First day at school

You are expected at school at 8.30 am on Monday for the allocation to courses: ActiLingua Academy, Jacquingasse 15, 1030 Wien.

Public transport to the school:

• Schnellbahn (suburban rail network) station: "Rennweg" (S1,2,3,7,15)

• or U-Bahn (underground) U4/U3: "Landstraßer Hauptstraße" station and U1, U2, U3 station "Karlsplatz", 3 minutes walk to Schwarzenbergplatz, tram "71" to station "Rennweg"

• Tram "O": stop "Rennweg".

Link to Viennese Public Transport System (in German)

Placement test

Please send the placement test at least till Tuesday one week before course start per fax, e-mail or post. Otherwise it is possible that tuition starts on Tuesday.

Your first course day:

• Please bring your passport, a copy of your proof of payment and the voucher.
• You will receive books and other teaching materials at the school. We recommend bringing a dictionary with you.
• You are informed of your exact lesson times on the first day of the course. You have lessons either in the morning or afternoon, depending on your course level.

Useful tips:

• Information and tourist office:
  Albertinaplatz 1, 1010 Vienna (9.00 am - 7.00 pm), tel.: 24 555.

• Banks: Banks are open in Vienna Monday to Friday from 8.00 am - 12.30 pm and from 1.30 pm - 3.00 pm, on Thursday util 5.30 pm. Money can be changed and eurocheques or traveler-cheques can be cashed in every bank.
  The nearest bank branches to the school are: ERSTE (Fasangasse 1) and Bank Austria (Rennweg 33).
  You can find a cashpoint or ATM for example at Rennweg alley (Rennweg 44). There you can withdraw money 24 hours a day.

• Credit cards: VisaCard and Mastercard are accepted in many shops and restaurants. Some even accept American Express.

• Post Office: There are post offices in every district of Vienna. The main post offices are located at the railway stations. Nearest post office to the school: Hafengasse 24 or Marokkanergasse 17. Opening hours: Monday to Friday: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m..

• Telephone: We recommend using a "Telefonwertkarte" (phone card, available at all post offices and tobacconists) for international calls. The cards are available in denominations of EUR 3,60 or EUR 6,90.

• Voltage: 220 V / 50 Hz.

• Public Transport: Vienna has underground (U-Bahn), trams, buses and suburban rail network (Schnellbahn). The transport network is very efficient. Tickets are available at all tobacconists and the ticket-offices in the underground stations. There are weekly tickets (EUR 12,50), monthly tickets (EUR 45), daily tickets (EUR 5), "shopping tickets" (EUR 4 valid for one day from Mo - Sa 8:00 am - 8:00 pm) and single tickets (EUR 1,50 when purchased in advance).
  Taxis are not very expensive in Vienna and can also be afforded by night-owls - useful because public transport does not regularly operate after midnight. There are taxi ranks almost everywhere, and one can also order a taxi by telephone from a café or restaurant: 31 300 or 60 160. In addition there are night buses leaving from the centre (Schwedenplatz) to all parts of Vienna. Costs: EUR 1,50/ride. 24 hour/weekly and monthly tickets are valid for the night bus, too.

• Parking situation: In the old city (1st district) Monday to Friday 9 a.m. - 7 p.m. the max. permitted parking period is 1½ hours; in districts 2 to 9 and 20 Monday to Friday 9 a.m. - 8 p.m. the max. permitted parking period is 2 hours. Short stay parking tickets are available in most tobacconists, at some banks and at public transport ticket counters. Half an hour costs EUR 0.40. Free parking spaces can be found throughout the districts 10 - 19 and 21 - 23. Take care: Not all parking spaces are for free - short term parking zones are marked with special colours. It is also possible to park in one of the many underground car parks. The Technical University facility in Operngasse, 1010 Vienna, for instance, costs approx. EUR 3.20 per hour.

• Currency: The currency in Austria is the Euro (EUR) There are bank notes in the denominations EUR 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, and 500; coins are available in the denominations EUR 0,01, 0,02, 0,05, 0,10, 0,20, 0,50, 1 and 2. 1 Euro is 100 Cent.

• Water: The tap water in Austria is potable and tastes excellent.

• Tipping: Please note that in bars, restaurants and other venues a tip of about 5-10% of the total sum is expected.

• Shopping hours: Normal opening hours are Monday to Friday from 9.00 am to 6.00 pm (some shops also until 8:00 p.m.). and Saturdays until 5 p.m.. On Thursdays in big shopping streets and shopping centres shops are open until 9 p.m. and on Saturdays until 6 p.m.. Shops are closed on Sundays and public holidays.
  Open grocery stores on Sundays: Airport Vienna-Schwechat (7.30 a.m. to 10 p.m.), Railway station „Praterstern“ and „Franz Josefsbahnhof“ (9 a.m. to 7.30 p.m.), Railway station „Westbahnhof and Südbahnhof“ (5.30 a.m. to 11 p.m.).

• Clothing: We recommend that you bring clothing for warm and cold weather in both the winter and summer months.

• Newspapers: Foreign newspapers are available at railway stations and at larger newsagents. There is also a selection of current newspapers at the school.

International Student card

We highly recommend that you bring an international student card. This card entitles you to reductions at theatres (Burgtheater, State Opera, Volksoper, Schauspielhaus, Musica Novantiqua Austria), cinemas (e.g. Votivkino), Schloß Schönbrunn and at the internet café "Internetc@afe Surfland". More information and application at http://www.isic.org.

On the first day of your course you are given a welcome kit. It contains a student manual with a wealth of information on Vienna, sightseeing, leisure, sports and useful tips.
It also contains your personal ActiLingua Card, which entitles you to a number of discounts at various museums, theatres, restaurants and shops.
You can find a daily city programme (cinema, theatre, concerts,...) in every newspaper. A monthly calendar of events is available at the school.