I plan to spend 3 nights in Vienna next May, and I'm looking for a reasonably-priced, conveniently-located hotel or pension.

I'll be travelling alone, so I would also prefer to avoid staying where I have little opportunity to interact with other guests, or even the staff. For that reason alone, I should probably avoid the typical 4-5 star business or luxury hotel.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, I'd prefer also to avoid the average student hostel. They tend to be noisier and alcohol-soaked, especially in the Summer. I do need my beauty sleep!

Can anyone recommend a place in the 1- to 3-star range where my strking up a little conversation with other travellers won't be regarded as an unforgiveable breach of etiquette?

My German is pretty good, and I will happily use public transit to get around, so I don't need to be smack-dab in the center of things.

Many thanks in advance.

Fritzrl

Try the Fuerstenhof: http://www.hotel-fuerstenhof.at/index2.htm
or the Zur Agnes: http://members.nudsl.at/agnes/
We have stayed at both and either is great. The Fuerstenhof is over by the Westbahnhof--great staff, wonderful old hydraulic elevator, and the breakfast buffet is huge. The breakfast room is a great place to strike up conversations with the mostly Austrian or German guests. Public transit is right across the street so you can be in city center within 10 min. I prefer to walk down Mariahilfestrasse to get there. The Zur Agnes is in Sievering, which is over near Grinzing. It is about 15 min from the Ring by tram and bus ( the 39A bus will leave you about 20 steps from the front of the Zur Agnes) Marta is a great innkeeper and in her Gasthaus you will have many opportunities for conversation. Marta can also direct you to some really great Heurige (wine taverns) that have no tourists. May is a great time in Vienna and the gardens in the Heuriger are a great place to enjoy some fine Austrian wine.

We stayed at the Pension Pertschy and were really impressed. The room was nice and large, the breakfast was very good, and the hotel is in a terrific location, on a side street right off the Graben, a short distance from St. Stephens. The website is http://www.pertschy.com/.

Tracy

See also www.residenz.cc, though...

"prefer to avoid staying where I have little opportunity to interact with other guests, or even the staff" - - this will depend a fair amount on you, at breakfasts, perhaps, if you stay here? As with some small hotels, I think perhaps there isn't any staff from after dark ' til about 4 or 5 am when the breakfast staff come in to start the day's baking (an amazing phenomenon that seems not to exist anywhere in America except for some B&B's where the proprietor isn't really "coming in", but rather, just getting out of bed because she/he/they actually live there!)

Best wishes,

Rex

Fritzrl - I also stayed at the Pension Pertschy and was equally impressed. Besides what was previously mentioned by another poster, the cost was just right for my budget. Usually as a solo traveler I feel that I don't get the best value - single rooms are usually smaller cost almost as much as a double. This place came as a recommendation from a friend who has family in Vienna and who only stays at the Pertschy on her visits. I could easily make this my second home when visiting as well. It sounds like it could meet your criteria as well. Good luck!

I stayed at ghe Hotel Carlton Opera.
It had one big advantage: it was air conditioned and Vienna was warm at that time. Those stone buildings hold the heat! And with AC I could shut the window and snooze peacefully.

Overall, I would rate the Carlton Opera 3 stars. It was comfortable otherwise, too. A fair sized room in terms of space, and it had a nice bathroom with a fine shower.

The breakfast was good, very good in fact. Plenty of it and excellent choices.

Transportation was nearby.

One things about Vienna is this: don't hesitate to use the street cars. They are efficient and get you to the downtown areas. I found the system easy to use. Often the street cars have their own lanes and they move right along through traffic.

Pension Suzanne
It's about 75 feet from a corner, from which you can see the opera house about 300 feet away. Its street is relatively quiet, yet close to a main thoroughfare. We went all over the city on the trams-quite user friendly.

The pension is on the second floor (its only drawback), and has a breakfast room perhaps 30 X 45 feet, so one could strike up conversations easily if so inclined.

As I recall, price was about 75 euros

Wow -- thanks, everyone. Great recommendations, and I'll definitely check into them further. Both the Pertschy and Suzanne look as if they might fill the bill nicely.

Yes, I agree: single travellers often get the mookey end of the stick when it comes to the quality-price ratio. That's a pity, since (like many singletons, I'll wager) I'm single for this trip only, and would gladly return with a travel partner to any place that treated me well when I was by myself.

Once again, many thanks

Fritzrl

re: Pension Suzanne located on the second floor (its only drawback), and has a breakfast room perhaps 30 X 45 feet....

Is there an elevator to the 2nd floor or is there only stairs?

My parents are traveling with 2-3 luggages, and we would like to avoid stairs.

I am always surprised at Pension Suzanne recommendation. While living there I saw one friend's room and thought the room and whole place was a total dump - grey and drab from outside and in. While looking around for my mum and just lookng in general we checked out about 15-20 hotels, Pertschy was fine and best of the slightly chintzy pensions - good, clean rooms and good location. As a tourist i would always go for First District and would not choose Westnbahnhof area as I think it is pretty grotty.
For taste and value, we ended up choosing Starlight Suites - Renngasse location.

Do we have the same Suzanne in mind?
My wife and I (65 yrs) liked it, and not just for the price. Our room, a double, was on the 3rd floor on the front, above the breakfast room. Maybe a room for single is "dumpier", but if so, fritzl, I'd pay the extra for the room we had if I were alone. HappyTrav, I recommend it to your parents.
Yes, it has an elevator...it's small, but being lazy, we both fit in it with 3 suitcases and 2 backpacks. If I recall correctly, one goes into a mainfloor corridor, walks back about 40 feet, up about 4 stairs to the elevator. Pension Suzanne's extremely handy to the trams, opera, the Kunsthistoriche Museum, and Naschmarkt