WonderWomann

Hi all, here is our itinerary for 8 days in Vienna. Please provide your thoughts and suggestions. I know there is possibility we can add things (like Albertina Musuem) but we would like some relaxed time at each site rather than rush hence a bit open. Are there things you suggest I have missed or anything else at all, please advise. With regards to taking the public transport, what will be our best option to buy please given we have 8 days? Already ruled out buying Vienna Pass or Card so just want advise on public transport card.

26 Dec Saturday- reaching by noon.

• Christmas market at Stephens n Rathaus

• St Stephans Cathedral

• House of Music

27 Dec Sunday

• Vienna Boys Choir at Hofburg Chapel at 9.30am

• Ho Ho Bus

• Schoenbrunn Palace- eat at Gloriette (open on Sunday?, please advise)

28 Dec Monday

• 10am Spanish Riding School

• Whole Imperial Apartments (treasury, crypt), Sisi Museum

• Mozart House

• Musikverien at 7.30pm (tickets booked)

29 Dec Tuesday

• Kunsthistorisches Museum

• Hundertwasserhaus, Kunsthaus Wien

• Prater (maybe from just outside if we dont have enough time)

• Walks down Graben and other shopping areas (please recommend some more)

30 Dec Wedn

• Melk Tour (booked, organized group)

• Heurige Visit (self, need to finalize)

31 Dec Thurs

• Belvedere Palaces

• NYE walking trail

1 Jan Fri

• Hangover cure brunch infront of City Hall with concert

• Secession Museum

• Guided Tour of Opera House

2 Jan Saturday

• Naschmarkt

• St Charles Church

• Naturhistorisches Museum

Look forward to everyone's advise. Thanks in advance

fourfortravel

Several comments.

26 December. St. Stephans/Boxing Day a public holiday, meaning stores and many, many restaurants will be closed. The Wiener Kristkindlmarkt is large and commercial; the market at Stephansplatz is small, just an FYI to help you manage expectations.

27 December. This is only my opinion. Unless you have a special reason to schlepp all the way up to the Gloriette for lunch (reserve now), dining in Cafe Residenz will give you the same touristy and somewhat overpriced lunch experience (reserve now). If the weather is inclement the trek to the Gloriette is not pleasant, and the views will be unimpressive, as well. There should be a small New Year's market on the grounds to investigate.

As this is also a Sunday, Vienna stores and many, many restaurants will be closed.

28 December. The Imperial Crypt is not at Hofburg. The Kaisergruft (crypt) is at the Capuchin Church. Seeing the Hofburg, Treasury and Sisi Apartments is ambitious; one can become Imperial-ed out easily.

29 December. As scheduled, it seems a bit ambitious, as well. If you need to "cut" something, many of the rides in Prater will be closed for the season. Also, unless you're into shopping at worldwide-known chain stores (Hermes, Tiffany & Co, Swarovski, Chanel), queuing to have a torte at Hotel Sacher or Demel, itching for post-Christmas sales at midlevel chains like H&M and Zara, or just really, really needing to shop at expensive boutiques, your time might be better spent elsewhere. Vienna is not really a shopping city.

30 December. Confirm with your heuriger of choice that they will be open. If you make the journey from the Inner Stadt out here to the vineyards and your tavern is "Auf Urlaub" (on holiday), the only decent alternatives in Grinzing are an Italian place (Ninos--but check their holiday schedule, as well) or street food (if the stands are open).

31 December. As a note of caution, if you are not familiar with NYE celebrations in Central and the former Eastern Europe, these people take their pyrotechnics (and their drinking) seriously.

1 January. Godspeed to you on the brunch idea. Make reservations now.

2 January. Godspeed to you for visiting KHM on a Saturday afternoon.

You are correct in that the Vienna Pass/Card for your visit is not the best value. I think Vienna does a terrible job with the tourist public transportation ticket options, for whatever that is worth. For persons who like to walk, buying as-you-go tickets are better than any pass. Convenience-wise, the weekly ticket is only good from Monday morning through Sunday. You really need to decide what will work for you.

