Vienna Travel Forum

i am researching about what to do in vienna for 3.5 days with teens ages 17 and 14. suggestions of good hotels/appartments are great. and if we should spend more time (or less)thanks

It really depends on your teens' interests but generally the following should be well received (and believe me, it is not a problem at all to fill 3,5 days - just pick and choose):

Prater - the ferris wheel plus other attractions and then a stroll or a bike ride in the park. (Bikes can be rented from www.pedalpower.at) If you get hungry, buy sausages from the stands. I wouldn't go to the restaurants in Prater.

Concerts - classical if the teens can stand it, for example in Konzerthaus or Musikverein or even the Opera. One of the "musts". Otherwise, Vienna is great for jazz as well, for example at Tunel in Florianigasse in 8th district, Miles Smiles in Lange Gasse in 8th district or Porgy and Bess in Riemergasse in 1st district.

Museums - there are loads of museums and they are all great. Some of the most popular ones are the museums in Museum quarter (for example Leopold Museum), which also has several great cafes. The Museum of Art History and The Museum of Natural History are also fantastic, as are the building themselves. Albertina also has some fabulous exhibitions. Another place for art would be Belvedere, which is also a castle surrounded by a park. Honestly not my favourite but popular among tourists. There are some weird museums too, for example the Funeral Museum in Goldeggasse in 4th district and Narrenturm, the Pathology Museum in 9th district (Campus) (limited opening hours, see http://www.narrenturm.at/). Many younger people find the Hundertwasser builiding Kunsthaus Wien interesting, in 3rd district. Can be combined with Prater. Funny cafe inside. The impressive Hofburg is also worth seeing, at least from the outside. I personally find the Prunksaal at the National Library (part of the complex) stunning.

Schönbrunn Palace - I haven't been inside the castle, it is apparently stunning. The building and park are simply overwhelming. Take a stroll in the park, bring along nuts and feed the squirrels. Can be combined with a visit to the Zoo and the carriage museum.

Memorials - there are plenty of them. Many great artists and intellectuals were born, lived and died in Vienna (such as Mozart, Beethoven, Klimt etc.)

Cafes - you won't be able to visit all the cafes worth visiting. Try out the very best - for coffee, cakes or even lunch/dinner: Cafe Hawelka, Cafe Prückel, Demel (amazing cakes), Cafe Eiles, Cafe Central, Cafe Sperl etc. (you can generally trust the guidebook's recommendation) - or something "younger"; Phil in Gumpendorferstrasse in 6th distict, which is a shop and cafe.

Churches - the must-see is Stephansdom but Peterskirche and Karlskirche are also beautiful. An interesting option is Michaelerkirche (near Hofburg) with mumified bodies from 18th century in the basement.

Markets - Naschmarkt between 4th and 6th district with food stalls and restaurants. (I guess you teens will like the coffee place called Mocca Club too). On Saturdays there is a flea market too.

Make sure you get enough time to walk around in 1st district and take tram 1 or 2 along the Ringstrasse to get a glimpse of Vienna's most important sites and to orient yourselves.

For some fresh air, take for example tram 38 to 19th district and walk around in Grinzing. A bus trip to Leopoldsberg (bus 38A), lunch at the restaurant and then a walk down along the vineyards is also a classic. Other outdoor activities are inlineskating or bikeriding on Donauinsel (U1 station Donauinsel). There are also several wonderful churchyards, for example Zentralfriedhof which is huge - tram line 71 from Schwarzenbergplatz, or Hietzinger Friedhof near Schönbrunn or Döblinger Friedhof which can be combined with a walk in the lovely Türkenschanzpark and a visit to the charming Cafe Salettl, beautiful view from there.

Have fun!

Preparation: For kids a trip is usually more interesting if they know a bit in advance. If you haven't seen The Third Man I recommend that you either rent the DVD or watch it at Burg Kino sometime during your stay. Another way of preparing the teens is to watch Before Sunrise together.

I can recommend the K+K Hotel Maria Theresia in Kirchberggasse 6 in 7th district, http://www.kuk.at, just a short walk from the Museum quarter.

Forgot to mention Haus der Musik (House of Music) in Seilerstätte in 1st district. It is a museum but with plenty of things to do such as composing your own music and conducting the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.

really helpful with lots of details. i like that thanks.

hi!
If you want to allow them to go out (as youngsters in vienna do at this age ;) I would have a suggestion:

Go to "Bermuda-Dreieck" (this is near by U1-"Schwedenplatz" around an old church) on saturday evening(9pm). teens from all over vienna are there.

I suggest to choose a cafe for yourself(at "Hoher Markt" for example) and let them walk around to the different bars ;)) There are a lot kids in their age, the bars do not look very tidy but its safe (I was allowed to stay there until 12pm when I was 16 and my parents were overall very strict).
please be aware, in this age austrian kids do drink alcohol, so maybe you will have to talk to your kids first ;)

Oh yes and as I know the US ... In Cafe's and restaurants in Austria you can stay as long as you want, you are not forced to go after the last bite, as this would be veery unpolite ;))

have a lot of fun!

Hey again! Here are my plans so far of what to do each day. Tell me if I will have time to do all the activities I hope we can do each day.( but don’t want it too busy) Or if it is impractical to do certain activities on the same day (example: they are far away from each other, though I tried to not let that happen) Also any other activities we should do. So you can help us more: I am interested in outdoor stuff but still like pretty much anything else. (Sorry that didn’t explain anything) my brother likes things that are interactive. (Example: street fairs and hands on museums. not look at a painting place or look but don’t touch places) My dad loves history. And my mom likes anything to do with the Catholic Church (we have been to Italy) and she likes beaches. As always suggestions are appreciated. Thanks

Day 33- Krakow/Vienna – Hotel: Vienna Marriott Hotel
• Dinner at Vienna Zoo

Day 34- Vienna – Hotel: Vienna Marriott Hotel
• Schonbrunn Palace
• Train trip to Tiolerhof

Day 35- Vienna – Hotel: Vienna Marriott Hotel
• Walking tour of Vienna

Day 36- Vienna – Hotel: Vienna Marriott Hotel
• Nothing yet

Day 37- Vienna/Salzburg – Hotel:

hi!

hmmm, the Zoo in Vienna is open from 9.00-18.30, and there is no place with accurate dinner as far as I know. why dont you take a walk through the inner city at this evening - there are lots of restaurants (take one in a small street ;) and you can see a lot of historic buildings in the evening light :)