donnae_b

This is our first time to Vienna, we will arrive on a Saturday and leave on Wednesday in Oct.

We want to see the major tourist sites, cafes,

Any suggestions in organizing our stay to get the most out of our time would be appreciated.

Thank you.

Michael

Do a search on Vienna. You will find many different recommendations.

ira

Hi

Have you looked for a miniguide to Vienna at www.fodors.com.

degas

Great city. Easy to get around. Here's what we did in four days:

Trolley ride around ring

Kunsthistorisches Museum

Naschmarkt

Hofburg

Kisergruft

Café Hawelka

St. Stephans Cathedral

Stadtpark

Schonbrunn Palace

Kohlmarkt

Kahlenburg

Grinzing

House of Music

Belvedere Palace/ Botanical Gardens

Prater

Mariahilfer Strasse

Spitllberggasse/Schrankgasse

Karlskirche

City Hall

donnae_b

Thank you Degas!
Great things to take into consideration for our trip.
Carriage ride! Awesome!
Do you know the name of the cemetary where all the great composers are buried?

MaureenB

We also visited Munich and Vienna this past June. Our weather was beautiful, so we opted for more outdoor sightseeing than indoor museums, thinking that the cities themselves are such beautiful outdoor museums. We took our guidebooks in hand and strolled around, looking in just about every church and cathedral we saw (and there are lots!).
In Vienna, we stayed at the very nice Hotel Kaiserin Elisabeth, right in the center of town within a block or two of Stephansdom. We really enjoyed the Hapsburg's Imperial apartments, the Stephandsom catacombs, and Schonnbrun Palace. If you like horses, the Lipizzaners performing or exercising in the fabulous Winter Riding School is not to be missed.
For day trips, we highly recommend the train/boat ride to Melk and Krems from Vienna. You can get a "combi-pass" at the train station, for 39 Euro/apiece which covers the train to Melk, a tour of the gorgeous monastery there, boat ride to Krems and train ride back to Vienna. It makes a beautiful day. There's a pretty garden at the monastery where you can grab a light lunch. The Danube and the wine country you pass through are both lovely.
From Munich, we bought the Bayern Pass for two train day-trips. One day to Fussen to see the Neuschwanstein castle, another day to Salzburg. Each day pass covered up to five people round-trip, and it was only about 25 Euros-- a bargain we couldn't believe. That pass price even covered some buses and U-Bahn, too, I think. You can get it right before boarding at the train depot, no need to buy in advance. Some days it's for after 9 a.m. rush hour only, so check that out first.
Also, in Munich, our wonderful Hotel Uhland had bikes to borrow, and we took a nice bike ride around that end of town, by the Oktoberfest park.
You will love both cities. So much to do, you can't go wrong.

Thomas_Milligan

Do you know the name of the cemetary where all the great composers are buried.

Except for Mozart, the great composers are buried in the Zentralfriedhof, which can be reached by Tram No. 71. Mozart is buried in the St. Marxer Friedhof, which is also on the same tram route, but not as far out.

lincasanova

if you like opera or ballet, or just want to see the stage settings, and not break the bank, and feel young at heart and foot, buy "STEHPLATZ" at national theatre/ opera house an hour or two before the event, for less than a cup of coffee.

take a scarf and tie it to railing in front of you personal "space" to "save it".
then go tour the theatre til curtain time, go back to your "scarf" and enjoy what your feet allow you.

i love to go back to vienna just for those theatre nights.

almcd

I would agree with much of what Degas says but I would like to fine-tune some of it. My wife and I just returned from eight days in Vienna and we could have used more time. To see things properly, I doubt if everything that Degas lists is possible.
Firstly, buy a 72-hour transport pass. It will allow you to squeeze more in. Take tram #1 or #2 round the Ring as soon as you arrive (If you are from North America, you may need a snooze that first day). Take the Underground or tram to Grinzing on that first Sunday. Most of Vienna is shut on Sunday but the village of Grinzing can be visited without any problem. The Stadt park is not all that impressive, whereas the Hofburg and Schonbrunn palaces are. I found the House of Music not to be worth the entrance fee. If you are into computerisation of music, then you might enjoy it. The Kunshistorische Museum is excellent, but two weeks ago, a whole floor was closed and nobody told us until we were inside. If you allow a day to shop, you will not be able to do 50% of what is listed by Degas. Therefore, I would recommend not doing the Nachsmarket or the Mariahilfer Stasse.Take lots of money. You will need it.

degas

What I listed took four very full days. We started early and finished late on our trip, plus it was summer and the days were longer. We also were lucky enough to have a local show us how to get quickly from one location to another. Our shopping time was short, just to avoid some rain.

I'll be the first to admit that not everyone travels like that and another day or so would have been nice.

Eloise

Mozart was buried without identification in a mass grave. The monument that claims to identify the "approximate location" of his grave in St. Marx cemetery was erected in 1859, 68 years after his death, when no one who might have known where he was buried would still have been alive.

bettyk

Suggest you visit Cafe Central in the Palais Ferstel near St. Stephen's for lunch and Demel's for coffee and one of their luscious pastries. We also enjoyed the Palmenhaus in the Burgarten -- more for the atmosphere and the food altho the food was OK. You should also go to Griechenbeisl Restaurant on Fleischmarkt right next to the Greek Church which is also worth a look if open. The food at the Greichenbeisl is very good and many famous people have eaten their over the centuries.

I don't particularly think the Prater is worth your time unless you absolutely want to see the "Reisenrad" or ferris wheel it is known for. The area around the Prater is pretty seedy. You should also consider visiting the catacombs in St. Stephen's and also going up to the very top of that great cathedral for the view of the city.

Vienna is a great city. Be sure to pay attention to its great architecture as well as the fabulous food. For a to die-for dessert, try some Paletschinken, chocolate or fruit filled crepes covered with whipped creme, or Mohr im Hempt, a gooey chocolate pudding cake! YUM!!

bettyk

Sorry, was trying to say that we enjoyed the Palmenhaus more for the atmosphere THAN the food.

amyb

This time of year, does one need a reserved time at Schoenbrunn Palace, or is it ok to just walk up and buy tickets to get in right then and there?

bettyk

Amy, the last time we visited Schoenbrunn was in May 2002. We got there about when they opened (9:00 AM or so) and we had no problem getting in. Later on when the tour buses showed up, it did get crowded, so I was glad we were ahead of all that.

Bird

donnae_b: Sorry for the interruption.

Degas - I noticed your reference to the Café Hawelka. What were your thoughts? I went there on a recommendation and was both underwhelmed and a bit creeped out. Lukewarm coffee and dusty pastries. Why is this place popular?

elaine

hi
frommers.com has some good walking routes.

I have a file on Vienna, if you'd like to see it,email me at
[email protected]

amyb

Thanks bettyk.

Donnae, definitely get Elaine's files. I'm using them for my upcoming trip and they are quite useful!