The Netherlands - Alkmaar
Top sights Vienna
6
Vienna – City of Romance
June 8, 9 and 10 2016
This city trip was a present of my parents because of the happy fact that we have been married for 12,5
years. So what is more romantic then to celebrate this in one of the most romantic cities in the world. In this
weblog, we will tell you about our adventures and sights we have visited during our stay in Vienna. Vienna is
the capital of Austria, a beautiful country in the middle of Europe.
Needless to say that we didn’t have enough time to see everything in only three days, here you will find
information about some of the top attractions of Vienna.
On the General Information tab you will soon find some information on public transport, money, weather
etc. . If you have any questions, please contact us.
1. Hofburg
After seeing the Sissi trilogy for at least 10 times, this is for me of course an absolute must see, although
my husband didn’t share my opinion.
Hofburg is the winter palace of the Habsburg Empires. It was built in the 13
th
century by Empire Rudolf I,
through the ages the palace has been adapted according to the prevailing architectural styles. During the
reign of the last Emperor Franz Jozef I (1848-1916), the rebuilt was the most drastic. In the palace one can
find the following: Augustine Church, the National library, Spanish Reitschule, the apartment of the last
Emperor and Empress, the Sissi museum and the crown jewels.
We decided to visit the Sissi museum, before entering the museum, one was led to an exhibition of the
royal dinnerware through the ages, which was very impressive. After that we entered the apartment of the
last Emperor Franz Jozef I (1830-1916) and Empress Elisabeth (Sissi) in Beieren (1837-1898). This museum
gives a clear picture of how the lives of these two people have been. In the apartment there is also the Sissi
museum, here you see in chronological order how her life has been, from her birth in the South of
Germany until the day she was murdered by the anarchist Luigi Lucheni. The reality of her life lies miles
away from the romantic Sissi trilogy.
2. Schloss and Park Schönbrunn
The second day of our stay, we visit Schloss Schönbrunn. The palace, its gardens and its surrounding park
are very impressive and beautiful. We immediately understand why this is Austria’s most popular attraction.
The palace with its 1441 rooms is immense.
Next to the palace there is a theatre where Mozart and Haydn have performed. In the garden you will find
several fountains, the Gloriette and a Zoo (where you can find e.g. Panda bears). There is so much to see and
to do that you can spend easily your whole day at Schloss Schönbrunn.
The weather is lovely so we walked in the gardens and visit the palace. Please note that there is a special
combination ticket if you visit both the Hofburg palace and Schloss Schönbrunn.
It all started with Empire Maximiliaan II, he built a hunting lodge in 1559 at this location. The name
Schönbrunn was first mentioned by Empire Matthias, who had seen a beautiful well (brunn) in this area.
However, it was Maria Theresia, daughter of Empire Karel VI, who hired the architect Nikolaus von Pacassi to
rebuilt the palace in the Rococo Style and made it the summer palace of the Habsburg dynasty, as it remains
until 1916. The yellow color of the palace was an idea of architect Johann Ferdinand Hetzendorf von
Hohenberg, he also designed the Gloriette in 1775.
3. The Spanish Riding School (Reitschule)
When you are a big fan of horses and in particular of dressage, you should definitely attend a show of the
Spanish Riding School, which takes place in the Winterreitschule at the Hofburg palace. The most
spectacular shows are during the weekend. In 1565 the school began training the horses for the empires
and the young aristocratic of Vienna. The horses also took part in parades and even on the battlefields.
Nowadays the shows are performed for tourists and on special occasions.
The name Spanish comes from the origin of the breed of horse which is used, this is the Lipizzaner horse,
this breed comes originally from Spain. In the show you will only see the mold stallions of this breed of
horse. The horses begin their training when they are 4 years old, the complete training lasts 8 years.
4. Stephansdom
The Stephansdom the largest cathedral of the country, it forms an important landmark in Vienna. During
the reign of the Habsburg Empires, no church or cathedral should be built no higher than the Stephansdom.
The cathedral was built between 1147-1469 in honor of the martyr Stefanus, the architectural style is Gothic.
The large bell is nick named Pummerin. The Archbishop of Austria is located in this cathedral. During the last
days of the Second World War, the cathedral was destroyed by a fire, after the war the cathedral was
reconstructed.
Around the cathedral one can find many carriages to make a romantic tour through the inner city of Vienna.
