Must See/Do/Eat in Vienna?

Old Nov 21st, 2017, 11:41 PM
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Must See/Do/Eat in Vienna?

I'm from Colorado. I'm currently studying to get my master's degree. One of my courses will be held in Vienna in December. I booked an extra couple of days so I could explore on my own after class is over. Can anyone tell me what absolutely CAN'T be missed in Vienna? What should I make time to see? What should I do? What/Where should I try to eat while I'm there.

I don't have an itinerary yet for the course, so I'm not sure where we'll be going yet.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!
coloradocutie is offline  
Old Nov 22nd, 2017, 04:04 AM
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I personally don't believe anything is a "Can't be missed." If something does not appeal to you then, yes, it can be missed. This said, with an extra couple of days, unless there is something of specific interest to you an Internet search or reviewing a guide book will identify the "Top Ten" of Vienna. Choose what appeals to you and enjoy; or, share your interests and let fellow travelers offer suggestions.

Presumably you will be in Vienna before Christmas? An obvious suggestion of something you might enjoy would be the many Christmas markets that have started opening here.

As for food, the Christmas markets offer local and regional foods. Schnitzel is, naturally, on many visitor's list, and you would do well to review restaurants, as *everyone* has a preferred spot at which to enjoy their breaded cutlet. Sacher Torte, a cake synonymous with Vienna is beloved by some and reviled by others; I am in the latter group and select either Esterhazytorte or, in season, the Maronitorte. If you imbibe, perhaps take time to appreciate a glass of Grüner Veltliner, Austria's famous varietal. And so forth.

In short, a little research will go a long way. Happy Planning!
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Old Nov 22nd, 2017, 04:20 AM
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Hi!

Just my two cents.

Wiener schnitzel, a winner!
Pastries and tortes and coffe.
Baroque churches.
St. Stephan Dome(Cathedral).
Upoer Belvedere Museum, don't miss The Kiss and Napoleon Crossing the Alps!
Schonbrunn Palace and gardens.

Enjoy!
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Old Nov 22nd, 2017, 06:32 AM
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Second the endorsement for Vienna's Christmas Markets. Beautiful and lots of fun.

Two of our favorite restaurants in Vienna are EF16 and Shiki.
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Old Nov 22nd, 2017, 08:36 AM
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The fabulous Kunsthistoriche Museum.
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Old Nov 22nd, 2017, 09:00 AM
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For a lovely pastry and tea break (and over-the-top cake decorations) try Demel.
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Old Nov 22nd, 2017, 12:29 PM
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To sample the famous Wiener Schnitzel (made from veal, not pork)
Lugeck, the more hip restaurant run by uber-famous Figlmüller (which is usually crowded and stuffy) - appr €20 plus sides

Wander along the Ringstrasse - and check out:
Museumsquartier, or just MQ.

Cakes and coffee at any Aida outlet - signature pink Punschkrapfen or the Cremeschnitte are to be sampled.

Take bus 38A from Heiligenstadt subway to Kahlenberg to get a good overview of the city. Or from atop Donauturm - "danube tower".

Schönbrunn palace - and the Christmas market in front of the palace.

Kapuzinergruft.. a bit eerie, but that's part of the "fun".

and much more.
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Old Nov 22nd, 2017, 07:10 PM
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All of the above are great ideas. Consider also the Vienna State Opera House and across the street, the Albertina (a museum we very much enjoyed). For eats, and if the weather cooperates, consider a walk through th Naschmarkt.
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Old Nov 22nd, 2017, 08:01 PM
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Thank you all very much! I appreciate the information and ideas... and yes, I will be there before Christmas. I'm SO excited for the Christmas markets!! That's at the top of my list.
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Old Nov 23rd, 2017, 06:16 AM
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Oh, yes. The Naschmarkt. The best. If you have kids along make them count all the Sissis they see. She is everywhere. If you don't have kids along, you'll have to do it yourself. Enjoy
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Old Nov 23rd, 2017, 10:25 PM
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To hear beautiful singing for free find a church with a sung mass - you don't have to stay for the whole one if its not your scene. There's one near the horses area - I think it's St Augustine
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Old Nov 25th, 2017, 06:41 AM
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And apple strudel too.
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Old Nov 25th, 2017, 09:35 AM
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Have coffee and a pastry at Demel's, a long-standing coffee house with atmosphere.
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Old Nov 25th, 2017, 12:03 PM
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I just returned from Vienna and didn't set foot in the Xmas markets. I ate apple strudel and Meirei im Stadtpark -- so highly recommended and deservedly so -- and thought it wasn't particularly better than wonderful war apple strudels I've eaten in NYC and even Los Angeles. I fled the Naschmarkt in favor of markets, shops and restaurants elsewhere.

If you want an intense but brief experience of touristic Vienna, book a walking tour, or search the internet for "36 hours in Vienna". Maybe I would recommend taking the tram the full circuit around "the ring" to understand an essential aspect of how VIenna was developed according to an amazing imperial top-down masterplan of urban organization hand in hand with the industrial revolution -- but only if it interests you.

