Photo by FloSchMUC

Berlin’s public transportation system covers a lot of ground across a very spread-out city. Cheapos need never pay full price to use the system, as there are a number of discounts available. For visitors, there is the WelcomeCard, which offers unlimited travel in Berlin, plus a book of coupons for discounts to museums, tours, bike rentals, etc.

The WelcomeCard is available for 48 hours for €16 or for 72 hours for €21. Another good deal: the City tour Card Premium, which is available for €39.90 for 72 hours and offers free entry to museums and other attractions in Berlin, as well as a free trip up the TV tower.

Probably the best deal is the City Tour Card. It’s available for €14.90 for 48 hours or €19.90 for 72 hours, and offering discounts of up to 50 percent off Berlin attractions. Download the list of discount partners from the Berlin public transportation system site and plan ahead.

If you are in a group and you travel as a pack, make sure you take advantage of the small group ticket. This allows up to five people to travel on the same ticket until 3 a.m. the following morning. It costs only €15.40 for zones A and B and can be purchased at automatic ticket machines.

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photograph courtesy of Don_Gru

Lots of cities offer discount cards or city passes that aren’t up to snuff. Not so in Vienna, where the 72-hour Vienna Card, priced at €18.50, is an unambiguously great deal.

So what can this card do for you? First off, it’s a great deal for the transportation benefit alone. A single ticket with return option costs €3, so the card really goes a long way for tourists on the move. (And, incidentally, if you’ve ever witnessed Vienna’s ticket control officers sweeping through trams and U-Bahn cars, you’ll never want to ride in the city without a paid fare again.)

The Vienna Card is great for culture vultures. If museums and historical sights are your game, you’re in luck. Vienna Card holders are entitled up to 50 per cent reductions at 210 museums and sights, theaters and concerts. The card even offers discounts at shops, restaurants, coffeehouses, and Heurigen (wine taverns). The Vienna Card comes with a booklet detailing the the 210 sights and offering all sorts of advice.

The Vienna Card can be purchased at, among other locations, many hotels and hostels, the Tourist Information Center on Albertinaplatz, (open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day), the information booths of the Stephansplatz and Karlsplatz U-Bahn stations, the Südbahnhof in the Fourth District, and the Landstrasse/Wien Mitte station.

Those outside of Austria should dial 43-1-798-4400-148 to purchase a Vienna Card. There’s also the nifty option of ordering it online.

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