My wife has a conference in Vienna this summer and I will tag along, then we’ll add a couple of days for sightseeing together. All told, we’ll probably be there for five days with two of those taken up (for her) by the conference.
I’ve always wanted to go to Vienna because it looks gorgeous and I like Mozart I am in planning mode now and wondering if anyone has good advice on:
Which attractions are really worth it? For example, on paper the Schönbrunn Palace seems like a must visit, but is it really all that?
Anything you found really disappointing that we should avoid?
Seeing an opera or classical concert: I’d love to see something in the Vienna Opera House, but in my initial searches it seems like there are some really tourist-y looking concerts (e.g. with musicians dressed up in period costumes). I don’t want a watered-down concert with C-list musicians in wigs. Are there some tips on concerts anyone cares to share?
We’re likely to stay in the Innere Stadt for convenience. Anyone have a great hotel they would recommend?
Anything off the beaten path you’d recommend?
We like museums, but don’t want to do 20 of them, so trying to pare down to a few. Music I already mentioned. We’ll visit the big parks for a green space stroll or two, I’m sure. We’re not big drinkers in general and neither of us drink beer, so not looking for anything in that realm.
You can get good schnitzel in pretty much any pub or restaurant. Public transit goes pretty much everywhere. The Prater might be something to check out. The Ferris wheel there has been prominent in several movies, probably mostly known for The Third Man (1949). I haven’t been there since the 80s, so any other recommendations would likely be pointless. The Opera House is a must.
If you like Gustav Klimt, you must go to the Belvedere.
(Vienna holds a very special place in my heart. I proposed to my wife in the gardens of the Schoenbrunn Palace about 16 years ago. We were married 15 years ago this Friday. Years after seeing Klimt’s The Kiss in the Belvedere, we bought a very accurate hand-painted copy – complete with real gold paint – which is still hanging in our house.)
Seconding the Belvedere and the Prater. Both are worth your while.
The Museum of Military History is surprisingly good, if you’re into that sort of thing.
Sachertort is overrated, even at Demel. Just a dry chocolate cake.
Vienna had the cleanest public bathrooms I’ve seen anywhere in the world.
When I was there a couple of years ago, I went to see a performance of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons in the Stephansdom, Vienna’s central cathedral. It’s an impressive building, and the acoustics were great.
I enjoyed visiting the Schönbrunn and Hofburg palaces; they had good audio tours, I thought. Besides, where else can you see a hedge maze, a unicorn horn, and a piece of the True Cross all in one day?
Excellent, thank you! We thought about staying at a hotel in Leopoldstadt near the Prater because it’s closer to the conference and we like green space, but decided it’s too far out for a base. Definitely planning on visiting the Prater on one of our days, though.
Thank you! If you absolutely had to pick only one, which one would you pick?
I am in planning mode now and wondering if anyone has good advice on:
