Vienna Things to Do Tips by MishyM

One of the best things I ever did was go to the state opera house in Vienna. It is an absolutely beautiful building inside and out, but especially inside.

I saw the ballet 'The Nutcracker' as well as the operas 'Tosca' and 'La Boheme', they were all fantastic performances, especially the ballet.

A fantastic thing about the State Opera House in Vienna is that it allows students to afford to attend with the standing areas, where you pay from 2 - 3,50 euros. Sure you need to stand up, but you still have a good view of the performance, and you don't need to pay 50 euros plus. You should arrive at least an hour and a half before the performance begins if you intend on lining up for this, as the earlier you get there, the better position you get. Also, bring a scarf with you to tie to the railing as this will mark your place should you wish you go somewhere in the intermission.

Another interesting thing to do here is go on a guided tour of the opera house. For exact times and dates, please see this link:
http://www.wiener-staatsoper.at/Content.Node2/home/haus/7556.php

Prices for the tours are:
5,00 euros for Adults
4,00 euros for Seniors
2,00 euros for Children

There is even a museum here, with exhibits of opera history.

Basically, if you would like to see a fantastic performance, be it ballet, opera or orchestra, then I would highly recommend you visit the State Opera House of Vienna!

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Address: Vienna's Opera
Directions: 1010 Wien, Opernring 2
Website: www.wiener-staatsoper.at

Schoenbrunn Palace is one of the best sites to visit whilst in Vienna, with numerous attractions - from the palace itself, and seeing its beautiful bedrooms, ballrooms and living areas, to the gardens, the maze, botanical gardens and even a zoo. There are also a number of places to eat, especially at Christmas time where there is even a smaller version of the Christmas markets at the palace, with many food stands, as well as the normal Christmas decoration stands.

There is plenty for children and adults alike to do here, so it is certainly a family friendly attraction.

Schoenbrunn belonged to the Habsburg family since the time of Maximilian II in 1569, until it was given to the Republic of Austria at the end of the Monarchy, and since 1992 has been looked after by a private company.

You have a choice of the Imperial Tour with an audioguide which allows you to see 22 rooms for:
Adults: 8,90 euros
Children: 4,70 euros
Students: 7,90 euros

Or the Grand Tour with audioguide which allows you to see 40 rooms for:
Adults: 11,50 euros
Children: 6,00 euros
Students: 10,20 euros
Wien card: 10,20 euros

Please note the above tours do not include access to the Zoo or Palm House, but you can buy the Schoenbrunn Pass Gold which allows you access to the rooms, as well as both of these others.

For more details on group discounts and guided tour costs, please see this site:
http://www.schoenbrunn.at/en/site/publicdir/0101060000_91.php

The audioguide is available in German, English, French, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Japanese, Polish, Czech, Hungarian.

You can find the opening times for all of Schoenbrunn's attractions here:
http://www.schoenbrunn.at/en/site/publicdir/0101050000_90.php#schlosszeit

I really can not recommend this Palace enough, there is something for everyone!

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Phone: +43-1-81113 239
Address: the summer-residence of the emperor
Directions: Underground: U4, Schoenbrunn
Trams: 10, 58, Schoenbrunn
Bus: 10A, Schoenbrunn

There are signs from the underground right to the Palace.

For more information and a map, please see this site:
http://www.schoenbrunn.at/en/site/publicdir/0101040000_8f.php
Website: www.schoenbrunn.at
Other Contact: schauraeume@schoenbrunn.at

The Belvedere is an absolutely beautiful building, both inside and out, and again with fantastic gardens as can be seen all throughout Vienna. It was originally built by Prince Eugene of Savoy as his summer residence in 1714 and in 1914 ownership was passed onto the Republic of Austria, after many important owners including Empress Maria Theresia and Archduke Franz Ferdinand.

