Where to stay in Vienna
 

I will be in Vienna in April for 7 days and am wondering where is the best place to stay. I see in the map that Stephensplatz is right in the middle. But there are neighbourhoods surrounding the ring too. Where is the best place so that you walk out safely at night and are in an area with cafes, restaurants, bars and nice shops?
I see there are lots of apartments as well - a change from the usual hotels. Any recommendations?
Also, what is the best way to get from the airport to town where I will be staying?
And is there something like a transport card that will last for a week that covers all sorts of transport? Is it worth getting or is it easy to walk everywhere by foot?
Thanks in advance!!

A few years ago, my wife and I stayed in the Hotel Aldstadt and without a doubt, it was the best hotel we had ever stayed in. Everything about it was superb. The rooms were huge, the location was ideal and the staff second to none for helpfulness. Don' t look any further. Book it. You will not be disappointed .

Take the TRAIN in from the airport and change to the local "subway" or take a cab to your final destination.

There are two trains to consider. The City Airport Train (CAT) is a 16-minute express train (€17 RT) and runs every 30 minutes from the airport to Wien Mitte. The S-Bahn (S7) is the local train and also runs from the airport to Wien Mitte; the cost is ~€3 one-way and the trip takes around 30 minutes.

From either train you can connect to the U-Bahn (Vienna's public transportation) with an additional ticke, or walk or hail a taxi to your hotel.

The weekly transit ticket costs around €16, is only valid from Monday to Monday, and covers all transportation (U-Bahn, trams, buses). There are also 24, 48, and 72 hour tickets good from the time purchased.

There are "Vienna Cards," for 48 and 72 hours, (€19 and €22, respectively) that offer free transportation and discounts for museums, etc. There are also ticket bundles for attractions at Hofburg, Belvedere, the art museums, and Schönbrunn, so you really have to decide what works best for what you want to see. Online tickets are also available for most of these attractions, as well, which can save you time from waiting in line.

Hope this helps.

I used a car service to get from Vienna to my hotel. Probably not the cheapest, but I liked having someone there waiting when we arrived, and I believe the fixed fare was lower than a taxi. This was the service I used:
http://www.airportdriver.at/en

We stayed at the Maria Theresia. http://www.kkhotels.com/en/hotels-in...resia/welcome/
This was 3 years ago, so while I thought the hotel was very nice I don't want to give an out of date recommendation. However, I did find the location very convenient. It was in a nice neighborhood with lots of nearby restaurants. It was an easy walk to the museums and the Hofburg, a little farther to Stephensplatz.

I'm not sure you need a transit pass. Most things in Vienna are pretty walkable. We used the tram to go to the Belvedere, and the train to Schonnbrunn, and that was it. Oh, and a taxi for getting home after the opera :)

Thanks for all your suggestions on transportation around, and hotels.
Regarding the neighbourhood like Neubau, Mariahilf, Stephensplatz etc, where is the nice place to go - restaurants, cafes, shops, bars etc?