Interesting suggestions for 2 or 3 days in Vienna

[cremolafoam]

Have it booked for dh's birthday in February.( no child) Now what should we do? Will it be very expensive? Anybody been recently?
Give me the low down pretty please.

I went recently for a works do and it depends what you are looking for.

We went on the Friday eve to the 'bermuda triangle' which is a pedistrianised area of bars bars bars. It gets going late (we arrived about 11.30) and stays open until late

The next day we walked a lot (too much) but it was pretty. Doi hire a bike - cost 1E for an hour - from the street places (it is an automated system encouraging everyone to bike everywhere) The cycle paths are Fab, you can cycle around the 'ring road' in about 3/4 hr or stop along the way, leave the bike at another bike stop and walk.

We also went ot the 'sky bar' for a treat. It has fab cocktails, v v strong, great views and is a nice posh place. see sky bar Actually not great reviews but I thought it was a nice place for pre dinner drinks.

You MUST go to the PRATER \link{http://www.prater.wien.infohere} It is a great place for rollercoasters, rides etc. Some quite pricey, but again good fun. DON'T go on the swing type ride (Sky swing I think) I had Chronic Vertigo and was sh*t scared on it!! It is also traditional where there is a giant ferris wheel thing.

I liked the city it was quite compact, but a real mix of nightlife, fun and culture. I didn't find it too £££ except at the Prater

Sorry, only just seen this...I can help as I live in Vienna.

Great city (well I am biased) and cheaper than the UK in my opinion.

I'll post properly later/or tonight once DS is in bed.

thanks lapsedrunner and crunchie. I completely forgot i had started this thread.
Iam going to try and book a place to stay and was looking at this
what about the area?

No where's more expensive than the UK! The Spanish Riding School is worth a look (if you're interested in horses), but you may need to book in advance.

I haven't been recently, but if you're going in February, just a reminder to wrap up warm. Vienna can be a might cold city in the winter.

Hope you have a great time!

The B&B is in the 22nd District, north of the Danube. It's basically a residential area, fine in itself but nothing to write home about (perfectly safe area) all post war or modern housing, nothing old/atmospheric. Transport links are good though, a straight run through on the U1 (red underground line) to the centre. Not the sort of location you'd pop back to before going out to dinner, and not an area I'd plan to eat out in either. The Donauzentrum mentioned in the add is just an unattractive local shopping centre, best avoided. Also although you hear so much about the Danube it doesn't run through the centre of Vienna, it certainly isn't blue and it's not very beautiful (but it's size is impressive). OK, that was not meant to put you off, now for the tourist stuff. In addition to the stuff you find in all the tourist guides try the following (this is in no particular order):

• The Ring is the road that surrounds the city centre. Jump on a No.1 or No.2 tram (one goes clockwise, the other anticlockwise)and do a full circuit.
• Go to the Naschmarkt, daily market. Gets very busy on a Sat.
• Take a 38 Tram from Schottentor (a central tram terminus)to Grinzing (last stop)to visit a Heurigen (the street is lined with them). A Heurigen is best described as a sort of pub that sells local wine & food. Head up the stret a bit and try to avoid the ones that advertise a tourist "Heurigen Show".
• If you have time take the U4 (green underground line) to Heiligenstadt and then a 38A bus to a great view point at Am Cobenzl or Khalenberg. (Can also catch the 38A bus from the end of the 38 Tram).
• Don't buy a ticket for the Spansih Riding School (a bit overated I reckon). Instead you can pay a few euros to watch Morning Exercise.
• Go to Cafe Central for coffee & cake.
• The standard coffee with milk/froth is called a Melange.
• Don't bother paying go into the Imperial Apartments
• Take the U4 to Schloss Schonbrunn, walk around the right hand side of the palace and walk up to the Gloriette view point & cafe.
• Nice pub type place for lunch called The Salmbrau at the lower (Renweg)entrance to Schloss Belvedere.
• If you want to avoid the hassle of finding your way to your accommodation on arrival book a fixed rate (28 euros) taxi transfer online (in English) with www.airportdriver.at OK that will get you started, depends how long you are going for, what your interests are etc?

oh yes, and as Desiderata said Vienna in Feb can be cold and grey

Lapse ... what a lot of effort you've put into that post

It makes me proud to be a mumsnetter!

Blimy lapsed runner you are a STAR! superb info woman!
We are only going to be inVienna for 2 days one of which will be a Saturday, so it would be my intention to go to the Naschmarkt on the sat am.as i have read that there is also a flea mkt that day too??

Our interests are mostly wandering and looking and moving slowly between cocktail(beer) emporiums and cake shops- we have been lots of different cites for dh's birthday. it is always cold in february- part of the birthday brief is that there must be snow( so anywhere high or northern is the order of the birthday boy)
Dh likes
jazz
cakes
patisserie
strong coffee
espionage
WW2
cheap beer
Veggie food

I await your command:
I fancy the Prater and some dark smokey coffee houses.I an make him go to a Heurigen but only if he can get veggie food (unlikely-will he be obliged to eat sausage?)Anything too cultural will bring him out in a rash.Love quirky shops and vintage too.

Yes there is a fleamarket on a Sat at the Naschmarket (down the far end).

Here is the Beiel (pub) I mentioned www.salmbraeu.com/indexen.htm. Lots of other home brewery type places including
www.7stern.at/Home.htm, www.stiegl-ambulanz.at/.

Veggies are a bit limited but a very common dish is a spinach strudle (usually spinach & ricotta) and you often find it in a Heurigen. Gnnochi is pretty common and they nearly always have a veg soup on the menu. Also sharing a border with Italy means there are a fair number of pizzerias around.

WW2 - if DH is realy keen check out the flak towers en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flak_tower or go on a Third Man tour (haven't done that yet).

For general info have a look at www.virtualvienna.net under the "living" tab, also www.vienna-expats.net and lastly, but not al all relevant to your trip www.viennababiesclub.com

I keep this thread on my "watch" list in case you have any more questions.

Should have added that I can't help on Jazz and there more coffee houses than I can begin to list (& loads of schertorte & apple strudel).

I haven't read all the posts, so if I repeat others' suggestions - sorry. I stayed at the Saccher (sp?)Hotel - great history, very quaint, but if you don't want to stay there you should at least pop in for the famous Saccher Torte. We did the bus tour of the city thing just to get our beariings which was great. We went to an Opera at the Volksoper - it was Carmen and was fantastic and we are not normally Opera fans. HTH.

oh thanks for al the info everyone. I am now looking at accommodation and finding it hard to decide. Any further suggestions wouldbe most welcome, particularly B&B or apartments

To be honest if you only have 2 days you'd be better being located somewhere more central. I'll give it some thought....

thanks lapsedrunner. it has be reasonably inexpensive. 100 euros or under a night.

As a starter have a look at www.accorhotels.comand look at the new Novotel Wien City for 109 per night (room only). You can go go down the scale to an Ibis (Accor is a French chain that you might know?). Even better look at www.nh-hotels.com and go for the Belvedere one, walking distance to the centre (or on tram route) plus staggering distance from the Salmbrau (pub I mentioned).

We went to Vienna in January 05 - arrived in the middle of the worst snowstorm for years and it was really beautiful. Thanked the Lord I was wearing boots, as our luggage got lost... Anyway, just wanted to say for music the [http://www.hdm.at/en/2.htm Haus Der Musik] was really interesting and good fun. Can't remember how much there was on jazz, but it's a cracking place.

Bah Haus Der Musik.