Vienna Information - hotels, restaurants, golf, weather, maps & more

There is just no escaping the history and culture associated with Vienna – and who would want to?  The richness of Vienna’s past combines with modernity to make a cultural blend that cannot be surpassed.  The city is full of “must-see” and “must-do” experiences.  You have not had a full encounter with Europe until you have seen and visited Vienna.

Vienna is a vision of palaces, royalty, cathedrals, art, architecture, historical treasures, and decadent desserts.  This wonderful city has all of that to share and more.  Like so many European cities that have been around for centuries, there is a mix of old and new in Vienna and it is important to experience them both.

Vienna is in eastern Austria, at the easternmost edge of the Alps, and it covers both sides of the Danube River.  Today’s inner city was the site of the first settlement and the city has continued to build on that history.  The climate in Vienna has warm summers (mid 20Cs/upper 70Fs) and cold winters (temperatures hovering around freezing).

The city is divided into 23 districts (Bezirke) or subdivisions of city administration.  Navigating your way around the city, you will notice the district’s names and how they can help you with directions.  The Ringstrasse (or Ring, as it is known) lies in the heart of Vienna and from it the rest of the city’s streets flow.

Art and culture share the pulse of Vienna’s beating heart, being home to several opera houses, such as the Volksoper and the Staatsoper.  This great city is also home to the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra at the Wiener Musikverein, and the renowned Wiener Konzerthaus.  Composers Mozart and Strauss are among the popular classical melodies that visitors enjoy hearing at Viennese concerts.

A myriad of museums await your inspection, holding such treasures as the Imperial jewels of the Habsburg dynasty at the Hofburg museum.  Across from the Hofburg, the Kunsthistorisches Museum and the Naturhistorisches Museum hold numerous paintings by the grand master artists, as well as classical and ancient artifacts.  The Museumsquartier is a complex that houses many famous museums since it was converted in the 1990s from the Imperial Stalls.  The Leopold Museum and the Museum of Modern Art can be found here, just to name two.  Also, the Spanish Riding School is home to the exceedingly famous Lippizaner Stallions, the “dancing white horses.”

If you are a student of architecture, Vienna is also the place for you as a variety of styles are exhibited from Romanesque to Baroque, and also Art Nouveau.  The churches and cathedrals of the city are exquisite, beginning with St. Stephen’s Cathedral.

More than 200 balls are courted at Vienna each year, some comprising as many as nine orchestras.  Vienna is the last frontier for the 19th Century ball.  The Opera Ball is the most internationally well-known ball.  Most Viennese attend at least a few balls during their lifetime, regardless of their economic status.

Attractions for the modern tourist include Schönbrunn Palace, the statue of Athena in front of the Austrian parliament building, and The Riesenrad in the Wiener Prater (the ferris wheel).

Viennese cafes enjoy a long and rich history of elegant and distinguished food selections, along with a wide variety of wine choices for the connoisseur and novice alike.

There is truly something for everyone in Vienna, Austria.  You must take time to breathe in the city to enjoy all the sumptuous repasts it has to offer not only in food and wine, but in culture, history, and art.