Vienna, Austria by Gautam Khattak

Last updated: May 23, 2014

Disclaimer: These are notes I’ve written or gathered from various sources. I have not experienced all things in this document nor is it intended to be a definitive guide.

General Tips

Currency: Euro

Conversion Tool: http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=100+usd+to+eur

(Update for current rates)
100 USD = 78.09 EUR
1 USD = .781 EUR
100 EUR = 128.05 USD
1 EUR = 1.281 USD

Tipping:

In Austria, many restaurants include tax and a service charge in their bills, and it is customary to round up the total when paying. Alternatively, you can give your waitperson the amount you want to pay (gratuity and bill, as above) and say “danke” (which means “thank you.”) It’s important to understand that saying “danke” when presenting your payment is the Austrian equivalent to saying, “Keep the change.” If you are not satisfied with the service, it is not unusual not to tip.

Taxi drivers usually receive an extra 10 percent over the meter fare.

Local Customs:

You won’t see “Vienna” used anywhere. Locally it is referred to as Wien.

Transportation

Vienna has one of Europe’s best integrated public transport networks. Flat-fare tickets are valid for trains, trams, buses, the underground (U-Bahn) and the S-Bahn regional trains. Services are frequent, and you will rarely have to wait more than five or 10 minutes.

Public transport kicks off around 5am or 6am. Buses and trams finish between 11pm and midnight, and S-Bahn and U-Bahn ser vices between 12.30am and 1am. Twenty-one Nightline bus routes crisscross the city from 12.30am to 5am. Schwedenplatz, Schottentor and the Oper are starting points for many services; look for buses and bus stops marked with an ‘N’. All tickets are valid for Nightline services.

Free maps and information pamphlets are available from Wiener Linien – www.wienerlinien.a

The City Airport Train (www.cityairporttrain.com) costs 15€ round trip and takes 15 minutes to get to the city center. Pick up a Vienna Card for 18€ at the tourist center on Albertina Platz (43-1-798-44-00-148) for museum discounts and 72 hours of transportation on the extensive U-Bahn and tram system.

Getting to cities outside Vienna and Austria is pretty easy via train.

You can book in advance via http://www.oebb.at/ or you can buy tickets day off. The tickets are generally good for 24 hours on any of the trains though you may want to make reservations to get there in advance if you want the compartments (4 to a room) vs. the public open train seating. Some destinations have “Express trains” where they make less frequent stops.

Tourist Destinations

The “Vienna Card” offers 72 hours unlimited use of public transport within city limits and discounts at many museums, some restaurants and cafés, shops and other tourism-related services. It’s heavily promoted but is it worth the price for you?  Comprehensive information about the Vienna Card and details about the discounts offered can be found here: http://www.wien.info/en/travel-info/vienna-card

NOTE: I did not get this

Albertina

As the largest Hapsburg residential palace, Albertina dominates the southern tip of the Imperial Palace on one of the last remaining fortress walls in Austria. It boasts the largest and most valuable graphical collections in the world, with works such as Dürer’s Hare and Klimt’s studies of women. On permanent display in the Albertina’s new exhibition collection are the most exciting art movements of the last 130 years: from French impressionism to German expressionism to the Russian avant-garde and the present. Monet’s Water Lily Pond, Degas’ Dancers and Renoir’s Girl are on view, alongside paintings by Macke, Chagall, Rothko, Rainer and Katz.

01, Albertinaplatz 1
Tel: (01) 534 830
Website: www.albertina.at
Opening hours: Daily 1000-1800 (Wed until 2100).
Admission charge: Adults € 9,50

Schonbrunn Palace (Schloss Schonbrunn)

The palace is a just outside of the city but it’s very easy to get there with the metro. You have to choose a nice day, without rain, so that you can enjoy not only the palace but the grounds…
13, Schönbrunn Palace
Tel: (01) 8111 3239.
Website: www.schoenbrunn.at
Opening hours: Daily 0830-1700 (Apr-Jun and Sept-Oct); 0830-1800 (July-Aug); 0830-1630 (Nov-Mar).
Admission charge: Y.

