Eat, Drink and Be Merry! and other Vienna, Austria Things to Do Tips

In Summer and Autumn, take the time to enjoy the Heurigers (Vienna's local wine taverns) in Grinzing, the wineyard district of Vienna. You can enjoy the young wines, eat local austrian dishes, and experience the wine tavern life that the local austrians enjoy so much. You can sit out in the garden, drink lots of young wines, and see the grapevines hanging above your head. When you're hungry, you can go inside the heuriger and get cold or warm food from small selections behind the counter. Don't expect to get hot freshly cooked food in heurigers.

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Address: Vienna's vineyards and wineries
Directions: Take the U4 underground train to Heillegenstadt and then Bus no. 38A to Grinzing.

When you get to the Karlskirche, Vienna's finest Baroque church, you will be awed by the massive size of the church, especially the two big columns and the dome. You should go inside the church to see the magnificent high altar and the frescos in the Cupola. It is a beautiful and elegant church.

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Address: Vienna's famous baroque church
Directions: The church is in Karlsplatz/Ressel Park area. Take the underpass from the U4 U-Bahn station, walk into the Ressel park and you cannot miss the church.

My first Fiaker ride was in April 2005 and it was surprise birthday gift from someone special. He arranged for the Fiaker to come to my apartment so that we can ride in style to my birthday party held at a restaurant in the 1st district. So, there we were, dressed in our formal outfits, and riding in a Fiaker to a restaurant for dinner. I felt like those elegant noble ladies in those old days, i.e. before the invention of cars. As I stepped into the horse carriage, I was being helped on board by the driver. With my friend sitting next to me, I sat back and enjoy the beautiful ride. People were looking at us in the Fiaker passing them by. I felt rather strange when I saw people looking or staring at us. Some tourist even took photos! Anyway, it was fun riding in an open Fiaker and it was great to see the inner city sites from a different point of view - from top of a carriage.

Here are the prices for the Fiaker ride:
Rate for a short city tour @ 20 minutes will cost Euro 40.
Rate for grand city tour @ 40 minutes will cost Euro 65
Rate for one hour city tour will cost Euro 95

One Fiaker can seat 4 people, so if you want to save money, go in a group of 4.

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Address: Vienna's famous horse carriages
Directions: As far as I know, you can find fiakers for hire next to the Stephansdom and in front of the Hofburg palace. There are signs nearby that show the hire rates.

The Vienna International Centre (VIC) - or UNO-City to the austrians - opened in 1979. Four major international UN organizations set up their headquarters here. They are UNIDO, CTBTO, UNOV and IAEA. If you interested or curious to know how the UN works and see what happens during conferences or international meetings, you can visit the VIC.

Visitors can visit the VIC complex by booking a tour at Gate 1, UNO-City entrance. Security is tight and visitors are required to bring their passports or Identification Cards before given any clearance to visit the complex.

Here are some facts about the VIC:

Along with New York, Geneva and Nairobi, Vienna is one of the four Headquarters duty stations of the United Nations. More than 4,000 employees from over 100 countries work for the VIC-based organizations. About a third of them are Austrians. Operations costs are borne by the Organizations themselves. The VIC also contributes about 360 million euros annually into the Austrian economy.

Numerous international conferences and meetings are held annually at the Vienna International Centre or at the adjacent Austria Center.

Located at the VIC are:
* International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA),
* United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV),
* UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC),
* UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO),
* Preparatory Commission for Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO).

Other United Nations organizations and entities with offices at the VIC are:
* UN Postal Administration (UNPA),
* UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR),
* UN Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR),
* UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS),
* International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR).

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Address: Vienna International Centre/UNO-City
Directions: If you are coming from the city, take the U-Bahn U1 to VIC-Kaisermuhlen station, get out & walk towards head of the train, turn right and walk down the stairs to Gate 1.

Kleines Cafe is one of the oldest and smallest cafes in Vienna. It is charming in its own way.Created by architect Hermann Czech during the 1970s, the Kleine Café is a popular meeting place for artists and actors. I read that it belongs to the Austrian actor Hanno Pöschl (he acted in the movie "BEFORE SUNRISE" - he was the german husband on the train).

Incidentally, this cafe was made famous by the 1995 movie "BEFORE SUNRISE" starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy.

Mon - Sat 10 am-2 am, Sun 1 pm-2 am

Food served after midnight; Outdoor seating in summer and warmer months.

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Address: Vienna's traditional cafes
Directions: Franziskanerplatz 3, A-1010 Vienna. 1st district.
U3, U1: Stephansplatz

Oberlaa Cafe is one of the popular cafes in Vienna, serving a variety of viennese coffee, english or fruit teas, creamy hot cocoa, rich cakes, scrumptous cookies and chocolate truffles. They also serve warm food, mainly austrian dishes. On weekdays, they have the set menu with good selections of food at very reasonable prices.

I just love the yummy cakes at Oberlaa Cafe, especially the Irish Cream Torte and the Chocolate Mousse Torte*. They are all sinfully delicious. One bite will guarantee to put 1 kg of fat on your hips! Wash these down with a nice hot pot of Earl Grey or black Assam tea.

