Vienna

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Adventures in Austria

An August 2002 trip to Vienna by Layne

PalaceMore Photos

Visit one of the world's most beautiful cities and enjoy European elegance, history and city life in one place.

  • 8 reviews
  • 1 story/tip
  • 2 photos

Adventures in AustriaBest of IgoUgo

Overview

Visit the Belvedere Museum to see the beautiful Klimt exhibition in a gorgeous palace. Walk along the Danube, see an Opera, tour the Schonbrunn Palace, have authentic Viennese food and wine at a Heurigen.

Quick Tips:

Reserve some time to just walk around the city, especially "The Ring" that includes the House of Parliament, the Archaeological Museum and the Fine Arts Museum, there is so much to see, modern as well as historical, in this city.

Best Way To Get Around:

Rent a bike! The city is extremely well designed for bike travel, with bike paths next to most walkways. Otherwise, the public transportation is also extraordinary.

Eazires Continental ViennaBest of IgoUgo

Hotel | "Hotel Pensione Continental"

This hotel is listed as a four star, which is misleading. There is a five star Hotel Intercontinental in town that every taxi driver wanted to take me to when I said Hotel Continental, they didn't know of this place, and it definitely doesn't seem like a four star. Each room has a tiny bath with toilet, sink and shower. The rooms have a tv and minibar buit are small and simple. The service is excellent, the staff speaks English very well and provides you with suggestions and informational materials. The location is ideal, right off one of the main roads into The Ring and next to shopping and restaurants without being on a noisy street. Breakfast is included in the $83 night price, and has a lot of variety to choose from, meats, cheeses, cereals, fruit and juice.
  • Member Rating 2 out of 5 by Layne on August 24, 2002

Eazires Continental Vienna
MARIAHILFER STR 50 Vienna, Austria
43-1-5232418

Pension MozartBest of IgoUgo

Hotel

Great value for under 50 euros - I paid 35 euro per night for a very large room with two large windows opening to the charming street below, with full flower boxes hanging below them. There was a sink and shower in the room, toilet outside the door. No breakfast, but tv in the room and a very helpful and friendly owner. Also, a GREAT location, right off Mariahilferstrasse and on a historical strewet where Beethoven was know to take his daily walk. Well worth the price.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by Layne on August 24, 2002

Pension Mozart
Theobaldgasse 15 Vienna, Austria
43 01 587 85 05

Twolf Apoltelkeller (Twelve Apostles)Best of IgoUgo

Restaurant

This is a Heurigen located inside the city of Vienna, and although it is not quite as authentic as the Heuringen in Grinzig, it had less tourists. The food was excellent, even vegetarian options (krautfleckerln - vegetable strudel) and the wine was nice (Muskat-Ottonel - wiefweine). A dinner of 1/2 liter of wine and vegetable strudel was app. $10. The restaurant is located inside a historical building dating from the 1100s and is filled with apostle paraphenalia - a statue of St. Paul at the entrance, a room with 12 carved reliefs of the Apostles, a Gothic well chamber, the Apostle Clock and old Viennese gas lamps showing the 12 apostles. The tavern itself has a wine cellar/cave atmosphere - vaulted ceilings with stone walls and old wooden tables wound through 3 levels and countless rooms.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by Layne on August 24, 2002

Twolf Apoltelkeller (Twelve Apostles)
Sonnenfelsgasse 3 Vienna, Austria
512 67 77

El GrecoBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant

This place was great! If you want a change of pace, try to go to this Greek restaurant where the owners speak German. It was very good and a nice change of pace to have something more flavorful and with more veggies. The prices were right too - a grilled vegetable dish, salad and large bottle of water were only 8 euro.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by Layne on August 24, 2002

El Greco
Pfauengrasse 8 bei der Theobaldgasse Vienna, Austria
587-4135

GriechenbeislBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "Greichenbeisl"

The tower is all that remains of the original city walls, making this building the oldest edifice in Vienna. The song "Oh du lieber Augustin, alles is hin" was composed and sung here in the mioddle of the 17th century. The Inn has been famous with celebrated tourists for centuries. Mark Twain so loved this Inn that they named a room after him "Mark Twain Zimmer". Also, Beethoven, Wagner, Strauss, Schubert and Brahms frequented this establishment as well. I only had as glass of wine here, but wished I had another day to come back and have dinner. The menu looked excellent, but a little pricy. This would be a place to visit for ambience alone, and if the food is good - bonus.
  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by Layne on August 24, 2002

Griechenbeisl
Fleischmarkt 11 Vienna, Austria A-1010
+43 1 533 19 77

Schloß SchönbrunnBest of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Schonbrunn Palace"

Palace
The best part of this palace was the gardens, so save most of your time for viewing those. The palace itself was a bit crowded and noisy, so much so that I would have to either wait or push my way through to see the exhibits in each room. I would recommend not getting the audio and just walking quickly through the palace (the audio really slows you down and doesn't tell you much), unless you haven't seen a palace before or just love palaces. In the gardens you can walk up to the Gloriette for great photos and a little exercise. With a 10 foot tall garden maze and beautiful fountains, sculptures and a zoo, you could spend hours touring the gardens, relaxing and enjoying the scenery and leave the palace to the crowds.The Imperial Tour is just enough to see inside and includes the garden tour - for 7.5 euro.
  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by Layne on August 24, 2002

Schloß Schönbrunn
Schönbrunner Schloß-Straße Vienna, Austria 1130
+43 1 877 92 94 0

Österreichische Galerie im BelvedereBest of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Belvedere - Osterreichische Galerie"

If you love Klimt, this is the place for you. There are a surprising number of paintings by French Impressionists as well, including Monet, Manet, and Renoir. It's located in a beautiful Baroque palace to tour as well, with beautiful gardens, originally designed as a summer home for the Prince of Savoy. The highlight though is the collection of Klimt paintings displayed, most notably "The Kiss". Admission 7.5 euro.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by Layne on August 24, 2002

Österreichische Galerie im Belvedere
Oberes Belvedere Prinz-Eugen-Strasse 27 Vienna, Austria 1030
+43 1 795 57 134

Viennese Candy and the Votive ChurchBest of IgoUgo

Story/Tip

Outside the Heurigen in Grinzing is a candy shop in a little cart called "Mario's". I can't say enough about the candied nuts, coconut balls, and nougat/honey/nut bars. Everything comes from secret family recipes handed down from generations in the candy business. Stop here for a treat after dinner, then take a taxi to the Votive Church, which is also outside of Vienna proper, and looks absolutely beautiful lit at night.

About the Writer

Layne
Layne
Denver, Colorado

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