Vienna is one of
the legendary cities of the world. It was the centre of one of the greatest and
longest living empires that Europe has ever seen.
And reminders of this past greatness are on every street corner and also it is a city poised to take advantage of the new Europe and very much at the centre of things. Whether it’s the tourist Vienna of horse-drawn fiacres drawn by bowler hated drivers or the modern Vienna with the all-night nightlife of ''the Bermuda Triangle'' - then you will be able to find both. The city has some of the most glorious architecture in Europe and you can spend weeks lapping it up.
It is easy to be seduced by the Viennese way of life of sipping coffee with delicious cakes or enjoying a weiswein and apfel strudel in a pavement cafe. The place is so charming as to be almost cloying and the manners and ways of old Europe may still be discernable in this city. You may agree with me after your visit and think that there are not many cities which stay in your mind as much as Vienna...
And reminders of this past greatness are on every street corner and also it is a city poised to take advantage of the new Europe and very much at the centre of things. Whether it’s the tourist Vienna of horse-drawn fiacres drawn by bowler hated drivers or the modern Vienna with the all-night nightlife of ''the Bermuda Triangle'' - then you will be able to find both. The city has some of the most glorious architecture in Europe and you can spend weeks lapping it up.
It is easy to be seduced by the Viennese way of life of sipping coffee with delicious cakes or enjoying a weiswein and apfel strudel in a pavement cafe. The place is so charming as to be almost cloying and the manners and ways of old Europe may still be discernable in this city. You may agree with me after your visit and think that there are not many cities which stay in your mind as much as Vienna...
In actual fact,
Vienna isn't that big. The Wienerwald (Vienna woods) can be seen in the
distance and the Innere Stadt (Inner City) can be crossed in twenty minutes. It
is this Aldstadt which is the focus of Vienna and for hundreds of years was all
of the city, protected from the marauding Turk by strong city walls. This is a
lovely area of courtyards, squares and churches and is ringed by the
appropriately named Ringstrasse.
This imperial boulevard is one of Europe''s grandest and houses most of the great sights such as the Opera and Hofburg. Places such as the Imperial summer residence such as Schonbrunn need public transport to get to. But even the ordinary buildings are an attraction and look so delicate as to be translucent. Often pastel coloured, they feature frescoes or statues above their doors along with balconies and mansard roof''s.
Vienna has the most romantic streetnames I have seen in a city. Strasse means street, and gasse, lane. Making street names such as Marialiferstrasse, Dorothergasse and my favourite Grumperdorferstrasse a pleasure to roll off your tongue.
This imperial boulevard is one of Europe''s grandest and houses most of the great sights such as the Opera and Hofburg. Places such as the Imperial summer residence such as Schonbrunn need public transport to get to. But even the ordinary buildings are an attraction and look so delicate as to be translucent. Often pastel coloured, they feature frescoes or statues above their doors along with balconies and mansard roof''s.
Vienna has the most romantic streetnames I have seen in a city. Strasse means street, and gasse, lane. Making street names such as Marialiferstrasse, Dorothergasse and my favourite Grumperdorferstrasse a pleasure to roll off your tongue.
Vienna probably
has the best public transport in the world. Nowhere else, not even London or
Amsterdam, has got everything so wonderfully aligned. You can step off a plane,
then onto a bus, then onto a tram without pause. Everything is clean, safe and
more surprisingly uncrowded making travelling around the city a pleasure.
Flughafen Schwechat is a marble-designed wonder of an airport, and the great stations of Westbahnhof and Sudbahnhof are near the centre of tram, train and bus routes. Of course the great pleasure of Vienna are the trams (or bims as they are known).
There is no greater way to experience the city than sitting back in a clanging bim as you clank around the Ringstrasse. The Ring-Kai-Ring tram circumnavigates the whole boulevard. Or there are the horse-drawn fiacres which are the familiar tourist image of Vienna. But at 1000 Austrian schillings a ride, maybe the tram is best.
Flughafen Schwechat is a marble-designed wonder of an airport, and the great stations of Westbahnhof and Sudbahnhof are near the centre of tram, train and bus routes. Of course the great pleasure of Vienna are the trams (or bims as they are known).
There is no greater way to experience the city than sitting back in a clanging bim as you clank around the Ringstrasse. The Ring-Kai-Ring tram circumnavigates the whole boulevard. Or there are the horse-drawn fiacres which are the familiar tourist image of Vienna. But at 1000 Austrian schillings a ride, maybe the tram is best.
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