Short time in Vienna

Old Jul 24th, 2017, 09:57 AM
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Short time in Vienna

Hi
We are stopping in Vienna on our way to Prague in mid-October. We will arrive in the late afternoon/early evening. We are staying close to the Opera House and plan on having dinner at our hotel that evening. We will have the next day and the morning of the following day to sightsee. What suggestions do you have for us? The palace is high on our list as is the Jewish area. Thanks in advance.
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Old Jul 24th, 2017, 10:46 AM
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We also did a very short trip to Vienna in conjunction with a trip to Prague.

We visited St. Stephen's Cathedral and climbed to the top tower (well advised so you can see the cool tile roof). We also saw Mozart's House and the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. We squeezed in a couple of other churches along our route but these were 15-20 min detours.

We loved all our choices--If I had to drop one it would be Mozart's house as it had almost no furnishings.

People are hooked on the Louvre and the Met but the Kunst art museum (see full spelling above) is right on par with those for quality of Masters, yet doesn't have near the crowds. Perhaps my favorite Raphael ever was here.

I know less about Vienna Jewish history sites, but Prague was outstanding for this. We did not make it to the palace.
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Old Jul 27th, 2017, 03:51 AM
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We are considering the Jewish area in the morning and the Schonburrn Palace in the afternoon (or vice a versa). At some point we will also take the Ring tram. Does anyone know how long this takes? Any other suggestions? Thanks
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Old Jul 27th, 2017, 09:17 PM
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I would reverse the itinerary. Schloss Schönbrunn in the afternoon is crowded. Try to get online tickets for the first entry of the morning to avoid the long queue.

Oh, the RingTram is pitiful. Thankfully I had a free ticket to use on a recon for visiting friends, though I still felt my time was wasted. One is trapped on the tram for 30 minutes with headphones that work, or not, unable to take photos because tour buses are always blocking the views across the ring.

If you want to do the entire ring by public tram (€2,30 ticket), here is an excellent route from someone on TripAdvisor with additional notes I added (saving me the time of writing it all out). And if you wish to hop off the tram, you can always catch the next one on the same ticket.

Catch Tram No. 2 just across the street from the Opera.

Take the Underpass and follow signs with the tram symbol.

Take the tram going against the flow of traffic, Direction : Friedrich-Engels Platz.

Try and grab a seat on the Right. Front seat of the front car has best view.

• Look Left at zigzag mosaic roof of Stephen's Cathedral.

• Look Right just before next stop - tall Fountain and equestrian Statue of Prince Charles. Just behind is the Russian Monument – Soldier holding a flag.

• Look Right – at Stadtpark with gold and cream Kursalon concert hall and many statues.

• Look Right immediately after next stop at statue of Johan Strausse holding a violin in the same park.

• Look Left immediately after next stop at green statue of Dr. Karl Lueger at end of park

• Look Right coming up at the big red brick building of Museum of Applied Art

• Look Right at next bend white building with decorative helmets above windows – Austrian Ministry of War

• Look Right at next corner at white-domed building over my right-shoulder as we turn – Urania Observatory

PREPARE TO GET OFF AT SCHEWEDENPLATZ

Wait for TRAM No. 1 HEADING IN SAME DIRECTION

While waiting observe the Baby Danube canal

Look Left towards Old City Center.Get on Tram No. 1.

At Salztorbrücke station, look left to see the monument to victims of fascism. Look up to see Leopold-Figl Hof, the former hotel, around the back of which Jewish persons were "interviewed." Access to this space is by appointment only.

Also look up to see Ruprechtskirche.

Around the curve:

• Look Right one block down – Huge red-brick castle is the former Rossauer Barracks, now the Police HQ.

• Look Left at next stop at orange and white Bourse – former exchange building (now covered with scaffolding)

• Look Right at next stop (Shottenring) across the square at Votivskirche.

• Look Right – Just before next stop is the University of Vienna. Hop off for a peek in the courtyards if you are interested.

