Vienna Things to Do Tips by fishandchips

The Schoenbrunn is a beautiful building and a tour of the place is highly recommended. The Schoenbrunn palace was built as the summer residence of the Habsburgs and has gold all over the place - probably to reflect a bright summery feeling.

The Habsburgs have left their mark all over Europe with the Schoenbrunn one of the best. There are nearly 1,500 rooms in this place that was completed in the early 18th century as a smaller model of Versailles. There is also a large zoological and botanical park out back with lots of flora & fauna.

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Address: the summer-residence of the emperor
Website: http://www.schoenbrunn.at/en/site/publicdir/

This is a huge place. Once the winter palace of the Habsburgs, the vast and impressive Hofburg sits in the heart of Vienna. The place, as it was then, was constructed in 1279 and grew with the empire to the huge place it is today. The earliest parts surround a courtyard, the Swiss Court, named for the Swiss mercenaries who performed guard duty here. The palace has more than 2,600 rooms - but only about two dozen that are open to the public. The Hofburg was described by my tour guide as being virtually a city within a city.

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Address: The winter palace of the emperor

Emperor Charles VI vowed to build this church if the black plague stopped. Construction on Karlskirche, dedicated to St. Charles Borromeo, began in 1716. Rottmayr painted many of the frescoes inside the church. The green copper dome is 72m (236 ft.) high, a dramatic landmark on the Viennese skyline. Two columns, spinoffs from Trajan's Column in Rome, flank the front of the church, which opens onto Karlsplatz. There's also a sculpture by Henry Moore in a little pool. All in all it is a very interesting place to visit.

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Address: Vienna's famous baroque church

Apparently this place gets about a million visitors annually and it's easy to see why. The apartments are peoples homes so you need to be careful when wandering about inside however there's a tiny gift shop at the entrance (where you can buy Hundertwasser posters and postcards) plus a coffee shop on the first floor.

The building was finished in 1985, it was the work of self-styled "eco-architect" Friedensreich Hundertwasser. The complex, which has a facade like a gigantic black-and-white game board, is relieved with scattered splotches of red, yellow, and blue. Trees stick out at 45-degree angles from apartments among the foliage.

With its irregular shape, its turrets, and its "rolling meadows" of grass and trees, the Hundertwasserhaus is certainly the most bizzare building in Vienna.

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Address: great and unique architecture

St Stephens stands in the middle of town. It was founded in the 12th century on the site of a Romanesque sanctuary. The church has seen a large amount of action over the centuries including fire in 1258, a Turkish siege in 1683 and Russian bombardments in 1945 - plus a retreating german army intent on as much distruction as possible. It's considered one of the greatest Gothic structures in Europe, with beautiful woodcarvings, altars, sculptures, and paintings. The 135m (450-ft.) steeple has come to symbolize the spirit of Vienna. St Stephens was also the site of Mozart's "pauper's funeral" in 1791, and Napoleon posted his farewell edict on the door in 1805.

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Address: St.Stephens cathedral

The inside of the Cathedral is wonderful. You enter through a small door at the front right and are immediately hit with an awe inspiring view. The Cathedral towers over the square and surrounding area - it really is the centre of Vienna!!

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Address: St.Stephens cathedral