Hi, I would like to do a city tour of Vienna in April 2007. Do I need to book this tour beforehand or are they readily available? The tour I had in mind goes for 3-1/2 hours and takes in the Schonbrunn, Opera House etc. I dont know if we actually visit any of the places or just drive past. Has anyone been on one of these tours? I would like to hear your comments. Regards Pawsha

Do you have a link to this "tour"? Unless you're short on time, I don't see why you can't just visit these places on your own.

We can only speculate on what's involved in a 3-1/2 hour tour -- get on the internet and compare companies. Sometimes a drive around is interesting I guess to get the lay of the land, although I just assume nothing is "cheap" in Vienna and would want to walk as much as I could anyway. It is so beautiful, you will love it.

We usually start any city tour by taking one of those Hop on and Off bus tours. Then when we have had an overview we return to explore in detail what interests us most.

Thanks. I think the hop-on-hop-off sounds a good idea. Cheers Pawsha

I found the "Third Man" tour to be great-usually either Bonnie Timmerman (who wrote a book on the great Carol Read movie staring Orson Welles) or her son lead it.

http://www.viennawalks.com/pages/engl/portal5.php

Probably the best line in any movie, ever (paraphrased from Mussolini!):

Like the fella says, in Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love - they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock.

You can also try some of their other walks.

I doubt if your 3.5 hour tour takes you inside Schonbrunn. It might take you inside St. Stephan's or the Opera House.
If you have an audio guide, or even a good guidebook, you will see many of the main sights just by riding a regular tram around the Ring. It would give you an overview...you could then use the hop-on, hop-off bus to visit the sights that most interest you.
IMHO, however, the best option would be to do the Ring by one of the public trams, followed by a guided walking tour of the central core--St. Stephan's, the Graben, Imperial Vaults, etc. which are in pedestrian zones anyway--and a separate tour of Schonbrunn.

We were in Vienna 2 months ago for 4 days, and I don't recall seeing any "hop-on-hop-off" bus for Vienna at all.

You'll save $ by touring these places yourself, or better yet, take Tram #1 or #2 (both go around the ring) and do a self-guided tour. (I recommend Rick Steves' self-guided tram tour - detailed in his Germany/Austria guidebook).