Treasures in Vienna
Gustav Klimt's murals of S-shaped women are on display in the airport arrivals area, their gold clothing glimmering.
They are a foretaste of Vienna's immense artistic wealth - an overflowing treasure chest that draws art-lovers and romantics alike on weekend breaks in Vienna.
Walking feels like the best way to see the city. Turning left from Graben into Kohlmarkt, you slip into the Hofburg Imperial palace, the old seat of Hapsburg power. Gazing at 1,000 years of riches on show in the Schatzkammer (treasure chamber), including the "Insignia of the Order of the Holy Fleece", the sense of ancient pomp and power is palpable.
Inside the Hofburg's Burgkapelle (gothic chapel), the Vienna Boys' Choir sings at Sunday Mass. Their choral voices soar, a stirring reminder of the city's passion for music which enabled Brahms, Mozart, Schubert and Haydn to make their names while living here.
Weekend breaks in Vienna can take any number of diversions. Sorting through junk and antiques at Saturday's Naschmarkt flea market, a man at a neighbouring stall talks excitedly of Central Café, the kaffeehaus favoured by Trotsky and Freud. Intrigued, you pay it a visit and savour a mocha with brandy beneath its grand, vaulted ceiling.
A friend calls to meet at a restaurant where the tafelspitz - boiled beef - is to die for. At eleven o'clock, she suggests another venue. You check your watch, surprised. She laughs. "But the night is just beginning. An evening in Vienna would be wasted without a waltz."
Relive
a classic cinema moment from The Third Man by riding the Riesenrad (giant wheel) in the Prater amusement park. Posing as Orson Welles in one of the gondolas is hard amid the bustle. The wheel rises languidly into the air, taking everyone 65m aloft. Screaming lustily is not an option.
Sip
a grosser (large) Brauner coffee with cream at Café Sperl. Having opened its doors in the 1880s, the café preserves its authenticity with crystal chandeliers and marble tables. Sit back amongst the bric-a-brac, piles of newspapers and watch the odd cast of characters that drift in and out.
Feast
on lunch at the Danube Tower Restaurant. It slowly rotates, providing panoramic views while serving up traditional Viennese fare. Try jellied suckling pig, Wiener schnitzel (breaded veal escalopes) or broccoli and cheese strudel, rounded off with poppy-seed soufflé or Riesling dumplings.
Sharmilla, PA, HertfordshireI loved riding the paternoster [constantly looping lift] in the university – you literally jump out on the floor you want. My other most memorable experience of Vienna is curling up with a coffee and eating Wiener schnitzel surrounded by age-old furniture
Weekend breaks in Vienna
Hotels in Vienna
Vienna life
Ride the Riesenrad (giant wheel) at Prater
€7.50
Full cup of Viennese coffee
€3.50
Three-course meal at the Danube Tower Restaurant
€30
Tourist visas to Austria
No - Nationals of UK, EU, Australia, New Zealand, USA, Canada, Japan
Yes - Nationals of India, South Africa
Guide only - always check with embassies before travel
Travel to Vienna
Flights to Vienna
| from | duration |
|---|---|
| London | 2h15 |
| Manchester | 2h35 |
| Edinburgh | 4h30* |
*average, including 1 stop
Airports
Vienna International (VIE)
19km to Vienna
All figures approximate
Average daily highs °C