5. Mozarthaus
After a coffee in one of Vienna’s old and beautiful Kaffeehauses, we visit the
Mozarthaus. You will find this house in the city center at Domgasse 5. It is one of
the many houses, Mozart has lived in during his 10 years stay in the city Vienna. In
this house he has lived only 2,5 years (1784-1787) but it is the only still remaining
houses of Mozart. The house is now a museum, where you get a good picture of the
daily life and social life of Mozart. During his stay in this house, he wrote the famous
Marriage of Figaro, which brought him success as well as enemies.
For us it felt very special to be in a place where such a musical genius has lived and
composed.
6. Wiener Prater
The Wiener Prater is a large park, it is famous for its’ Ferris wheel. The Ferris wheel you will find in the
amusement park (Wurstelprater or Volksprater), this is the most famous part of the park.
The Wiener Prater was used by the Imperial family for hunting. In 1766 Empire Jozef II opened the park to
the public. Through the park there is a 4,5 km long road with beautiful chestnut trees on both sides
(Hauptallee).
We decide to make a round in the Ferris wheel and buy a ticket. The Ferris wheel was built in 1897, the
wagons are made out of wood. It goes very slowly so you have a good opportunity to enjoy the view over the
city. It is also possible to make dinner arrangements by night for a wagon in the Ferris wheel, this is very
romantic!
7. Hundertwasser-KrawinaHaus
At the Kegelgasse no. 36-38 we find a very special apartment building, the so called Hundertwasser-
KrawinaHaus is named after its designer. This apartment building is created after an idea of Friedensreich
Hundertwasser an Austrian artist and was built by the architect Joseph Krawina.
Hundertwasser thought that the architecture of houses and buildings should be in harmony with man and
nature. The Hundertwasser-KrawinaHaus was built in 1983-1985. The roof is covered with earth and grass
and the trees are growing inside the rooms. The building accommodates 53 apartments, 4 offices, several
joint terraces and 250 trees.
8. Walk around the city center (Ringstrasse)
On our last day, we make a beautiful walk around the city center on the so called Ringstrasse. At the end
of the 19
th
century the Imperial family ordered to build the Ringstrasse in the place of the old defense
fortifications.
We start at the river Danube, at the Stuben Ring following the Park Ring, Schubert Ring, Kärnter Ring, Opern
Ring, Burg Ring, Universitäts Ring and finally the Schotten Ring. At the end of the walk you will find yourself
at the river Danube again. This walk leads us to all kind of interesting buildings, museums and parks like for
example the MAK (museum), Staatsoper (Theatre for Opera), Parliament building, The art history- and nature
history museum, the back side of the Hofburg palace, the Town Hall and university. There are many
beautiful parks to sit and relax in. It is also possible to rent a bike and make the tour by bike, there is a very
nice path for cyclists next to the main road.
Hofburg
Schloss Schönbrunn.
Gloriette
Neptune Fountain
Staatsoper
Nature history museum
A nice treat to bring home is the famous Mozartkugel, this is a candy made of
chocolate and pistachio nuts marzipan. The Mozartkugel was invented by
confectioner Paul Fürst in 1890.
One cannot have been in Vienna without paying a visit to one of the famous
coffeehouses like for example Café Korb, Café Sperl, Café Alt-Wien or Café Hawelka.
These coffeehouses have a long history by serving good quality coffee and their
own pastry to the customers, it all started after a short term siege by the Turkish
army in 1683. They introduced the cult of coffee drinking into Vienna. The
coffeehouses are open practically the whole day and the waiter is called Herr Ober!
This tip is about a nice vegetarian restaurant we have discovered during our stay.
It is called Hollerei and located in the Hollergasse 9,
Tip 1
Tip 2
Tip 3
Hotel tip Vienna: When we were in Vienna, we stayed in the Hotel Royal Palace Vienna.
The hotel is located in front of a lovely park just outside the city center. The address of the
hotel is Schlossallee 8 in Vienna. Coming from the airport, you can take bus no. 7, which
stops at Westbahnhof, here you take tram no. 52 which stops at the Johnstrasse from here
you can walk (2 minutes) to the hotel. The hotel is within walking distance from Metro
station (U-bahn no. 4) Schloss Schönbrunn. It is a typical business hotel, the staff is friendly,
the rooms are modern, clean and the breakfast is excellent.
If you are interested in this or another hotel in Vienna, please check here for the availability
and best offers.
