fate_golfman

Hi, I need help with where to stay in Vienna - want a centrally located hotel in the city. Also any suggestions on what to see and do for 3 days.<BR>Many thanks.

rex

My family and I are staying at Residenz Pension this May - - a place that I judged to be central and affordable enough for us.<BR><BR>Here are comments from one other person who has stayed there:<BR><BR>http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2&amp;tid=1314089<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>[email protected]<BR>

fate_golfman

thanks rex. much appreciated.<BR>best regards.

rex

You're welcome.<BR>

banu

First of all go to Schottentor and take Ring shuttle and make the ring tour so you can see a lot of things.You can get out/into the shuttle where you want<BR>Schonbrunn palace,Kaertnerstrase-Stephansdom,Hundertwasserhaus,Donau and Donauturm are some of the places you should visit...You can check the website<BR>www.magwien.at(in english available)<BR>The underground system is very good in Vienna ; you can reach anywhere easily and fast so you can visit a lot of places in short time.(Buy 3 days ticket)<BR>Visit Heurige for a glass of house wine(try gespritzt)<BR>Don't forget to drink MELANGE(coffee) and eat SCHWARZWAELDERTORTE(it is delicious even better than Sachertorte)<BR>Enjoy your time!<BR>Hope you have sunny days in Vienna<BR><BR>Banu

provence97

I spent most of my childhood years in Vienna and went back two years ago. Here are my suggestions <BR><BR>1. Schoenbrunn - summer palace; take a tour of the palace and explore the gardens afterwards. There is a great cafe at the top of the hill..<BR><BR>2. If you want to explore churches - visit the Stephanskirche, Peterskirche, Votivkirche.<BR><BR>3. If you enjoy museums - there is a museum area with great museums. This wasn't around when I was there, but heard it was worthwhile. There is a cute Clock Museum too, but in a difft area. <BR><BR>4. Visit Grinzig to enjoy the Heurigen. <BR><BR>5. There is a good Weinterschnitzel restaurant close to the Stephansdome that serves HUGE weinerschnitzels!! Inclues Kartoffel salat (potato salad).<BR><BR>6. Since we are talking about food, things that you NEED to eat:<BR>- Weinerschnitzel<BR>- Kartoffel Salat <BR>- Apfelstruedel<BR>- Sachertorte from Demel<BR>- Other pastries from Demel or Aida<BR>- If you are looking for an inexpensive meal, just go to Julies Meinl or grocery stores .. go to the Deli and get a sandwich. Must try fresh SEMMEL!! Wonderful bread!!<BR>- ALMDUDLER!!! The best drink ever!!! When you go to resturants, you should order this!! It's hard to describe the taste, but it tastes like carbonated apfel juice. You can also buy this in grocery stores. Cannot find this drink anywhere in the US.<BR><BR>7. Visit the Hundertwasser building..very unique.<BR><BR>8. Explore the different Fussgaengerzonen (pedestrian area).<BR><BR>I can tailor your trip a lot more if you tell me what you are interested in seeing, doing... age?<BR>

fate_golfman

thanks everyone.

fate_golfman

provence97,<BR>hi. thanks for the input. planning to visit vienna, prague and budapest for 2 weeks this summer. any idea on the best and most efficient way to visit these places? current plan is to arrive at budapest and work my way up to prague and depart from there. decision on renting a car or travelling by train is a consideration. i am travelling with my mother (60), wife (42) and daugher (12). i am 43 years old. thanks.