WonderWomann

thanks a lot Fourfortravel for taking time out to
frame a thought out reply. We plan to keep the walking
to a minimum during winter as the weather is a big
adjustment for us, so perhaps the a travel card does
work better for us. Is weekly pass the only option
or are there daily passes too?
On Jan 2 we are visiting the NHM not the KHM and
as this is a holiday period the whole time, we know
we have to deal with the crowds- sometimes thats what
being a tourist is. Just wondering though, should
I get the tickets to the musuems online ahead of time?
In case you advise there will be lengthy ques?

29 Dec- Prater only from outside is the "cutting" plan
I have in mind as its really the lowest priority.
I do plan on queuing up for Demel but not so much clothing chains, just would be nice to walk down shopping streets, do you have any recommendations on this front?

Thank you for the info about closures and somewhat rambunctious partygoers. Research does suggest this but this is what we are going there to experience (this is my
first time to Eastern Europe, all our trips so far have
been strictly Western Europe- but we are from India, remember? if you have ever been to an Indian "fair" you would know it will difficult to make us anywhere near uncomfortable in any part of Europe, really)
FOr 1 Jan How do I make reservations for that brunch?It
sounds to me that you arent recommending it exactly,any other ideas? Same for the lunch near Schoebrunn, anything nicer that you recommend that is nearby?
Doing the Imperial apartments in one day is just simply convenience, I am a tourist, I dont live there, not like I can come back and visit each one on 10 different days. Will look up the distance for the Imperial Crypt, hope I can schedule it in but not too concerned if not.

Please feel free to give me your thoughts and advise and suggestions to make this schedule better, I love to include exclude as per people's advise. This is why I post to forums like this. Thank you in advance

fourfortravel

There are 24, 48, and 72 hour cards that may suit your itinerary. I could not find an English-language page for the link, as Vienna seems to want tourists to purchase the Vienna Card. Google Translate can help with this ticket, though. http://www.wienerlinien.at/eportal2/...annelId=-47251

Apologies for the NHM/KHM confusion. I really can not respond as to the queue at NHM.

Rambunctious is a good word to describe the NYE scene in Vienna, so it is good that you are prepared.

I wish that I could recommend a "shopping street," but Vienna is not a shopping city. Kärtnerstraße, which runs from Opera to Stephansplatz, has Hotel Sacher and several chains and souvenir stores. Branching from Stephansplatz there is Kohlmarkt, which has Julius Meinl and several high-end chains and a few boutiques. The other shopping street, Graben, is really more of the same. The city is trying to add the "Golden Quarter" near Graben and Kohlmarkt, but it's just where Tiffany and Co., Chanel, etc. have relocated. If you are looking for trendy stores and local boutiques, perhaps the Neubau streets behind MuseumsQuartier may be more to you liking? Really, though, there is no Champs-Elysées or Fifth Avenue in Vienna.

For New Year's Day brunch I can only recommend that you research, perhaps, recommendations on respected travel sites for brunch locations. NYD is a busy time in Vienna, so restaurants will fill their reservations quickly.

Lunch at Cafe Residenz on the Schönbrunn grounds is pleasant, and the setting is lovely; though, expect to find rather touristy, constructed menu items. For example, the state of Styria in Vienna is noted for its Backhendl, a fried quarter-chicken atop fresh greens that have been tossed with Styrian pumpkin seed oil. At the cafe, the Backhendl is tidied up and presented as chicken strips. Others will have to offer suggestions for dining options in the area, I'm afraid.

I hope this information is helpful.

sandralist

I think someplace I might enjoy for a New Year's Day brunch is the Palmenhaus. The food can be rather international-touristy, but the fresh fish really is fresh and the setting is bright and cheerful. On its website, it claims to be open every day, and on holidays starting at 9 am.

http://www.palmenhaus.at

kja

Sounds like a great trip!

I doubt that you'll have time for them, and maybe they don't interest you, but FWIW, I enjoyed the Museum for Applied Arts and the Austrian Museum of Folk Life and Folk Art.