TIPS for future pmu exchange

 

Streetwise Maps are an incredibly helpful tool. They can be bought at Barnes & Nobles or Amazon.com

-If you visit during the fall, your umbrella will be your best friend.

-Wear "fanny pack" that can go under shirt (these can be found on Amazon for about$15-20, search "hidden money wallet"). Great for passport, large bills and credit cards.

-If you have a purse, make sure it is zipped up (no open purses so people can reach in).  Just be aware of your surroundings. 

-Try your best to do greetings in German. In Austria, the typical greeting is "Grüß Gott." Thank you is "Danke (schön)." They really appreciate the effort. Download German 101 Tips

-Bring student ID. You can get discounts!

-Make sure you have an adapter, or two, for outlets.

-Bring good walking shoes and a warm jacket (depending on the time of your trip).  Just check the weather online ahead of time.

-If you have any readings to do for class while you are away, make photocopies of your textbook pages.  Much lighter than lugging around textbooks and keep in mind you have to carry your luggage around often when going from place to place via plane, train, and subway.

-We advise planning travel to other countries and cities before arriving. Train tickets can be purchased on Rail Europe

 

Places to Visit

::Vienna, Austria::

-Since you will probably fly into Vienna, try to take a day to tour the city. 

-Hop on the U-bahn (subway) to tour Schloss Schönbrunn (a gorgeous palace). It is worth it! 

-Even if you are not a fan of horses, you can appreciate the prestige of the Spanish Riding School of Vienna. They train in Hofburg Palace complex. Chandeliers light the arena. Maria Theresa (a Habsburg) would ride there. The riders train in a Baroque military style of riding. Each maneuver was used for a specific reason in battle.  

-Stephansdom is great to visit along with numerous other churches (Kirche) in the city.

-Vienna has an Art gallery and Museum of Natural History with artifacts from prehistoric times. 

-Suzanne Pension: We highly recommend this hotel. It's small, but clean, affordable, safe and in an amazing location close to city center and most all attractions! 

 

::Prague, Czech Republic::

-Only about a 4 hour train ride from Vienna.

-Do not use EUROS. They use Koruna.  See if your hotel will exchange Euros to Korunas for you.

-Hotel Metamorphis is incredibly accomodating and we loved our room. However these is no elevator and our room was on 4th floor (but this was simply good exercise in addition to being able to walk everywhere).  This hotel again was very close to city center, safe, clean, and friendly.

 

::Salzburg, Austria::

-Salzburg does not have a U-bahn system (subway). Get familiar with the bus map. It's very easy after you try it once! 

-If you stay in housing at Christian-Doppler Clinic, be aware there is no Wifi. You will have to use the wifi at PMU campus (about a 5-10 min walk from the housing). However the rooms were incredibly nice, spacious and clean.  The rooms were very affordable (about $85 for the whole week) and came equipped with a small kitchenette and mini fridge.  Great for doing a little grocery shopping (2 grocery stores within walking distance - Lidl & Spar) and saving some money on food for the week versus eating out every meal.

 

::Venice, Italy::

-We took a 4-5 hour train ride from Salzburg and stayed in a small city about 2 hours outside of Venice called Udine.  It is just over the border of Austria.  We spent the afternoon in Udine (nice little town to explore - not as many English speaking people, but it was fairly simple to manage).  We then got up the next day and took a day trip to Venice.  Trains run every hour from Udine to Venice.  Very doable.  Venice is an amazing and beautiful city to visit, but we do not recommend staying there because accomodations and traveling to and from the train station would be very expensive.  

-We stayed in a hotel (Hotel Principe) just across the street from the train station in Udine. 

-Lots to do and see in Venice and of course delicious food...we stuck with the must-try staples of pizza, pasta, gelato, and cappuccinos.