Vienna

roundymac

Was thinking of going there in early april. Any one any idea what the weather would like, the wife is a bit fair weathered any hint of cold and she won't budge. Also any tips on what to do/see when/if we get there? Thanks in advance.

HansHolzel

Very fond of the place. I was there (not for the first time) a few weeks ago (Halloween). Weather foggy one day, sunny the rest. In April the temp normally rises through the teens. What are you into, in terms of things you like to do and see?

roundymac

General sight seeing history not so much on the shopping side, nice restaurants.

HansHolzel

If you can't get your hands on the Rough Guide to Vienna, the one for Austria (which I have) will also see you alright (the first 150 pages are on Vienna).

Cafés often do meals too like full-on restaurants (but cheaper) and all the main spots (cafés and restaurants) are listed on pp. 133-140 of my book e.g. Landtmann is a well-known and popular place near the Burgtheater on the Ringstrasse. I'm not a foodie but, like in Hungary, Austrian food tends to be on the heavy side. By the way a Beisl is a Viennese bar that does food.

If you want to see palaces with art etc., there's the huge Hofburg complex in the Innere Stadt (city centre) and, outside the centre, the Belvedere (which is actually two palaces) and Schönbrunn.

The basic €2.10 single ticket will get you anywhere in Vienna on the U-Bahn and can also be used on other forms of public transport e.g. if you have to get a tram after the last underground stop.

My own favourite spots/places include:

(1) Café Central, Herrengasse (once the haunt of Hitler, Lenin, Freud, Trotsky, Tito etc.) (serves coffee, cakes and booze).
(2) The Harry Lime doorway, Schreyvogelgasse, famous thanks to The Third Man (1949) (Youtube it) (there's a decent Irish pub with food around the corner - Molly Darcy's - if you feel like a pit stop).
(3) The Loos American Bar, Kärntner Durchgang (small, great interior, but have a cocktail there, no other drink is worth the bother)
(3) Bermuda Dreieck (i.e. the Bermuda Triangle) around Ruprechtskirche e.g. late bars, an English language bookshop and a Jewish restaurant guarded by the cops.
(4) Riesenrad (the Ferris wheel in the Prater park, also famous from the Third Man film.
(5) Freyung square (and the Freyung Passage through the Palais Ferstel).

Any time I'm there, I stay at the Schweizerhof on Bauernmarkt near Stephansdom (the cathedral), around the corner from the Bermuda Triangle (hotel location much quieter than it sounds). The last time it was €99 per night. The rooms (and esp. the bathrooms) are on the small side but the double bed was big (if the missus is a kicker ;-), the place is well run, you can stuff yourself with the breakfast that's included in the price and the central location is very handy.