Vienna Things to Do Tips by Jmill42

With one of the best opera houses in the world, you must see an opera in Vienna! On my first day in Vienna, I happened to be walking back to my hostel, and passed by the Staatsoper. There was a line forming and I wandered over to see what was going on. With a little nosing around, I would out that the line was for standing room only tickets to see Le nozze di Figaro!! I, of course, jumped in line and waited the hour or so until seating occurred. For 3 Euro, I got to see Figaro!! Unbelievable!!

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Address: Vienna's Opera

The Staatsoper is one of the most famous opera houses in the world. Operaists vie for positions here and once they obtain a spot, they rarely leave. The Viennese truly support their arts, and the reception that the opera singers receive is amazing.

The first version of the Staatsoper, was completed in May of 1869, and was done under the order of Franz Josef. This survived until WWII, when the opera house was destroyed.

After much bickering about what the new finished product should look like, the current version, as it stands today, was opened on the 5th of November 1955.

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Phone: 43 1 514 442969
Address: Opernring 2
Website: http://www.wiener-staatsoper.at/Content.Node2/home/eninfo/2172.php

The most prized symbol of Vienna is the Stephansdom, or St Stephen's Church. It is a towering structure in the heart of the city. A great example of Gothic design, it was originally constructed in the 12th centruy and remodeled into its Gothic self between 1304-1433.

The church holds a massive bell, weighing over 21 tons, that was damaged in WWII, but repaired enough so that it can be rung during important celebrations.

6am-10pm daily
Free entrance to church
North Tower: 3.5 Euro
South Tower: 2.5 Euro

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Address: Stephansplatz

Coming inside the Stefansdom, you will be struck by the beauty of the alter. At least I was. Unfortuantely, it is dark inside, as most churches, so pictures don't come out well. The alter itself tells the story of St Stefans martyrdom. There is a postcard shop in the church, which I found weird, but it is there if you would like unique postacrds.

Also available in the church are tours of the tombs. I had just missed one of the scheduled trips, so I didn't wait the hour for the next one.

Undneath the main alter lies some of the remains of the Habsburgs.

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Address: St.Stephens cathedral
Directions: Stefansplatz

The Pestsaue, or Plague Column, is a Baroque sculpture given to the city by Leopold I. He gave this during the Great Plague of 1679. It is the most eye-catching structure on Graben, which is full of eye-catching things.

Designed in the structure are beautiful angels on clouds and a trinity sculpture at the top. There were three artists that created the structure: Burnacini created the cloud obelisk, von Erlach the base reliefs and Strudel the sculptures.

There is meaning in the carvings at the base: “Faith defeats the plague”.

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Directions: On Graben

The Graben dates back to Roman times. The street was originally a ditch for the Roman Army. Looking, and smelling, much better these days, the Graben now has 3 main attractions: the Trattberhof (former home of Mozart in 1784, the Ankerhaus built by Otto Wagner, and the Pestäule (Column of the Black Plague) donated by the emperor Leopold I. during the terrible plague epidemic of 1679.

The stores and shops that line the Graben are a great treasure trove of small souvenirs, clothing, jewelry, and other local creations.

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During the Black Plague, emperor Carl VI chose to build this massive church in honor of Borromäus, the plague's patron saint. Fischer von Erlach, the best of the time, designed this Barque church and in 1714, building began.

The alter is really cool when the sunlight comes through, illuminating the frescos of the dome and everything in general. Outside there was a nice pond. Definitely worth the trek over.

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Address: Karlsplatz
Directions: U-Bahn U1, U2, U4 Karlsplatz
Bus 4A

Right off of Graben, in a small little nook, lies the Petersplatz. The defining, and only piece of architecture in the square is the Peterskirche. Believed to be built on the site of a church built in 792 by Charlemagne, this church was built in 1708. The defining thing about this church was the doorway, being fabulously detailed. Otherwise, the church seemed kind of bland when compared to the other great churches of Vienna.

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Though the museums of Vienna do not compare to those of Paris or Rome / Vatican, they are still well-stocked with beautiful examples of painting perfection. The best example of this is the Kunsthistorisches Museum. With brilliant paintings by Raphael, van Eyck, and Rembrandt, just to name a few of my favorites, this museum should definitely be on your list of things to see while in Vienna. Raphael's Madonna is the best of the bunch, I thought.

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Phone: (+43 1) 525 24- 403, 404, 407
Address: Maria Theresien-Platz
Website: http://www.khm.at/homeE/homeE.html

While building the subway, diggers discovered this old temple. It dates back to 1307 and was owne by the Chrannest family, which used it as a grave before being lost in the 19th century. It is really cool, because it has been preserved fro all to see. Just go to the subway-station Stefansplatz., and look around for the signs.

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