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boy.. do you people get "aerated" about coffee.. Definitely try to get to the Belvedere.. it doesn't seem to be publicized and that is a shame.. well worth seeing.. Why do "we" go on vacations to "foreign" places and then comment that they aren't the same as the US??

Darn I did try the Belvedere but there was a transit strike that day and they were closed because no one showed up at work!

My daughter and I were in Vienna June 10-12. It was very hot and humid, just as it had been in July of '65, my last time there. I found the St. Stephansdom area to be most unattractive - it was so pedestrian. We had some wonderful coffee and sweets - Sachertorte and Linzertorte - at Demel's where the waitresses were most gracious, and we loved the stuff in the jewelers' windows in that street - happily they were already closed, or we might not have had enough money for the rest of our extensive trip ! Vienna was our first stop.

I am from NYC, and I thought the admission price to the museums was high. But, let's not forget that Vienna is doing extensive work on its museums to make the city more of a tourist destination. We got tickets to the Kunsthistorische (wow !) and Leopold Museums for 16.50 euros. Worth every euro, and we were happy to help them out with a little money.

We stayed at the Marriot (internet special price) where the room was fine and highly air-conditioned, and it did have windows one could open (wow !). The lobby wasn't so nice. Wasn't air-conditioned. Ugh ! Because it was so horridly hot, the only thing we could eat in their restaurant, we collapsed there after our museum jaunts, was the tomato and fresh mozzerella salad with the most heavenly creamy basalmic dressing. I am going to write Gourmet magazine to see if they can get the receipe for that dressing !

topping

Thank you so much for your wonderful trip report! I am heading to Vienna in November and practically every question I had was answered.

happy to help!

I just wanted to say that we tried Oswald and Kalb and it was indeed very good. Thanks for the recommendation. It is definately not a very touristy restaurant.

ttt

Richard,

Thank you for topping this; what a fantastic trip report!

Thanks, someday I will get my pics online!

These reports really do come in handy! I'm in Vienna right now (arrived yesterday). The hotel suggested I try Oswald und Kalb for dinner tonight and reserved a table for me...so I had to find an Internet cafe and do a quick check for Fodorite reviews! (O & K wasn't on my restaurant list for this trip.) I've got 10 days here in Vienna, so looking forward to trying some new places as well as my old favorites.
P.S. Weather is COLD, blessings on nice and warm Kandehar boots. Some snow on the ground, but I saw a lot more as the train passed through Linz and St. Polten...look for a trip report at the end of next week.

Don't worry, Oswald and lab is good!

ooops, I should check what I type before I hit POST.

WOW! great report,i would love to go to vienna someday,maybe next year.For what i've read u had such a great time.Is vienna so expensive as people say?

I thought it was a bit pricey. I did get a great hotel deal and it was very central so it was worth it. Food is a bit high but like anyplace, there are tons of cheap options. For some reason drink (like Coke) are so expensive in the center of the city. I stocked up at the supermarket because my hotel room had a frig.

Richard, that was an excellent trip report and it had lots of detail. I expect many folks who have never been to Vienna, will consider your report helpful. I have been to Vienna several times and I consider it to be one of the jewels of Europe. The food and drink is costly but who cares. If I travel around the world to visit a city, then I can afford a few extra euros for a cup of coffee. People who travel to Vienna will impressed by the beauty, history, and friendliness of the city.

Oswald und Kalb was good, but I expected a little better. I give it 6.5 out of 10. Points deducted for:
rindersuppe with pancake strips (one of my favorite soups) was a little too salty.
The blaufrankisch wine by the glass was pretty mundane, I expected better and it was German, not Austrian!
Without asking, the waiter snatched the pepper mill from my table and gave it to another table. I hadn't finished eating and there was a chance I still needed it.
Overall, though, it was a nice dining experience and I would probably go there again.
I learned something, too, that the Austrian dessert "mohr im hemd" is the same as the French "chocolat moelleux", that is, a dark chocolate cake with a warm chocolate mousse center. Served at O und K with whipped cream and a dark chocolate and cherry sauce.

Richard
Thanks for the very detailed Viennese report. We are seriously considering taking our 2 teenaged sons there in August (yeah, hot & crowded), and I am wondering...do you think Vienna offers enough for them to enjoy?
They are well-traveled kids (7 trips to Europe in 6 yrs.) but, like you, do not care to spend hours in art museums or churchs. We have blitzed the Ufizzi, Vatican Museums, British Museum, Louvre, D'Orsay.... As part of this trip, I wanted to do a biking/ferry excursion on the Danube to visit Melk, et al. Will it be just to @#!* hot?

Any words of wisdom are deeply appreciated.

Thanks,
Patty

Patty,
of course I am not Richard whom you asked for help re Vienna, but perhaps you will accept my help.
Will it be hot in August? We have seen a really hot summer last year. In former years, we had a lot of rain in summer (that is why many people in Austria used to go Italy for a holiday). Nobody can tell you at the moment.
One thing I can tell you is that there will be a lot to do and see for your teenage sons!

For a rainy day, visit the House of Music (Haus der Musik) in the city of Vienna. It is not so much a museum but a way to experience and make music (and noise).
You can virtually conduct an orchestra,
experiment on computers and make your own cd. You can play instruments that only exist in the house of music.

Too hot? Not in the underground! There are guided tours of Vienna's labyrinth of underground passageways, cellars and burial crypts. Tours and schedules on http://www.wienguide.at/

Where do Viennese kids go to bike, inline skate and hang around? Take your kids to Donauinsel, a recreation area enclosed by the River Danube and by the New Danube. It offers swimming, surfing, rowing, cycling, ball games and much more. At 21 km long and up to 250 m wide, the northern und southern areas of the island have been left to nature while the middle section consists of park landscape. Numerous restaurants and leisure facilities, open during the summer months, complete the perfect relaxed atmosphere for all visitors.

Sounds like going to Vienna even if the weather is unpredictable???