My wife and I will be staying for several days in Vienna in a couple of weeks and would like to hear from travellers who know of a small, friendly hotel (or pension) in the heart of the city. Thanks in advance for your ideas.

Good evening, Oliver We have for a <BR>number of years in the past used the <BR>HOTEL MAILBERGERHOF, Annagasse7, it is <BR>a four star hotel with 35 rooms. Is within the inner ring about two blocks <BR>north of the Opera House. Go into www. <BR>hotelguide.ch/ should find more information on the hotel. <BR>Richard of La Grange Park, IL...

Your budget?? We love the Konig Von Ungarn hotel, just a block from the cathedral and right next to the Mozart house. It is a wonderful small hotel, this year we are paying 2390 ATS per night, about $162.00, with breakfast.

Oliver, <BR>Check the website www.altwienerhof.at/gb/index.htm <BR>The hotel is small with a superb restaurant (superb but expensive)and a sumptuous breakfast served in an enclosed garden included in the room price. Prices range from $85 dollars for a double to about $130 for a suite. The hotel is not centrally located however it's less that half a block from a subway station and a bus line that will take you to the Burg Ring in about 15 minutes or less. It's about 20 minutes by subway to Schonbrunn Palace. Spent a week there last October with no regrets.

Pension Pertschy is an excellent small hotel/pension right in the centre of the old town and a short stroll from Stephensdom. It's in a small side street and the rooms are great - clean and attractive and quiet, even on the street side. There is a nice breakfast room (b/fast incl. in rate) and a tour desk if you need it. I heartily recommend this establishment.

Hi Oliver - <BR> <BR>I stayed at the Pension Christina a few years ago. It is owned by the same people who own the Pertschy. The Christina is immediately off Schwedenplatz, which makes it mighty convenient not only to the rest of the Inner City (easy walk to everything) but also to the subway and streetcar lines. <BR> <BR>The Christina was very pleasant, with a nice-sized, nicely decorated room. The price was very good also - about $110-120 a night for a double room with bath. <BR> <BR>A final note, with my apologies to one of the above coorespondents. In planning our trip to Vienna, we decided to go fairly cheap for the first 3 nights, and splurge a bit for our final 2 nights. The Christina was our cheap choice, and we were very satisfied. Then we moved to the Mailbergerhof, which was our little splurge. Well, the Mailbergerhof was almost twice the price, and not worth it at all. Although the public space was prettier, the room was only slightly larger than the one we had at the Christina, and furnished worse (gouges in furniture, that kind of thing). The staff seemed a bit grumpy, too - not nearly as warm as at the Christina. Quite a disappointment.