"Vienna, Austria" a Vienna Travel Page by SWFC_Fan

Where?

The grand Austrian capital of Vienna (Wien in German) is located in the far east of the country, just 50km or so from the borders with Hungary and Slovakia.

How to get there?

Vienna has air links with cities all over Europe and other major cities further afield. Flights arrive at Wien-Schwechat Flughafen, located about 18km east of the city centre. An extensive network of local buses, trains, trams and taxis can transport you quickly (approx 25 minutes) and relatively cheaply (except in the case of taxis) from the airport to anywhere in the heart of Vienna.

Trains and long distance buses connect Vienna with other Austrian cities (such as Salzburg, Linz, Graz and Innsbruck) and other major European cities. The most frequent connections are to and from other Austrian cities and nearby cities in neighbouring countries (such as Budapest, Bratislava, Prague, Krakow and Munich).

Boats plying the Danube river connect Vienna with other Austrian cities and with Budapest and Bratislava at certain times of the year. These services were not operating when I visited in January 2006.

I initially arrived in Vienna on a KLM flight from Manchester (via a few hours in Amsterdam). I took a bus (cost 6 Euros) from outside the airport terminal to Sudtiroler Platz, next to Sudbahnhof railway station. From there, I walked the 1km to my hotel on Laxenburgerstrasse.

I then left Vienna on a train to the Hungarian town of Sopron (journey time 75 minutes from Sudbahnhof; cost 10.50 Euros), before returning 2 days later by train.

While in Vienna, I also took the opportunity to visit the Slovak capital of Bratislava. Again, I took a train from Sudbahnhof. Trains run frequently throughout the day from early morning to late in the evening and the journey time is approximately 1 hour. The return train journey cost 14 Euros at January 2006.

A few recommendations of things to see and do based on my 5 days in the city:

Ringstrasse

The long ring-shaped boulevard of Ringstrasse encloses Vienna's historic inner-city. Along its 4km length, Ringstrasse changes its name several times, from Schottenring to Dr Karl Lueger Ring to Dr K Renner Ring to Burgring to Opernring to Kartner Ring to Schubertring to Parkring and, finally, to Stubenring. Many of the city's key sights lie either on or close to "The Ring". For example, the Rathaus, the Borse, Votivkirche, the University, the Burgtheater, the Paliament building, the Kunsthistoriches and Naturhistoriches Museums and the Staatsoper opera house all lie on the Ring. The various buildings of the Hofburg and the adjacent gardens of Burggarten and Volksgarten lie just inside the Ring, while Stadtpark lies just outside the Ring.

Hofburg

A variety of grand buildings (Neue Hofburg, Alte Hofburg, Burgtor gate, In der Burg, Kaiserappartments, Augustiner Kirche and the Spanish Riding School) lie amid impessive gardens with large lawns, lakes, monuments and statues. Very popular with tourists and with tourist-oriented attractions (eg horses and carriages offering trips around the complex; men in period costumes selling opera tickets). Much of the gardens were under a foot of snow during my visit and the lakes were frozen over.

Prater and the Riesenrad

Prater amusement park lies to the north east of the city centre. A selection of rollercoasters, childrens rides, skating rings, casinos and restaurants provide entertainment for people of all ages. Most famous of all Prater's attractions is the giant Riesenrad ferris wheel. The wheel is famous for starring in the film "The Third Man" (which I have never seen, so I don't know how prominent it is in the film) and provides amazing views from the top. From Prater, I also walked through the park to the internationally-renowned Ernst Happel football stadium.

Picturesque Squares

Vienna has a host of picturesque squares, many of which I strolled around during my stay:

Maria-Theresien Platz

A large square located adjacent to Burgring and bordered on each side by the impressive buildings of the Kunsthistoriches Museum and the Naturhistoriches Museum. A statue of Maria Theresien stands at its centre and the lawns were covered in snow at the time of my visit.

Heldenplatz

Heldenplatz lies on the opposite side of Burgring across from Maria-Theresien Platz. The impressive Burgtor arch leads from Burgring into the square. There are impressive views of the Neue Hofburg, and the horses and carriages line up along the square awaiting passing tourists.

