Vienna Things to Do Tips by smschley

We were in Vienna and walked past the Opera House. I love opera and lo and behold, an opera was starting in 30 minutes. The four of us decided to see if we could get tickets and amazingly to me tickets were pretty easy to come by for standing room. Ticket prices are heavily subsidized, a practice initiated by Emperor Franz Joseph I. We were able to pickup the tickets for around $5 US, more than reasonable. Be careful ordering a box seat; one in the back of the box is $12, one in the front $240. New devices at each seat provide subtitles in English and five other languages.

In 1861 construction of The Wiener Staatsoper (Vienna State Opera) was started. It was the first monumental building of artistic importance on the Ringstrase. The building was finished in 1869, but it was severely criticized, people spoke of a "sunken box.

On March 12, 1945, during World War II the stage was destroyed by bombs and the building gutted by fire. The foyer, vestibule and the tea room were spared, but almost the entire decor, properties and equipment for more than 120 operas with around 150,000 costumes were destroyed. After the war reconstruction of the State Opera was started in 1948 and completed in 1955 with a seating capacity for accommodate 2,209 people 1,642 seats and standing room for 567.

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Phone: 01/514-4426-13
Address: Opernring 2
Website: http://www.staatsoper.at/Content.Node2/en/index.php

Seems like we have a knack for being able to get tickets for sites at the last minute. We wanted to see the Lippizaner stallions but didn’t have any tickets. As we approached the site we found people selling standing room tickets and before long we were standing in the Spanische Reitschule.

While tickets for the shows need to be made 6 months in advance if you wish an assigned chair, standing room tickets can be had on the day of the show if you are there early enough.

The school occupies a white, crystal-chandeliered ballroom in an 18th-century building. There you can really appreciate the skill and beauty of these Lippizaner stallions as their trainers put them through their paces in a show that hasn't changed for 4 centuries. These are the world’s most famous, classically styled equine performers. It’s one thing to watch them on TV but to watch the Lipizzaner prance to the music of Johann Strauss or a Chopin polonaise in their home setting is a pleasure you shouldn't miss. What we recognize today as the Spanish Riding School was created at the beginning of the 19th century: the Empire uniforms of the riders: the golden braided bicorne, coffee brown tail coat, yellow toned buckskin trousers and high black polished boots; redgold saddlecloths and the narrow golden.

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Phone: Phone: 01/533-9031-0
Address: Michaelerplatz 1, A-1010
Other Contact: Info-Hotline: (+431) 533 90 31

The Neue Berg takes up the new wing of the Imperial Palace. From a balcony in this 19th century building, Hitler announced the annexation of Austria in 1938. Now it houses a series of museum with exhibits ranging from armor, musical instruments and classical antiquities

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Phone: 01/525-240
Address: Heldenpl 1

Walking around Vienna, we saw a building straight out of a Jules Verne book, the Schmetterlinghaus or, ”The Butterfly House”. I wasn’t that interested in butterflies but the building was gorgeous.

The story of this building starts in 1822 when a long greenhouse was erected in the Burggarten against the old city wall of Vienna. In 1901 the original greenhouse was torn-down to make way for the present greenhouse, an amazing example of that Victorian period.

This greenhouse was built by the Kaiser for entertaining and for periods of relaxation , taking five years to complete the construction of a 2050sq.m. building
Now it is home of the “Butterfly house”. The house is 280 sq m. in area and contains hundreds of live free-flying tropical butterflies in a real tropical environment through its whole life cycle.

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Phone: (+431/5338570)
Directions: in the Burggarten, right in the center of Vienna, just 200m from the opera.

Public transport: Underground: U1, U2, U4 to Karlsplatz / Oper

Tram: 1, 2, D, J to Opernring

Bus: 57A to Opernring
Website: email: schmetterling@netway.at
Other Contact: fax: (+431/5322872

There and numerous guided tours to the Schonbrunn, but I think the easiest, cheapest and BEST way to see The Schonbrunn is on your own. Scholss Schonbrun was closely modeled on Versailles in Paris, and although smaller it is equally as beautiful. Officially the Schönbrunn Palace was the summer residence of the Habsburgs Emperor, Francis Joseph, during his rule (1848 to 1916), but once you take the tour of the palace, it seems better to call it the residence of his wife Empress Elizabeth. The Empress established a special relationship with all classes of her subjects, and is affectionately known to millions as "Sisi", an intelligent, beautiful woman considered decades ahead of her time. In the 1860's Elisabeth was considered the world's most beautiful monarch.

Parts of this palace are open to the public, and seeing the Palace completely furnished in the style the Emperor would have lived in was extremely interesting for me to see. One of my favorite sites was the indoor tub with water jets…. “It’s good to be King”

Touring the gardens is a must. It is modeled after traditional French style gardens. Over the years, the gardens were remodeled and embellished with numerous architectural structures and fountains which create interesting focal points and further enhance the beauty of the Gardens. Allow yourself about an hour to wander the gardens and visit the Zoo (the oldest zoo in the world).

