Vienna - the capital of Austria and the home of the Habsberg empire - was not my first choice as a holiday destination. In fact we got there a little by mistake. We wanted to go to Venice but my dyslexia got the better of the travel agent and we wound up there. We were so glad. It truly is ... Read review
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Advantages: Style and Grace Disadvantages: None really
Vienna - the capital of Austria and the home of the Habsberg empire - was not my first choice as a holiday destination. In fact we got there a little by mistake. We wanted to go to Venice but my dyslexia got the better of the travel agent and we wound up there. We were so glad. It truly is a magnificent city.
Vienna was the headquarters of Europes longest lasting Empire. The Habsbergs ruled over the Hungarian Austrian empire for 600 years ... ...strikes you is the architecture. Vienna is the home of Baroque and Rococco styles of building and was largely spared (or restored after)by countless wars over the centuries and walking through the city fills you with a deep sense of awe at the buildings, statues and squares that dominate this city.
The centre is dominated by St Stephens cathedral and in the Kaisirplatz -the opera house. Even the modern quarters are filled with fine and elegant ... more
Vienna - the capital of Austria and the home of the Habsberg empire - was not my first choice as a holiday destination. In fact we got there a little by mistake. We wanted to go to Venice but my dyslexia got the better of the travel agent and we wound up there. We were so glad. It truly is a magnificent city. Vienna was the headquarters of Europes longest lasting Empire. The Habsbergs ruled over the Hungarian Austrian empire for 600 years and finally lost Austria to the republicans early in the 20th century. Why am I telling you this, well the Habsbergs admired beauty, music and architecture and that is what Virnna is all about. The first thing that strikes you is the architecture. Vienna is the home of Baroque and Rococco styles of building and was largely spared (or restored after)by countless wars over the centuries and walking through the city fills you with a deep sense of awe at the buildings, statues and squares that dominate this city. The centre is dominated by St Stephens cathedral and in the Kaisirplatz -the opera house. Even the modern quarters are filled with fine and elegant terraces, Sigmund Frued's house is a fine example. London eye? Think nothing of it Vienna hosts a similar ferris wheel that has stood for over 100 yaers and was featured in Graeme Greene's "39 steps" film. Getting around Vienna is easy. Like most European cities it is concentrated into a relatively small area and walking is by far the best way to get around. But to get out of the centre there is a simple bus tram and tube system that is covered by a daily or three day travel card that costs about £3 or £9 respectively. It is worth spending a day out of Vienna in the Emperor's palace at Schottenhorn (? spelling - apologies) where Austria's own tragic princess lived her life in regal exile. Emperoress Sissy was everything Diana was, the world's most beautiful woman of her time, and desperately unhappy as an emperoress. Vienese food I thought was all wiener schnitzel and saurkraut, that it maybe, but Vienna's proximity to Italy certainly adds to the palate and the coffee a legacy of 100 years seige by Turkey, is to die for. The people are relaxed, move slowly and are extremely friendly. They all seem to speak English, even the well dressed beggars and put us monolinguists to shame. Music dancing The Spannish Riding School and opera all will fill several days and every tourist attraction is reasonably priced. Talking of prices we found Vienna as a tourist was cheaper than London as a local. We loved Vienna. We have been to Venice before and neither my wife nor I regretted my stupidity in the travel agents. Spend a few days there, get waltzed up, eat the ice cream and sit in one of the many street cafes and watch the world go by. All in all you will have a brilliant stay and have one of the best European city holidays you can have.
Advantages: Great city for a weekend break or even more Disadvantages: can be quite hot in summer
...in 1683 after they besieged Vienna and he defeated the French Army of Louis XIV at Blenheim in 1704 (together with the Duke of Marlborough). Between the two palaces, you will find very pretty terraced gardens which offer a wonderful view of Vienna. Both palaces now host great museums (e.g. the Austrian Gallery for 19th and 20th century art - Klimt, Schiele, Kokoschka).
C Cathedral
The gothic cathedral of St Stephen’s is located in the very centre ... ...Age).
Every visitor to Vienna should of course see the cathedral, and you might want to climb the tower or to walk down into the catacombs where the hearts of the emporors are buried, as well as the bones of many thousand Austrians who died from the plague some hundred years ago.
D Donauturm
The Donauturm (Danube Tower) is located close to the Danube river, and it was built for an international gardening exhibition in 1964. You can take the lift ...
Michael-S 06.07.2001 (23.11.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Vienna (Austria)
Advantages: Great Culture, architecture, lots of things to do Disadvantages: Capital city prices, european weather
I went to Vienna in October 2001 and spent a week there with some friends who showed me some local bars and made me promise not to tell anyone about them so they arent spoiled. I can honestly say that it is one of the nicest cities I have ever been to. Combining the efficiency with warmth and hospitality, every street radiates an atmosphere of culture and good living. So here are the things they let me disclose to the outside world. If you are a ... ...that I particularly enjoyed in Vienna include St. Stephens Cathedral (Stephansdom), Hofburg Palace, the winter residences of the Hapsburgs, and the Kunsthistorische art museum. There is also a newly opened ( at that time ) music museum Haus der Musik that is fabulous if your tastes are so inclined - everything from rooms dedicated to Brahms, Mozart and of course Beethoven and a few others to interactive exhibits with lots of hardware - you can conduct ...
ultras67 15.12.2002 (16.12.2002)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Vienna (Austria)
Advantages: A very nice place with friendly people Disadvantages: You have to come home again
I visited Vienna in March 2001 and have to say this was one of my most favourite places I have visited on a short City break.