Vienna - Austria
Top sights Vienna
Vienna – City of Romance
June 8, 9 and 10 2016
This city trip was a present of my parents because
of the happy fact that we have been married for
12,5 years. So what is more romantic then to
celebrate this in one of the most romantic cities in
the world. In this weblog, we will tell you about our
adventures and sights we have visited during our
stay in Vienna. Vienna is the capital of Austria, a
beautiful country in the middle of Europe.
Needless to say that we didn’t have enough time to
see everything in only three days, here you will
find information about some of the top attractions
of Vienna.
On the General Information tab you will find some
information on public transport, money, weather
etc. . If you have any questions, please contact us.
1. Hofburg
After seeing the Sissi trilogy for at least 10 times,
this is for me of course an absolute must see,
although my husband didn’t share my opinion.
Hofburg is the winter palace of the Habsburg
Empires. It was built in the 13
th
century by Empire
Rudolf I, through the ages the palace has been
adapted according to the prevailing architectural
styles. During the reign of the last Emperor Franz
Jozef I (1848-1916), the rebuilt was the most drastic.
In the palace one can find the following: Augustine
Church, the National library, Spanish Reitschule, the
apartment of the last Emperor and Empress, the
Sissi museum and the crown jewels.
We decided to visit the Sissi museum, before
entering the museum, one was led to an exhibition
of the royal dinnerware through the ages, which
was very impressive. After that we entered the
apartment of the last Emperor Franz Jozef I (1830-
1916) and Empress Elisabeth (Sissi) in Beieren
(1837-1898). This museum gives a clear picture of
how the lives of these two people have been. In the
apartment there is also the Sissi museum, here you
see in chronological order how her life has been,
from her birth in the South of Germany until the
day she was murdered by the anarchist Luigi
Lucheni. The reality of her life lies miles away from
the romantic Sissi trilogy.
2. Schloss and Park Schönbrunn
The second day of our stay, we visit Schloss
Schönbrunn. The palace, its gardens and its
surrounding park are very impressive and
beautiful. We immediately understand why this is
Austria’s most popular attraction. The palace with
its 1441 rooms is immense.
Next to the palace there is a theatre where Mozart
and Haydn have performed. In the garden you will
find several fountains, the Gloriette and a Zoo
(where you can find e.g. Panda bears). There is so
much to see and to do that you can spend easily
your whole day at Schloss Schönbrunn.
The weather is lovely so we walked in the gardens
and visit the palace. Please note that there is a
special combination ticket if you visit both the
Hofburg palace and Schloss Schönbrunn.
It all started with Empire Maximiliaan II, he built a
hunting lodge in 1559 at this location. The name
Schönbrunn was first mentioned by Empire
Matthias, who had seen a beautiful well (brunn) in
this area. However, it was Maria Theresia,
daughter of Empire Karel VI, who hired the
architect Nikolaus von Pacassi to rebuilt the palace
in the Rococo Style and made it the summer
palace of the Habsburg dynasty, as it remains until
1916. The yellow color of the palace was an idea of
architect Johann Ferdinand Hetzendorf von
Hohenberg, he also designed the Gloriette in 1775.
3. The Spanish Riding School (Reitschule)
When you are a big fan of horses and in particular
of dressage, you should definitely attend a show of
the Spanish Riding School, which takes place in
the Winterreitschule at the Hofburg palace. The
most spectacular shows are during the weekend.
In 1565 the school began training the horses for
the empires and the young aristocratic of Vienna.
The horses also took part in parades and even on
the battlefields. Nowadays the shows are
performed for tourists and on special occasions.
The name Spanish comes from the origin of the
breed of horse which is used, this is the Lipizzaner
horse, this breed comes originally from Spain. In
the show you will only see the mold stallions of
this breed of horse. The horses begin their training
when they are 4 years old, the complete training
lasts 8 years.
4. Stephansdom
The Stephansdom the largest cathedral of the
country, it forms an important landmark in Vienna.
During the reign of the Habsburg Empires, no
church or cathedral should be built no higher than
the Stephansdom. The cathedral was built
between 1147-1469 in honor of the martyr
Stefanus, the architectural style is Gothic. The
large bell is nick named Pummerin. The
Archbishop of Austria is located in this cathedral.
During the last days of the Second World War, the
cathedral was destroyed by a fire, after the war the
cathedral was reconstructed.
Around the cathedral one can find many carriages
to make a romantic tour through the inner city of
Vienna.
5. Mozarthaus
After a coffee in one of Vienna’s old and beautiful
Kaffeehauses, we visit the Mozarthaus. You will
find this house in the city center at Domgasse 5. It
is one of the many houses, Mozart has lived in
during his 10 years stay in the city Vienna. In this
house he has lived only 2,5 years (1784-1787) but
it is the only still remaining houses of Mozart. The
house is now a museum, where you get a good
picture of the daily life and social life of Mozart.
During his stay in this house, he wrote the famous
Marriage of Figaro, which brought him success as
well as enemies.
For us it felt very special to be in a place where
such a musical genius has lived and composed.
6. Wiener Prater
The Wiener Prater is a large park, it is famous for
its’ Ferris wheel. The Ferris wheel you will find in
the amusement park (Wurstelprater or
Volksprater), this is the most famous part of the
park.
The Wiener Prater was used by the Imperial family
for hunting. In 1766 Empire Jozef II opened the
park to the public. Through the park there is a 4,5
km long road with beautiful chestnut trees on both
sides (Hauptallee).
We decide to make a round in the Ferris wheel and
buy a ticket. The Ferris wheel was built in 1897, the
wagons are made out of wood. It goes very slowly
so you have a good opportunity to enjoy the view
over the city. It is also possible to make dinner
arrangements by night for a wagon in the Ferris
wheel, this is very romantic!
7. Hundertwasser-KrawinaHaus
At the Kegelgasse no. 36-38 we find a very special
apartment building, the so called Hundertwasser-
KrawinaHaus is named after its designer. This
apartment building is created after an idea of
Friedensreich Hundertwasser an Austrian artist
and was built by the architect Joseph Krawina.
Hundertwasser thought that the architecture of
houses and buildings should be in harmony with
man and nature. The Hundertwasser-KrawinaHaus
was built in 1983-1985. The roof is covered with
earth and grass and the trees are growing inside
the rooms. The building accommodates 53
apartments, 4 offices, several joint terraces and
250 trees.
8. Walk around the city center (Ringstrasse)
On our last day, we make a beautiful walk around
the city center on the so called Ringstrasse. At
the end of the 19
th
century the Imperial family
ordered to build the Ringstrasse in the place of the
old defense fortifications.
We start at the river Danube, at the Stuben Ring
following the Park Ring, Schubert Ring, Kärnter
Ring, Opern Ring, Burg Ring, Universitäts Ring and
finally the Schotten Ring. At the end of the walk
you will find yourself at the river Danube again.
This walk leads us to all kind of interesting
buildings, museums and parks like for example
the MAK (museum), Staatsoper (Theatre for
Opera), Parliament building, The art history- and
nature history museum, the back side of the
Hofburg palace, the Town Hall and university.
There are many beautiful parks to sit and relax in.
It is also possible to rent a bike and make the tour
by bike, there is a very nice path for cyclists next to
the main road.
A nice treat to bring home is the
famous Mozartkugel, this is a
candy made of chocolate and
pistachio nuts marzipan. The
Mozartkugel was invented by
confectioner Paul Fürst in 1890.
Tip 1
Tip 2
One cannot have been in Vienna
without paying a visit to one of the
famous coffeehouses like for
example Café Korb, Café Sperl, Café
Alt-Wien or Café Hawelka. These
coffeehouses have a long history by
serving good quality coffee and
their own pastry to the customers,
it all started after a short term siege
by the Turkish army in 1683. They
introduced the cult of coffee
drinking into Vienna. The
coffeehouses are open practically
the whole day and the waiter is
called Herr Ober!
Tip 3
This tip is about a nice vegetarian
restaurant we have discovered
during our stay. It is called Hollerei
and located in the Hollergasse 9,
please check their website for the
menu www.hollerei.at.
Hotel tip Vienna: When we were in Vienna, we
stayed in the Hotel Royal Palace Vienna. The
hotel is located in front of a lovely park just
outside the city center. The address of the hotel
is Schlossallee 8 in Vienna. Coming from the
airport, you can take bus no. 7, which stops at
Westbahnhof, here you take tram no. 52 which
stops at the Johnstrasse from here you can walk
(2 minutes) to the hotel. The hotel is within
walking distance from Metro station (U-bahn no.
4) Schloss Schönbrunn. It is a typical business
hotel, the staff is friendly, the rooms are modern,
clean and the breakfast is excellent.
If you are interested in this or another hotel in
Vienna, please check here for the availability and
best offers.
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