tomtodeath
Established
I will be going on a trip to Vienna this March, and it will be my first time out of the country! any recommendations on what I should definately see while there, besides of course, the Leica Shop?
nk.
Member
I've been longing to go to Vienna ever since I was last there. It is one of my favorite cities. How long are you going to be there and will you have a chance to explore places outside of Vienna? Vienna is one of those cities that I just loved to wander about.
As for specific things that you should see and do, I certainly recommend going to the Prater which is a huge park with an amusement park at one end featuring a Ferris wheel that has been shown in a lot of films. The Stadtpark is nice too. You might want to check out a Kaffehaus, but I think the ones in Budapest are better and less touristy. I would personally opt for bumping around Konditoreis while you are walking about. They are nowhere near as big as a proper Kaffehaus and specialize in pastries. Probably cliche, but be sure to indulge in some delicious beer; but don't feel obligated to eat the Austrian cuisine. There are tons of excellent foreign restaurants in Vienna that cater to younger local crowds if you find the traditional food to be a bit much. Also, the Kunsthistorisches Museum and the Naturhistorisches Museum are both excellent.
If you do have the option of getting out of Vienna, I would certainly recommend that you head to the small towns of Melk and Krems. I don't know why I love both of these small towns that much, but there is something magical about them in my memory. Melk has an abbey which I remember being absolutely beautiful.
I'm assuming that you'll only be there for a little bit (spring break?), but if you are there for longer, I recommend trying to make it to Budapest. It reminds me of Vienna but with a much grittier feel. It is quite easy and cheap to get to by train, but the journey is a bit boring and a bit long; I recommend taking the hydrofoil down the Danube. It is a bit more expensive, but still reasonable and I think worth it.
As I said, Vienna is really one of those cities that you should just feel and experience. Try to find a cute young Maedchen and have her show you around the city.
I'm sure that I forgot a bunch of things, but I hope this helps.
If you have any questions, feel free to PM me or ask here.
P.S.
A quick search found this website which seems to have details for most of the things I mentioned and a whole lot more.
http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Europe/Austria/Bundesland_Wien/Vienna-320332/TravelGuide-Vienna.html
As for specific things that you should see and do, I certainly recommend going to the Prater which is a huge park with an amusement park at one end featuring a Ferris wheel that has been shown in a lot of films. The Stadtpark is nice too. You might want to check out a Kaffehaus, but I think the ones in Budapest are better and less touristy. I would personally opt for bumping around Konditoreis while you are walking about. They are nowhere near as big as a proper Kaffehaus and specialize in pastries. Probably cliche, but be sure to indulge in some delicious beer; but don't feel obligated to eat the Austrian cuisine. There are tons of excellent foreign restaurants in Vienna that cater to younger local crowds if you find the traditional food to be a bit much. Also, the Kunsthistorisches Museum and the Naturhistorisches Museum are both excellent.
If you do have the option of getting out of Vienna, I would certainly recommend that you head to the small towns of Melk and Krems. I don't know why I love both of these small towns that much, but there is something magical about them in my memory. Melk has an abbey which I remember being absolutely beautiful.
I'm assuming that you'll only be there for a little bit (spring break?), but if you are there for longer, I recommend trying to make it to Budapest. It reminds me of Vienna but with a much grittier feel. It is quite easy and cheap to get to by train, but the journey is a bit boring and a bit long; I recommend taking the hydrofoil down the Danube. It is a bit more expensive, but still reasonable and I think worth it.
As I said, Vienna is really one of those cities that you should just feel and experience. Try to find a cute young Maedchen and have her show you around the city.
I'm sure that I forgot a bunch of things, but I hope this helps.
If you have any questions, feel free to PM me or ask here.
P.S.
A quick search found this website which seems to have details for most of the things I mentioned and a whole lot more.
http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Europe/Austria/Bundesland_Wien/Vienna-320332/TravelGuide-Vienna.html