VIENNA UNWRAPPED A TRAVELLERS’ GUIDE TO MY HOMETOWN By Barbara Cação VIENNA UNWRAPPED A TRAVELLERS’ GUIDE TO MY HOMETOWN This is a Publication Cover photo: Mezzanin 7 (private dining) 2 CONTENTS How to use this Guide 5 Orientating Yourself 6 Where Is Vienna? 6 Vienna Weather And What To Wear 8 What is Vienna Made Of? 10 Baroque Architecture 10 Art Nouveau Architecture 16 Coffeehouse Culture 22 10 Interests To Pursue In Vienna 24 Sightseeing in Vienna 28 Schönbrunn Palace 28 Hofburg Imperial Palace 34 Ringstrasse Boulevard 40 Best Rooftop Views in Vienna 47 Stephansdom 51 Austrian National Library 54 Eugene of Savoy’s Winter Palace 57 Central Cemetery 59 Gasometer City 63 Guide to Hotspots and Insider Tips 66 Vienna Museums 66 Spanish Riding School 76 Vienna Boys Choir 80 The Prater 82 The Naschmarkt 85 Jewish Vienna 88 Vienna Coffeehouse Conversations 91 Vienna Balls 94 10 Insider Tips: If You Like This You Will Like … 102 Shopping in Vienna 108 Fashion Shopping 109 Jewellery Shopping 113 Homeware and Accessories 117 Design Shopping 120 International Luxury Brands 124 Vienna’s Surroundings 127 Wachau Valley 127 Vienna Woods 131 Lake Neusiedl 135 Planning Your Trip 139 24 Hours In Vienna 139 Annual Event Calendar 144 Where To Stay 147 Vienna International Airport 150 Trains to Vienna 154 Vienna Walks 157 Local Transport 176 Renting A Car 181 Vienna City Pass 185 Best Guided Tours 186 Danube Boat Trips 197 Booking Operas 200 Booking Concerts 204 Vienna With Kids 209 Day Trips From Vienna 213 Important Addresses 217 Map of Vienna’s Centre 220 More Resources 222 4 HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE 5 Ways to Use ‘Vienna how many days you'll need to cover off explore Vienna and its surroundings, Unwrapped – A where to stay, and what to do, and even Travellers’ Guide to My which clothes to bring; quick links to Hometown’ frequently updated calendars of events make sure this guide stays fresh; 1. To Set the Scene: acquire a deeper 4. Orientation Tool: use the guide's understanding of the city by accessing maps, and links to online resources and its culture and history before you arrive apps to find your way round Vienna; in Vienna; 5. As a Booking Resource: 'Essential 2. As a Source of Inspiration: take Booking Resources' brings together the time to leaf and read through the book, dozens of individual booking links spread especially the first three chapters; across the contents of the Vienna 3. As a Planning Tool: the chapter Unwrapped website and this guide 'Planning Your Trip' helps you find out DISCLAIMER Vienna Unwrapped owns all content and copy rights of this publication, including the supplements ‘Food and Drink Guide’ and ‘Essential Resources Guide’. You can make as many hard copies for personal, non-commercial, use as you like. In addition, you can share the digital copies amongst a close, private circle of friends and family. Sharing this ebook or parts of it via social media such as Facebook, Google + or Twitter is prohibited by law. Use of Vienna Unwrapped’s intellectual property or trademarks in any way and for any purpose requires prior written permission. The contents of this ebook are provided to the best of my knowledge. However, Vienna Unwrapped cannot guarantee the accuracy and correctness of the information provided. Any use of this information is at the consumers’ risk. 5 ORIENTATING YOURSELF Where Is Vienna? Vienna is located in Austria in Central kilometers (157.65 square miles) Vienna Europe, and is bordered by eight is about as large as Cairo, Jaipur, or New countries: Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Orleans. Republic, Germany, Liechtenstein, Vienna is located between the Eastern Switzerland, Italy and Slovenia. As Vienna fringe of the Alps, the Western fringe of is located quite close to Austria’s Eastern the Vienna Basin, and the Pannonic border some Central European cities are Lowlands which stretch far into Hungary. closer to Vienna than other major The Danube crosses Vienna in the North. Austrian cities. The Vienna Woods embrace the city from Latitude / Longitude: 16° 21′ O, 48° the northwest to the southwest. At about 13′ N 60 km south east, the Neusiedlersee (Lake Neusiedl) borders with Hungary. With an area size of 414.87 square 6 Climate Zone Vienna and Nearby Cities Vienna is part of the Middle European Orientate yourself with this list of selected Transition Climate Zone. This means nearby cities and other major European we get our weather from either the destinations. Many of them are among Atlantic, or from other parts of the the best places in Europe to travel. This European continent. The result is a will also help you to plan a European mixture of wet weather, cool continental round trip, train journeys via Vienna, winds from the North and East, or warm and flights to and from Vienna within weather from