Going to Vienna. Where to stay, What to do, What to see.

In September, my husband and I stayed 3 nights at Pension Suzanne in Vienna. The location is definitely what you're looking for because you do not need or want a car in Vienna. Located in a post WWII building, the exterior is forgettable, but our room was large with a comfy modern bed and bathroom. The staff was friendly and helpful. If you're bothered by street noise, ask for a quiet room.

I'll second Pension Suzanne.

It is right on public transport, being 200 feet from the Karlsplatz/Oper subway stop.

Repeating last poster... do NOT get a car! It is a hinderance in Vienna.

If you are into music, check schedules, then spend your evening hours on each of your 3 nights at live music. See an opera (The Marraige of Figaro is my favorite), attend a pipe organ concert in St. Stephens, go to the Strauss walz (touristy, but cool).

Who is going? What are your interests?

Vienna is a very cosmopolitan city -- you can find anything there -- I had some of the best Korean Hibachi food ever in Vienna -- so you'll have to be more specific for us to be more specific.

We stayed at Hotel zur Wiener Staatsoper which was just around the corner from the Opera house. I thought it was on the pricey side at 130E but they had a lot of nice ammenties. I would stay there again.

For stuff to do...off-da. Lots. The palace alone can take up more than a day. The Sisi Museum, the Imperial Apartments, the Armory, the Treasury and esp the Koonst Museum. It was a lot, but all very very worthwhile. The cathedral was interesting, but under renovation - so you have to deal with the scaffolding. The Opera House did not live up to my expectations. Parts of it were grand and ornate, but the damaged parts after WWII were never refurbished back to the original grandure. So I was sorta let down a little.

All of Vienna seemed under massive amounts of construction - maybe that has eased a little over the 6 months since I was there - but be prepared.

Schnitzel at Figmulers was excellent.

Take a day trip to the Wachau Valley and do a wine tour if possible. Really gorgeous. There is a lot more I could go into detail here, but it is a whole other side trip from Vienna.

The produce/meat/everything market looked top-notch. All the restaurants around it looked stellar - but we didn't get to eat at them. We were rushing through to get to the Opera house for our reserved time.

The highly acclaimed dessert - the Sacre Tort was a bit of a let down. Kinda dry. The Apple Strudel was good.

That is all my memory serves right now.

What time of year are you going? In the summer, July, specifically, you can go to the Rathausplatz and watch the previous season's musical performances on a jumbotron while you eat great food. It's a bit like Taste of Chicago, but with china plates! ; ) They do this because all of the musicians are out of town for the summer. ; ) If you are there in season, try to catch some music.

Pam

As the previous poster asked, I'd also curious as to when you are going? When you go will have a big impact on what there is to do that we can advise you the best.

We were there this past July for similar amount of time. You have already received some excellent ideas from the other posters, but here are a few more:

On the quick,

check out the Hotel Alstadt

http://www.altstadt.at/en/altstadt-vienna/index.html

wonderful boutique hotel, excellent location, close to the Ringstrasse, terrific staff who go out of their way to make you feel welcome.

You do not need a car for the amount of time you will be there. Public transportation is fantastic. Easy to understand and accessible. Whether you are on the subway or by bus, you can get anywhere you need, but I would suggest that most of what you may want to see is within walking distance in the center of town. Take you RS book and follow his walking tour for a great time.

Go out to the Grinzing (wine district) for a fun night of wine and food and entertainment. Easily reached via public transportation.

Music Music everywhere, but as also suggested, some of the main attractions are off during July and August - but there still is plenty of good music available.

While a previous poster also suggested some of the wonderful things to see outside of the Vienna are, I don't think you'll have alot of time as there is sooo much to see in Vienna. The Wachau valley is amazing, and the Melk Abbey unbelievable, but maybe you could stay a bit longer? Our trip allowed us to add these areas as we went to Salzburg following our stay in Vienna so we could stop en route.

Best of luck in your planning.

gary

You have made a good choice; Vienna is a beautiful baroque city. Have been to, I suppose, all the major cities of Europe; Vienna definitely in the top five. Stayed at a very nice pension in the heart of the city: The Neuer Markt. Inexpensive but very nice. Would not consider a car if you are staying only in Vienna. We spent two great weeks just driving through Austria; but, again, if this is the extent of your Austrian experience, you will find public transportation inexpensive and easy to use. The people are very helpful to visitors. I would say that the atmosphere generally is a bit "formal" as opposed to "laid back" say in Amsterdam, but that's o.k. too. As I recall, we took either the bus or the train from the airport - either way where it dropped us off was an easy walk to the Neurer Markt hotel. Right down in the city centre.

Jerry, we stayed at the Best Western Kaiserhof. Price was reasonable, though not cheap. Very elegant. Best breakfast we have ever had; eggs, bacon, champagne in addition to pastries and the other Euro breakfast options. No car needed. Easy to walk everywhere with trams covering everything if you so choose. Rick's standing room opera suggestion was wonderful. Inexpensive and flexible if you don't really want to sit through an entire performance.

We took a city bus to one of the Heuriger Wine gardens.They are a pleasant ride to the outskirts of town where we had a very nice dinner along with wine.Steves describes them in his book.