We flew with Buzz from Stansted that took about 1 hour 40 minutes flying time. The Airport is connected well to the City Centre with a twice-hourly service that takes about 20 minutes. We stayed in The Renaissance Penta hotel that I will recommend and Ive written a separate opinion on this lovely hotel.
Vienna, which is ... ...throughout the city. I find Vienna like an updated similar version of Prague, except that Vienna is a lot more expensive. Vienna is a city that I did feel threaten to be in. The people are friendly, the streets are clean and to be honest I had a totally stress free holiday
St Stephens Cathedral
This is in the centre of town and can be seen from nearly even where in Vienna due to its huge size. The nearest U-Bahn station is at Stephanplatz. This ...
bazza1603 28.04.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Vienna (Austria)
Advantages: Interesting, educational and fun Disadvantages: 9 degrees and damp
...in Hinterbrühl, just south of Vienna is a fascinating historical site open to the public for tours and souvenirs.
The Seegrotte is actually an old Gypsum mine where white and red Gypsum was mined from the late 1800’s.
In 1912 a blasting operation let loose millions of gallons of water which flooded the lower caverns of the mine, creating the largest underground lake in Europe.
In the 1930’s a team of cave explorers found the lake and eventually ... ...of October I went to Vienna for a weeks break from the drudgery of work, it was a last minute choice of destination (well, I booked it three weeks before leaving but everything else was booked up for the week I wanted to go, my original choice was either Prague or Venice) and it was an inspired choice as it turned out.
The second day of our holiday saw us driving out of the city and down to the Bergwerk Seegrotte, we had seen a pamphlet about it ...
jimblob 17.10.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Vienna (Austria)
Advantages: Class, culture and music Disadvantages: Could be quite expensive
...cultured countries in Europe and Vienna being its capital is also the capital for classical music. Threfore, there is no surprise that many well-known composers or musicians and some examples are Mozart, Johann Strauss, Hadyn and Schubert. Vienna is all about classical music and beauty with a amazing collection of buildings and architecture. The city lies in the Danube Valley and has been inhibited for thousands of years. Charlemagne arrived in 803 ... ...Roman Empire but Vienna was only recognized a s city 300 years later. The Babenberg dukes took control of the place but they were soon replaced by the Habsburg family. Through carefully planned political marriages, the family became the longest ruling dynastry in Europe. It is also the city where the famous French Queen, Marie Antoinette, a Habsburg was born. A quick dinner at the hotel and a night tour of the city on coach finished the evening.
...
medgenie 17.05.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Vienna (Austria)
Value for Money
Sightseeing
Shopping
Nightlife
Ease of getting around
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Advantages: You will find everything here; weather doesn't matter Disadvantages: quite crowded on Fridays and Saturdays
This is a report about Europe’s largest shopping centre - SCS, which stands for Shopping City Süd.
HOW TO GET THERE
If you live in the UK, then it is certainly not just around the corner, because you’d have to fly to Vienna, Austria, first.
From Vienna, you can drive to the south of Vienna (Süd means South), direction Graz, take exit 7 off the motorway A2 which will bring you directly to the Shopping City Süd, just outside Vienna.
There is a large car park around the SCS which offers about 8000 spaces. However, it often is quite full, especially on Fridays and Saturdays.
By public transport, take the tram (Badner Bahn) which leaves at Opera in the city centre, and it will take you about 35 minutes to arrive at the Shopping City Süd.
A BRIEF HISTORY
A short section, because most modern shopping centres ...
Advantages: attractive palace, large gardens Disadvantages: sometimes quite crowded
Schönbrunn Palace (or Schloss Schönbrunn) is the number one tourist attraction in Vienna. Make sure you don’t miss this if you ever travel to Vienna, Austria.
HOW TO GET THERE
Schönbrunn is located in the western part of Vienna, next to the Wien river. To get there from the centre, take the underground (U4, the green line) and exit at Schönbrunn.
OVERVIEW OF ITS HISTORY
In 1695, Emperor Leopold I asked one of the greatest architects of Austria, Johann-Bernhard Fischer von Erlach, to plan a summer residence which surpasses all other royal residences in the world, including Versailles.
The plans were made, but then just a small version of it was actually built. That’s why it is often still referred to as the 'Little Versailles'.
Some time later, in the 1740s, it was Empress Maria Theresia who modified ...
Advantages: Diversity Disadvantages: You might find Austrians a bit stand offish
Austria is a country that I have fallen in love with, ever since I was plunged headlong into a valley to be an English Teacher (although the way I describe it here, makes it sound more like a bungie jump!) Most people know very little about Austria, other than having heard of Vienna, Salzburg, and Innsbrück, and having heard of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nikki Lauda, Sachertorte and anti-freeze in wine. That was until February 2000, when Jörg Haider's "Freedom Party" the FPÖ, became junior partners in a coalition government. Overnight the country was made into a pariah by the EU, and whilst sanctions have been removed, the threat of Haider still remains.
In the West, in the Vorarlberg, the Tirol and Salzburgerland, Austria boasts some of Europe's finest skislopes, with world class resorts, including St Anton and Saalbach-Hinterglemm, not ...
Morgenhund 16.11.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of General: Austria
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