Rick Steves Pocket Vienna

Introduction

Map: Vienna

About this Book

Key to this Book

Map: Vienna Neighborhoods

Vienna by Neighborhood

Daily Reminder

Vienna at a Glance

Planning Your Time

Vienna is the capital of Austria, the cradle of classical music, and one of Europe’s most livable cities. The city center is skyscraper-free, pedestrian-friendly, and traversed by electric trams. It retains a 19th-century elegance, when the city was at the forefront of the arts and sciences.

Today’s Vienna—or Wien (“Veen”)—is a modern city of 1.7 million. With world-class museums and sights such as St. Stephen’s Cathedral and the Hofburg Palace, there’s plenty to keep a sightseer busy. But compared with most urban centers, the pace of life here is slow. People nurse a pastry and coffee over the daily paper at small cafés. They sip wine under the stars, enjoy Mozart operas and Strauss waltzes, and continually work to perfect their knack for good living. Anyone with an interest in the arts, beautiful objects, or Sacher-Torte with whipped cream will feel right at home.

About This Book

With this book, I’ve selected only the best of Vienna—admittedly, a tough call. The core of the book is seven self-guided walks and tours that zero in on Vienna’s greatest sights and neighborhoods. The Vienna City Walk takes you through the heart of the city, while the Ringstrasse Tram Tour circles its elegant border. St. Stephen’s Cathedral is a journey into Vienna’s medieval past. At the Hofburg Palace, you’re immersed in the Habsburg world—the opulent rooms of their Imperial Apartments and the crown jewels of the Treasury. The Kunsthistorisches Museum has some of the world’s greatest paintings, from Titian to Rembrandt to Bruegel. Finally, there’s a visit to Schönbrunn Palace, which combines beautiful art with the beauties of nature.

The rest of the book is a traveler’s tool kit. You’ll find plenty more about Vienna’s attractions, from shopping to nightlife to less touristy sights. And there are helpful hints on saving money, avoiding crowds, getting around on Vienna’s public transit, finding a great meal, and much more.

If you’d like more information than this Pocket Guide offers, I’ve sprinkled the book liberally with web references. For general travel tips—as well as updates for this book—see www.ricksteves.com.

Vienna by Neighborhood

Vienna lies nestled between the Vienna Woods and the Danube River. Picture the city map as a target: The bull’s-eye is St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Surrounding the old town is the grand circular boulevard called the Ringstrasse. Farther out is another ring road, the Gürtel, that contains the rest of downtown. Outside that lies the industrial sprawl of modern Vienna. As big as Greater Vienna is, almost everything of interest to the tourist lies inside the Ring, near the Ring, or a short transit ride away.

Think of Vienna as a collection of neighborhoods:

Old Town (Within the Ring): Much of Vienna’s sightseeing is located in this, the first district. Here you’ll find St. Stephen’s Cathedral, the Hofburg complex, the Opera house, and many great shops and restaurants. St. Stephen’s stands proudly in the center, at the intersection of the two main (pedestrian-only) streets: Kärntner Strasse and the Graben. To walk across the Old Town—say, from the Opera house in the south to the Danube Canal in the north—takes about 30 minutes.

Ringstrasse: The ring road enclosing the Old Town is the former city wall. Now it’s lined with grand buildings, such as the Rathaus (City Hall). Trams #1, #2, and D travel along the Ring (which also has several stops for Vienna’s subway—the U-Bahn), making the Ring a handy jumping-off point for sights located just inside or outside it.

Karlsplatz: The U-Bahn stop Karlsplatz (tram stop: Opera) is a major transportation hub on the Ring. Stretching south of here is a cluster of sights, including the Karlskirche (St. Charles’ Church), Naschmarkt, the Secession, and Belvedere Palace.

Museum District: Just west of the Ring lies this classy area with the Kunsthistorisches art gallery and several lesser museums (the MuseumsQuartier). The pleasant student-oriented neighborhood of Spittelberg is great for cafés and nightlife.

Mariahilfer Strasse: Stretching still farther southwest is this mile-long street running from the Ring to the Westbahnhof, linked by a string of convenient U-Bahn stops. This lively corridor has major department stores, medium-range eateries, and many of my recommended (and best-value) hotels. The east end of the street is nicer—close to downtown and the Museum District. The west end near the train station is a little rough around the edges.