the South and South West. Europe. The nearby cities are well connected by highway and can be a good option for a day excursion by car. Vienna – Bratislava: 56 km /35 m Vienna – Budapest: 233 km/145 m Vienna – Salzburg: 252 km/156 m Vienna – Prague: 252 km/156 m Vienna – Munich: 354 km/220 m Vienna – Venice: 434 km/269 m Vienna – Frankfurt: 601 km/374 m Vienna – Milan: 623 km/387 m Vienna – Rome: 765 km/475 m Vienna – Paris: 1,037 km/645 m 7 Vienna Weather and What To Wear This section about our weather helps Climate in Vienna you decide the best time to travel and what to bring for a holiday Vienna has a moderate continental in Vienna. climate. Our summers are very warm and even spring and autumn can feel Vienna has its highs and lows. As said, like summer. Winters are usually chilly. Austria’s capital is located on the While we often experience continent and close to the Hungarian ‘Weihnachtstauwetter’ (Christmas Lowlands. This creates thawing), January and February are significant differences in usually the iciest months. temperatures and weather conditions throughout the year. Most of the The best travel season is between Viennese weather comes in from the April and October (ball and Christmas West. It passes the Vienna Woods, season discounted for this purpose). which helps moderate the local climate Temperatures range in the region and bring in fresh air. between 10 and 35 degrees Celsius. While many people prefer to travel in the spring or autumn, my preferred season is the summer, when Vienna’s many outdoor terraces, cafés, taverns, wineries and gardens are busy until late at night. 8 Our weather includes a fair balance of sunshine and rain. June is statistically the wettest month, and January the driest. What Clothes To Bring? My Portuguese in-laws and many of our friends travelling to Vienna often ask this question. These are the clothes we bring for each season: November to March: warm winter gear, woollen pullovers, padded boots, gloves, scarves, caps (my husband swears by long winter underwear), but cut out the polar expedition gear. April to May: pullovers, padded jackets, solid and rainproof footwear, rain gear. June to August: summer gear, light sweaters, a light jacket just in case, rain gear just in case; September to October: pullovers, light or padded jackets, solid and rainproof footwear, rain gear especially for October. 9 WHAT IS VIENNA MADE OF? Baroque Architecture Baroque architecture in Vienna •Lucas von Hildebrandt (Belve-dere Vienna a.o.) and concentrates on the inner districts. The opulent period buildings boast squiggly •Domenico Martinelli (Liechten- stein Town façades, chubby-cheeked cherubs, and Palace, Palais Harrach a.o.). delicate stuccoes. To make sure they cross your path use my guide below to select the top 10 of ive dozen baroque Church St. Charles palaces, churches, and landmarks. Borromeo Our prime baroque building is based on a Three Architects promise made good. Habsburg Emperor Charles VI. (the father of Empress Maria Vienna’s baroque architecture was dominated by three architects: Theresia) had it built when the pestilence epidemic finally left Vienna in 1714. The •Johann Bernhard Fischer vonErlach church carries the name of Charles’ patron (Schönbrunn Palace,Augarten Palace, and pestilence saint, Charles Borromeo. Church St.Charles Borromeo a.o.), 10 Local baroque star architect Johann The two columns in front of the church Bernhard Fischer von Erlach (1656 to were inspired by the Trajan Column in 1723) and his son planned and built the Rome. They are among many inspirations from Greek and Roman church for 23 years until it was architecture used in and outside the completed in 1737. church. My favourite elements are Johann Michael Rottmayr’s baroque picture book frescoes in the church’s vast oval shaped dome: a celestial universe in vivid pastels, featuring illuminated saints, cherubs, and fierce archangels. My tip: The Church St. Charles Borromeo regularly hosts baroque classical music from Wolfgang Mozart and Antonio Vivaldi. This is by far the best way to see the church. Read more in Vienna Concerts. Schönbrunn Palace Schönbrunn has approximately 1,400 rooms in various styles. Most characteristic are its white-washed walls with gold leaf stucco decorated ceilings, and bright red upholstered furniture. Empress Maria Theresia of Austria (1717 to 1780) eventually turned Schönbrunn into her summer residence. There, she cultivated a baroque lifestyle of lavish interiors, luxurious wardrobes, exquisite dance balls and horse parades, and Schönbrunn Palace, a UNESCO World musical events performed by the finest Heritage site, is Vienna’s epicentre of composers of her time, among them baroque and rococo art. Johann B. Wolfang Amadeus Mozart. Fischer von Erlach built the palace on commission from Emperor Leopold I in the early 18th century.