Vienna - must sees & don’t bothers

[nancy75]

We are going to Vienna for a week in October, looks amazing & can’t wait!
Never been before & having looked at the usual tourist guides I’m overwhelmed by the list of places to visit.
So what are the must do places & what isn’t all it’s cracked up to be?
Any suggestions for restaurants also gladly received (mid range rather than Michelin star - going with a fussy teenager!)

We discovered Judenstil (Viennese Art Nouveau) when we visited and visited various buildings etc to do with it, which made a nice and perhaps less obvious theme to our trip.

Fabio’s is a very nice mid range Italian. Pürstener is nice for traditional food but I’d read the reviews first. It’s well known for something other than food (which is well rated).

The horses are good but see exercise not a show. Don’t bother with a river cruise. It’s not very picturesque.

Go to see the horses training in the morning - it's cheaper than a show and you can stay as little or long as you like

Coffee and cake at one of the well known places

Schonbrunne palace and zoo

Butterfly house if you have kids

Since you've got a week maybe take one of the river cruises

Day looking around the cathedral and various churches

The aquarium is AMAZING.

Just back.

The kids loved Prater fun park.

Also the Hundertwasser Museum and House.Museum first, then the house.
They are beside each other.

Schonnbrun a nice day out .

I can help you with the Don't Bothers...
Hundertwasserhaus isn't really worth your while - unless it's been repainted in the last few years, I wouldn't bother.
Similarly the Prater - unless you are desperate for a picture on the wheel because you're a fan of the Third Man - it's just not worth it unless there's been a refurb: it all seems rough and drab.
The museum with dinosaur was good for little ones, the park near zoo was nice, madame tussauds could be any capital as per.
Eating - the gulaschmuseum was okay but like many overpriced (and obv no good if your teen is vegetarian) but it was tasty and they do do a more reasonable midday menu (albeit Schnitzel not gulasch).

Oops. Sorry mitsouko we appear to disagree entirely!
For me Hundertwasser house whilst looking okay on pics was really drab in real life - colours did not pop and not worth the tram ride.
(but Sydney Opera House needed a damned good paint but still looked great on photographs)
The fun park - bearing in mind this is at least 10 years ago - was just a generic old crap park with Skegness/Blackpool/Southport vibe of the latter's older rides.
If both have been refurbished recently, ignore me!
And of course added sunshine always helps
Vienna Schönbrunn gardens were lovely I agree.

Thank you!
Yes to the horses - couldn’t sit through a whole show but will go to the morning.
Hadn’t even looked at the aquarium (live close to the London one & have been a lot so didn’t even consider it - will have a look)
We will be going to the Prater fun park, not my cup of tea but Dd has found a rollercoaster restaurant there (food looks basic but it’s all about the Instagram pics - I can deal with it for one dinner )
Madam Tussauds was never going to make the list - it’s the worst place in London, I won’t be putting myself through it in a foreign language!

Figlmueller for traditional schnitzel and chips, Haas und Haas behind the cathedral has a varied menu, watch the demo of Apfelstruedel making/tasting at the Schoenbrunn palace, if you don't want to splash out on the Spanish Riding School show try to go in during a rehearsal and see the stables opposite. Watch out for pickpockets, dh had his wallet stolen on the underground and it is not uncommon.

We only ended up there because it was directly next to Prater iirc and it was grey and raining. Same reason we ended up in Madame Tussauds in Amsterdam!
My sympathies are with you Nancy - we were dragged around London seeking red phone boxes, Dr Who tardises and Sherlock crap for instagrams and have hunted down painted cows and painted sheep in the past. Worst one was DH having to look for a sodding bench in Amsterdam that was in The Fault In Our Stars.
I hope you enjoy your rollercoaster restaurant experience. I once was taken to an automated restaurant where menu screens were on the table and then your microwave type meal was transported to your table via a helter skelter type chute. Sounds similar. It did not last very long (everyone went once for the experience but it was not somewhere you'd go back to and unlike Prater, no footfall)
Have a lovely time OP.

We did the things listed below - had the Vienna Pass

Madame Tussards Pratermuseum
Ferris Wheel
Schobrunn palace
Would have done the ring tram but it wasn't working
Kaisergruft - I love a crypt
Ate at Augustinekeller - really good
House of Music
St Stephans Cathedral
Cruise
Lunch at Danube Tower
Haus des Meers Acquarium - go and see the gentleman who talks about its use in world war II - lovely man

We did the rollercoaster restaurant also at Prater - it was definitely a thing!

Haus Der musik. I went as a child free adult and loved it. There was a simulation of conducting a philharmonic orchestra.
I also liked der hundertwasser Haus. best toilet I've ever been to!

I enjoyed the Sigmund Freud museum.

Travel Man did a 48 hours in Vienna which will be on All 4 and he always goes to interesting places might be worth a watch

You must go to a Heuriger.

Also, the Secession and Nash Markt after that.

Go to the art history museum to see the Brueghels - they are astounding and can't be missed.

Never heard of travel man - I will look that up.
l8toys I have looked at the Vienna pass - did you find it worth while? I was thinking a 3 day pass - so 3 days of extreme sightseeing, one day we are getting the train to Salzburg & then a couple of days just wandering round eating cake (I’m mainly going for the cake)
Definitely going to Nash Markt & as many art galleries as we can fit in.

NotVeryMatureForAnOldLady laughing at your search for the perfect Instagram pic, luckily we are close enough to London that I can send Dd off to look for Sherlock Holmes & phone boxes without my assistance although I did recently traipse all through Estepona in 1million degree heat looking for some stairs painted like a rainbow just for a 30 second photo shoot!

Re the Vienna pass - I think it was but it forces you into probably going to see more things to get the value from it but we love to see most things when we are visiting so suits us.

Haus Der Musik - great fun for all ages.

If you're an Opera buff and don't want to pay much and are prepared to spend an hour or so queueing, you can get standing places in the Staatsoper for that night's performance.

If you want to see some world class art and don't want to spend all day then there is a small art gallery at the Academy of Fine Art, it's got a great Breughel.

Otherwise the huge Art History Museum is fantastic. You'll have to pay but there are significant reductions for families, kids and pensioners.

Always look for reductions, it's rare to have to pay full price.

Food wise there's something for everyone. The on street sausage stands are an experience. In the autumn and winter you might find roast chestnut stalls.

You could give the Mozart house a miss. I love Mozart and museums. That was terrible on both counts.
But do go to a concert. We went to one that was quite short (good for teens) but in a beautiful intricately-decorated smallish salon.

I8toys we got a similar pass when we went to York & yes I think we saw more than we usually would just because we’d paid for the pass. Looking at how much is included I think it’s probably a good buy for us

The zoo and Schonnbrun are fabulous.

I loved the Kunsthistorische (Art History) Museum and the Natural History Museum opposite (your DC may be a bit old for this - mine loved the animatronic dinosaurs!)
The various concert halls (pre DC - went to quite a few concerts, all fabulous).

For food you can't beat a pub selling local sausages! And you have to go to a coffee shop and have Sachertorte.