Vienna, Austria, is a beautiful city with a colorful history, it is a cultural center especially for classical and operatic music and the arts. As the former capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, there are countless imperial monuments and palaces, many spectacular museums, and ornate churches and cathedrals. It is a city of many concerts, a city of dignity and pride. This colorful city has always been one of my favorite destinations.

Wiener Riesenrad It is a giant Ferris wheel that is located in the Wurstelprater amusement park in Prater, one of the many parks in the city. A ride on this majestic wheel costs just € 8 euros (or around $ 10 US or £ 6.50 British pounds), but exploring the park and its surroundings is free and gives you a great feel for the city.

For the classical music enthusiast

Vienna is known for its classical and operatic musical heritage. Vienna saw the development and popularity of the “great master composers”, CPE Bach, Gluck, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Salieri; and they paved the way for the romantic period of Schubert and others. Vienna is very much oriented to this musical tradition.

One of the main attractions of Vienna is the Mozarthaus, the former residence of the composer on Domgasse which is now a museum and a small concert hall; It’s certainly worth the € 8 ($ 10.40, £ 6.50) student price! Mozart-themed venues and events are all over Vienna, and there is a chain of souvenir shops called Mostly Mozart (which sells Mozart chocolates). The Mozart statue in the Hofburg Palace which is a must see due to the musical note made of flowers in front of it, cafes and restaurants named after him, and the Mozart / Strauss concert in the Kursalon which has reasonably priced tickets and many performance options. Haydn, Schubert, Strauss and Beethoven also have houses / museums dedicated to them throughout the city. Classical music is not lacking here!

Tea Wiener Staatsoper, the Vienna State Opera offers tours for less than € 5 ($ 6.50, £ 4). It is a beautiful place that is home to some of the best operas and ballets in the world (and the Vienna Philharmonic takes its musicians from its orchestra!). Nearby is the Haus der musik, the House of Music is a one-of-a-kind museum that has exhibits on the Vienna Philharmonic, the city’s most famous composers and other multimedia musical themes, for just € 9 ($ 12, £ 7), this place offers so much that you can ‘Don’t go anywhere else in the world.

For History, Art and Architecture Enthusiasts

If you are a fan of history or architecture, the huge Hofburg palace it will take your breath away. Not only is it close to some amazing Viennese restaurants and cafes, but it is also beautiful and huge. You can tour the Imperial Apartments and the Schatzkammer, the treasure, which contains the imperial jewels of the Habsburg dynasty. Also take a look at Austrian National Library and its four museums and the Spanish Riding School which is home to the famous Lipizzan horses.

There are the twin Ringstraße museums (Ringstrassa or Ring Street) commissioned by the Emperor to house the formidable collection of art from the Habsburg dynasty.

The first is the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Museum of Art History, is one of the richest and most massive art museums in the world. It houses many 18th century paintings by the old masters, collections of Renaissance and Baroque art, and magnificent collections of Egyptian, Greek and Roman antiquities.

The second is the Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, the Museum of Natural History in Vienna, another of the most important and huge museums in Europe, is truly spectacular.

Be careful about admission prices at the Hofburg and museum area complex because going to so many places will add up. But spend some leisurely time at each major museum and look at some of the treasures of our human existence.

For something free, Burggarten and Volksgarten (parks) on the premises are really nice places to unwind from all your sightseeing.

Tea Museum Quarter, Museum Quarter, is a section of the city that is one of my favorites. There you will find MUMOK and Kunsthalle Wien (for modern art), Leopold Museum (for Austrian art) and Architekturzentrum Wien (for architecture and urban design). The Museum of Applied Arts (MAK) is great to see too, and it’s free on Tuesday nights!

Tea Schönbrunn Palace It is far from the city center, but it is definitely worth the trip. It is like Versailles, a great palace with vast gardens behind it. Although student tickets cost between € 10 and € 15 ($ 13- $ 19, £ 8-12), you can go to the garden for free and spend quite a bit of time there; It is a great place for a picnic, jogging, or reading a book surrounded by nature.

Tiergarten Schonbrunn, is the oldest zoo in the world and is close to the Schönbrunn Palace.

In the lookout, a palatial complex closer to the city center, you can visit a free park (in the formal French style) between the Upper and Lower Belvedere palaces and see the incredible skyline of the city. There you can also see the Belvedere museum.

Tea Freud Museum Alsergrund was the home of Sigmund Freud and costs € 5.50 ($ 7, £ 4.50) a ticket. To do this, learn everything about the life and work of the psychologist. However, his famous sofa is not there. It is in London. What may be more interesting are the many really trendy cafes and restaurants in that area that attract students from the nearby university.

Stephansdom, St. Stephen’s Cathedral, on Stephenplatz in the city center, is Gothic and Romanesque in style and offers concerts, tours of the church and catacombs, and breathtaking views of the city from the top of the south tower; it is definitely worth climbing only 343 steps.

Karlskirche, St. Charles’s Church, on Karlplatz is baroque in style and has concerts. (I saw Mozart’s Requiem there) and you tour; However, instead of climbing the steps, you can take an elevator up to the observation deck at the dome to see Vienna. Take advantage of Karlsplatz while you are there – the park is beautiful and the surrounding area has many other museums (such as the Clock Museum) and good restaurants and cafes.

Viennese cuisine

Vienna has its own cuisine, although it is often treated as equivalent to Austrian cuisine. It is sometimes incorrectly thought of as a variation on German cuisine, but do not mention it to an Austrian. And indeed, the cuisine of Vienna is unique in many ways that you will like.

Some of my favorite dishes include Rindsuppe (beef soup), Wiener Schnitzel (fried pounded and breaded beef), Gulasch (a stew similar to the Hungarian stew of the same name), Tafelspitz (boiled beef served with apple and horseradish sauces) and Selchfleisch (smoked meat) is usually served with sauerkraut and dumplings. Auf Geschmack (to taste)!

As for dessert, although the Danes are proud of “Danish pastry”, even the Danes call it wienerbrød, “Viennese bread”, because it originated in Vienna and not in Denmark. This is the type of pastry that is used in various ways, including strudels, such as the Viennese specialty, Apfelstrudel (apple strudel) and Topfenstrudel (a sweet strudel filled with Topfen or quark cheese) that are often served with vanilla sauce. . But there are also many forms of torts, such as the famous Sachertorte (a chocolate cake) with its many variations. There is no shortage of magnificent bakery creations in Austria.

Unfortunately, when you leave Vienna, one of the things you will miss the most will be the food.

Viennese coffee culture

While there are countless pubs throughout Vienna serving Austrian beer and wine, Vienna’s cafes, coffee shops, are particularly interesting places to experiment with various coffee blends served with a variety of strudel or turtle delicacies. But the Vienna Café goes beyond the simple snacks that are served, as it is an institution in itself. There is an interesting culture around Viennese cafes – many have literary readings or live piano music (usually classical, sometimes jazz), and there is a particular look and feel associated with Viennese cafes that attracts the customer to sit there. for hours, part in amazement and part contentment. For a really wonderful restaurant and cafe, I recommend Café Greinsteidl near the Hofburg Palace. But there are many, many more in the city.

In summary:

Visiting Austria is like traveling back in time, going back in history, it’s like no other place I’ve been. Vienna is the perfect place for the young traveler because its unique shape is so unique, even exotic and especially beautiful; and even a high school backpacker will find it strangely charming and an invaluable experience. But fear not, the prices are reasonable, its attributes are puzzling, and there are so many things to remind you that you are no longer at home. Even when you leave Vienna, your qualities and your character will somehow become part of you.

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