Vienna 5 days late Sept - Recommendations

Everyone's "must sees" are different; for me last August my week in Vienna included 8 museums (very interested in the Secession artists and Wiener Werkstatte), day trips to Melk (via train, then boat ride on the Danube and train return, very enjoyable) and Salzburg and my personal favorite things were visiting the Flohmarkt and doing/seeing everything remotely related to my favorite movie, The Third Man. I then travelled by train to Budapest and loved it so much I'm planning to return next spring.

Vienna is a very beautiful and walkable city, particularly the Ringstrasse area, and their trams and metro are very easy to use and efficient--I had an 8 day pass and made good use of it. I suggest reading up on the multitude of offerings and making an itinerary based on your interests, many sites are close to each other and some are closed on Mondays.

Thank you for your reply. The Ringstrasse area is definitely an area on our list and thanks for the reminder that Monday is a bad day. Did you make reservations ahead of time for your round robin trip to Melk or just pick up the tickets on the day of travel?

Joe

The Frommer's self-guided walking tours are pretty good. Rick has 3 audio tours for Vienna. The Schonbrunn Palace is second only to Versailles. Allow enough time to enjoy the extensive gardens too. You can buy tickets to an opera, or watch the live performance on the giant screen outside for free. Bring something to spread on the pavement to sit on, or get there early to grab a couple of seats. I enjoyed the Albertina and Belvedere art museums (the collections are mostly late 19th and 20th century, more my taste than the Kunsthistorisches which has a fine collection of Euopean art. Vienna's gardens and architecture make walking a pleasure just about everywhere.

I bought what is called a Sparschiene ticket package on the OBB train website about a month before my trip--it's a ticket that is for a specific day and was quite cheap, around $35 US if I recall correctly, covers train trip both ways, boat journey on the Danube and Melk entrance. I took the 9:30 train to Melk and got situated with a map at the TI office, then trudged up the hill for my tour of the Abbey (about an hour), back down the hill to explore the charming little town of Melk and have lunch, then caught the 1 pm boat for the Danube portion, about 1 1/2 hours of peaceful cruising and seeing the beautiful towns nestled along the banks on either side. Exited at Krems and would have explored that little town but I was having an epic battle with blisters so was fine with catching the bus to the train station for the return trip to Vienna around 4:30.

You can do your own itinerary and exit at other towns, and people have also mentioned renting bikes to explore the area. Plenty of options, and it's a really lovely area so worth it no matter what option you choose.

Was in Vienna for the first time last Christmas (brutal cold for a few days) and a few days this summer (brutal heat for a few days). I have not seen every major European city but I think one would be hard pressed to find one with such a concentration of beauty in such a small area - amazing. I loved walking the historic center.

Christa, Chani, and Gerry,

Thank you again for your replies.

Chani, thanks for your tips on the opera. I think that is a must see.

Christa,

I like you summation of the your trip to Melk and Krems. I think we will be following the same route, minus the blisters! Was thinking of spending one night while on this day/overnight trip. Any recommendations of where you would recommend staying/

Joe

I would say a must see is a trip to a heuriger (or two). These are vineyards and restaurants on the outskirts of Vienna, easily reachable via public transportation. The food is good, it's informal, usually there is a live music.

Highly recommend Schonbrunn Palace, the Spanish Riding School (we did a morning practice because there weren't any shows while we were there), and the Opera. We took Rick's recommendation for the Opera and purchased two standing room tickets for 3 euros each (amazing deal!!), cool experience and the Opera house is beautiful. If you do this, be sure to take a scarf to "reserve" your spot, and dress in layers and comfortable shoes. Spend some leisurely mornings/afternoons in the cafes, and try a variety of different cakes. Our favorite was Cafe Central, although others feel it is too touristy, but we enjoyed the atmosphere, live piano, their cakes were delicious and the service was good. We also did a few of the heubingers (following Rick's recommendations), and enjoyed the experience although we learned we went too early (3pm) and on a day with so-so weather. Go for an evening and in good weather if you're able! Enjoy!!

Excellent ideas. Thank you very much