Viennese Whirl

Visit the Burgtheatre to see an opera or musical performance. The building itself and world-class performances are simply fantastic. Ride around the city centre on the tram lines 1 and 2 - they go in a circle so you just go round and round to your heart's content! Visit the Schonbrunn Summer Palace on the city outskirts; it's like Versailles in Paris, pretty building, exotic gardens, etc...

Quick Tips:

It can be very cold, even in April, so go prepared. Dine on Schnitzel and sausages from street stalls, and drink fine Austrian or German malty beers.

Best Way To Get Around:

Public transport is cheap and typically German - clean, fast and efficient. Like any capital city, the roads are congested and heavily trafficked, so I'd stay off them. Simply walking allows you to orient yourself around the major sites and is highly recommended.

Booked through British Airways Holidays. The hotel was clean and well equipped (heating/air con in room with cable TV) and only 10 minutes walk from the Ring Strasse in central Vienna.

Breakfast, included in the room price, was a self-service buffet with loads of different breads, cheeses and cold meats as well as fruit juice, coffee, etc... all of a high standard.

The staff were helpful and friendly, especially considering we checked in at about 11pm! We were allowed to leave our luggage there after we checked out, the staff storing it securely.

The classic TGI Friday's experience - these places are pretty much the same the world over. After many days surviving on European food, we felt the need for a big steak and so visited Fridays. We weren't disappointed!

There was the usual friendly service and athletic cocktail-mixing, combined with a really nice meal and some quality Austrian beers.

For those American types longing for a taste of home (the place seemed to be full of Americans!), go for it. It entertains children and adults alike.

This is the winter palace of the Habsburg family. Closely modelled on Versailles in Paris, it sports large, beautiful gardens and poses in a striking yellow colour. It's been recognised since 1996 by being placed on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List.

We took the "grand tour" of some 40 state rooms when we visited. This was a self-guided audio tour available in many languages and was fascinating. It gave a real insight into the Habsburg family, more so than the static displays at the Hofburg (see other journal entry).

It's surprisingly close to central Vienna, an easy 20- or 30-minute ride on the underground, and definitely worth a visit. Be warned! It's quite a climb up to the top of the gardens, but this yields a picture-postcard view of the whole palace.

The palace's website can be found at http://www.schoenbrunn.at/

The Hofburg palace is a truly daunting sight from outside. It's simply massive! Still functioning as a governmental building, the President's apartments are inside.

The parts we visited are the only parts open to the public - the Imperial Apartments and the Imperial Silver Collection.

The exhibits, admittedly fantastic, were a bit "dry" - there's only so many china plates and candlesticks you can look at in one day! The simple wander around the imperial apartments was a bit of a let down as well.

All in all, I mostly recommend a night visit where you can sit in front of the palace as long as you want and gaze at its simply magnificent architecture. The museum itself is a bit of a let down.

A really good way to orientate yourself in Vienna is to jump on a number 1 (clockwise) or a number 2 (anti-clockwise) tram which go in a circular path around the RingstraBe in central Vienna.

The route takes you past many of the major sites (Hofburg, Burgtheater, Rathaus, River Danube, Opera House) and gives you a pretty good idea of the distances involved.

If you're short of somewhere to stay, just jump on and sleep for a couple of hours, as the tram doesn't go anywhere but round in circles!