• Look Right –At next stop is Rathaus.

• Look Left – Opposite Rathaus is Burgtheater (Austria ‘s National Theatre)

• Look Right –Just before the next stop (Parliament) at Austrian Parliament. Lady with golden helment is Athena (godess of wisdom)

• Look Left – Across the Parliament is Volksgarten with fine rose garden free entry

• Look Right – After next stop is Natural History Museum which faces Kunsthistorisches Museum (MuseumQuartier is behind) with main entrance to Hofburg Palace).

• Look Left – Burgator arched gate leads to Hofburg Palace

• Look Left – 50 yards after next stop (Burgring) behind a black-iron fence Statue of Mozart in Burggarten. Not far, also on the left, Staue of Goethe (philosopher) sits in a thought-provoking chair.

• Look Right – Goethe and Schiller (Poet) playng trivia across the street on the right, Behind Schiller is Academy of Fine Arts.

Look Left and GET OFF THE TRAM at Opera.

I hope you find this helpful.
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Old Jul 28th, 2017, 02:53 AM
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Thanks fourfortravel. Thanks for your response.

I contacted the Synagogue yesterday and found out that their tours were at 11:30 and 2:00. Our plan now is first entry at palace. We will do the 2:00 tour of synagogue and then the Jewish Museum, Holocaust Memorial, etc., afterwards.
As to the Ring Tram, I had already copied the info to use on the public tram having seen so many negative comments about the Ring Tram.
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Old Jul 29th, 2017, 07:49 AM
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WE were in Vienna in June - there are 3 palaces ..... if I could only see one it would be Belvedere (walking distance from your hotel). Lovely building, Klimt and beautiful grounds.

https://www.belvedere.at/palaces

We enjoyed Schonbrunn and spent a long time there but if your time is short consider the "in town" alternatives.

If you're near the Opera you're near a charming Gallery (more Klimt) - The Secession Museum. We enjoyed the short tour there.

And also near Opera is the Naschmarkt - and outdoor market with many restaurants - perhaps an alternative to eating in the hotel.
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Old Jul 29th, 2017, 08:05 AM
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contrary to what seem to be many people's views we really liked the Hofburg which has a highly informative "Sissi" exhibition. Dare I say we liked it more than the Schoenbrunn? You might consider seeing the Homburg instead as your very short time won't be eaten up so much by travelling out to the Schoenbrunn and back.

The Prater is a great place to spend the evening- you can eat very cheaply in a Biergarten and enjoy the views from the Wheel or go to a Heurige [wine tavern that sells its own wine]. There are a few in central Vienna that I'm sure Four4 can tell you about.
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Old Jul 30th, 2017, 04:04 AM
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I will be there for the same amount of time in Oct as well but have been there before, so slightly different scenario. But what about a concert, Spanish riding School or Vienna Boys but those depend on what days of the week you are there.
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Old Jul 30th, 2017, 04:07 AM
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fourfortrravel: I loved, Loved, LOVED your directions. I've never found someone out there just like me.
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Old Jul 30th, 2017, 06:46 AM
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Perhaps I am jaded by herding visiting friends and family through Hofburg and its endless dishes, but I like Schloss Schönbrunn more; I think it's the gardens, especially in autumn. Even more that Schönbrunn, I adore the staterooms at Albertina (the art, generally not so much). Prince Eugene's Winter Palace in the city appeals to me more than Belvedere, too. But, living in Vienna I can be selective as to where I spend my time.

If you have the time and interest in a true Viennese activity, a heuriger evening is enjoyable even if you do not consume alcohol. If you are interested I am happy to share my ever-growing list of preferred taverns.

jan47, thank you! If I can do something on my own (translation: more flexibility), I am always interested.
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Old Jul 30th, 2017, 08:49 AM
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Thank you all. A dinner at the hotel is included in our rate so we need only choose a restaurant for the second night.
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