(*Torte means cake)

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Address: Vienna's traditional cafes
Directions: There are a few Oberlaa Cafes in Vienna.
1) 1st District - Neuer Markt 16, Tel. 513 29 36-0 ; Opens daily 8–20hr
2) 3rd District - Landstraßer Hauptstr., Tel. 715 27 40-0; Opens daily 8–19hr

If you like to browse through antiques or just looking around for bargains or just wanting to spend the day/afternoon, then maybe you will like the Flohmarkt (near the Naschmarkt). Every saturday, there is a flohmarkt set up on the large parking lot next to the U4 Kettenbruckengasse train station. You will find all kinds of knick-knacks, antique stuffs, second-hand goods, etc., for sale (if the price is right). You can try your bargaining skills, just for fun.

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Address: U4 - Kettenbruckengasse Train Station
Directions: Take the U4 U-bahn to Kettenbruckengasse train station. Or you can walk from Karlsplatz through the Naschmarkt to Kettenbruckengasse. It is a pleasant walk on a bright sunny day.

Schönbrunn was the former summer residence of Austrian’s previous imperial family. It takes its name from a beautiful spring that was found on this site. An earlier hunting lodge was destroyed by the Turks, so Emperor Leopold I asked Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach to design a grand Baroque residence here in 1695. Then it was Empress Maria Theresia who employed Nikolaus Pacassi (her court architect) to complete the project in the mid-18th century.

The palace has some of the best Rococo interiors in central Europe while the surrounding Schlosspark is home to the Tiergarten, Vienna’s zoo, and the Palmenhaus (Palm House). To the west of the neighbouring villa district of Hietzing is the much wilder parkland of the Lainzer Tiergarten, a former royal hunting ground that’s now a haven for wildlife.

The palace contains nearly 1500 rooms, and in its day, would have housed more than 1000 servants. Even though the sheer scale of the place is undeniably impressive, the building itself is something of an acquired taste; its plain façade is painted a rather pale mustard yellow color.

The interior of the palace contains excellent arrays of Baroque and Rococo State rooms. There is also a fine collection of imperial carriages in the Wagenburg (Coach Museum), plus temporary exhibitions in the Orangerie.

The best way to enter Schonbrunn and the Schlosspark to go directly to the Meidlinger Tor on the Grünberg strasse from U-Bahn Schönbrunn, rather than walking along the multi-lane freeway to the main gates of the Schönbrunn Palace.

You could also continue one stop further on the U-Bahn to Hietzing, and walk into the park via the Hietzing Tor on Hietzinger Haup strasse. This will enable you to look at the nearby Hofpavillon Hietzing, the imperial family’s private U-Bahn station.

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Directions: Take the U4 U-Bahn to Schonbrunn train station; then head directly to Meidlinger Tor on the Grünberg strasse. Or you can walk along the freeway & go directly to the main gates of the Palace.

The Ringstrasse would be the place to go if you want a speedy view of Vienna. Walk around the Ringstrasse and you'll see the long-gone golden era of monarchical rule, where the buildings are still grand and baroque. Along the Ringstrasse, you will find many of Vienna's most famous buildings, from the university, Votiv Church, the city town hall (Rathaus), the Burgtheater (imperial theatre), the Parliament building, Museums, Opera house and Otto Wagner's famous Postal Savings Bank.

The Ringstrasse is certainly Vienna in all its grandeous, centuries-old splendour.

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Address: The buildings of the famous boulevard
Directions: If you don't feel like walking, trams 1 or 2 will take you around the Ringstrasse.

I regularly go to and enjoy some nice hot Earl Grey or Assam Tea at the Haas & Haas Tea Room located behind Stephansdom. I would spent a couple of hours there, eating yummy petite sandwiches and cakes, or having a plate of delicious pasta, and after that, reading my book and have a quiet time.

Ok, this is not a coffee establishment. It is more of a Tea establishment, a famous one at that!

This is the Haas & Haas Tea Boutique Store, the tea shop where you can buy all kinds of teas from black tea to herbal tea to Chai, and sweeteners such as syrups, honey, flavored rock sugars, crystal sugars, tea cookies, sweets, and many more. You can even buy chocolates, cookies, grounded coffee, coffee/tea mugs, unique teapots, tea sets, fragrant potpouris, etc.

The Haas & Haas Tea Room is next to the tea store; it serves a variety of teas, coffees, hot chocolate drinks, delicious sweets, pastries, sandwiches, and light meals such as pastas. All the food are good and delicious.

The Haas & Haas Tea Room is an excellent place to take a break and relax from a tiring day of sight-seeing and shopping around the Stephansplaz area. During the warmer days in Spring/Autumn and in Summer, they will open their garden adjacent to the Tea Room and you can sit outside to enjoy the fresh air with a cup of tea or coffee.

HAAS&HAAS, TEE & SPEZIALITÄTEN STORE, A-1010 Wien, Stephansplatz 4
Opening time: Mon-Fri 9.00 - 18.30 hrs & Sat 9.00 -18.00 hrs

TEEHAUS HAAS&HAAS, A-1010 Wien, Stephansplatz 4
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 8.00 - 20.00 hrs & Sat 8.00 -18.30 hrs

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Phone: +43 1 512 26 66
Address: A-1010 Wien, Stephansplatz 4
Directions: Underground train line U1/U3, Stephansplatz station, to exit towards Stephansdom or Kartnerstrasse, go to the back of the big church; there you see a line of shops and it is there!
Website: http://www.haas-haas.at
Other Contact: E-mail: gastro@haas-haas.at