Online maps

Thanks to the generosity of the Vienna municipal government, web users can access a very detailed and sophisticated online map of the city here (in English). They've even a version for PDAs.

At the bottom of the page is an outline of Vienna and its districts. Click on any part of the outline to bring up a local map. The symbols on the left of the page let you move around, zoom in or zoom out, or adjust the size of the display on your screen.

You can ask the map to show you public transport lines, street names and numbers, building names etc.

You can also use the page to find locations. The default search is for street names, but if you click on the dropdown menu you'll see a list of dozens of alternative search types. Unfortunately, these alternatives are all listed in German. Theater, Museum and Hotel are easy enough to translate, but the following less obvious terms might be useful, too...

Search by Bahnhof let's you find a railway station
Ausländische Vertretung...embassy
Denkmal...monument
Kirche...church
Kino...cinema
Objektname...other sights or buildings of note

Tip: When you select a new search type, for example Denkmal (monument), don't put any words in the search field - just hit enter or click on the search button. The page then lists all the relevant locations in its database, so you can choose the one you want. Very useful when you don't know the correct spelling or designation for what you want to look for.