Ok. You have me humming Zauberflöte in my head while I dream of schnitzel and cake. I drink my humdrum coffee in the morning realizing that Starbucks is indeed mundane compared to the Viennese. I am shopping for Symphony Clothes, wondering how many bulges does velvet really conceal.
Now. I need advise for First Time Touristas. What are MUST SEES? (I did indeed buy the decorative and detailed DK %26quot;Top Ten%26quot;, but how can that compare to Actual People%26#39;s Recommendations.)
Ideas? Favorites?
Also. We are planning a day trip to Prague. I know, I know. It is a LONG trip. However, in a random series of events our adult son is spending his New Year holiday there and we thought it would be foolhardy to travel half-way across the globe and NOT meet up with him and his pals. We are %26quot;looking at 9 days%26quot; so we thought we might have time for one other day trip. We have been to Salzburg in the pouring, freezing rain so if the weather cooperates we thought it would be nice to ascend the fortress without fear of being blown/frozen off the top. We will NOT be there for Christmas markets. Just as well as Meiner Ehemann (trying to use my Bad German here) got very sick on too much glüwein and Bavarian Wurst. Haydn/ Eisenstadt? Other ideas?
As always, I advance my gratitude for taking the time to respond. Should any of you ever venture to California I will happily reciprocate. -TM
|||
If I was taking a friend to various sights , I would visit the following:
Hofburg- Imperial Palace
including a visit to the Schatzkammer ( Iperial Traesury- with many fine objects such as crowns.
Spanish Riding School
Kunsthistorishes Museum- Fine Arts Museum
All of the above are near to each other.
Be certain to visit a cafe- coffee and much more- sample the pastry.
Good cafes- Landtmann, Central, Griensteidl ( across the street from the Hofburg)
Diglas
Do not pass a Church without a look inside- You must see Stephansdom- the symbol and heart of Vienna
Schonbrunn Palace and Gardens- the Imperial Summer palace-
The gardens for a nice walk.
Many miss the Wagenburg there. A fine collection of Imperial carriages, sleighs and accessories.
Be certain to attend a good concert, Opera or Operetta. Avoid a concert offered by street sellers in period costumes- second rate performances.
Look to the State Opera, Volksopera or Musicverein.
Belvedere Palace- both upper and the Lower ( missed by many tourists)
So much more to see but this may depend on your interests.
Perhaps a visit to a wine tavern _--Heurigen for some wine and good food and music.
Many like to just take a walk in the Innenstadt ( First District) along the old winding streets to look at the architecture.
Pick a cafe and stop for a drink and short rest. Try the Punsch- you do not become ill from it as you may from Gluwein!
Yes, we have Starbucks too!
The Museum Quarter for different art exhibits.
An evening meal at a special restaurant!
Much more to do- but at least an introduction
Can you stay overnight in Prague ? This is a very long day trip
( at least 4 1/2 hours one way)
Salzburg ( 3 hours ) a much better day trip. Or Budapest ( 2 1/2 hours)
No need to walk up to the Fortress in Salzburg. Take the lift for a quick, safe trip!
|||
if you in the first district, have a look at
*RUPRECHTSKIRCHE, Seitenstettengasse 5. It is said that it was build in 740. On the hp of the church is also an english part:
ruprechtskirche.at/guided_tour/…history
Close to it is the
*SYNAGOGUE (Seitenstettengasse 4), build in 1825/26 which wasn´t destroyed in WW2. HP www.ikg-wien.at/static/etis/html/start.htm
*CATACOMBS..in Stephansdom. Do the guided tour under the DOM. You will hear a lot of stories from the history especially while the BLACK DEATH was going through our city.
*ZENTRALFRIEDHOF (1874)..central cementary , visit Europe´s 2nd largest cementary , 3 millions %26quot;inhabitants%26quot;. It is an interconfessional one, so you have parts from Jewish, Catholics, till the newest part for Buddhist. It´s the only cementary who has his own song. %26quot;Es lebe der ZEntralfriedhof%26quot; by Wolfgang Ambros. Walk on your own through this area, check the %26quot;VIP%26quot; graves, see the church, feat the squirrels. It´s a really quite area (if you don´t pump in a bus with japanese tourist.