But otherwise, do understand that Vienna, as the home of the long-lasting and far-flung global empire (that at one time included governing Colorado) does not only preserve layer upon layer of imperial art, architecture & craft in terms of music, architecture, museum, home luxury, fashion, silly entertainments & elaborate food stuffs -- having once been the richest & most dynamic city in the western world -- in also preservers the rebellion against the bloated conservative empire, with museums of modern art, Freud, monuments to new industry.... and at the same time it is now reinventing itself as a modern hipster city of consumerism, human rights, EU ideals and neo=globalism.

So eiterh figure out which door you want to go through to begin to understand this complexity == the door marked "cake and strudels" or "chandeliers and stallions" or "trams and amusements parks" or "royal bombast and assasination" or "churches and music" -- "art and gardens" -- make up your own combinations -- or take a guided tour if you are afraid of missing what all the other tourists see
.
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Old Nov 25th, 2017, 04:05 PM
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I would see performances at the Spanish Riding School and the Vienna Opera House. Your interests may vary.
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Old Nov 25th, 2017, 04:09 PM
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I loved my visit in Vienna, hope to go back some day. My favorite painting anywhere is there (The Hunters in the Snow, by Pieter Bruegel)

No one I think has mentioned this old school spot, Trzesniewski, where you get tiny open-faced sandwiches AND tiny beer, from a line. It's a fun lunch time scene, not like anywhere else I've ever been. I went to the one near Stephansplatz.
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Old Nov 26th, 2017, 01:00 AM
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Trzesniewski migth be fun for the historic scene, and worth a stop for one little sandwich and tiny beer, but for seriously delicious sandwiches if you are hungry I would go to Gragger & Cie (at Spiegelgasse 23) . They have other great take away items too like breadsticks and sweet breads (but no eleborate cakes, for which Aida is probably the simplest answer for quality-on-the-go, or try the delicate cakes of Sluka, both rigth near St Stephens)

If you are put off by horse performances and what horses are made to go through for human entertainment but love animals and seeing them, you can see the beautiful white stallions of Vienna in their stables by making a stop at the Stallburg (go in the door at Reitschulgasse 2, just off the Michaelerplatz)
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Old Nov 26th, 2017, 07:25 AM
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"...reinventing itself as a modern hipster city of consumerism, human rights, EU ideals and neo=globalism..." Haha, massimop, this made me laugh.

Consumerism? Sure, just not on Saturday evenings, Sundays and holidays. Or during the scattered and unpredictable Mittagspause and most of August, when it's a crapshoot as to whether a shop keeper will be "Auf Urlaub."

EU ideals? Possibly. Austria introduced the "face mask" ban as a thinly veiled, pun intended, way to ban burqa wearing in all public places. And in order to save face, another intended pun, last week the, "World's Most Livable City" issued guidelines as to when persons would not be fined for wearing a scarf over their face in cold weather--something silly related to wind chill.

Neo-globalism? Is that a fancy term for describing the election of Sebastian Kurz, Austria's favorite anti-immigrant hipster right-wing populist?
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Old Nov 26th, 2017, 08:21 AM
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fourfortravel,

I don't know who gave you the idea that EU idealism was about preserving Muslim identity or that 21st c. globalization (the new globalization, not the old) was a left wing project (or that the rebranding of the Kartnestraasse wasn't about consumerism over craft and history. So don't know what you are reacting to.

As I was trying to indicate, a great deal of the fun of visiting multi-faceted Vienna is that you can walk through different doors and pass through many corridors without encountering the many other Vienna's that exist to satisfy other people's desires. What's interesting is the many things left out of this thread, not mentioned at all, that nonetheless draw millions of people to Vienna, the birthplace of so much that has been original and so important in Western culture.

But if you prefer Xmas markets, the young lady who checked me into my hotel also recommended them highly.
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Old Nov 26th, 2017, 09:39 AM
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massimop, you have your own idea of Vienna. I live here and have my own idea, as well.

As for the remaining, the OP has given themselves but two days for the "Can't Miss/Do/Eat." No one knows anything about the OP's interests, but the odds are ever in the favor of them seeing/doing/eating the usual. Without any specification, what the OP sees/does/eats is just a matter of personal preference. In other words, what is one's beloved Sacher Torte is another's dry chocolate cake.

That so many "interesting things" are left out of this thread is perfectly understandable. Many visitors to Vienna want to experience a sampler of what makes Vienna the city that it is, and there is nothing wrong with that. I generally do the same thing when I travel.

Methinks you might be a Christmas market snob. Of course I enjoy Christmas markets; I admire and respect the independent artists and local businesses that present themselves. We and friends attended the Christmas tree lighting at Rathaus last weekend and tucked ourselves into a corner with Glühwein while awaiting the lighting. We call this, "Gemütlichkeit." For the remaining weeks until Christmas we will visit small, local markets offering handmade and artisanal crafts. But the many visitors who will enjoy the Vienna markets are not to be dismissed. So, while I thank you nonetheless, we are not in need of the recommendations of your hotel staff.
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