so i can avoid them when i go there, obviously!

thanks.
K

Ask in your hotel. They can direct you to the correct area - or even arrange companionship for you (for an extra fee of course)

So sorry you have no female companion of your own.

LOL, nytraveler.

This was 8 years ago so I don't recall the exact area, but my Mom and I rented an apartment somewhere near the Schonbrunn. It seemed like an OK area in the daytime, but when nighttime fell, the "ladies" were everywhere.

any streets in particular to avoid? also how are the the train station areas e.g. Westbanhoff or Wien Nord?

thx

to nytraveller: i am in the process of choosing a hotel which ideally is located near a station which is served by the airport & is in the sub $100 range.i will be travelling with my girlfriend.i know i cant expect a view of the danube from my room at that price but i would like to avoid staying in a Rue Pigalle.

Which hotels?
A friend usually stays at the InterCity hotel on Mariahilferstrasse (although the entrance is on a side street) close to the Westbahnhof for less than $100 a night. It's a very bland hotel with minimal service, but clean and comfortable and perfectly safe.
Have you looked at www.hotel.de ? They generally have good prices for Vienna hotels and unless you're coming at a particularly busy time (conventions, etc.), you should be able to get a decent room in your price range.

thanks for the website.on it i found some neat hotels in the Prater area which is the first S-Bahn stop from the airport.

Anyone familiar with Prater area?

I'm not familiar with Prater, but if you post another thread asking about Prater in the title you are more likely to get the info you need. Good luck.

Sorry for any misunderstanding. But then - why ask about the red light district?

There are plenty of tatty/awful areas in any city that are not red light disricts - just bad areas. And it seems to me you would want to avoid those - which can be dangerous/unplesant - than be so worried about ladies of the evening - who are really not any danger to anyone.

The Prater area can be the diciest after dark. Fuerstenhof over by the Westbahnhof is very good. Though many have said this area id Redlight, we have never found it so. If you are there with your girlfriend, you won't really notice anything like that in Vienna.
http://www.hotel-fuerstenhof.at/default.htm

Agree with Operaman, staying over the Prater is not the best idea...for budget hotels, think you'd do better over the Westbahnhof. Just because the Prater area is one stop closer on the s-bahn doesn't mean you should pick that area...mass transit in Vienna is quite good, you should have no trouble getting to and from the airport in a timely manner.

I stayed pretty close to the Westbf, and it's not a terribly interesting area after dark, but that's mostly because it's nearly deserted, not because it's dangerous. As for the red light district, I managed to wander into a lot of them around Europe, but not in Vienna.