Hi all, Five of us (ranging in age from 27 to 72) will spend 3 nights in Vienna in early October. We arrive early in the morning, so that will be a full day. Please tell me YOUR 3 favorite things to do, 3 favorite restaurants and 3 favorite bars. We're making our lists, but I always find new and different things from Fodorites. Should we do the Hop On Hop off bus? Thanks for your help..

I enjoyed the usual things in Vienna but the one that surprised me most was the Römermuseum, below street level in the center of the city:
http://www.wienmuseum.at/en/locations/roemermuseum.html

The photos don't look very exciting on the website but I found it extraordinary. You can see the street above where I'd just been walking and beneath was this secret ancient world. For some reason I found it quite moving and real, compared to Roman sites on their own out in the open. It's quite small and doesn't take long to see but you'll no doubt be right in the area and I recommend wholeheartedly stopping in, even for just a few minutes.

As one who lives in Vienna, I offer our preferences for your consideration.

Our 3 favorite things to do in October:
1. Hiking/Walking in the Vienna vineyards or Lanzier Tiergarten or the Vienna Woods.
2. Hiking/Walking/Driving in and along the Wachau Valley
3. Enjoying the harvest festivals in the near, be they in the Weinviertal or across the border into the Czech Republic.

Our 3 favorite restaurants:
1. For Backhendl (Styrian "fried chicken") we go to Beim Hofmeister. If we were Austrian, this would probably be closest to enjoying a meal at our favorite Aunt's house.
2. For Schnitzel, any of the places along our hiking/walking routes. It's always better than Tourist Schnitzel at Figls.
3. Thai or Indian or Italian. Probably not what you have in mind, however.

Our 3 favorite bars:
1. Heuriger (wine taverns) in Grinzing
2. Heuriger in Heiligenstadt
3. Heurgier in the Weinviertal.

I can not entirely speak to the HOHO bus, except to write that I am annoyed as all get out when the buses clog the narrow lanes in the 19th (the vineyard district, more or less) to deposit sightseers at the heuriger that has sold its soul to tourism.

Sorry for not responding sooner( a few hiccups along the way.)Thank you for your replies. Any more suggestions? If we had to choose one day trip outside Vienna, which would you choose? I see we will be there for the last day of the Wein festival. Should we go there? Thanks again.

<< If we had to choose one day trip outside Vienna, >>

Melk Abbey

Yes, the Wiener Weinwandertag (Vienna vineyard wandering) happens this year on 30 September/1 October. Even if you do not imbibe, there are plenty of alcohol-free options, and the opportunity to wander some private vineyards, with spectacular views of the city) makes the outing worthwhile.

If you don't want to walk the entire 10 km of the path in the 19th district, some of which includes hefty uphill climbing, take the 38A bus from its terminus at the end of the U4 (Heiligenstadt station) all the way to Cobenzl. From there you can walk downhill through the vineyards to either Neustift, Grinzing, or Nußdorf, where you can catch either public back to the Inner Stadt.

Cake and more cake. Guidebooks focus on Sacher Torte and strudel, but there are dozens more specialty cakes historic to imperial Vienna that are amazing if you like to eat cake, especially historic cake. I suppose the most efficient way to sample as many as possible is to make a stop at Aida -- there are several locations all over town -- but many different kinds are available in Vienna's many historic cafes. Poppy seed cakes, walnut cakes, deep dark chocolate cakes, hazelnut or chestnut cakes. Others with fruit and cream. Worth doing some research to get a grip on the possibilities.

For me all the secessionist & 20th century architecture of Vienna was thrilling & fascinating to see. The great museums of imperial Vienna + the National library are stunning.

I found Schoenbrunn a time suck. Take the train around the Ringstrasse, not a hop on hop off bus.