This should be the first stop for any Gustav Klimt lovers, as many of his paintings can be seen here - including the masterpiece 'The Kiss'. Other artists featured include Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir, Oskar Kokoschka and Egon Schiele, as well as Ferdinand Georg Waldm?ller. There is also a collection featuring work from the 20th and 21st century. 'The Cycle of the Five Senses' by Hans Makart is another highlight of the gallery.

Aside from the main galleries, there is also a Museum of Medieval Art as well as another featuring Baroque art which are quite interesting and worth seeing.

Opening times:

Upper Belvedere
Tuesday to Sunday: 10 am - 6 pm
Entrance: till 5.30 pm
Closed on Monday

Lower Belvedere: Baroque Museum, Museum of Medieval Art
Tuesday to Sunday: 10 am - 6 pm
Entrance: till 5.30 pm
Closed on Monday

Prices:
9 Euros of Adults
7,50 Euros for Senior Citizens
6 Euros for Students
7,50 Euros with the Vienna card
Free for children up t the age of 10

For groups and family prices, please see this link:
http://www.belvedere.at/information_en/index.php?x=allgemein.php

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Phone: +43/1/79 557-134
Address: the baroque castle of Prinz Eugen
Directions: Tram: D, to stop Schloss Belvedere; 18/0, to stop Sudbahnhof
Bus: 13A, 69A, to stop Sudbahnhof
Underground: U1, Sudtirolerplatz (2 stops from Karlsplatz, direction Reumannplatz) and then one stop by tram (18 or 0) to Sudbahnhof
Website: http://www.belvedere.at/
Other Contact: public@belvedere.at

One of the best thing's Vienna has to offer!

There is such a great spirit around them, and so much to do, see, smell, taste and hear! These markets began over 7 centuries ago and have become an integral part of Viennese society. It is a great place for everyone to visit, from families to singles, it's also a great place to meet people!

Highlights are:
1. The gluwein stand. It seems to be similar to what the British call mulled wine. It is fantastic warm wine, sometimes with berries or mixed with juice or oranges. Delicious on a cold winter night at the markets!
2. The Christmas decorations - fantastic glass balls decorated in 100's of different styles, wooden nutcrackers and other wooden carved ornaments, and many more.
3. The music - fantastic stalls of different types of Christmas music - great if you want to pick up some traditional German Christmas songs
4. The food - delicious traditional Austrian food and deserts

I think it's a good idea to go during the night as well, as the atmosphere intensifies, with the Christmas lights everywhere and the people seem more festive. It's almost like a winter fairyland, only with lots of Gluwein!

There is always something exciting going on here, one night whilst I was there they had ski jumping in the middle of the city!

Opening dates: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. from 18 November through 23 December, and until 5 p.m. on 24 December

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Address: At the front of the "Wiener Rathausplatz"
Directions: It is directly in front of the Vienna City Hall
Website: http://www.christkindlmarkt.at/2002/markt_en.html

The Military History museum seems to be one of Vienna's lesser knows attractions, but it really is extremely interesting and worth the visit, as well as being Vienna?s oldest museum!

There are exhibitions from the Thirty years war where you can see suits of armour and weapons, and a room for Prince Eugene of Savoy, another with relics from the French wars and 1st World War to name but a few!

Opening times:
Daily except Friday
9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Prices:
Adults: 5,10 Euros
Students, pensioners, handicapped people: 3,30 Euros
Free for children up to the age of 10

This is a great place to learn more about the military history of Vienna, and to see some very interesting weapons, paintings and flags, amongst other things!

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Phone: +43 (1) 79561-0
Address: Heeresgeschichtliches Museum
Directions: Heeresgeschichtliches Museum
Militarhistorisches Institut
Arsenal, Objekt 1

Schnellbahn (Station S?dbahnhof)
tram lines 18, D, O
Bus lines 13A, 69A
Underground/subway U1 (Station S?dbahnhof)
Underground/subway U3 (Station Schlachthausgasse)
Website: http://www.hgm.or.at/eng/
Other Contact: bmlv.hgm@magnet.at

Hundertwasserhaus is a really cool, funky apartment house in Vienna, filled with colour and unusual architecture.