The Maze, in the Schonbrunn Garden was laid out between 1698 and 1740. This sculptured evergreen labyrinth signifies life’s journey into the unknown. It is especially fun to play in the maze if you are accompanied by small kids! We were not, but there was a group of school children there when we visited and giggles and laughter resounded

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Phone: tel. 811 13
Address: 13., Schönbrunner Schlossstrasse
Directions: U4: Schönbrunn U4, Tram 10, 58, 60: Hietzing

St. Stephen's Cathedral, is an unmistakable landmark, with its black, yellow and green tiled roof and the 446-foot Gothic South Tower, known to locals as “Steffle,” or “Little Steve. Built in 1147 AD, it was for many years the highest building in Europe. It sits proudly at the very center of Vienna and in the center of the Ringstrasse. It is in many ways as much the symbol of Vienna as the Empire State Building is for New York, and appears on virtually every poster and post card, for Vienna.

The main west portal in the late Romanesque style is the major entrance. To experience the Gothic cathedral fully, walk slowly through the interiors, taking time to absorb the perimeter. One can literally get lost amongst the fascinating artworks and interior spaces. Relics of earlier churches are incorporated into the building, including the Giant's Door and the Tower of Heathens, supposedly the site of a pagan shrine. Inside, St. Stephen the Martyr is represented on a baroque 17th-century altar painting by Tobias Pock. The catacombs house an ossuary - a storage place for bones - where the remains of plague victims were kept. Find the stairs to the top of one of the towers, and climb the 343 steps that lead to an enclosed viewing platform at the top. Take some time and enjoy the magnificent views of Vienna through the small windows facing the four directions. After all those stairs you probably need the rest anyways.

The Cathedral is open daily 6am-10pm except during services

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Address: St.Stephens cathedral

If gold and precious jewels are your thing, this is the place. The items on display will amaze you. Here you will see the imperial crowns, the treasure of the Order of the Golden Fleece, Imperial robes and many secular and ecclesiastic treasures. The highlights of the whole collection are the crown jewels of the Holy Roman Empire. The focal point is the octagonal imperial crown itself, a superb piece of Byzantine jewelry, smothered with pearls, large precious stones and enamel plaques. Legend has it that the crown was used in the coronation of Charlemagne, the first Holy Roman Emperor, in 800. Also on display here is the legendary Holy Lance, with which the Roman soldier pierced the side of Christ. The lance was alleged to have magic powers, so that whoever possessed it held the destiny of the world in their hands. Both of these legends have been proven to be false. Video cameras and cameras are allowed, which is unusual too, but wonderful to be able to use here! A must see! Its location is great too, especially in combining other sights in the Hofburg, such as the Sisi museum and Spanish riding school.

OPEN: Wed.-Mon. 10-6

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Phone: 01/533-7931
Address: Hofburg, Schweizer Hof
Directions: The entrance to the Schatzkammer is at ground level behind the staircase to the Hofburgkapelle

U-Bahn: U3/Herreng.

Seems like Mozart , like George Washington, slept everywhere. If this is your thing like my wife's give it a quick whirl.

When he arrived in Vienna, he was assigned living quarters at the House of the Teutonic Order near St. Stephan's Cathedral until about May12, when he moved from this residence into the apartment of the Weber family at Milchgasse 1.The Weber's lived on the second floor of this building, but eventually moved out in August to avoid the continuing gossip about he and the Weber’s daughter, Constanze

." A plaque placed near the entrance of the building reads: "In diesem Hause wohnte Mozart im Jahre 1781 und componiert hier seine 'Entführung aus dem Serail'." (Mozart lived in this house in 1781 and composed his "Abduction from the Seraglio.")

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Address: Milchgasse 1

In a city filled with museums, the Kunsthistorisches Museum is at the head of the class. Thanks to successive Habsburg rulers, it contains not only the fourth largest collection of paintings in the world, but also Egyptian, Greek and Roman antiquities. When the Vienna Ringstrase was ceremoniously opened in 1891 it became the first time most of the imperial Habsburg collections were housed under one roof. The building itself was conceived as a memorial to Habsburg patronage in the style of the Italian RenaissanceSo numerous are the exhibits that several of the museum's departments are now housed in the Neue Burg wing of the Hofburg.

Most people come here to see the sixteenth and seventeenth century art in the Gemäldegalerie, in particular the largest collection of Bruegels in the world. Due to the Habsburgs' conquests, the museum is also loaded with Venetian works, by the likes of Tintoretto, Veronese and Titian, and a goodly selection of Velázquez portraits. In addition, there are numerous works by Rembrandt, Cranach and Dürer, and whole rooms devoted to Van Dyck and Rubens. Lastly, don't miss the unrivalled collection of Mannerist works from the court of Rudolf II, especially the surrealist court painter, Giuseppe Arcimboldo. In all, the museum is divided into eight different collections.

OPEN: Tues.-Sun. 10-6
Thurs. until 9 PM

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Phone: Tel. (+43 1) 525 24-0,
Address: Maria Theresien-Platz 1010
Directions: U-Bahn: U2/MuseumsQuartier, U2, or U3/Volkstheater.
Website: www.khm.at
Other Contact: Fax: (+43 1) 525 24-503

Where is it at? When in doubt look inside the Imperial Palace. Seems like everything is housed here except for the hot dog vendor. The Imperial Palace was the residence of the Habsburg emperors until 1918. The palace went through many modifications and expansions. Originally it was a medieval castle; unfortunately the only part that remains is the chapel. In the 16th century the Palace stables and Amalia’s wing were added. In the 17th century Leopold’s wing, in the 18th century the Imperial Chancery wing, the Court Library and the Spanish Winter Riding School were added. In the 19th century the St Michael’s wing was added. That’s the part of the Palace you’re actually seeing. Finally, in the 20th century the New Palace was built, and then came the end of the empire and with it, the Palace expansion ended

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