Vienna business trip..what to do for 10 days???
 

Hi.. <BR>I will be accompanying my finace on a business trip to Vienna in a couple weeks. I will have 10 fulldays on my own there. I am told Vienna is a very conservative place, and not very progressive. Is this true? Any suggestions on safe and enjoyable things to do there?? Also, nightlife suggestions, we are 27 : )

Liz, I'm envious of your time in Vienna - I spent two nights and days there about a month ago and it wasn't nearly enough! A friend of a friend who lives there took us around, so I didn't really make the decisions. However, we went to the Klimpt Museum and to Belvedere - it was wonderful - nice, nice art gallery... stood outside the Opera House and watched an opera on a large screen while it was being performed inside. It was a neat experience. We went to a heuligen (sp?) - a place in the vineyards which offers wine (new and old) and food. Lots of locals go there, and there are quite a few of them located on the outside of town. Take day trips if possible - I learned how great Melk is by reading this forum and it truly is... we stayed just a few hours on our way to Munich <BR>and wanted to stay at least one more day... <BR> If I were going for 10 days, I would buy a travel book on Vienna and make every hour count. I hope you're not renting a car there - it's very hard to park within the ring - that's another story... Have a good time -

I lived in Vienna for several years and I can tell you there are lots of things to do ... although I wouldn't spend 10 days there as a visitor. Some suggestions: there are great coffeehouses to spend the day in, reading a paper and ....well ... drinking coffee. Try the Pruckl on the Stubenring, the Sperl in the 6th district, the Hawelka on the Graben (close to St. Stephens). They're fantastic. I would second the recommendation of the Klimt museum at the Belvedere. Also, take a stroll along the Naschmarkt (a flea market in the 6th district) if you're there on Saturday morning. It's great. The Kunsthistorisches Museum (on the ring) is one of the world's great art museums. For restaurants, try the pizzeria on the Dorotheergasse (not sure of the name, but it's a short street). There are dozens of other great places to eat. Why not combine a trip to Vienna with an excursion to Prague?

Mark- <BR>Sounds like a great idea! I am more than willing to go outside of Vienna but I have no idea where to go..is it easy to get trains?? What places can I go to? Budapest perhaps? Any ideas/advice would be much appreciated!! : )

Liz - <BR> <BR>Train connections from Vienna are good to both Budapest (4 hours) and Prague (5 hours). YOu might also consider making an excursion to Salzburg or part of the Austrian Alps (3-4 hours from Vienna). For the latter, you'd need a decent guidebook because there are literally hundreds of different destinations. I'm in Prague, so if you want more info on here, just post or email me. <BR> <BR>Mark

well, I'm sure it will be fun because of your fiance, <BR>but I just spent 4 days in Vienna and it was too much. <BR>I didn't really care for the city, myself, and thought <BR>it rather boring; I'd call the art museums definitely <BR>second-rate and the main pedestrian walking <BR>area (Karntnerstrasse) is really ugly. I don't really <BR>like that cuisine, either, which didn't help (boiled <BR>meat, lots of veal). So, I went on a day trip to <BR>Budapest which was a great idea. I was looking for <BR>something to do outside the city and thought those <BR>bus tour things would be a good, convenient way <BR>to see the countryside, so I picked up a brochure at <BR>some travel agency right on Kartnerstrasse and <BR>they had day trips both to Budapest and Prague; <BR>apparently, both are about 150 miles from Vienna. <BR>Re the previous post, if the train takes 4-5 hrs to <BR>get to these places, that is not very good train service <BR>and I'd go for the bus tour unless you want to stay <BR>overnight; the bus only took about 3 hrs (it is only <BR>150 miles) and the tour was excellent and comfortable, <BR>and the guide was wonderful and we saw a lot of <BR>the major/interesting sites in one day as well as <BR>having several hours on our own to do shopping. <BR>Salzburg is doable (as well as other, closer, <BR>Austrian cities) as it's about 3 hours by train. For <BR>things to do for the younger brackets, why don't <BR>you check out Rough Guides WEB site, they have <BR>pretty good info on that type of thing (Timeout <BR>Guides are also very good, but they don't have one <BR>for Vienna): www.hotwired.com/rough/europe/austria <BR> <BR>

Vienna is a city full of impressive structures that reek of history and power. In some ways it is a bit overwhelming if you contemplate the power that built and used them. In general, while I value the cultural/historical importance of Vienna, I find it and its occupants cold. [This is based on a number of visits so don't flame me.] I tend to use Vienna as a "base" for my itinerary so I'm always leaving town about the time I get the Hapsburg heebie-jeebies. Two recommendations: If you get tired of or want to avoid Viennese food [not MY favorite either..] try La Tavola at 5 [or 3] Weihburggasse [very near Kartnerstrasse and next to Kaserin Elizabeth Hotel]. The food is Italian and very well prepared and presented. The decor is minimal, but charming. The crowd is young and "trendy". I would recommend a reservation, although we were able to walk in.It cost the equivalent of a good meal in a major US city. [EVERYTHING in Vienna is expensive.] I think you would enjoy a daytrip to Budapest [3 hrs on a good train.] There you will experience the difference between Vienna and the "second" Hapsburg capital as well as the unique Hungarian culture. Prague is 5 hours from Vienna on the train... so that would best be an overnight. If you need train tickets and/or tour arrangements that your hotel can't handle the Austrian Motoring Club is on the "ring" [Schubertring I think] very near the Radisson/SAS, Imperial and Marriott Hotels [as well as the Bristol..]. I use them regularly. They are most efficient and speak excellent English. I've used the sme agent there now for two years running and expect to use her next summer too! The guidebooks will tell you what to see... there are lots of "don't misses" so I won't try. You could also do a daytrip to Salzburg on the train. Have fun! Oh. Be sure to attend some event at the Statsoper. It's pricey, but one of the premier opera houses in the world. The crowd is worth part of the admission price!