At first I was a little reluctant to visit it, as I really love classical architecture, and wasn?t sure if I would even like it, but I am so glad I was persuaded to go along, as it really is unlike anything I have seen before - in a good way!

Building of the apartments began in 1983 and they were designed by designed by Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser.

The combination of trees, plants and then the building itself all intertwining in different colours and shapes really makes this a must see part of the city!

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Phone: +43 0900 90 0913
Address: great and unique architecture
Directions: L?wengasse
(Kegelgasse)

Tram O, N

The Karlskirche is a beautiful church located in the city centre of Vienna, and was designed by Johann Fischer von Erlach, begun in 1715 and finished in 1737.

It was dedicated to the saint Carlo Borromeo and commissioned by the Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI after Vienna was delivered from the plaque. Karlskirche is one of the most striking features of Vienna, and is certainly worth seeing in person.

Two of the churches most striking features are its columns on either side of the church itself. These are said to be modelled on the pillars of Trajan and Marcus Aurelius in Rome and are said to represent Austrian imperialism.

I was told many time to visit this beautiful church, but it wasn?t until I had lived in Vienna for 3 months that I found the time to do so, and I am very glad I did, as I have seen few churches since that are so unique and appealing in appearance, inside and out.

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Address: Vienna's famous baroque church
Directions: U-Bahn: Karlsplatz

I was lucky enough to be invited to a conference at the UN office in Vienna, and thus got to see many things there. One of the first things I stumbled upon in my lunch break was the language area. I bumped into the Arabic teacher there and had a chat to him and found it really interesting that all UN members are allowed to sign up for free language lessons, in Arabic, French and many more - it is something I wish I could have joined up to!

The UN office in Vienna was established on the first of January, 1980 and is the base for the Secretary general in Vienna, as well as having offices for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization and the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty Organization.

The UNV covers 180,000 square meters of land and is given an 'extraterritorial status'.

You can take a virtual tour of the centre here:
http://www.unvienna.org/unov/en/vtour/index.html

You are able to go on a guided tour if you wish to visit the centre in person. You can find the Visitors' centre at gate 1 of the Vienna International Centre.

These run:
Monday - Friday: 11.00 am and 2.00 pm.

Admission fee
Adults: 5 Euros
Students, senior citizens: 3 Euros
Children: 2 Euros

Opening hours:
Monday - Friday 8:00am to 7:00pm

There is also a cafe, souvenir shop, flower shop and even a hairdressers!

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Phone: + (43) (1) 26060-3328
Address: Vienna International Centre & UNO-City
Directions: Wagramer Strasse 5, 22nd District, U1 Station Kaiserm?hlen (Exit ?Vienna International Centre?, Entrance Gate 1).
Website: http://www.unvienna.org/unov/index.html

Stephansdom is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Vienna and is located int he heart of the city - you almost can't help but trip over it many times in your day!

There are a number of things to see here:

1. Firstly the outside: In the style of Gothic architecture it certianly stands out in Vienna. Parts of the church were built at varying times in history, but we can say the church is 14th, 15th, and 16th Century.

2. The Catacombs: You can take a guided tour underneath the cathedral and see where the bones of dead bishops, 15 member of the Habsburg family and many more are kept.

Opening times for the Catacombs:
Monday to saturday:
10 am - 11:30 a.m
1:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Sunday and public holidays:
1:30 pm - 4:30 pm

3. Towers: The Cathedral has amazing towers. You can climb or take the elevator up the north and south tower and see a magnificent view of the surrounding area and well and see more of the church from a different perspective.

Opening times for the North Tower:
November -March:
8:30 am - 5.00 pm.
April-October:
8:30 am -5:30 pm
July and August:
8:30 am - 6.00 p.m.

Opening Times for the South Tower:
Daily 9 am-5:30 pm

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Address: St.Stephens cathedral
Directions: Stephansplatz