Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
However, after starting and losing World War I, the Habsburgs lost their far-flung hold-
ings. Then came World War II: While Vienna's old walls had long held out would-be
invaders—Germanic barbarians (in Roman times), marauding Magyars (today's Hungari-
ans, 10th century), Mongol hordes (13th century), Ottoman Turks (the sieges of 1529 and
1683)—they were no match for WWII bombs, which destroyed nearly a quarter of the city's
buildings. In the Cold War, neutral Austria took a big bite out of the USSR's Warsaw Pact
buffer zone—and Vienna became, for a time, a den of spies.
Today Vienna has settled down into a somewhat sleepy, pleasant place where culture is
still king. Classical music is everywhere. People nurse a pastry and coffee over the daily pa-
peratsmallcafés.It'sacityofworld-classmuseums,bigandsmall.Anyonewithaninterest
in painting, music, architecture, beautiful objects, or Sacher-Torte with whipped cream will
feel right at home.
From a practical standpoint, Vienna serves as a prime “gateway” city. The location is
central and convenient to most major Eastern European destinations. Actually farther east
than Prague, Ljubljana, and Zagreb, and just upstream on the Danube from Budapest and
Bratislava, Vienna is an ideal launchpad for a journey into the East.
For a big city, Vienna is pleasant and laid-back. Packed with sights, it's worth two days and
two nights on even the speediest trip. To be grand-tour efficient, you could sleep on the
train on your way in and out—Berlin, Prague, Kraków, the Swiss Alps (via Zürich), Venice,
Rome, and the Rhine Valley are each handy night trains away.
Palace Choices:
The Hofburg and Schönbrunn are both world-class
palaces,
but seeing
both is redundant—with limited time or money, I'd choose just one. The Hofburg comes
with the popular Sisi Museum and is right in the town center, making for an easy visit. With
more time, a visit to Schönbrunn—set outside town amid a grand and regal garden—is also
a great experience. (For efficient sightseeing, drivers should note that Schönbrunn Palace is
conveniently on the way out of town toward Salzburg.)
Vienna in One to Four Days
Below is a suggested itinerary for how to spend your time. I've left the
evenings
open for
your choice of activities. The best options are taking in a concert, opera, or other musical
event; enjoying a leisurely dinner (and people-watching) in the stately old town or atmo-
spheric Spittelberg Quarter; heading out to the
Heuriger
wine pubs in the foothills of the
Vienna Woods; or touring the Haus der Musik interactive music museum (open nightly until
22:00). Plan your evenings based on the schedule of musical events while you're in town.
If you've downloaded my audio tours (see “Rick Steves Audio Europe” sidebar,
here
), the