Greater Vienna: Though not a “neighborhood” at all, these widely scattered sights are nevertheless easily connected by public transit. You’re less than 30 minutes away from the Heuriger wine gardens (to the north), Belvedere Palace (to the south), Prater amusement park (east), and Schönbrunn Palace (southwest).

Planning Your Time

The following day-plans give an idea of how much an organized, motivated, and caffeinated person can see.

Day 1: Circle the Ringstrasse on my self-guided tram tour, which starts and ends at the Opera. Take the Opera tour. Drop by the nearby TI for planning and ticket needs. After lunch, follow my Vienna City Walk, including visits inside the Kaisergruft and St. Stephen’s Cathedral. In the evening (April-Oct only), take the Red Bus City Tour for a look at greater Vienna.

Day 2: Browse the colorful Naschmarkt. Tour the Kunsthistorisches Museum. In the afternoon, tour the Hofburg’s Imperial Apartments and Treasury. Enjoy a leisurely dinner, take in a concert or opera, or visit a museum that’s open late.

Day 3: Visit the sights around Karlsplatz and the Belvedere Palace. After lunch, take the U-Bahn out to Schönbrunn Palace. In the evening, visit a Heuriger wine garden or enjoy another concert.

With More Time: There are plenty more sights to choose from in Vienna. For suggestions, see the Sights chapter (as well as the “Activities” on here).

These are busy day-plans, so be sure to schedule in slack time for picnics, laundry, people-watching, leisurely dinners, concerts, café-sitting, shopping, and recharging your touristic batteries. Slow down and be open to unexpected experiences and the courtesy of the Austrian people.

Quick Tips: Here are a few tips to get you started. (You’ll find more information on these topics throughout the book.) Reserve your hotel as soon as possible for summer travel. To avoid long lines at a few sights, consider booking online or buying combo-tickets. Take advantage of my free Vienna audio tours, covering three of this book’s sights. ( For more details, see here.)

And finally, remember that—although Vienna’s sights can be crowded and stressful—the city itself is all about gentility and grace, so...be flexible.

Have a great trip!

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Vienna City Walk

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ORIENTATION

THE WALK BEGINS

Map: Vienna City Walk

1 Opera House

2 Café Sacher

3 Albertinaplatz

4 War Monument

5 Café Tirolerhof

6 Kärntner Strasse

7 Kaisergruft

8 Neuer Markt

9 Stephansplatz

10 Haas Haus

11 Graben

12 Holy Trinity Plague Column

13 St. Peter’s Church

14 Loos’ Loos

15 Kohlmarkt

16 Demel Bakery & Manz Bookstore

17 Michaelerplatz & Hofburg Entrance

18 Imperial Apartments

19 Spanish Riding School

20 Treasury & Imperial Music Chapel

21 Heldenplatz (Heroes’ Square)

22 Maria Theresa Statue

Vienna, one of Europe’s grandest cities of the past, is also a vibrant city of today. On this walk, we’ll lace together the city’s three most important landmarks. We start at the Opera house, ground zero for Vienna’s international reputation for classical music. Next is St. Stephen’s Cathedral, with its skyscraping spire, the symbol of the city. We end at the Hofburg Palace—once the home of the Habsburgs, now brimming with top-notch museums.

Along the way, we’ll be right in the thick of Vienna of today. It’s a laid-back world of genteel shops, cafés, chocolate, and Sacher-Torte. It’s the city where civilized Austrians continually perfect their knack for good living.

This walk is a great first look at the city. Use it to get the lay of the land and an overview of sights you may want to explore more in depth later. It’s a sampler of the best of Vienna—past and present.

ORIENTATION M

Length of This Walk: Allow one hour; more if you tour any of the major sights.

Opera: A visit inside is possible only with a 45-minute guided tour (see here).

Café Sacher: Daily 8:00-24:00, Philharmoniker Strasse 4, tel. 01/51456.

Albertina Museum: €12, daily 10:00-18:00, Wed until 21:00, overlooking Albertinaplatz across from TI and Opera, tel. 01/534-830, www.albertina.at.