Travelnick

What is your price range? Put in a number of times my recommendation for Starlight Suites, rack rate euro 166 for lounge and double bedroom, with microwave, air con, small fitness room etc. www.starlighthotel.com. Got it for 100 for my mum. After checking out a lot of hotels, I rate it easily best value in Vienna. If you want chintzy rooms to get the empire feel, go for a pension like Pension Pertschy for similar price, but half the space. Both are in first district.<BR>Amazing value meal to be had at Harrys Time, An der Hulben, euro 17 for 6 courses at lunch (starters are small) and if here in Thursday make a reservation at Kunsthistorische Museum for evening smorgasboard, with entry to museum euro 42 - stunning location, will remember this meal rest of your life even if food was mediocre - which it is not.<BR>NAschmarkt for the big food market -feels like you are in Turkey. Kebabs there are OK but huge amount of bread which I am not a fan of. Lots of sushi places - very popular in Vienna and very good value, especially lunch bento boxes.<BR>Some clarifications from others - semmel is jsut a plain white bread roll, some bakeries are good, others so so, (generally bread in Vienna is very good especially compared to heavily processed American stuff); Julius Meinl is the upmarket supermarket in Graben - astonishingly expensive, (but very nice inside) - see stuff about 80-150% more expensive than other supermarkets, for exactly same product. I live around the corner from it and I hate to spend money there as it such a rip off; gespritzt is simply wine with soda, which is probably the cheapest drink on most menus (soda is not expensive!)but depending on wine can be awful. White wines in Austria I think are terribly underrated, whereas my experience of reds is poor, albeit more expensive producers are coming out with OK stuff.<BR>Jesuitenkirche and Greek Orthodox church (Griechishkirche)- incredibly ornate churches for their size really worth checking out.<BR>If coming in summer, eat at the stalls in front of Rathaus - about 30 -40 palces sell food from June (maybe July)on. Among them are very upmarket restaurants selling smaller servings much more cheaply than in main restaurants. Pick what you want from huge range. Also in summer, places open up along the Donau Kanal (get out at Roslauer Lande).

pipsil

My husband and I always stay at Pension Nossek in the Graben .Pedestrian zone in the very center of Vienna . If you have a room with a balcony you can see St.Stephens. Large rooms breakfast included. We paid 98 Euros last year and would never stay anywhere else. Usually well booked in advance. As to the big Wiener Schnitzel the restaurant is called Figlmueller and is a tourist attraction but boy is it good!! Also usually very busy and you may have to wait. Worth it though. So called better restaurants somewhat disappointing. Go for a Beisl [ small local place ] much more atmosphere . You have already been given great suggestions what to do during the three days so won't repeat that but would second the wine suggestion. Go for the Gruener Veldtliner. While we were there it was the least expensive housewine but has since been &quot;discovered&quot; by the U.S and may not be so inexpensive any longer.Have been there numerous times as it is one of our favorite cities so if you want any more info just ask.

fate_golfman

Pipsil,<BR>Do you have the contact numbers, website for the Pension Nossek? Thanks for the response.<BR>Regards.

Dave

The restaurant that (I assume) provence97 is referring to with the HUGE weinerschnitzel is called: Figlmuller....<BR><BR>And it is very definitely worth a visit...If you're not real hungry, splitting it with 2 people would be no problem at all....Lots of times you get seated at a &quot;community&quot; table and that can sometimes be as much fun as the food!!<BR><BR>Best wishes for a great trip!! Dave

Dave

Ooops!! Sorry pipsil....I didn't see your reference to Figlmuller in your post until after I had given the same suggestion!<BR><BR>Sorry,,,,Dave

pipsil

Yes I do: Pension Nossek Graben 17 Wien 1010 Tel, No.01143153370410 FAX:0114315353646 It'sbest to send them a FAX. By the way they do not take Credit Cards. No TV either. We didn't feel we needed it and everything else is great. Ask for a room with a view of the Graben!!! Very important.

fate_golfman

pipsil,<BR>thanks very much.<BR>best regards

fate_golfman

ttt

LindaW

My favorite place is the Hotelpension Arenberg. It is a 4* small hotel within the Ring and is a Best Western but with posh Vienna feel. It is 2 minutes walk to U-Bahn and 5 to Stephensplatz. The prices are reasonable, the rooms have bathtubs and you get homemade muslei for breakfast. <BR>The other hotel is Hotel Drei Kronen. It is a 3* hotel just outside the Ring, with a great buffet breakfast. As it is near the University, visiting professors stay there. A nice open air market is across the street and a grocery is in the next block. It is about 8-minute walk to the Opera and 3 minutes to UBahn.

shorty68

We really liked Hotel Altwienerhof because of the garden courtyard, the convenient location (close to subway), and because of the half pension. In the summer, breakfast is served in the courtyard. There are reviews of this hotel at the tripadvisor WEB site.