Vienna Travel Forum

im visiting in early june. wanted to know
1 - how long do i need here to cover the basic & important tourist sights
2 - whats the central area of town called so i can stay there
3 - which are the main tourist spots to visit in that given time frame

4 - whats the best and cheapest way to travel around
5 - restaurants & night life that one must see
6 - a budget of 80 euros for 2 ppl per night would be sufficient. any recommendations in the cantral area? hostels & hotels would do. something clean, neat & private (cant be staying in a hostel room with 20 beds )

thank you so much!

1 - A week? You could easily fill 10 days or a month though. I've been living here for a good couple of years now and still have sights on my to-do list ;-)

Just be aware that Vienna is hosting the Euro2008 football championship. Finding accommodation may be a bit of a challenge. Besides, the city will be packed.

2 - The inner city is actually called inner city, or in German "Innere Stadt" or "Innenstadt" - or 1st district. It is basically the area within the Ringstrasse and Franz Josefs Kai at the Danube canal. However, 6th, 7th and 8th districts, and partly 3rd and 2nd, are also very central.

3 - Buy or borrow a good guide ;-) On top of my head:

- The coffee houses (esp. Eiles, Prückel, Bräunerhof, Hawelka, Jelinek) and the pastry shops (Demel, Lehmann, Gerstner)
- St. Stephansdom
- Graben (incl. St. Peter's church), Kohlmarkt, Michaelerplatz (incl Michalerkirche)
- Hofburg incl National Library
- The main sights along Ringstrasse; Parliament, City Council, Burgtheater, Votivkirche, MAK (Museum of Applied Arts), Stadtpark, Schwarzenbergplatz, Opera, Hofburg incl parks and Heldenplatz etc., Maria-Theresien-Platz)
- Opera, Konzerthaus, Musikverein (try and go to a concert/opera - but do not buy from the ticket sellers in costumes)
- Kunsthistorisches Museum
- Museumsquartier (incl. bars and shops)
- Mariahilferstrasse for shopping
- Zentralfriedhof/Central Cemetry or even more interesting: St. Marxer Friedhof, a Biedermayer cemetry where Mozart was buried or Hietzinger Friedhof (to be combined with a visit to Schönbrunn)
- Schönbrunn incl a stroll in the park plus Gloriette
- Prater incl the grand ferris wheel and a stroll in the park
- Kunsthaus Wien (Hundertwasser building + gallery)
- Grinzing - wine district
- Steinhof/Baumgartner Höhe - interesting church and huge psychiatric hospital
- Naschmarkt - food market
- some of the more peculiar museums such as Funeral museum (nearby Belvedere castle and park) or Narrenturm - pathological museum in the old hospital area, now Campus.
- Karlskirche
- one of the old cinemas (Bellaria, Breitenseer Lichtenspiele, Admiral, Metro)
- strolls in 7th and 8th districts.

4 - Public transportation is excellent and cheap. Vienna is also good for bikeriding, bikes can be hired for next to nothing in the central areas (I think the first hour is for free) but I'd recommend a bike map and some planning of your routes. For a visit to the Prater park I'd prefer bike.

5 - not my thing I'm afraid, but I like the Museumsquartier and Mariahilferstrasse area myself. People say Flex by Schottenring (tube station U2 and U4) is good, I guess it depends on your taste. Tunel in Florianigasse 8th district and Porgy & Bess in Riemergasse 1st district are great jazz scenes. Restaurants; you'll get great food more or less everywhere (really!). Just be careful with the restaurants in 1st district - many of them are just expensive rip-offs. In the 1st district I'd recommend Zum Basilisken (Viennese) in Schönlaterngasse, DaCapo (Italian) in Sängerstrasse or simply the traditional coffee houses. Basically the restaurants in 8th district always get it right. So do the Plachutta restaurants.

6 - I think one of the VT members, Globetrott, runs a pension at Schwedenplatz (1st district - don't miss out on the ice cream bar - the "old" one!) - seems to be a good deal. Heard good things about Ibis near Mariahilferstrasse and Westbahnhof too.

Enjoy your stay!

Hi,

that's a load of questions, the very general ones are best answered by a travel guide such as Lonely P. ect

2- the city is divided into 22 districts. No 1 is the very city centre, no 2-9 and 20 are also close. This system has it's limits but as a rule of thumb: When looking for accomodation, check its postal code as it tells you about the proximity to the inner city 1010 = 1. district, 1020 = 2. district, 1210 = 21. district, ect.

4-public transport is a good bet. Buses, subways, ect bring you everywhere and are reasonably priced for Western European standards. A 24-h-ticket is good choice if you have several stops during a day.
The yellow and blue rental bikes which you find all over the inner city districts are your sunshine alternative. You can register with your credit card, the first hour is always free - enough to go from A to B.

5- As you travel in June, the Summer Stage might be already open. It's a nice terrace at the Donau, good food, always busy with locals.
The restaurants / bars at the Museumsquartier (MQ) are also recommendable if you wanna get a summer feel for Vienna - plenty of young people & students, often live acts or artists around.

Have fun,

lobopequeno

How early in early June? If it's before the start of the championship you may be lucky and find a place to stay within your budget, if it's after the first match, this will be very hard.
I stayed in the NH hotel in Mariahilferstrasse and liked it, close to the public transport system, but quiet,even though it's a busy street.
An unusual museum : The Haus der Musik - an interactive museum about music, instruments, sounds, great fun!
http://www.hdm.at/en/2.htm

The Parliament has an excellent, informative and amusing tour and is very inexpensive. Have a look at my Vienna pages for other suggestions. Can't remember, in the previous fulsome answers, if Schobrun Palace was mentioned.

Whilst you're at Hofburg pop into the Spanish Riding School. You may be able to see a rehearsal or just do a tour of the Stables or you may even be lucky enough to be there for a performance, even though the performances are very few and far between and book out very quickly.

Hi,
best be very careful re hote/ B&B-reservations!
Vienna is already now totally sold out for the Soccer-Championship starting on June 8th.
Either try to make a reservation now via Internet or change the date of your stay. June is going to become chaotic in every respect.
Good Luck !

NO, I am not running a pension, but I am working 2 days a week in a small pension at Schwedenplatz, in the very centre of Vienna :
Pension Dr.Geissler
www.hotelpension.at / email: dr.geissler@hotelpension.at
for around 65 euros you can get a double there with running water and shared facilities ,breakfastbuffet included. I dont know about the booking-situation, because I am off untill friday...

Sorry Globetrott, I had just picked up that you had something to do with the pension. The location is great and the pricing is good so it sounds like a great deal!

Hi 3 days will cover the main attractions, but if you like staying for hours at a nice attraction like the Schonnan Palace, or the Sissi Apartments, or the Dancing Horses, or visit the vineyard area and restaurants on the outskirts of the city, or attend a concert, then you will need additional days. We had 7 days but took visits to Hallstatt and other cities.

Suggest you research VT pages on Vienna, especially those of the members who have replied.

You will love Vienna.

Good Luck,
Mike