Austria
If you want to shop apart from the ordinary stores, Neubaugasse is the place to be. You'll find one small, charming boutique after another, at all price levels.
Side street of Mariahilfer Straße
Take U3 to Neubaugasse.
Best cocktail bar in Vienna. Daily happy hour from 7pm to 10 pm (€ 5.00). It's very small but incredibly charming.
Zollergasse (next to Cafe Europa), 1070 Vienna
Take U3 to Neubaugasse.
A restaurant/bar in the 7th district of Vienna. All-day cocktail happy hour on Sunday (€ 4,10). Make sure to go there on your birthday, you'll get a three course meal for free!
Neubaugasse 39, 1070 Wien
A beach bar down at Donaukanal. Nice atmosphere, DJs and delicious Israeli food. The food and drinks are very reasonably priced and it's the perfect place for a nice afternoon drink.
Donaukanal, opposite of the famous Flex.
Take U2 to Schottenring, you can't miss it.
A Pakistani restaurant offering a delicious all-you-can-eat buffet. Their menu changes weekly and contains three meat dishes, three vegetarian dishes, dessert etc. The best thing: except for the drinks, you pay as much as you wish!
Liechtensteinstraße 10, 1090 Vienna
Take the U2 to Schottentor, leave at the Hohenstaufengasse Exit and just walk down the Liechtensteinstraße.
www.deewan.at
Europe's largest cemetery; beautifully laid out and well worth a visit. There are sections for the main denominations and a large military section.
There's a stunning domed church in the centre and after strolling past ornate graves of politicians you've never heard of a discreet sign points to the "Musiker" almost shyly hidden away.
Schubert, various members of the Strauss family and two big names beginning with B: took my breath away. Monument to Mozart, whose grave is mysteriously "lost" somewhere in the St Marx cemetery.
S-Bahn (tram) no. 71 to Zentralfriedhof
This is the house where Mozart spent his childhood. I really like it since I have read a lot about Mozart while at school. This is your chance to visit his old house which is now also a museum - and to brush up on your Mozart knowledge.
Its a bit hard to find but can ask people around since it is a tourist attraction.
www.mozarteum.at/
A unique British gastropub. Friendly locals of all nationalities, fantastic music and food with a cosy atmosphere. Live music at weekends from September 2008. It won't be long before you find yourself talking to Elaine and Shuki the owners. You might pop in for one but you'll end up staying until closing time (it's that welcoming)!
16 Bilrothstrasse 1190 Vienna Austria.
Tram 38 Hardtgasse
Best pizzas I have ever had, better than the restaurants! Tasty, quick and cheap.
Franz and Adam at the Travel Shack were invaluable in organising the best way to see the city. They found us a great hostel, took us on bike ride of the city, a wicked vineyard tour to say the least.
Also great to meet people in their bar, I can't recommend it highly enough!
Travel Shack Vienna Mariahilfer Gurtel Vienna, Vienna 1150 Austria 4369918820156
For a fun afternoon in Vienna, nothing will beat the Haus Der Musik. For those with and without musical prowess, this music museum-cum-musical playground allows you to explore the science and history of music without the need for a PhD.
See the colour and shape of your voice, play giant instruments or even conduct a virtual orchestra - a museum with a difference, definitely.
Seilerstätte 30, Vienna
www.hdm.at/en/2.htm
A great Viennese bar nestled off Graben Strasse, near Stephen's Platz. The only thing better than the excellent beer is the friendly, efficient staff who make sure your tankard is never empty.
The Klinic is not too pricey, and pretty decent food to boot makes this a must for any visitors to Vienna.
Steindlgasse 4, Vienna.
www.goesser-bierklinik.at/
If you fly into Vienna's airport and are staying centrally then forget taxis and walk straight on to the CAT (City-Airport Train) not forgetting to buy a 16 Euro return ticket valid for a month.
The CAT whisks you without stopping, in just 16 minutes to the centre of Vienna. From plane to CAT is just 400 yards and from CAT to Vienna Hilton just 200 yards. So convenient!
Having trekked about 400 miles around Heathrow it shows you why more, smaller airports are the answer rather than bigger airports that you can't get to because of congestion.
To explore beautiful but expensive Vienna, book a hotel near the railway station in beautiful Bratislava and commute.
Reasonably cheap and very clean. Easy access from U-Bahn and trams. Vienna Card gets you anywhere of interest - and with discounts.
Good, adequate, breakfast. There is a swimming pool up on the roof - they'll open it up if you ask them. We stayed in a discounted standard double - paid cash for discount.
www.allalenz.com/
Directions on website are correct if you come from the Burggasse exit of the Burggasse U-Bahn station. Otherwise from Urban Loritz Platz find Kandlgasse and go along it. Take the 3rd exit on the left (Halbgasse). Look for the car parking sign.
In Vienna, visit the amazing summer palace of the Habsburgs. The palace was built with the same architecture style of the Versailles in Paris.
Schönbrunner Schlossstrasse 47
Underground: U4 Schönbrunn
www.schoenbrunn.at/en/site/publicdir
www.hotelara.com/travel/austria/accommodation/vienna.html
One of the places you must visit in Vienna is the Cathedral of St. Stephen's Cathedral or Stephansdom a masterpiece of Gothic architecture.
Stephansplatz 1 Vienna
Lovely apartments in an old Biedermeier building. You get a small double bedroom, sitting room, well-equipped kitchen and bathroom, all very nicely designed. Reasonable prices for the location. Location is just behind the Rathaus and near the Hofburgtheater in the rather grand eighth district.
Try not to arrive late: we had to pick up our key from an adjacent cafe after our flight was delayed.
There's a cheap but very good student cafe on the same street called Tunnel.
The Levante Laudon, Laudongasse 8, 1080 Wien,
Tel 4071370
levantelaudon.viennahotels.it/
The Vienna Card is a travel pass and discount voucher rolled into one. It lasts for 72 hours and gives free travel on all modes of transport within the central area. It also gives discounts on wider travel and reduced entry for a host of museums etc.
It costs only €16 but remember to get it stamped the first time you use it. Inspectors are few and far between but get caught without a ticket and you'll be fined around €65 and still have to pay for your journey. Buy it at the airport on arrival, it will save you money on the train in.
I recently had the pleasure of staying at the Vienna Marriott while on a short business trip. Excellent front desk/check-in service, but what really begs a mention are the fantastic beds at this hotel. My colleagues and I all agreed that the beds were by far the most comfortable ones we've experienced at a hotel in a long time. Sleepy soft with heaps of pillows! Would not hesitate to recommend this hotel for quality, location and, above all, comfort!
Hotel website: marriott.com/hotels/travel/vieat-vienna-marriott-hotel/
A really useful and comprehensive site about travelling to Austria in general is: www.austria.info
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