Erasmus & Exchange Student Apartments in Vienna

Vienna as an Erasmus and Exchange Destination

Vienna is one of Europe's most popular Erasmus destinations, and for good reason. The city is home to more than a dozen universities and colleges that collectively enrol over 200,000 students - roughly one in ten residents is a student. The University of Vienna (Universität Wien), founded in 1365, is the oldest university in the German-speaking world. The Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU Wien) operates from a striking campus designed by Zaha Hadid. The Technical University (TU Wien), the University of Natural Resources (BOKU), the Medical University, and the University of Applied Arts each attract hundreds of international exchange students every semester.

The Erasmus+ programme and bilateral exchange agreements send thousands of students to Vienna each year. If you are one of them, your first challenge after securing your university placement is finding somewhere to live. Vienna's student housing market is notoriously tight, especially in September and February when semesters begin. Student dormitories (Studentenheime) fill up months in advance, and affordable private flats in central districts are snapped up within hours of listing.

The Accommodation Challenge for Exchange Students

Many exchange students arrive in Vienna without confirmed long-term housing. Perhaps the dormitory waitlist was too long, or you prefer to find a WG (Wohngemeinschaft, shared flat) in person rather than committing sight unseen from abroad. This is entirely normal - but it means you need a temporary place to stay while you sort out your living situation.

Hostels are cheap but chaotic - sharing a room with strangers, no kitchen access, and no privacy makes it hard to focus on registration, orientation week, and apartment hunting. Hotels are prohibitively expensive for a student budget. A furnished apartment offers the middle ground: your own space, a kitchen to cook affordable meals, reliable WiFi for flat-searching and studying, and the independence to come and go on your own schedule.

At Old Vienna Apartments, the Duett apartment starts at €45 per night and accommodates two guests - ideal for a solo student or a pair of friends arriving together. If you are sharing with fellow exchange students, the Quartett at €70 per night for up to four guests brings the per-person cost down to under €18 per night. These rates make a furnished apartment surprisingly competitive with even the cheapest hostel beds, especially when you factor in the kitchen savings.

Reaching Vienna's Universities from Leopoldstadt

Old Vienna Apartments are located at Herminengasse 12 in the 2nd district, one minute from Schottenring metro station (U2 and U4 lines). This central position offers excellent connections to every major university campus in Vienna:

University of Vienna (Hauptgebäude): The main building on the Ringstrasse is just two tram stops or a 15-minute walk along the Danube Canal and through the old town. Most humanities and social science faculties are clustered around the 1st and 9th districts, all easily reachable.

WU Wien (Vienna University of Economics and Business): Take the U2 from Schottenring towards Seestadt and exit at Messe-Prater. The journey takes about 8 minutes. The WU campus is immediately adjacent to the station.

TU Wien (Technical University): The U4 from Schottenring to Karlsplatz takes 6 minutes. The TU Wien main campus is at Karlsplatz. The Getreidemarkt campus is a 5-minute walk further.

Medical University of Vienna: Located at the old General Hospital site (Altes AKH) in the 9th district, reachable by tram or a 20-minute walk through the atmospheric Alsergrund neighbourhood.

BOKU (University of Natural Resources): Take the U4 to Heiligenstadt (about 15 minutes) and then bus 10A, or cycle along the Danube Canal - a beautiful 25-minute ride.

Student Life in Leopoldstadt

The 2nd district is increasingly popular with students and young professionals. It is not the manicured tourist centre of the 1st district, nor the distant quiet of the outer suburbs. Leopoldstadt has character: graffiti-adorned walls next to Jugendstil facades, Turkish bakeries alongside third-wave coffee roasters, and a buzzing social scene that extends from the Karmelitermarkt to the bars along the Danube Canal.

The Danube Canal (Donaukanal) runs along the western edge of the district and is the heart of Vienna's outdoor social life in warmer months. From April to October, pop-up bars, beach clubs, and food stands line both banks. Strandbar Herrmann, Adria Wien, and Tel Aviv Beach are student favourites - affordable drinks, DJ sets, and a relaxed atmosphere that feels worlds away from the formal elegance of the city centre.

The Prater is your backyard gym. The main avenue (Hauptallee) is ideal for running or cycling, and the park's vast meadows are perfect for picnics, frisbee, and reading in the sun. The outdoor swimming pool at the Stadionbad, within the Prater grounds, offers affordable summer relief.

For groceries on a student budget, Hofer (the Austrian branch of Aldi) and Lidl offer the lowest prices. There is a Hofer on Taborstrasse and a Billa on Novaragasse, both within a short walk. The Karmelitermarkt is slightly pricier but worth a Saturday morning visit for fresh bread, pastries, and a leisurely brunch at one of the market's small restaurants.

Budget Tips for Erasmus Students in Vienna

Living well in Vienna on a student budget is entirely possible, but it requires planning. Here are practical tips from experience:

Semester ticket (Semesterticket): Purchase the Wiener Linien semester ticket for around €75 - it covers all public transport (metro, tram, bus, and S-Bahn within Vienna) for the entire semester. This is by far the best deal in the city.

Cook at home: Eating out in Vienna costs €10 to €15 for a basic lunch. Cooking at home with supermarket ingredients costs €3 to €5 per meal. A fully equipped kitchen - like those in every Old Vienna apartment - pays for itself within days.

Student discounts: Bring your student ID everywhere. Museums, cinemas, theatres, and the Vienna State Opera (standing room tickets from €4) all offer significant student reductions. The Albertina, Belvedere, and Kunsthistorisches Museum have reduced or free admission days.

Free activities: Walking along the Ringstrasse costs nothing and shows you some of the most magnificent architecture in Europe. The Danube Island (Donauinsel) offers free beaches, cycling paths, and barbecue areas. Parks like the Augarten, Volksgarten, and the Prater are free and beautiful year-round.

Part-time work: EU students can work without restrictions in Austria. Non-EU students on certain permits can work up to 20 hours per week. Common student jobs include tutoring, restaurant work, retail, and roles at Vienna's many international organisations.

Finding Long-Term Housing from Your Temporary Base

Most exchange students eventually find a room in a WG (shared flat) or a student dormitory. Use these platforms to search: WG-Gesucht.de, willhaben.at, and Facebook groups like "WG Zimmer Wien" or "Erasmus Vienna Housing." Post a short introduction about yourself - your programme, duration of stay, and budget - and respond to listings promptly.

Student dormitories (STUWO, OEAD Housing, home4students, MILESTONE) sometimes have mid-semester vacancies. Check their websites regularly or call directly - online availability is not always up to date.

A furnished temporary apartment gives you the luxury of being selective. Rather than accepting the first room you find out of desperation, you can attend viewings, meet potential flatmates, and choose a place that genuinely suits you. Two weeks in a Duett apartment at €45 per night costs €630 - a worthwhile investment to avoid spending an entire semester in housing you dislike.

Making the Most of Your Semester in Vienna

An exchange semester is about more than academics. Vienna offers a cultural richness that few cities can match. Attend a concert at the Musikverein or Konzerthaus - student standing tickets are often under €10. Visit the Naschmarkt on Saturday morning. Take a day trip to Bratislava (one hour by train), the Wachau valley wine region, or the Semmering mountain pass. Join the ESN (Erasmus Student Network) Vienna chapter for organised events, trips, and a ready-made social circle.

The friends you make during your exchange semester may become lifelong connections. Vienna provides the perfect backdrop - a city that is elegant enough to inspire, affordable enough to enjoy, and compact enough to explore thoroughly in a single term.