Europe String

Welcome to Fun Time Friday’s. Today the Fun Master takes us to the city of music and chocolate – Vienna!

Vienna is an impressive, compact city. Which makes it affordable for two reasons – you can walk it and there are tons of buildings, monuments and statues hanging about for you to gawk at. If you want to get inside something; the Museum of Applied Arts has free entry every Saturday. All of the city’s municipal museums are free on Fridays before noon. Many of the city’s churches are free to enter, and often have concerts as well. St. Stephen’s is the largest and most recognizable. Mozart’s wedding and funeral were both held in this Gothic cathedral. For a do-it-yourself stroll wander the so-called “Ring Road – Ringstrasse. Most of Vienna’s sights are located in the Innere Stadt (inner city) and are easily accessible from this route. It’s raining? No worries jump on tram 1 or 2 (Ring-Linien.)

Vienna has a ton of beautiful parks, perfect for a wander or picnic. Both Schonbrunn and Belvedere Palaces have large gardens and you can find beautiful ones in the vicinities of the town hall and Imperial Palace (be sure to check out their rose garden if the season is right.) If you truly need a green getaway, hit Stadtpark.

For many people, a trip to Vienna would not be complete without seeing a concert or opera in one of the city’s famous venues. If your wallet is feeling light, do as the Austrians do and stand. You can buy standing only tickets on performance day straight from the venue.

For a cheap meal, indulge in an Austrian hotdog at a Wurstelstand, or look for restaurants called Wiener Gasthaus. Wine lovers must visit one of the many heurigens that ring the outside of the city. In these wine taverns you’ll get to sample the heurigens’ own production and most have a cafeteria style restaurant on site with well-priced food. If you like the wine, be sure to pick up a bottle or two for a cheap souvenir.

Christmas is coming up and Vienna’s markets are some of the best in the world. Excellent variety, plus many truly artistic and creative creations. In my opinion, the best one is in the garden of Schonbrunn Palace, but they are all free!

For more information visit the Austria Tourism Bureau or the tourist information office in Vienna. The Vienna site even has a free downloadable “Mozart Walk” tour and one of Schonbrunn and its surroundings.

Next week, we’ll be wowed by Warsaw!

Photo Credit: Schonbrunn Palace Gardens, Vienna. Jacy Meyer