Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
of Friedrich III
. Under his guidance the city became a bishopric (and the church a cathedral)
in 1469.
Entrance to the main nave with an audio guide costs adult/child €4.50/1.50, all- inclus-
ive entrance to the cathedral, catacombs and towers with audio guide is €16 per adult
(and an accompanying child). Note that the main nave is closed during Mass, held up to
eight times a day.
VIENNA IN…
Two Days
Jump on tram 1 at Schwedenplatz and circle the
Ringstrasse
for a brief but rewarding informal tour of the
boulevard's buildings. Get out at Kärntner Strasse and wander towards the heart of the city, where the glorious
Gothic
Stephansdom
(
Click here
)
awaits. Make your way to the
Hofburg
(
Click here
) before crossing the
Ringstrasse to the
Kunsthistorisches Museum
(
Click here
), home to a breathtaking art collection. Recharge
your batteries at one of the many Innere Stadt restaurants before attending a performance at the
Staatsoper
(
Click here
)
.
On day two visit imperial palace
Schönbrunn
(
Click here
) before heading to the
Leopold Museum
(
Click
here
), a treasure chest of Austrian artists. Take an early dinner at Vienna's celebrated
Naschmarkt
(
Click here
)
,
then cross the city for a ride on the
Riesenrad
(
Click here
) Ferris wheel. Finish the day with local food and a
drink in a traditional
Beisl
(bistro pub).
Four Days
Start the third day with an exploration of the
Schloss Belvedere
(
Click here
), an unequalled baroque palace, be-
fore lunching at
Steiereck im Stadtpark
(
Click here
). See Klimt's sumptuous
Beethoven Frieze
in the
Seces-
sion
(
Click here
), then end the night in a bar like
Dachboden
(
Click here
).
The fourth day is best dedicated to your special interests. Read up on the sights and cobble together your itin-
erary. You might focus on music, dropping into the Sammlung Alter Musik Instrumente in the
Neue Burg Mu-
seums
(
Click here
), taking in the other collections too, repose in a coffee house, then spend the afternoon visit-
ing the
Haus der Musik
(
Click here
) or
Mozarthaus
(
Click here
). After that, cap off the visit with music in a
club or in a classical venue like the
Musikverein
(
Click here
)
to experience the music of Beethoven or Mozart
where it was originally played.
»
Stephansdom Katakomben
(Catacombs; 515 52 3054;
www.stephanskirche.at
; 01, Stephansplatz; tours adult/child €5/2.50; 10-11.30am
& 1.30-4.30pm Mon-Sat, 1.30-4.30pm Sun; Stephansplatz)
The cathedral's Katakomben house the
remains of plague victims, kept in a mass grave and a bone house. Also on display are
rows of urns containing the internal organs of the Habsburgs. One of the many privileges
of being a Habsburg was to be dismembered and dispersed after death: their hearts are in
