War, marriage, and Hapsburg maneuvering transformed Vienna (pop. 1,700,000) from a Roman camp along the Danube into Europe’s political linchpin. Beethoven and Mozart made Vienna an everlasting arbiter of high culture; the tradition continues today with the city’s prestigious orchestras and world-class museums. Its dozens of coffeehouses radiate artistic and intellectual energy—on any given afternoon, cafes turn the sidewalks into a sea of umbrellas while bars and clubs pulse with techno and indie rock until dawn.
Flights: The Wien-Schwechat Flughafen ( VIE; ☎ 01 700 70; www.viennaairport.com), 18km from the city center, is home to Austrian Airlines (☎ 01 517 89; www.aua.com). The cheapest way to reach the city ...more
Vienna is divided into 23 Bezirke (districts). District numbering begins in the city center, Innenstadt. The borders of the center, the Ringstraße (ring road) on three sides and the Danube Canal ...more
Public Transportation: Wiener Linien (☎ 790 91 00; www.wienerlinien.at). The U-Bahn (subway), Straßenbahn (tram), S-Bahn (elevated tram), and bus lines operate on a 1-ticket system, so you can ...more
Main Tourist Office: I, Albertinapl. on the corner of Maysederg. (☎ 01 245 55; www.vienna.info). Follow Operng. up 1 block from the Opera House. Books rooms for a €2.90 fee. Open daily 9am-7pm. ...more
Hunting for cheap rooms in Vienna during high season (June-Sept.) can be unpleasant; call for reservations at least five days ahead. For info on camping near Vienna, visit www.campingwien.at. ...more
B.Y.O.B. When shopping at Austrian supermarkets, bring your own bag: most supermarkets charge €0.05-0.20 per bag. Many supermarkets also close early M-Sa at around 6:30-7pm and often are ...more
For years these venerable establishments have been havens for artists, writers, and thinkers: Vienna’s cafes watched Franz Kafka brood about solitude, Theodor Herzl plan a Zionist Israel, and ...more
Marked by a hanging branch, Heurigen serve Heuriger (wine) and Austrian delicacies, often in a relaxed outdoors setting. The wine is from the most recent harvest; good Heuriger is white, fruity, and full-bodied ...more
Vienna’s contrasting streets are by turns stately, residential, and decaying. To wander on your own, grab the brochure Vienna from A to Z (€3.60) from the tourist office, which also leads themed ...more
With a museum around almost every corner, Vienna could exhaust any zealous visitor. The Vienna Card (€19), available at the tourist office, large U-bahn stops, and most hostels, entitles holders to ...more
Along The Ring. The Stadtpark (City Park) was the first municipal park outside the former city walls. The oft-photographed Johann Strauss monument is in the center of the park. (U4: Stadtpark.) Clockwise ...more
Many of classical music’s greats lived, composed, and performed in Vienna. Beethoven, Haydn, and Mozart wrote their best-known masterpieces here; a century later, Berg, Schönberg, and Webern ...more
With one of the highest bar-to-cobblestone ratios in the world, Vienna is a great place to party. Take U1 or 4 to Schwedenpl., which will drop you within blocks of the Bermuda Dreieck (Bermuda Triangle) ...more
Vienna hosts several important (mostly musical) festivals. The Wiener Festwochen (May 8-June 14, 2009) has a diverse program of concerts, exhibitions, and plays. (☎ 01 58 92 20; www.festwochen.or.at ...more
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For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
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