Kaisergruft: €5.50, daily 10:00-18:00, last entry at 17:40, Tegetthoffstrasse 2, off Neuer Markt, tel. 01/512-6853, www.kaisergruft.at.

St. Stephen’s Cathedral: Church foyer—free, Mon-Sat 6:00-22:00, Sun 7:00-22:00; main nave—€4, Mon-Sat 9:00-11:30 & 13:00-16:30, Sun 13:30-16:30, until 17:30 June-Aug; tel. 01/515-523-526, www.stephanskirche.at. The cathedral’s other sights have varying costs and hours (see here).

St. Peter’s Church: Free; Mon-Fri 7:00-20:00, Sat-Sun 9:00-21:00; free organ concerts Mon-Fri at 15:00, Sat-Sun at 20:00; tel. 01/533-6433, www.peterskirche.at.

St. Michael’s Church Crypt: €7 for 45-minute tour, Mon-Fri at 11:00 and 13:30, mobile 0650-533-8003, www.michaelerkirche.at.

Hofburg Imperial Apartments: €11.50, covered by €25.50 Sisi Ticket (see here); daily July-Aug 9:00-18:00, Sept-June 9:00-17:30, last entry one hour before closing; tel. 01/533-7570, www.hofburg-wien.at.

Hofburg Treasury: €12, €20 combo-ticket with Kunsthistorisches Museum, Wed-Mon 9:00-17:30, closed Tue, last entry 30 minutes before closing, tel. 01/525-240, www.kaiserliche-schatzkammer.at.

Starring: Vienna’s “big three” (Opera house, cathedral, palace), plus an array of sights, squares, and shops tucked in between.

Audio Tour: You can download this chapter as a free Rick Steves audio tour (see here).

THE WALK BEGINS M

Begin at the square outside Vienna’s landmark Opera house (U-Bahn stop: Karlsplatz).

1 Opera House M

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If Vienna is the world capital of classical music, this building is its throne room. At Vienna’s peak in the 1800s, the city was the epicenter of European culture. Generations of great musicians flocked to Vienna—Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Johann Strauss Senior and Junior. The Opera house, built in 1869, is a symbol of that golden age.

The Opera’s architecture is typical of many buildings you’ll see in Vienna. It revives an older style, in this case, “Neo”-Renaissance. Notice the Renaissance-style arches over the windows, and classical half-­columns. The sloping copper roof is like a French Renaissance château.

Nearly all of opera’s luminaries have passed through here. Gustav Mahler and Richard Strauss served as musical directors. Luciano Pavarotti, Maria Callas, Placido Domingo—they’ve all sung from its stage. Today, the Opera still belts out 300 shows a year, both traditional and cutting-edge. Notice the giant outdoor screen where some performances are projected to an adoring public. The Opera’s interior is sumptuous, but to see it you’ll have to attend a performance (see here) or take a guided tour (see here for details).

In the pavement under your feet are star-shaped plaques. These honor the stars of classical music—famous composers, singers, musicians, and conductors. It’s like a Hollywood walk of fame, but Vienna style.

Map Key
1 Opera House 2 Café Sacher 3 Albertinaplatz 4 War Monument 5 Café Tirolerhof 6 Kärntner Strasse 7 Kaisergruft 8 Neuer Markt 9 Stephansplatz 10 Haas Haus 11 Graben	12 Holy Trinity Plague Column 13 St. Peter's Church 14 Loos’ Loos (Public WCs) 15 Kohlmarkt 16 Demel Bakery & Manz Bookstore 17 Michaelerplatz & Hofburg Entrance 18 Imperial Apartments 19 Spanish Riding School 20 Treasury & Imperial Music Chapel 21 Heldenplatz 22 Maria Theresa Statue

Before moving on, note that the Opera house marks a busy intersection in Vienna, where Kärntner Strasse meets the Ring. The Karlsplatz U-Bahn station in front of the Opera is an underground shopping mall with fast food, newsstands, and lots of pickpockets.

Walk behind the Opera and across the street toward the dark-red awning at #4, which marks the famous...

2 Café Sacher M

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