Whether you’re just visiting Austria or simply want to save on data, access to free wifi is a high priority for many people.

For travellers and digital nomads, it means avoiding high roaming charges, and for residents in Austria it can help to reduce mobile phone costs.

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But where are the best places to find free wifi? 

We ran a survey to ask readers of The Local this very question, and this is what they had to say.

Easy access to free wifi – most of the time

The majority of respondents (52 percent) said free wifi is easy to find in Austria. But it’s a different story in regional areas where 28 percent said it was difficult. 

When it comes to the best places to access free wifi in Austria, stations and airports were the most common response, with 40 percent saying this is where they usually use free wifi.

This was followed by cafes and bars (24 percent), on the train (16 percent) and city wifi in parks and squares (eight percent). The remaining 12 percent was “other” locations.

It’s also worth noting that most of the readers that took part in the survey are based in Vienna, so the results are very Vienna-focused.

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Insider tips: Top places for free wifi in Austria

In Vienna, Starbucks and McDonald’s were two of the most popular places where readers can find free wifi.

Tom, a resident in Vienna, specifically named the McDonald’s on Mariahilferstrasse as the best place to find internet for free. While Phillip, another local in Vienna, said Cafe Blueorange is a good spot for digital nomads.

Meanwhile, Vesi in Vienna recommended Spar and Billa as free wifi hotspots and the library for digital nomads, but he was less impressed with wifi in the city’s public spaces.

Vesi said: “It varies and it’s [down to] luck if there will be wifi.”

Ardee, also in Vienna, said: “I move around a lot and I’m often at the train stations. Up until now, I have never had a problem with the Internet.”

Outside of the capital, Michelle in Tyrol said Cubo Sky Lounge in St Johann is a good place to access free wifi and McDonalds is the place to go for digital nomads.

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Free wifi in Vienna

According to the City of Vienna, there are around 400 free wifi hotspots in the city, with 40 in the 1st District alone.

Visitors and residents in Vienna can find free wifi at City Hall Square, Stephansplatz, the MuseumsQuartier, Naschmarkt, in the Prater and on Danube Island.

Additionally, free wifi can be found at the tourist information office on Albertinaplatz, at the wienXtra-jugendinfo office on Babenbergerstrasse and at food outlets that have a Free Wave hotspot.

You can find all locations for free public wifi in Vienna at this interactive map from the City of Vienna.