Michaeler-Platz

A picturesque square bordered on one side by the imposing crescent-shaped Michaelertor (the main gate of the Hofburg) and containing the impressive white steeple of Michaelerkirche. Excavated Roman ruins can be seen in the centre of the square, while upmarket cafes and shops line the far end of the square and the adjacent Kohlmarkt.

Josefs-Platz

A small square with a statue of Emperor Josef II at its centre. Surrounded on all sides by impressive buildings, including the Spanish Riding School and the National Library.

Albertina Platz

Surrounded by cafes, shops and restaurants, Albertina Platz is dominated by the Albertina Theatre. I recommend climbing the steps at the front of the theatre for a bird's eye view of the square.

Stephansplatz

Stephansplatz lies in the shadows of the huge Stephansdom and is one of the focal points of Vienna. Surrounded by shopping streets, restaurants and bars, Stephansplatz is popular with tourists and locals alike. Whenever I passed through Stephansplatz it was crowded with people and there were usually street musicians and performers plying their trade there.

Belvedere Palace

The Belvedere Palace is said to play second fiddle to the more impressive Schonbrunn Palace, but I never visited the latter so I don't know if this is true. The Belvedere Palace is certainly a grand and imposing structure and looks absolutely stunning in its pleasant garden surroundings, especially under a cover of snow as was the case during my visit.

Coffee and cake

There are cafes on every corner in Vienna. I frequented a fair few of them during my stay in the city. After walking around the sights in freezing cold temperatures, the temptation to pop into a cafe for a hot coffee and a piece of cake was too much. Vienna is renowned for its cafe culture and you will have no difficulties finding a place to suit your needs, whether it be a modern, international coffee chain or a more traditional, cultured coffee shop. All manner of coffees, teas and hot chocolate beverages can be found on the menus...and the cake selection is always impressive!

Anything else?

A few observations from my 5 days in Vienna:

Lots of snow...but able to cope!

I arrived in Vienna on a cold January night. As soon as the plane landed on the runway I could see the deep snow lining the edge of the tarmac. As I stood outside the airport terminal waiting for the bus, with the bitter cold making my face raw, huge snowflakes were falling. But there was no question of the buses not running - this isn't Britain after all. A few flakes of the white stuff doesn't bring Vienna to its knees as it does London! All the major roads in the city had been gritted adequately and all the main pedestrianised streets had also been successfully cleared. Walking around the centre of Vienna, you wouldn't even know it had been snowing. Only when venturing off the roads, for example into the gardens or the parks, was the level of snow evident. Good work Vienna - the UK could learn a lot!

Excellent public transport system

Another area where the UK could learn valuable lessons from Vienna is in the excellent state of its public transport network. Trains, underground trains (the U-Bahn), trams (the S-Bahn) and buses make getting around Vienna extremely easy. Even though I prefer to walk where possible, on the occasions when I needed to rely on public transport I always found it to be efficient, clean and convenient.

Mozart - alive and kicking in Vienna!

Despite passing away over 200 years ago, the legacy of famous composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart still lives on in Vienna. Although he was originally from Salzburg, it would seem that Vienna has adopted him as one of its own sons. Parks and gardens contain statues and grand monuments in his honour, streets and squares bear his name, operas still feature his work and chocolate shops have cardboard Mozart figures advertising Mozart chocolates. In fact, 2006 is to be "Mozart Year" with a whole year of events commemorating 250 years since his birth.

Sprechen Sie Deutsch?

To be honest, I was surprised at how many people working in the tourist industry (in restaurants, shops and hotels) could speak no English at all. This isn't a criticism of the Austrians (how hypocritical would that be coming from an Englishman?!!), but it surprised me nonetheless. I guess I've become accustomed to encountering people who speak perfect English in countries where I wouldn't necessarily have expected it, so when they don't it catches me off guard a little. Thankfully (and rightly so), I got by with what I could remember from my schoolboy days of learning German - even if I could only manage a feeble "ich verstehe nicht" at times. I enjoyed this, though - and by the end of my stay I was speaking German most of the time, even when the person I was speaking to was fluent in English and was answering my questions in English! Oh well, I tried!