Vienna
 

Am there next week, and might have the odd free night. Have already got the opera (The Magic Flute), classical concert and a Heuriger arranged--can anyone recommend anything else? I've got a guide book, but would be interested to hear first-hand experiences. I'm have fairly catholic tastes.

Thanks :D

Re: Vienna
 

there is a good museum in Vienna, enjoy

Re: Vienna
 

Vienna? This means nothing to me.

Re: Vienna
 

You're the third man who's said that

Re: Vienna
 

We went to Vienna a few years ago with Austrian Air and really enjoyed the break. Lots of Palaces and Museums to visits and good shopping. The Christmas market in front of the Rat Haus (town hall) was excellent but you may be a bit early for that as I think it starts in mid November. The metro is easy to use but has an Eastern block feel and it sounds like you already know about the ferris wheel and it's claim to fame :) I remember Vienna being a very cold and windy place so take your Damart Long Johns with you :rofl:

Re: Vienna
 

Spanish Riding School if you like that sort of thing.
Get there early for a good spot near the centre.

Re: Vienna
 

A bloody good palace or two, you lucky blighter.

Re: Vienna
 

Be sure to take an umbrella.

The sausage is great!




U.

Re: Vienna
 

I was thinking along these lines...


Attachment 96596

Re: Vienna
 

If you've got a car....head out of town and check the surrounding towns out...less mental and better value for money, but more hassle if you've got kids.

Re: Vienna
 

:thumbup: @ Soukie,

still have my Damart thermals and ... still wear them here in the winter! Along with my Musto fleece! But we spend a lot of time outside during the winter - sometimes/often into the early hours of the morning when temps can be somewhat low. And without any form of heating in our villa, yet still liking to have windows/doors open to get air through we find ourselves wearing fleeces, etc during the cooler months. TBH, we really like it.

Re: Vienna
 

:rofl:Well if you need them here you would need 2 pairs in Vienna in November!

Re: Vienna
 

Vienna is amazing. My favourite city. Very high quality of life.

Vienna isn't so much one or two key sights or things you can do but it's all about enjoying the pleasures of life in a distinctly ye olde worldy style. Food is awesome in Vienna if you go for the mittel-europa style. Lots of weiners, lots of goulasches, and go for the tafelspitz (Austrian boiled beef and nowhere as nasty as it sounds). Several famous patisseries exist in Vienna and I suggest you try Demel's (Hotel Sacher is overpriced). Demel's has an excellent tea room and you can watch the pastry chefs do their magic through a large glass screen that's sort of like watching a Disney movie of a pastry kitchen.

Trzesniewski is a famous sandwich shop in Vienna, on a tiny side street called Dorotheegrasse right off the Stefansplatz in the Inner Stadt. The sandwiches are thin slices of rye bread served open faced with lots of different toppings. Excellent and very cheap and very old worldy Vienna as the shop and its black/lace garbed waitresses are right out of the 1930s. To make it even better you can have a glass of beer with your sandwich ever so casually in the way you can't in Dubai.

Immervoll and Beim Czaak are two great modern restaurants I ate at.

Schonbrunn is not bad as palaces go, and neither is the Hofberg. But most continental European palaces aren't as interesting as a large English stately pile. The Schonbrunn has a couple large overgilded state rooms and endless ranges of smaller and rather boring rooms. You tend not to get the variety of artwork and interiors as you may find at Windsor or Chatsworth. But it's still worth the visit.

I don't think the Christmasmarkets will be up and running early in November but if they are the main one in front of the Rathaus is the most commercial and least interesting. The best ones are the smaller ones nestled in the squares and side streets of the Inner Stadt.

One warning - Vienna can be damn cold.

Re: Vienna
 

Will second Demel - excellent scrambled eggs as well as nice cakes.

Spanish Riding School is also superb - if you don't want to do the full performance you can pitch up in the morning and watch them practice which is a lot cheaper and still very impressive. It's very close to Sacher Hotel if you do fancy some overpriced (though pretty nice) cake afterwards.

Most amazing thing about Vienna is the sheer abundance of live music - you can go to intimate performances by excellent musicians in many of the royal buildings eg. Hofburg & Schönbrunn mentioned above, sitting in a room with a couple of dozen people, you're so close you can hear the musicians breathing with the music.

Don't forget to buy a hat with a shaving brush attached - small moustache optional.

Re: Vienna
 

Thanks for all the suggestions. Had a great time. Beautiful city, good food, superb experience. :D

Some pics here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/55899580@N08/