Hi all,

Would really appreciate some help! Will be headed to Vienna this May with my family . We'll be staying 2 nights , wondering if there are any recommendations how we can make the most of vienna in those two days. Thanks

I will leave the specifics of how to schedule your day to others who are much more familiar with Vienna than I am.

What I will say is that my wife and I spent three nights in Vienna in Decembe rof 2007 and absolutley loved the city. It is vibrant, spotlessly clean, friendly, has good food and drink, terrific cafes and coffee, world class bakery and chocolate products, etc.

We had a delightful time. Stay in the central city if at all possible and walk everywhere. The public transportation is also easy to use.

Have a great trip. I look forward to reading the suggestions of others as well.

Your posting does not provide your major interests and this makes advice harder to provide.
Luckily Vienna offers somethings for most everyone.


Palaces-
visit to Schönbrunn Palace is number one on most lists for must sees.
The Palace with its park offers an ideal introduction to the life of the Royals. Their summer Palace.
www.schoenbrunn.at

You will perhaps find fewer visitors earlier in the morning.
The UBahn Line U-4 can be used to quickly reach the Palace from the city center.
I also try to take this line to the Palace. Go to the Hietzing stop rather than The stop noted as Schönbrunn. Both stations are an equal walk to the palace, but the gardens, fountains and Palmenhaus can be seen during this walk from Hietzing adding to the pleasure.

Hofburg Palace- the winter palace of the Royals
For the art lovers
If you like art museums- The Kunsthistorisches ( Fine Arts Museum ) is on the famous Ringstrasse across from the Hofburg palace.
One of the finest collections in the world.

www.khm.at
Other fine museums include the Belvedere Palace and Liechtenstein Palace

more to follow-

websites for the above

www.belvedere.at

www.liechtensteinmuseum.at

Music

Vienna is a city of nusic - good choices

www.staatsoper.at
www.volksoper.at
www.musikverein.at

Cafes-
No visit to Vienna is complete without a visit to a cafe. Not just coffee but fantastic pastry.



Demel and Sacher perhaps best known names - but many better and less expensive -
Some ones to check

Cafe Diglas
Oberlaa
both with seveal locations in city center.

Cafe Central

not far from the Hofburg

Many like to start a visit with a streetcar trip around the main boulevard of the city The Ringstrasse- you can make a roudtrip without a change using the new Yellow Streetcar- audio guides in various languages - but pricy - 6 euro.
You can do the same trip using the streetcars # 1 and #2 with onr change - 1,70 or use a day ticket - no audioguide-
You pass

The State Opera, Hofburg palace, Fie Arts Museum , Volksgarten, Parliament , Burgtheater, University , Danube canal , and city park with famous Strauss statue- a quick way to learn of the city in about 30 minutes.

Also check for evening hours at several museums.
Foe example the Fine Arts openlate Thusday evenings.

For good information on sightseeing, restaurants etc. you can review the tourist office website
www.wien.info

Please post back with any questions -
this just a sampling of things to do.

Hi molker-

If you don't mind me asking you a few specific questions:

1) Is 4 hours enough time for Schonbrunn - palace and gardens? We plan to get the Classic Pass Lite; but our plan is to arrive around 1pm on a weekday.

2) I noticed that there is a guided tour of the Rathaus 3 times a week, but in German only. Would the guide be offended if we take the tour but we don't speak/understand German? I have printed out the English tour description and thinking that we can look at the English print-out as we go on the tour:
http://www.wien.gv.at/english/cityhall/tours.htm

Thanks!

Hello yk

Each has different priorities when visiting in Schönbrunn.

2 hours Should be enough to take you time and see most thingsin the Palace- less if you pass some things quickly.
A walk in the park - without a zoo visit less than a hour.
Use your walk to amble toward the Hietzing exit and an easy return to city center by the U-4

The Palmenhaus and Rose Garden are interesting to many and you may wish to sit on one of the many benches - absorb the beauty while taking a rest.

4 hours no trouble.
An alternative- go to a supermarket like Spar or Billa - make a picnic lunch - take it with you walk through the park - sit on a cool bench - eat - put remains in the trash cans found most places - do your tour by 1 PM then return to city center by walking out main gate - getting the strretcar # 58 to the Westbahnhof - 10 minute ride and then U-3 back to city center.

No problem for the rathaus with your own paper guide - just do not talk loudly over the guide I am certain you respect their efforts. He /she should not care and probably happy that you wish to see it and most of all come prepared.

Enjoy !

Thank you, molker! One last question:

We are actually staying at an apartment near Westbahnhof (5 mins walk/0.6km west on Mariahilferstrasse). We plan to take tram #58 to/from Schonbrunn. I looked at Wiener Linien website & #58's PDF file... but can you tell me if the closest stop is AT Westbahnhof? I can't tell if the tram runs down Mariahilferstrasse, because if it does, there may be a stop closer to our apartment.

The terminus for the # 58 is at the westbahnhof - or at least it has been but much construction recently nearby .
It does travel along Mariailferstrasse for a good portion of its journey to Schönbrunn.
First stop is gerstnerstrasse just past the Westbahnhof - 50 meters- next is Staglgasse - this may be near to your place - then some considerable distance to the next stop.

The schönbrunn stop is just across from the main entrance to the palace- more convenient than the UBahn

Also along this line is the Technical Museum right side as yo ride to Schönbrunn- to some very interesting.

Thank you again, molker. You're right, the Staglgasse stop will be perfect - about 1 block from where we'll be staying. Looking forward to our visit to Vienna!

If you look at the top of this page, you will see Destinations. Find Vienna and check it out. There is a lot of great information there to supplement what you've received above from molker.

You mention family, are there children in the group? They might like to see the Spanish Riding School, there are performances, practices and tours of the stables depending on the schedule.

At Schonbrunn you can take a little open-sided tram up to the highest point in the park--great views from there. It is walkable but if you are trying to save time or your feet, it's a pleasant little ride.

we went out to the woodlands - out to kahlenberg via grinzig
train and bus

it was beautiful
the views over vienna are great

weare not palace and museum people so we havent been inside any of the usual sights in vienna but we did walk to the markets and have coffee and sacher torte and apple streudel of course

i do like churches
st stephens was beautiful