What to see and do in Vienna?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I’m going to Prague, Vienna, and Budapest in July, and am looking for some advice from my fellow Dopers. What should I see and do while I’m in Vienna? (I’ve created parallel threads here about Prague and Budapest if you have any suggestions about them.)

I don’t need advice on the ten or twenty things that are at the top of everyone’s lists. Assume that I’ve read about all of them and will be visiting some and have ruled out the rest.

What I’m looking for are your suggestions for things I might not otherwise have considered that are as good as, or better than, the big obvious attractions. Essential Vienna things that the guidebooks may have missed. Or advice about ways to get around the city, ways to save money or avoid crowds while doing touristy things, traps to avoid, great places to eat, etc., etc.

I like science, technology, transportation, modern art, classical music, and weird and offbeat things.

We’ll be there from July 8-11 and 15-17 if you want to recommend any events, concerts, etc.

Thanks.

2

Definitely go to a performance at the State Opera House (it was closed for renovation when I was there).

Prater Amusement Park, which still has the ferris wheel featured in “The Third Man.”

Hundertwasserhaus

Belvedere Palace: See Klimt’s “The Kiss.” It’s way better in person than any reproduction.

3

I’m just curious - why are you skipping Bratislava?

4

Because the program my companion is on isn’t going there.

Any other ideas for Vienna? We’ll be spending more time there than any of the other two cities, so some trademarked Doper advice and help with Vienna would be particularly helpful here.

Thanks.

5

As I said the Prague thread, I really liked the Science and Technical Museum in Vienna. It’s out near the Hapsburg’s Summer Palace, so get a good map, including the subway. Will you have a German speaker with you? When I was there, they had a perpetual motion machine down on the ground floor. (Well, obviously not, but I’ll be damned if I could figure out what was powering it; and I couldn’t read the card on the display case.)

I wish I’d had more time at St. Stephen’s cathedral. I would have liked to have done the tower climb. (I did climb the tower of the Ulmer Münster, and even apart from the view, the construction of the cathedral is fascinating.)

Under the heading of “weird and offbeat things”, check out the Hundertwasserhaus. It’s kind of interesting from the outside, but it might be worth it to have a guide who can tell you more about it than just what you can see.