stumbled upon Diwan Holzkohlengrill 1060 MaHü, which actually had vegetarian options! We enjoyed falafel and kebab wraps under the covers outside before treating ourselves to ice cream. We visited the insanely highly regarded Eissalon Garda Zanoni Raffaello (4.7 with over 2000 reviews on Google). The ice cream was worth the hype! Before retiring to the hostel, we went to visit one of Shaun’s favourite bars in Vienna, Travel Shack Vienna. A dark party bar with live sports, cheap drinks and a fun vibe for backpackers to socialise.

Day 7- Vienna

Schönbrunn Palaces

The day started with a nice 30-minute walk to Schönbrunn Palaces from Vienna Hostel Ruthensteiner. We picked up breakfast from the hostel, which was filling and healthy, plus cheap to keep the trip costs down. The Palace Classic Pass costs € 40.00 inclduing Schönbrunn Palace, Privy Garden, Orangery Garden, Maze and Gloriette. We decided to skip the inside of the Palace rooms and chose to take in the impressive exterior design. Youthfully, we pretended to be a rich Austrian aristocrat from the balcony overlooking the vast entrance. The Schönbrunn Palace Park is free to walk around and is a must-see! Some of the gardens (Orangery and Irrgarten) are paid for, but there are plenty of free paths to stroll along, and the Rose Garden is beautiful to visit.

Belvedere Palace

After the Schönbrunn Palaces, we got coffee at the incredible GOTA Coffee experts. We jumped on the U3 from Westbahnhof to Stubentor and switched onto the tram to Schloss Belvedere. The Palace was even busier than Schönbrunn, being in the heart of the city. There are 2 Palaces, the upper palace is a Baroque style with 800 years of history and art masterpieces by Klimt, Schiele, Funke, Messerschmidt and van Gogh. We only Upper Belverdere, which cost us €22,50 (€21,00 online). The Palace is stunning, and with such impressive artworks, including The Kiss. There was a hall full of head bust sculptures, which we found amusing and terrifying with their facial expressions. The gardens between Upper and Lower Belvedere are very charming to see.

Vienna’s Historic

For lunch, we popped into Honu Tiki Bowls for a refreshing meal. Then explored the historic buildings further by walking past Vienna State Opera, Hofburg, Heldenplatz and Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien over to Volksgarten and Rathausplatz. It’s unlike any other city with a grand piece of architecture on every street. We walked past the Butterfly House in Burggarten, along with the Mozart-inspired gardening. Vienna City Hall is another must-see next to Rathausplatz, in the Gothic style seen across the city. We soaked up the mix of architecture and landscaping before walking towards the river. Similar to Munich, we strolled along the graffiti-covered path before jumping back into the Old Town. It is easy to visit each of these famous Vienna attractions, but the cost will add up quickly!

Karlskirche

Now the day was brighter, we got a better look at St Stephan’s Cathedral and were in awe of its enormity. Whilst it is free to enter the main nave, the 136m tower climb did require a ticket. And we were getting tired after a day walking around the city. Before returning to the Hostel, we visited Karlskirche, another icon to tick off. Karlskirche is an 18th-century Habsburg domed cathedral with a 32.5-meter platform with great views of the ornate frescoes. We hopped on public transport back to Westbahnhof and had some much-needed downtime before what turned into a very late night.

Day 8- Vienna

Night-out

Technically, part of Day 7, but it was such a late night into the early hours of Day 8, the lines were as blurry as our vision by the end. It all started with cheap hostel drinks at the bar, as every good backpacking night out does. Instead of venturing out, we opted for the hostel’s cooked meal by the staff after sparking up a conversation with several groups of Americans and Australians. The vegetarian pasta dish was tasty, and the group was quickly expanding! We were split between staying for a group game or hitting the bars early. The vote decided to stay for a game of Wolf

Recovery

To say we were feeling worse for wear with pounding headaches and minimal sleep was an understatement. First, we packed our bags in the dorm and had quick showers to freshen up (separately to clarify). It was quick to check out of Vienna Hostel Ruthensteiner, and the bags were stored in a luggage room until later. Next, we grabbed breakfast from Hofer near Westbahnhof to help with the hangover. We returned to the Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, an imposing 19th-century museum, but decided against paying to enter as we wouldn’t have appreciated it. The views of Heldenplatz and Hofburg were worth seeing again before exploring the next area of Vienna.

Kohlmarkt

We continued our walk over to the Sisi Museum and the shopping district. Kohlmarkt is where all the high-end fashion brands are located. It’s a much more popular street with shoppers jumping between the watch makers, clothing boutiques and other luxury brands. The Sisi Museum and Peterskirche nearby are spectacular buildings to observe. Next, we walked over to the Albertina Art Gallery, but our brains couldn’t deal with an art exhibition. When I return to Vienna, I plan on visiting the Museums, Galleries and Opera House to fully appreciate all the history and culture of the city. Finally, we didn’t have time to visit the famous Café Central with its history involving Trotsky and Freud.

End of Trip

Our 8-day trip was almost over as we returned to Vienna Hostel Ruthensteiner to collect our bags. We said farewell to one of the best Hostels I’ve stayed at. Then headed to Vienna International Airport via public transport. The trip had packed as much as we could in Munich, Mayrhofen and Vienna. The flights and trains allowed us to spend the maximum time in each location and gave us freedom to explore on foot with handy trains & metros where needed. The highlights for me will be the Allianz Arena tour in Munich, the Mayrhofen hiking days and the Belvedere Palace visit in Vienna. If hiking is not your thing, then swap the Alps for Salzburg, similar to my First Solo travel involving Munich and Salzburg!

Budget

We planned for this to be a cheap budget trip and tried to save as much money as possible. We stayed in hostels instead of hotels or AirBnBs, and we found great prices for return flights, which helped. The biggest surprise cost was the Vienna trains at over £80, but these took 5hours respectively and were booked late. The hostels cost on average £25 per night, which is a bargain! Also, we kept our costs down by using supermarkets for breakfast and lunches instead of eating out every day. In total, for the 8-day trip, we spent £86 a day, which safely qualifies for a budget trip.

Food & Drink

The food in Vienna had the best variety, in my opinion, and offered far more vegetarian options. We enjoyed a hostel-cooked dinner to save on eating out and enjoyed a healthy breakfast as well. My favourite dish was the poke bowl, as I was craving fresh and organic food. We didn’t try too many authentic Austrian dishes in Vienna, so unfortunately, I can’t give too many recommendations here. And the Austrian Beer is very good as well, in particular Stiegl! The Travel Shack is the place to visit to meet fellow travellers and get very cheap drinks!

Art

Final Thoughts

Upon reflection, this interrailing trip managed to combine 2 cities with alpine hiking using only trains as transport. We almost optimised each day and made the most of each city, apart from the hungover last day in Vienna. And even though the trains were the largest cost, it’s possible to offset the inter-destination transport tickets by cheap hostels, flights and food.

Vienna is the prettiest and most charming European city I’ve visited. There is so much art, musical and other history linked to the city to explore. The mix of Gothic churches, Baroque palaces and modern buildings gives a full mix of architectural styles to appreciate. I would recommend 4 days in Vienna to fully visit the numerous palaces, museums and galleries. And if you’re looking for a hostel, then look no further than Vienna Hostel Ruthensteiner!