Vienna Things to Do Tips by Pavlik_NL

Invitation to the Belvedere palaces and park Belvedere Review

As if Schönbrunn and the Hofburg are not already enough, another palace complex requests your attention. The Belvedere palaces and gardens are just outside the old inner city centre and also worth a morning or afternoon visit. The complex is built against a hill and has a higher and lower palace, in between are the beautiful gardens invite for a walk around. During this strawl one can find out why the Belvedere holds this name. Belvedere means "beautiful view" and indeed, from the palace gardens (and the terrace in front of the higher palace) one sees far over the Austrian capitol.

Address: Main entrance: Rennweg

Hofburg Park: romantic gardens with some surprises Hofburg Review

In between and around the Hofburg complex, beautiful gardens are inviting the visitors for pleasant walks. Especially when the weather is good, lots of Austrians - above all students - gather aruond in the park to read their study books, chat, discuss or just lay in the sun. In the park the small squares are decorated with large statues and small pavillions that house café's or restaurants make an afternoon in the Hofburg park a very pleasant time.

Address: Hofbrug, Heldenplatz and surroundings

From Theresia-Platz to the museums

Going through the Heldentor (hero's gates) from the Hofburg and across the ring, one reaches the magnificent Theresia Platz (Theresie Square). Here you stand between two huge buildings, that house two main museums of Vienna. These museums actually started out as collections of the Habsburgian emperors and contain the Austrian Museum on Arthistory and the Natural historic museum. The buildings architects were no-one less then Semper and Hasenauer (the first was also the architect of the famous Dresdner Opera house). Inside the collections are extravagantly rich, but ... let it not make you forget to look up and around: the palaces are also of outstanding beauty.
In the middle of the square one finds the statue of Habsburg empress Theresia, that was one of the most gifted and beloved emperors of the Austrian-Hungarian double monarchy.

Address: Theresia Platz

Website: http://www.touristnet.at/museuminwien.htm

Holocaust memorial and Vienna's Jewish past Jewish Vienna Review

Like many large European cities, Vienna too had it's Jewish quarter. And also like many occupied European cities, in this Jewish quarter many were arrested in the second worldwar and put on transport to the horror of the concentration camps. To commemorate these black pages in history in the middle of what used to be (and party still is) the Jewish quarter, a monument is erected. The quarter further offers a Jewish synagoge and the former mansions of some wealthy Jewish families.

Address: Area around the "Judenplatz" (Jew's Square)

A Brabantine Gothic palace in a Baroque town

Obviously one of the Habsburg emperors (or someone from the people's committee) must have loved the Brussels city hall (and who wouldn't, as it is the most beautiful gothic building in the world). Vienna's cityhall is almost a perfect copy of it and it isn;t that strange, as the Lowlands Southern provinces (roughly what now-a-days is Belgium) fell to the Austrian Habsburgs after the split of the Lowlands at the Peace of Münster treaty.
The cityhall is a spectacular Brabantine gothic building across the ring at the place where the Burgtheater is.

Address: Burgring

Directions: Opposit the Burgtheater

Website: http://www.wien.gv.at/

"Die Altstadt", durch Gassen entlang Monumenten

Would Vienna ever have become the beautiful city that it is today, when not already in Roman and medieval times people decided to gather here in growing and growing numbers? The old inner city still offers the charm of what must have been in late medieval times. Walking through the narrow alleys and small streets of this oldest part of Vienna, will give you an impression of what it must have been long time ago. There are still some old "Vakwerk" houses, though these parts of town also have been renovated with larger houses in various architectural styles. Despite that, now Vienna proudly keeps this beautiful side of town in it's original state.

Address: Altstadt Wien, old Vienna

Directions: Around, but mainly North of Sankt-Stephansdom (cathedral)

Website: http://members.chello.at/gertrude.frantal/

Beethoven, Mozart, Bruckner, but above all Strauss

When you want to get in touch with Vienna's rich musical past, you can of course go to the Opera or Burgtheater or one of many other concerts that are organised throughout town for the many tourists. This past however is also kept alive by many statues that one can find on central squares or the beautiful parks that are surrounding the old city centre. A whole collection of the largest composers that lived and worked in Vienna, can be found in the city park. Here you also can find the famous little golden statue of Strauss, playing his famous Walzes.

Address: Various statues in many parks and places

Website: http://www.viennaconcerts.com

Burgtheater, entertainment for the people Ringstrasse Review

In the past centuries it was the Opera that attracted the rich and wealthy. Answer of the common people (well, seen to the building not that common) also had their need in culture. They built their theater, just across the square in front of the other palace of the people: the city hall. The Burgtheater offers a wide field in entertainment, from plays to concerts. It has many large theatral rooms for smaller or larger productions. The program can be checked on their webpage, so maybe you can find something interesting and book your tickets for an cultural evening out in Vienna.

Address: Burgring

Directions: Opposit the cityhall along the Burgring

Website: http://www.burgtheater.at

Take a spin in the historical "Prater" wheel Giant Ferris Wheel Review

Vienna was one of the first large capitols in the somewhat more modern times, that understood that it was important to keep the citizens entertained. The "Prater" became a entertainment area for the city, on one of the islands in the river Donau (Danube). A large green park with wide lawns and green fields, but also café's and restaurants. It was here that Vienna also built it's famous Prater giant ferris wheel, for long time the largest in it's kind. Taking a round in this wheel is a definate must for every Vienna visitor, especially when they also happen to be James Bond fans (in The Living Daylights some scenes are taken here). But also another famous film played her: "The Third Man".

Address: Prater park

Website: http://www.prater.wien.info

Karlskirche: largest Baroque church in the world Karlskirche - St Charles Church Review

As already said: Vienna is by far the Baroque capitol in the world and the summum of this Baroque can be found on the Karlsplatz (Charles Place): the Karlskirche (Charles Church). This church is a true masterpiece of architecture. The church is made of fine white stones and contrasts wonderfully with the green cuprum roof. The central dome rises up high in between two fine decorated columns. Don't hasitate to go inside, as the beauty here is even finer and more spectacular then the outsie already is.

Address: Karlsplatz

Website: http://www.karlskirche.at