Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sisi Ticket:
This €23.50 ticket covers the Royal Imperial Apartments at the Hofburg (in-
cludingtheSisiMuseumandImperialPorcelainandSilverCollection—but
not
theHof-
burgTreasury), Schönbrunn Palace'sGrand Tour,and the Imperial Furniture Collection;
the ticket saves €0.50offthe combined cost ofthe Hofburgapartments andSchönbrunn,
making the good Furniture Collection effectively free (sold at any participating sight).
Teens Sightsee Free:
Those under 19 get in free to state-run museums and sights.
Music Sightseeing Priorities:
Be wary of Vienna's various music sights. Many “homes
of composers” are pretty disappointing. My advice to music lovers is to concentrate on
theseactivities:Takeinaconcert,tourtheOperaHouse,snarecheapstanding-roomtick-
etstoseeanoperathere(evenjustpartofaperformance),enjoytheHausderMusik,and
scour the wonderful Collection of Ancient Musical Instruments in the Hofburg's New
Palace. If in town on a Sunday, don't miss the glorious music at the Augustinian Church
SkipThis:
ThehighlyadvertisedexperiencecalledTimeTravelVienna(justofftheGraben
on Habsburgergasse) promises “history, fun, and action.” In reality, it's €18 and 45
minutes wasted in a tacky succession of amusement-park history vignettes with much of
the information in German only.
Internet Access:
The TI has a list of Internet cafés.
Netcafe
is near the Danube Canal (€4/
hourwithdrink,daily9:00-22:00,Schwedenplatz3);
SurflandInternetCafé
isnearthe
Opera (€6/hour, daily 10:00-23:00, Krugerstrasse 10, tel. 01/512-7701); and
Netcafe-
Refill
is close to many of my recommended hotels (€4.50/hour, daily 9:00-22:00, Mari-
for last location.
Post Offices:
The main post office is near Schwedenplatz at Fleischmarkt 19 (Mon-Fri
7:00-22:00, Sat-Sun 9:00-22:00). Branch offices are at the Westbahnhof (Mon-Fri
7:00-22:00, Sat-Sun 9:00-20:00), near the Opera (Mon-Fri 7:00-19:00, closed Sat-Sun,
Krugerstrasse 13), and scattered throughout town.
EnglishBookstore:
Stopbythewoodyandcool
Shakespeare&Co.,
inthehistoricandat-
mospheric Ruprechtsviertel district near the Danube Canal (Mon-Sat 9:00-21:00, closed
Sun, north of Hoher Markt at Sterngasse 2, tel. 01/535-5053,
www.shakespeare.co.at
).
Freytag & Berndt
travel bookstore (Mon-Sat 9:30-18:30, Kohlmarkt 9, tel. 01/
533-8685,
www.freytagberndt.at
)
is a great place if you need a map or book in English
orone ofmy guidebooks forthe next leg ofyourjourney.See map on
here
forlocations.
Keeping Up with the News:
Don't buy newspapers. Read them for free in Vienna's marve-
lous coffeehouses. It's much classier.
Travel Agency:
Conveniently located just off the Graben,
Ruefa
sells tickets for flights,
trains, and boats to Bratislava. They'll waive the service charge for train tickets for my