GK Editorial: This was beautiful. I did the Classic Pass Light Tour (15 €) using the Audio Guide. The Audio Guide is horrible because it has no fast forward feature. The tour goes though over 30 rooms but if you skip one room the guide does not keep up and you get no useful information on the subsequent rooms. The palace rooms have little to no information in the rooms so if you want some description of what you’re seeing you are at the mercy of the Audio guide’s pace or your best bet is to find a book on the palace and buy that in advance and use that to guide you through the rooms. The Labyrinth/Maze, Gloriette, Palace Garden’s are all fine to do self guided. Though you have to have ticket to get into everything but the Garden so the Classic Pass Light was the best deal if you want to see the inside of the Palace as well. The Zoo is a separate fee but you get a discount when you buy a Classic Pass (including Light) Tour. Personally if you’re not interested in seeing nicely decorated bedrooms, don’t bother with the palace itself. Next time I’d like to check out the Zoo, it’s supposed to be a good.

Belvedere Palace (Schloß Belvedere)

Former residence of the Prince of Savoy consists of two palaces: one houses the Museum of Medieval Austrian Art and the Museum of Austrian Baroque; and a second contains the Austrian Gallery.

Attraction type: Historic home; Art gallery; Art museum; Garden

GK Editorial: We only had time to see the Upper Belvedere Gallery. It was nice, took less than an hour. The Palace grounds are beautiful. You’ll see people running around the grounds because it’s free admission to the exterior portion of the Palace and frankly if you’re going to go for a run/jog you might as well do it in a beautiful garden!

Museum Quarter –

From Trip Advisor: The museum quarter was in my opinion the best part of Vienna. The sights of Vienna are outstanding, a photographers dream. But after walking around all day we enjoyed quite a few rests in the Museum. Website: www.mqw.a

1. Peter’s Church (Peterskirche)

Historic Center of Vienna

Hofburg

The Imperial Palace until 1918, the Hofburg today houses the office of the Austrian president, an international conference centre, a dozen museums, the chapel where the Vienna Boys’ Choir sings and the hall in which the Lipizzan stallions perform. Visitors can tour the Kaiserappartements (Imperial Apartments), including Franz Joseph’s and Sisi’s (Empress Elisabeth’s) private rooms, the great audience hall, dining rooms and staterooms. Schatzkammer (Treasury), Schweizerhof 1, contains stunning exhibits that exemplify the power and wealth of one of Europe’s most important empires. The Sisi Museum showcases many personal objects and some of the most famous portraits of the beautiful empress. Also within the central core, the Prunksaal (State Hall) of the Nationalbibliothek (Austrian National Library) is a jewel of baroque architecture and one of the most beautiful historical libraries in the world.

01, Innerer Burghof 1, Kaisertor

Tel: (01) 533 7570 (Imperial Apartments, Imperial Silver Collection and Sisi Museum) or 5252 44031 (Treasury).

Websites: http://www.hofburg.wien.info or http://www.hofburg-wien.at
Opening hours: Daily 0900-1730/1800 (Imperial Apartments, Imperial Silver Collection and Sisi Museum); Wed-Mon 1000-1800 (Treasury).
Admission charge: Y.

Stephansdom (St. Stephen’s Cathedral)

The imposing St Stephen’s Cathedral marks Graben’s eastern end; it is a landmark from afar not least due to its brightly coloured roof tiles. Construction began on the cathedral in the 12th century and was completed in 1433. Major restoration and rebuilding work was necessary after the cathedral caught fire at the end of WWII.

01, Stephansplatz 1
Tel: (01) 581 8640.
Website: www.stephanskirche.at
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 0600-2200, Sun 0700-2200; guided tours in English Apr-Oct daily 1545.
Admission charge: Y.

The Prater Amusement Park

The Prater area is open 24 hours each day, 7 days a week from January to December and accessible free of charge for everyone. Only the attractions themselves are charged. Fees for individual attractions vary between € 1,50 and € 5,00 depending size and genre.