*NASCHMARKT..don´t forget to explore the naschmark (700 meters long) and it´s delicious food. Drop in at the PALATSCHINKENKUCHL (famous pancake restaurant)- . Try the freshes SAUERKRAUT..you cannot overhear the guy selling it.
Close to Naschmark you can visit the SECCESSION (http://www.secession.at/e.html) ..you cannot miss the golden roof and the
JUGENSTIL- houses by famous architekt Otto Wagner (build 1898), Linke Wienzeile Nr. 38
|||
It may be a bit tacky touristy but I enjoyed the big wheel at the Prater. I went on in February and have got some fantastic, atmospheric pictures of the view from the top through a snowstorm. It was so silent up there (only me) and the structure is incredible and then the weird, snowy, leaden sky.....
Thanks to the others for a great list of sites I%26#39;ll be picking from in 6 weeks time!
|||
oh, 9 days - well then you have got to see the thoroughly renovated Palais Liechtenstein (Liechtenstein Museum). that place is simply breathtaking! I think I remember from some other posts that you’ll be staying at the meridien. you can catch tram D (direction Beethovengang) from the opera and get off at Porzellangasse.
%26amp; of course everything the others already mentioned. especially museum quarter – fun place to explore. and maybe Haus der Musik – as their website correctly states: a turly unique way to see, feel and hear music!
daytrips – if you’re into Haydn – definitely Eisenstadt. Esterhazy palace, almost every church has an organ he played on, his house. beautiful little town.
prague: it is managable if you just plan to meet up with your son but you’ll have to take the first train which goes out (at 6:08 – good morning!) because the last direct train from Prague to Vienna is at 6:03 p.m.. most of the trains arrive at hl.n. (hlavní nádraží/main train station/subway stop) but leave at Nádraží Holešovice. that is a smaller trainstation (also a subway stop). both train stations are on one line (red line=C). just a little note: when getting off the subway and looking for the right exit to the train station look for the symbol ČD (czech railways).
|||
Ooh, now I%26#39;ll be really crass and say - SHOPPING!
I mean, you can%26#39;t go all that way and not buy anything, can you?
Wien has lovely shops (of course) and there is much to tempt a range of tastes ... the music shops are fantastic (I get so bored of shopping online - what happened to the good old days of flicking thru the racks, eh?) The accessories are really nice for those of a female persuasion - great shoes and bags, lovely scarves etc ... the accessories department in Steffl (department store, not cathedral!) is unexpectedly reasonably priced and has lovely things (I covet a pair of fingerless gloves but then I guess you don%26#39;t have much call for them in California...) The little side streets off the Graben and the Karntnerstrasse yield many interesting little shops. Museum stores are usually reasonably priced and have a better quality of souvenir (unlike museums in the English-speaking world, for some reason). For large-scale shopping orgies, I like the suburbs (Meidlinger Haupstrasse is well stocked and much nicer than Mariahilferstrasse, since it%26#39;s quieter, fewer tourists, and all pedestrianized).
And in Wien one must of course stock up on those all-important goodies to sustain the dreary long months away from Austria eg. Tiroler Zelten and Kletzenbrot, Meinl%26#39;s hot choccie and coffee, and a lorryload of chocolate ... hey, Vertical, that %26quot;Volksoper%26quot; chocolate they sell at the Volksoper is seriously good! I was quite pie-eyed after eating some of that! (very good sweetie counter at the Volksoper - highly recommended and they sell CDs too!)
When I am not shopping, naturally I like to do all that cultural stuff AHEM ... I would second Vertical%26#39;s recommendation of the Schatzkammer - that is gorgeous, and fascinating, and all the jewels you could want to see ... I like outdoorsy type things too for example climbing up to the Gloriette at Schoenbrunn or going for a stroll in a cemetery (Zentralfriedhof is v. interesting).
But more than anything, I like the cafes. I like to sit, to rest, to be comfy, to eat the delectable cakes and food, to gawp curiously at the world and to think thoughts of varying cleverness ... Wien, I pompously informed a friend, is an ontological state, not a place to visit. Being In Wien in a pleasure in itself ...
