Vienna - advice please

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The Opera, the cafe in the Tower and of course the Big Wheel, plus if you have still more time a bit of people watching in any square / out door cafe. Enjoy!

We have recently come back from Vienna, we had a fabulous time! My highlight was a Mozart and Strauss concert at the Musikvieren. It was costly but worth it. A full orchestra dressed in Viennese clothing. The seats round the sides have the best view. Hope you have a great time.

If you have time to go a short way out of the city I suggest you visit a heurige .
www.wien.info/en/shopping-wining-dining/wine/heurige-2

These are traditional country taverns serving food and new wine and are a delightful experience. The link gives information on how to find one and how to get there.

There's a tram you can get which does a circular tour of the city. Do try to find it as it will help you get your bearings. The roads don't seem to go in straight lines they go round in circles around and within the city. Make sure you have a very good map.

The cake is amazing.

Yes, Curlywirly, we bought our tickets outside the Cathederal from a man in period costume. He gave us a huge discount for four pensioners one of which was a mature student. The venue was down a side street but stunning inside! There was also a free CD for each one in the audience! Fabulous event!

Thank you all so much for your tips and suggestions. Really looking forward to our visit next month.

Don't laugh but the incinerator is well worth seeing! It's at Spittelau and is very ornate

Definitely the Spanish Riding School and Schönbrunn Palace. Also if you get the chance watch a Marionettenspiel, so magical and enchanting.

Schönbrunn Palace

I agree about the Third Man. In the winter when it’s dark and the streets are wet, you just feel yourself to be back in the 40s with the danger and ruination of a beautiful city. I loved it. Go to the Palace and the Spanish Riding School and eat, eat, eat!

The Naschmarkt is good to visit for the atmosphere and to try out specialities. I really enjoyed cheese, cakes, spiced sausage and wine. A walk through Stadtpark with monuments to musicians, eat Sachertorte in the Hotel Sacher, Belvedere for Klimt fans and the Albertina gallery, the Spanish Riding School. I could easily have spent 4+ days there. Have fun!

Misprint - " Sacher "

Remember Hotel Sacker & the fabulous Sackertorte from my honeymoon, back in the 60's. My daughter ordered some for me a few years ago - still delicious. The other part of the honeymoon was Salzburg. As it was February it was thick with snow & absolutely magical - well worth a visit.

We enjoyed the outdoor market and the Prater Wheel.

Definitely Cafe Central and Prater Wheel. We booked a couple of guided walking tours and ended up having a guide just to ourselves. They were wonderful - we’d never have seen so much and learnt so much. Great city. Enjoy.

Cafe Central and the famous Hotel Sacher for Sachertorte. We went at Christmas Markets time staying at the Hilton on Ringstrasse. Walked miles, soup in a cottage loaf bread bowl, took the bus around the city. If you want to do Schonnbron Palace, get a timed admission as we arrived at 10.30, first time was 14.30 ? We did the Christmas Market instead. Cathedral is beautiful. Have to do the Prater Wheel, we know it from Living Daylights, James Bond not Third Man.

Suggest you eat one evening at Zum Leupold, at Schottengasse 7. It's a very traditional Austrian restaurant, fairly informal, not too expensive and lovely (and filling) food. They restored us after a nasty bout of food poisoning contracted en route from sausages from the RailJet cafe bar. Be aware it still has, or had, a smoking area. Open every day through from 1000 till late. Near a tram stop and very close to the Hotel de France, where we were staying and also recommend.
www.leupold.at

Well, I would want to see the Stefansdom (the cathedral) visit the Spanish Riding School and see all the places associated with the famous composers, the Prater and Riesenrad.

I am green with envy. Hope you have a wonderful time.

We went for a mini break last December and had a great time. The highlight was the Belvedere Palace art gallery. I was a bit underwhelmed by Schonbrunn although did enjoy the apple strudel demonstration in a building there and of course the sample afterwards. This was far superior to the cake we had in an old coffee house; but I think you pay for the experience. We enjoyed riding on the trams as far as the Danube (not the canal in the city centre that is sometimes mistaken for the Danube) and then walking over it and on the Island in the middle. We also enjoyed an evening concert in one of the churches. It was expensive but well worth it. I hope you have a brilliant trip.

We were there for a week in August and it wasn’t long enough to see everything.
We bought a Vienna Pass which gave us unlimited trips on the open top buses, and tickets to quite a few palaces and museums with priority entrance so no queueing which saved a lot of time.
Highlights were a visit to Prater Park and a ride on the Ferris wheel, coffee and cake at one of the old coffee houses, Schonbrun Palace ( spent all day there) and visiting the many art galleries and museums. I’d definitely go again!

Try your local library. Our city centre one and local one have a big selection of travel books and dvds. Once you decide which is best you can buy your own copy then donate it to the library after your break.

When I was there on Easter Sunday I sat outside a cafe in the Hofburg Square and had an Aperol Spritz! Sat in the sunshine and just enjoyed people watching. The weather was glorious.

You will enjoy Vienna! It is so beautiful and interesting. Read up maybe on Trip Advisor. We went to the Hotel Sacher for the famous cake, but I would not repeat that as it was not as glorious as I had thought and it was very expensive. I recall going to the most famous Coffee House, I loved the Schonbrunn Castle and St Stephen's Cathedral. I do envy you.....please tell us about your trip when you get back.

www.viennaconcerts.com/lipizzaner-vienna

What about a visit to the Spanish Riding School to see the famous horses there? I liked the Kinstwerk Museum too. And you should go to Hotel Sacher and Daemel and have Sacher torte in each as each claims to have the best one.