Vienna Trip Report
 

Have just returned from 5 scorching days in Vienna. Here are my recommendations.

Hotel
Pension Pertschy
Very large room on the second floor (227) facing the street. High ceilings, comfortable bed, clean and functional. The location is, of course, excellent. With the heat, and lack of air cond in this room, we were obliged to keep the windows open. Since the street is very narrow, even the noise from someone walking past during the night is greatly amplified. You will therefore appreciate the effect of several large machines, pneumatic drills and scores of rowdy workers digging up the street from 7am. The street (and to add to the pleasure, the restaurant opposite) are undergoing repairs at the moment.

I don't think a room facing the courtyard would make a significant difference with respect to the noise.

Breakfast is good and the service is friendly. Look on the Vienna Tourist Board site for special offers (I got one night free).

Restaurants

Immervoll (Weihburggasse 17, 1st district)
A good idea to book here. Ask for a table in the "garden" (which is not a garden at all but situated on a quiet paved square) if you don't want to melt. Food is a modern take on traditional Viennese cuisine, with other European influences. The menu is not huge and the chef may have limited numbers of certain dishes. My steak with new season bolets was pretty good - though I was surprised not to be asked how I wanted it cooked. The others had fish and were pleased. Wine is sold by the glass and there is a good selection. Desserts were fantastic. Overall, excellent prices and service for above average food. I give it 8/10.

Aioli (Stephansplatz 12, 3rd floor of the Haas Haus)

A Do & Co restaurant (they are everywhere - even at the Albertina). Spanish influenced food - tapas etc. Small starters but the main courses were copious. Not a huge selection of wines but the reserve Rioja went down well (28 euros). Quite a young crowd, friendly atmosphere and service. I give it 7/10.

Palmenhaus - Burggarten (entrance Goethegasse)
Beautiful setting and just where you want to be when its sizzling. Plenty of covered outside seating. The food menu is not vast but everything looks good. We had wild salmon with a glass of sauvignon blanc. Rating 7/10 (food and wine) 9/10 (location).

Galleries and Museums
Albertina
Wonderful Brassai photo expo on at the moment! Good but expensive postcards in the shop. Do & Co café restuarant worth a look too.

Schönbrunn
It's expensive! I wouldn't bother going if it's hot. Inside is like a sauna and so overcrowded it is difficult to appreciate anything. In fact, the nicest part is just walking around the grounds (free). No need to go to the maze or Princes Garden. Saw the Apple Strudel show which was probably as good as strudel shows go (!). At least there was a free strudel to sample.

Belvedere
Beautiful Klimt/Schiele/Kokoshka etc paintings. This one is really worthwhile.

Karlskirche
Is undergoing renovation. 6 euros for an awful roccoco interior and the lift to the top of the dome where you can't see anything. Don't bother!

Haus der Musik
Sound installations, lots of interactivity. At 10 Euros it is a bit steep, but it is interesting (and well air conditioned).

Final tips
Finding drinks/snacks to consume back at the hotel is difficult in the center. If you pass a supermarket, go and buy something. You may not pass one again until it's too late. Julius Mainl (end of Graben) is a divine deli/cafe/supermarket. Go there before 7.30pm to get your supplies.

For a good coffee in a trad place, Cafe Central is great.

It may be faster to walk somewhere than taking a subway!

So sorry your visit to Vienna was somewhat marred by the extreme heat. It's such a beautiful city. Thanks for your recommendations and overview. Nice, concise, useful report.

Thanks for the report. We took a tour of Schonbrunn and the guide talked about how unbearable it was during a heat wave (people regularly faint during the particularly hot days) and also how much the crowds actually damage the contents during hot spells (inadvertently, from sweat, etc., not from touching anything or deliberately trying to damage anything). He said it was likely that all the exhibits would be behind glass within 10 years or so.
Depending on your tour guide, the tour can be highly entertaining. I enjoyed hearing how the way the Schonbrunn way of folding napkins is protected by law (can't be copied), how Franz Josef was so obsessed with his figure, he only ate for about 5 minutes at state dinners. Everyone else had to stop eating when he did, of course, so they left the palace starving and that gave rise to all the restaurants in Vienna.

Thanks for comments. I will take a tour of Schönbrunn next time (in the Fall).

jmv: the heat didn't marr the trip. It just made it harder work! I would suggest to those people having trouble sleeping, to get up and walk outside. I walked from 6-7am on Saturday morning and hardly saw a soul. Perfect for photos too.

I will also add two other comments.

Concerts
Vienna is dead with respect to concerts in August.

Wein & Co
This bar/restaurant/shop is highly rated in guides. I found it lacking some character and did not enjoy paying 4 euros for 1/16 glass of wine (1/8 is the norm). One sip and it was gone!

Hello lovasa, thanks for such helpful details. What time of day did you try touring Schonbrunn (haven't been for years so I'm astonished to hear about such bad crowding.)Also, have you formed any ideas on a hotel similar in price to Pertschy but not so noisy?

Hi
We went to Schönbrunn on Sunday morning about 10am. Perhaps it is less busy mid-week?

The other hotels I considered were K&K Maria Theresa (walked past it in Vienna - it is indeed in a very quiet spot - maybe too much so?). Also thought about Kaisern Elisabeth, but it may also be noisy - being so close to Kartner Str. Despite the level of noise at the Pertschy being like a 747 taking off,I wouldn't hesitate staying there again (the road works should be finished soon). Maybe one of their sister hotels is worth investigating too (www.pertschy.com)

Thanks, lovasa!

And to think that Schoenbrunn was the Summer Palace. They actually went there to escape the heat from the city! However, the views of the city are magnificent from the Glorietta.

On our last 2 trips (both in May), we stayed at the Admiral Hotel behind the Museum Quartier. It also is not air conditioned but most of the year that would not be a problem. A nice spacious double room with large bath was under $100.

Did you make it out to Grinzing? Lots of good "heurigers" and a chance to get out of the city.

I don't recall the Kaiserin Elisabeth being noisy--however my stays were either off-season (January, March) or with an air-conditioned room in the high season so the closed windows kept out the noise.
Re tours in Schonbrunn, they don't run English guided tours all year. You can do the little machine guided tour in English anytime (what do they call those electronic things you carry around that give the tour info? they're not tape recorders) but you're only allowed to go so far with those (the most extensive tours are with the guides).
Friends of my parents were supposed to go on a guided European trip with a cruise that started in Vienna. As far as I know, the cruise portion had be cut way back due to low water levels. I think they're being bused around instead. What a summer!