Rol, clearly besotted
|||
about shopping
for Viennese the shops at Graben and especially at Kohlmarkt (turn left on the end of Graben) are more on the expensive side.
SOUVENIRS
If you go for souvenirs, there is a real nice SHOP FOR HATS ..yes hats but they have lovely souvenirs and with moderate prices. the have small porcelan box with Klimt motiv, scarfes etc
It is next to HAYDN cinema, which is on Mariahilferstrasse 57
and just go some meters to the left.
CHOCOLATE
next to the tourist information on
Wien 1, Albertinaplatz / Maysedergasse, on the left side
in Tegetthofstrasse there is a small chocolate shop with 3 very lovely ladies.
there is also a nice shop at Operngasse, if you come from the Operahouse and you walk to Secession you will find it between on the right side.
it is also a MUST to visit the MANNERSHOP opposite Stefansdom. www.manner.at You find all different products from this company, always with the dome on it. Have fun there
|||
For Roley - The Shopper!
Have you ever visited The Dorotheum ( State Auction House)?
In addition to regular auctions, they have items for direct sale on the main floor( not really good ) and on the second floor.( good selection of various items) Some real bargains including good jewelry- a little cafe to rest in also on the second floor- with pastry and good hot chocolate.
Hopefully the Punsch Kiosks will be open when you visit next.
If you have not tried it before - have a cup- much better than Gluhwein.
Many kiosks are operated for charity- Lions Club, Hospitals etc.
a good cause and a very social thing during these times.The kiosk at Michaelerplatz and those on Freyung seemto be the best.
Those on Graben- the most social and %26quot; In %26quot; spots.
You can get - Kinder Punsch- no alcohol; regular; and TURBO- an extra shot of alcohol- do not drink too many
The little table of good sweets at the Volksoper seems to do a good business- I have not had the chocolate- but tried the fruit candy one time - Good.
A Volksoper tip- do not wait in long lines to get a drink at the Pause.
Go across the street to the little %26quot; Oper Cafe %26quot; on the corner.
Quick service, seating to enjoy your drink and cheaper than the Volksoper Buffet.
The Pauses give you enough time for this quick journey of one minute.
You will see numerous old Oper regulars there.
|||
It would be presumptuous for a one-time visitor to embroider on the above as to Vienna itself, but if you%26#39;re a Haydn enthusiast, I%26#39;d strongly endorse Deece%26#39;s recommended visit to Eisenstadt. In addition to the town itself, there are regular concerts in the Esterhazy Palace itself, in the very room where Haydn conducted and performed.
There may be afternoon performances, or you could even stay over one night and return to Vienna in the morning (it%26#39;s only 45 minutes by car). The Hotel Burgenland is a perfectly OK moderately priced chain-type hotel, about 15 minutes%26#39; walk from the Palace (restaurant not so hot, but try the Cafe Esterhazy across from the Palace, either pre-concert, post-concert, or both).
Either way, don%26#39;t forget to buy a Haydn-Rolle candy bar.
For the concert schedule, go to www.haydnfestspiele.at.
If that fails, there is a link at www.eisenstadt.at.
|||
Re concerts in Vienna: Accepting Vertical%26#39;s dim view of the %26quot;costume%26quot; concerts in general, one first-class exception is the string quartet that performs at what%26#39;s called a Mozart Haus (he supposedly slept there for a while when newly in Vienna), but really is the 15th-century headquarters of the Teutonic Order (Deutscheorden?)in Singerstrasse, just a block or two from the real Mozarthaus.
The room, the Saal Terrena, is a baroque gem, seating only about 50-75, and acoustically perfect. The program featured, thankfully not Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (yet again), but one of Mozart%26#39;s early so-called Salzburg Symphonies/Divertimentos (K136) and his %26quot;Dissonant%26quot; Quartet -- not an easy piece by any standard, but outstandingly performed by four young musicians. Just overlook the ratty 18th century costumes they seemingly feel impelled to wear, and enjoy the music.
|||
Thanks to all of you. The assembled pages of responses to all my posts nearly constitute a travel guide of their own. Maybe not as pretty as DK, but infinitely more entertaining and personalized.
We appreciate all the good ideas and suggestions. -TM
No comments:
Post a Comment