Peak season in the “Wurstelprater” starts on the 15th of March and ends on the 31st of October. Individual attractions may have different opening hours. Some attractions are open from 10:00am to 01:00am depending on weather.

http://www.prater.at/GeneralInformation.php?LI=1

GK Editorial: This is a great place to walk around especially on a date or in a group of friends. It’s also located next to the  Kolariks Luftburg Beer Garden which has excellent beer and great food (giant pork knuckles)

Museums & Art Galleries

There are many museums, these are just  a few….

Kunsthistorisches Museum (Museum of Fine Arts)

This museum contains not only one of the finest collections of art, but also many priceless objects created for the Habsburg Emperors

01, Maria-Theresien-Platz 1
Tel: (01) 525 240.

Website: www.khm.at
Opening hours: Tues-Sun 1000-1800 (Thurs until 2100).

Admission charge: Y.
Disabled access: Y.

Read more: http://www.worldtravelguide.net/city/133/key_attractions/Europe/Vienna.html#ixzz0ypV8R8RM

Liechtenstein Museum – With one of the world’s largest and most important private collections, the LIECHTENSTEIN MUSEUM showcases masterpieces from the early Renaissance to the Baroque including paintings by Rubens, Rembrandt and van Dyck, together with the Badminton Cabinet, the most valuable piece of furniture in the world. Every Sunday at 11 am or 3 pm the LIECHTENSTEIN MUSEUM unites the fine arts and music at the very highest level. Further highlights: Palace gardens and Classicistic Library

Naturhistorisches Museum (Natural History Museum) – Added June, 2011

Castle Ring 7
A – 1010 Vienna
Tel: + 43 (1) 521 77-0

Opening times:
Thursday to Monday: 9:00 to 18:30
Wednesday: 9:00 to 21:00
Tuesday closed

Admission: €10 for Adult
http://www.nhm-wien.ac.at/

GK editorial: It is an impressive collection but really it’s just rooms full of rocks or taxidermy. Most of the signage and descriptions were in German so not easy to get the full gist of each exhibit.  But if you’re interested in seeing lots of different kinds of animals, insects or rock formations this is a good place to go.

Dining & Nightlife

The most popular cluster of bars is in the old Jewish Quarter (First District), in an area around Ruprechtskirche known as the Bermuda Dreieck (Bermuda Triangle). Other districts with fewer tourists include the Spittelberg area, around Amerlinghaus (Seventh District) and in the Fourth District, adjacent to the Naschmarkt. Many of the best places in Vienna will not be obvious to tourists, as they are strictly marketed at locals and are not necessarily in the centre of town. Quite a few clubs operate choosy door policies, where the beautiful or the correctly dressed waltz past the queue. Alternatives to the club and bar scene abound – hip and trendy Viennese still enjoy traditional favourites, such as heurigen (beer taverns) and the city’s many balls.

For information on what kind of sound and crowd to expect on any given night of the week, pick up Der Falter listings paper (www.falter.at) or check out Szene (www.szenewien.com).

Bermudadreieck or Bermuda Triangle is an area with pubs and bars in a historic corner of Vienna′s city centre. It got its name because it is easy to get lost in one of the many bars, get drunk and then awake a few days later in some gutter with no memory of what had happened. Personally, I can′t stand the Bermudadreieck – it attracts wannabe-yuppies, tourists and real yuppies, in declining amounts. The bars feel cheap and tacky, but in fact, they are really expensive. The Bermudadreieck traditionally spreads between Rabensteig, Seitenstettengasse and Ruprechtsplatz. This makes the “triangle” in the strict sense, but in fact, similar bars and pubs with a similar clientele can be found in other parts of Vienna′s first district

Green Bar at Palmenhaus– Grab a drink at the Palmenhaus (Burggarten 1; 43-1-533-10-33; www.palmenhaus.at), the Imperial greenhouse with an impressive display of greenery under its soaring glass atrium. After 8:30 p.m., a D.J. spins.

