Vienna - tips and stuff...

We went last December and it was bloody cold, and now it's bloody hot! Try the Brandl heuriger in Grinzing. Their Grüner Vertliner is very good. You get there on the tram. We went to the State Opera, which is well priced and serves lovely snacks. The Leopold museum in the Museum Quarter is great, with the world's biggest collection of Egon Schiele paintings. You can get from the airport on the local train - no need to pay for the expensive airport shuttle, which is no quicker but just costs more. It's well worth getting a travel card, which is really good value and lets you hop on and off the trams. 

Top tips - many thanks, HH!

(Irritatingly the Opera is closed in July and August.)

That's a shame, as it's really beautiful inside. We saw the Barber of Seville and it was super. Everything was very affordable, which really surprised us. I'm sure you will have a great time. 

I say closed when technically all I can say is there are no performances then. We may be able to see inside.

I would suggest Schonbrunn Castle and The Gloriette,being into the same large garden.Worth a visit.Auf wiedersehen!

Thanks [@mention:1566878604002413]!

Definitely second the Leopold, and the Belvedere.

Galleries and museums in Austria are closed on Mondays.

Smoking is still permitted (almost compulsory as far as I could make out) in bars, and bars that also serve food, so unless you're smokers or totally unoffended by it, it is probably best to check or recce before committing yourselves.

The best Vienna winemaker is the appropriately named Fritz Weininger. Their Heurige is not actually within the city proper, but not far ands probably available by public transport (I cannot believe it would be expensive even in a taxi), good to look for his wines in any case. The cellars of the Palais Coburg house one of the greatest wine collections in the world, and are well worth a look (as well as offering you a rare view of the old city wall almost all of which is all now either gone or buried).  I'm sure they do public tours, especially if you committed to eat there (several restaurants at various levels up to starry)

Climbing to the top of St Stevens cathedral does afford a view that is well worth it - but it wasn't hot when I did so!

If you see any of the eaux de vies of Rochelt, then treat yourself. Eye waveringly expensive (and over packaged) but unutterably delicious and smooth beyond belief. They are only available at the distillery and a few selected places in Vienna.

It's a great city just to walk around and soak up.

Brilliant - thanks [@mention:1566878603864353]!

It is a while since I worked in Vienna for 12 weeks (1988 to be precise) I never ran out of things to do and see and attend all the time I was there.

A couple of items that are easy to overlook are :

The Hundertwasserhaus by the architect of the same name, difficult to get a picture of as it is in quite a crowded are - however worth going to see.

The Remise - wiener Linien Transport Museum - a collection of trams or street cars - when I visited it was a collection of tram cars in an area of rail sidings, looking at the web page for it now appears to be a "proper" museum . If trams and trains do not turn you on in any way then just go to a concert. You can go to several concerts a day if you work hard.

I used to enjoy walking from the Votivkirche to the Innere Stadt to the Cathedral and beyond to the Danube Canal or down Schulerstrasse or Singerstrasse  - from what I remember lots of traditional Viennese cafes/restaurants.  

Enjoy - you may find that you do not have time to do the 4 star attractions as you will be occupied by just enjoying the city. 

Agree with most of the above - I'll add

1)  Take the tram to Grinzig - a lovely suburb of Vienna in the foot hills with great traditional bars and restaurants

2) Go to the Prater and go on the big wheel - you see a host of humanity there - can be great fun - especially at night .

3) For good city vistas  Kahlenburg and the Donauturm [Danube Tower]  (cafe and restaurants with great views)

4) A quick excursion to Bratislava is usually quite enjoyable as well - a few miles [approx 80km] up the motorway - but perhaps save for next time if you have only 4 nights....

Strangely enough I'm playing a show in Vienna next weekend.  But you really wouldn't like it!  Enjoy the trip though, it's a lovely city.

Thanks so much everyone - really looking forward to it now!

I'd second the Hundertwasserhaus and his District Heating Plant design at the end of the tram line. Best looking industrial building I've ever seen!

There also used to be a great collection of Klimt in the Museum Quarter, but I'm not sure what is left now as I've seen a number of the exhibits in various galleries around the world since the collection was broken up.

Enjoy the Weiner Schnitzel!

Penarth Blues posted:

Enjoy the Weiner Schnitzel!

And if you fancy something totally unhealthy (don't we all, sometimes?), enjoy a Käsekrainer stuffed in a hollowed out bit of French stick!