Camping Wien West - good starting point for visiting Vienna

Thursday, 29 June 2023 00:00
Written by Portal Editor

The first stop as part of our cultural project "Understanding and cultural journey along Roman roads" was the Camping Platz Wien West, which at the time of the start of the journey, at the end of March, was the only open camping site in Vienna.

The late hour of the day was a bit unfavourable when we arrived, since the rush hour traffic had already set in in Vienna. It was therefore difficult to change lanes to the campsite to the left, which was announced quite late, as an underpass made it necessary to turn off, but the turning lane was already blocked by rush-hour traffic.

Easily accessible routes and sufficient maneuvering space

After this somewhat confusing situation, it was only a few hundred meters to the campsite, which, unlike some other sites, had a really wide gate, so that manoeuvring was very easy here. The reception was no longer manned at this time, so we chose the free space directly at the entrance, after a short consultation with the "neighbours" who were present. Easily passable paths and sufficient manoeuvring space made parking the caravan easy. The swivel supports were quickly extended, the car levelled, the power connection made and water refilled. Internet access, which is fundamentally important to us, was available at this location without restrictions. We deliberately made sure to look for a place with free internet access, because as newcomers to using the internet satellite antenna of our sponsor Ipcopter, we didn't want to take the risk of possibly not having access and thus being almost without the possibility of consultation.

After a hearty breakfast the next morning, we first set out on a "journey of discovery" with regard to the caravan we had just taken over. The technician from Fendt-Caravan, Mr. Sommer, explained some important points in detail. We really weren't newbies when it came to caravan camping, but a lot has changed over the years, so it was urgently necessary to study the brochures supplied extensively. Back then, there were no ovens, grills or even refrigerators with freezer compartments alternating between electricity, gas or batteries. At best, people had only dreamed of being able to move a mobile home electrically without a towing vehicle. There was also no water and waste water facility with the corresponding storage tanks at the time.

Then it was time to deal with the satellite system, which had also been explained in principle. The starting process with the alignment of the antenna should be fully automatic and the basic access should also take place via the software after entering the access code as if by itself. The problem, as usual, was in the detail here, which is not necessarily immediately obvious. Long story short, the software didn't accept our access code. We understood the technician as if he had already been online as a test. It's a good thing that we were able to quickly send a help email to the manager of the company Ipcopter, Mr. Bernhard Neumeyer, via the campsite's Internet access, which was answered "by return mail", despite the upcoming weekend. The solution to the problem was then also very simple, because the initial access code is linked to a country code. Understandably, our password was provided with a German country code, but we were now in Vienna. The problem was solved.

The route explanation was very simple

Earlier in the morning we had tried in vain to contact our date, this time it worked right away. So Ms. Mohapp explained to us that she would first like to invite us to her home for a coffee, ...... and the best way to reach her is by train. The route explanation was very simple and the recommendation was to take a "48 hours Vienna" ticket, which would be valid for all public transport. A great thought to get into town without a car. From Hüttelberg train station there is line S50 to Wien West train station, which we should only use one stop to Penzing. From here it was only a few meters to Mrs. Mohapp's house. Later, around noon, it turned out to be really easy and the 48-hour Vienna ticket was absolutely worth it, especially the next day, because we switched back and forth between the subway, buses and trams several times during the 6-hour city tour.

The reception at the campsite was also open in the morning, so we could register to get more information about the campsite itself. The facility and facilities correspond to the standard of an average campsite, everything that was needed was there.

Probably due to the still prevailing off-season there was no supply of groceries on site, but the washing machines were already working perfectly, albeit relatively expensive and were in active use, in other words: the site was well frequented, registration recommended despite the off-season.

Due to our appointments, however, we had relatively little time at the campsite itself. By bus to Hüttelberg train station, then with line 50 towards Westbahnhof, get off in Penzing for coffee at Mrs. Mohapp's. From here, a little later, she took the bus and tram to Schönbrunn Palace, led by her son Roman.