GK Editorial: Definitely worth checking out, either for dinner or for drinks.

Billabong – http://www.billabong.at/ is an Australian Sports bar on Parkring across from Stadtpark.

GK Editorial: Pretty lively crowd and lots of beer selection. They only take cash. I stayed close to here and it was the most lively place near the Radisson so it was worth checking out otherwise I wouldn’t probably make a special trip to here (unless I was Australian maybe)

Amerlingbeisl – The area (Seventh District) is dotted with bars, including the perennially popular, with its leafy garden. This relaxed pub is a must-go in Vienna, especially around Christmas, when Spittelberg comes alive with its famous Christmas market. In the evenings, you can zip a cup of ginger-apricot punch in Amerlingbeisl’s canopied atrium with fairy lights for stars.

07, Stiftgasse 8

Tel: (01) 526 1660.

Website: www.amerlingbeisl.at

GK Editorial: We went here and it was cool and chill but we weren’t looking for that vibe so we didn’t stay very long at all. We ended up next door which had more people and better music.

Dark Star at Night

Tucked behind the Am Hof Church on the ground floor of a 17th-century building, Zum Finsteren Stern, or To the Dark Star (Schulhof 8; 43-1-535-2100) is a well-executed epicurean drama with vaulted ceilings and an arched wall of wood carved with tiny stars. Finsteren Stern’s menu changes nightly; recently an asparagus frittata starter was dressed with herbs and cream (9.10 euros, or about $14.50 at $1.59 to the euro), and the grilled sea bream with olive butter (18.20 euros) was succulent. For dessert, try the house topfentarte with rhubarb, a slightly spicy take on traditional Austrian cheesecake.

Badeschiff Wien (on the canal between Schwedenplatz and Urania; 43-676-69-69-009; www.badeschiff.at), an anchored ship that’s been converted into a club that’s packed with Viennese and with raunchy slide shows projected on the walls. Beers are 7.50 euros for two. In the summer, the roof deck pool is popular for night swimming. Or try the DO & CO Hotel’s sleek upstairs bar (Stephansplatz 12; 43-1-535-39-69; www.doco.com) with a spectacular view.

Café Central – Coffee houses (Kaffeehäuser) are an essential part of Viennese life. For the price of a coffee you can sit for hours with the papers, some work, a book, or just watching the world go by. Café Central, located in the beautiful historic Palais Ferstel in the First District, is an old favourite, featuring gothic-style ceilings and live music daily.

01, Herrengasse 14

Tel: (01) 5333 76426.

Website: www.palaisevents.at/cafecentral

Café Stein – Coffee houses are big in Vienna and the new ‘szene houses’ attract a young, trendy crowd. Café Stein is the king of the new style, with minimalist décor, Internet facilities, veggie fare and all-day breakfasts.

09, Währinger Strasse 6-8

Tel: (01) 319 7241.

Website: www.cafe-stein.com

Lutz Bar – is an elegant venue with a good cocktail selection. The building from the turn of the last century directly overlooks the MuseumsQuartier and the Museum of Fine Arts and sports floor-to-ceiling glass windows, perfect for people-watching while relaxing with a glass of wine.

06, Mariahilfer Strasse 3

Tel: (01) 585 3646.

Website: www.lutz-bar.at

Gulaschmuseum              1010 Wien, Schulerstraße 20

GK Editorial: Goulash is one of my favorite foods and this place did not disappoint! They have A LOT of different Goulash options. I went with the Beef with the dumpling, egg and gurken. WOW it was fantastic.

Salm Braeu – Microbrewery with Viennese food

GK Editorial: Fun atmosphere and good beers. The food is traditional and all looked great. I had the traditional veal schnitzel and it was cooked well but lacked some taste.

Plachutta – https://www.plachutta.at/de/home/

1010 Wien, Wollzeile 38 (but they have multiple locations)

GK Editorial: Tafelspitz (boiled beef) and classic Viennese cuisine at its best. This place was spectacular. The boiled beef was waaaay better than it sounds. The wiener schnitzel is also great here (order it as a starter and then get the beef!) The soup that the beef is cooked in is so delicious. It’s all just really great.

Griechenbeisl- https://www.griechenbeisl.at/

Griechengasse 9, Fleischmarkt 11, A – 1010 Vienna
Phone:+43 1 5331977

GK Editorial: Vienna’s Oldest restaurant is located right in the center of Vienna. On a nice evening sit outside and enjoy the classic (and so delicious) Vienniese food, it’s fantastic here!

Da Capo (Italian)

1010 Wien, Schulerstraße 18

Bettelstudent (Austrian)

1010 Wien, Johannesgasse 12

Flanagans Irish Pub Vienna

1010 Wien, Schwarzenberg Strasse 1-3

1516 The Brewing Company

1010 Wien, Schwarzenbergstraße 2

GK Editorial: I really liked this place. When the weather is nice you can sit outside and the vibe is good. There are several other bars in the area within walking distance.

Kolariks Luftburg Beer Garden which has excellent beer and great food (giant pork knuckles) and is located right next to the The Prater Amusement Park.

GK Editorial: When the weather is good this is a great beer garden to go to. There will be more kids around as it’s a more family friendly place.

Motto am Fluss is a more upscale restaurant right on the Danube. It has probably the best Wiener Schnitzel I’ve eaten here. Go hungry, you’ll come out stuffed!

Shopping

I didn’t do any shopping while in Vienna. However I did find a lot of shops in the center of Vienna near Bermudadreieck. Since most of the buildings are protected and they don’t want to ruin the beauty of the city with stores, a lot of the malls are underground around the Ring.

Lodging

I stayed at the Radisson Blu Palais Hotel (http://www.radissonblu.com/palaishotel-vienna) near Stadtpark. The cost was 166.94 EUR/night   or 211.40 USD/night. The hotel was older style but comfortable. My room came with complementary mini-bar every day which was a nice perk! The location was close enough to walk everywhere in Vienna but it wasn’t exactly central. It would probably be better to stay closer to Museum Quarter or Stephansplatz if you want to experience the nightlife.

Helpful Links

• http://www.wien.info/en
• http://www.lonelyplanet.com/austria/vienna
• http://www.aboutvienna.org/
• http://www.worldtravelguide.net/city/133/sightseeing/Europe/Vienna.html
• 36 Hours in Vienna – http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/06/15/travel/15hours.html

Itinerary I followed (my first visit)

Day 1 (Saturday):

• Started around 10am Saturday morning from the Radisson Blu Palais and just walked around the ring heading south.  Saw a building don’t’ know what it was. Kept going and saw the Wiener Staatspoper http://www.wiener-staatsoper.at/ (Opera House). Here we bought tickets to a Mozart show and a Hop-On Hop-Off tour day trip to Salzburg for Sunday. Went to Burggarten and saw the statue of Mozart. Heading toward Museum Quarter but didn’t’ go into the museums. Headed to Osterreichisches Parliament building and then walked through Volksgarten and Rathauspark to Wiener Eistraum. Continued along the ring to Sigmund-Freud Park and Votivkirche. The Votivkirche’s front was under construction and had a huge advertisement on it which was very disappointing.  At this point it was about 4:30 and we just walked around until our Mozart concert which started at 6. The Concert was the Wiener Residenzorchester (www.residenzorchester.at) and played at Börsealais. We then walked  around Stephanplatz and saw Wiener Stephansdom (St. Stephen’s Cathedral)
• After the show we went back to the hotel and got ready to go out. We started out in Schwedenplatz and there was a lot of people around but it wasn’t that lively in the bars because it was 8:30~9pm. SO we cut across town and went to an area behind the Museum Quarter called Spittelberg.  Here we went to Amerlingbeisl which was ok but kind of too chill for what we wanted. We walked around and went into several of the bars in that area. At 2am we found Palmenhaus which is a really cool bar but it was closing so we only had one drink there. Then we found a club where the entrance was like a subway entrance with stairs leading down underground. We went into that and it was a huge club which was pretty happening. This was after several pubs/drinks/jaeger shots so I can’t remember where or what it was called. Around 4:30am we found a brat stand and then finally made our way back to the Hotel.

Day 2 (Sunday):

• Day 2 was supposed to have started at 7:15am where we were supposed to get on a tour bus outside Wiener Staatspoper but we sort of slept in (see the evening portion of Day 1 to understand why). So we finally woke up around noon and decided to go to Salzburg on our own. We hopped on the train to Salzburg from Wien Westbahnhof. There are two kinds of trains, the express train and the scenic train. One is 2.5 hours and the other is longer, we did the express. We got to Salzburg at 4pm so it was really too late to do any of the tours. Next time though I want to do the Bavarian Mountain and Ice Cave Excursions. There is also the ever popular Sound of Music Tour.  We walked from the train station to the town center. It was a 10-15 minute walk. Along the way we went into Mirabell Palace which is a beautiful palace with a very rich garden (actual several gardens). Admission is free and its worth the stop.  Once we got into town we walked around all the streets. It is quite enjoyable. While we were in Salzburg we went up to the top of the Festung Hohensalzburg (Hohensalzburg Fortress). The view is outstanding. We had dinner at the outdoor café up there and it was very good.  Then we got some road, er train beers and headed back toward Vienna on the 8pm train (the last train is at 9 I think)

Day 3 (Monday):

• Day 3 was spent at Schloß Schönburnn Palace and Belvedere Palace. Reference the editorials on the previous section of this guide for details.

The rest of my days were spent working in the office. I did eat at some small places around the Radisson. One of which was an Australian bar/restaurant Billabong down the street that was pretty lively.  I also returned to Palmenhaus to have dinner. The food was good and not overly pricy. The building itself is very nice to see and dine in. Finally on the last night I went to Bermudadreieck or “Bermuda Triangle” and wondered into quite a few bars/clubs. It was pretty lively and had a good vibe. This area also has a lot of shopping.

German Phrases

Ask for the check by saying (in German) ” Zahlen, bitte” or “Die Rechnung, bitte.”

Yes – Ja

No – Nein

Hello (formal) – Grüß Gott

Hello (informal) – Servus / Grüß dich

Goodbye – Auf Wiedersehen / Auf Wiederschauen / Servus

Please – Bitte

Thank you – Danke

My name is … – Ich heiße …

How are you? – Wie geht es Ihnen? (formal) / Wie geht’s? (formal)

I’m very well – Mir geht es gut / Sehr gut, danke

I feel ill – Ich fühle mich unwohl

How much does it cost? – Wieviel kostet das? / Wieviel macht das?

Do you speak English? – Sprechen Sie Englisch?

I don’t understand – Ich verstehe nicht

Where is …? – Wo findet man …?

Entrance – Eingang (Einfahrt for vehicles)

Exit – Ausgang (Ausfahrt for vehicles)

Danger – Achtung

Open – Geöffnet

Closed – Geschlossen

Toilets – Toiletten / WC

Doctor – Arzt / Ärztin

Hotel – Hotel

Restaurant – Restaurant

Beer – Bier

Wine – Wein

Menu – Speisekarte

Today – Heute

Tomorrow – Morgen

Monday – Montag

Tuesday – Dienstag

Wednesday – Mittwoch

Thursday – Donnerstag

Friday – Freitag

Saturday – Samstag

Sunday – Sonntag

One – Eins

Two – Zwei

Three – Drei

Four – Vier

Five – Fünf

Six – Sechs

Seven – Sieben

Eight – Acht

Nine – Neun

Ten – Zehn

Twenty – Zwanzig

Thirty – Dreissig

Forty – Vierzig

Fifty – Funfzig

Sixty – Sechzig

Seventy – Siebzig

Eighty – Achtzig

Ninety – Neunzig

One Hundred – Einhundert

One Thousand – Eintausend

Dinner at Kolariks Luftburg.[/caption]