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Sightseeing Overview
The heart of Vienna is the Innerestadt - the area that lay within the city walls, until they were demolished in the mid 19th century. It is here that some of Vienna’s most popular tourist attractions can be found, along with pedestrianized streets lined with countless shops, cafes, bars and restaurants. The center point is Stephansdom, the city’s celebrated gothic cathedral, which is surrounded by the wide Stephansplatz.

Following the demolition of the city walls in 1857, the Ringstrasse was laid out and some of Vienna’s most beautiful buildings were built along it, between 1858 and 1865. Among the most important are the Staatsoper (State Opera House), Kunsthistorisches Museum (Museum of Fine Arts), Naturhistorisches Museum (Natural History Museum), Parlament (Parliament), Rathaus (City Hall) and Burgtheater (Palace Theater).

Although most major attractions are in the First District, the other inner districts have much to offer. Leopoldstadt (Second District) lies on the eastern side of the Danube Canal, and it is here that the massive Prater can be found.

Landstrasse (Third District) includes the Schwarzenberg Palace and the Konzerthaus, although the main attraction is the Belvedere Palace. Wieden (Fourth District) is a small neighborhood that is almost as fashionable as the First District. Karlsplatz, with its domed namesake, Karlskirche, is the district’s dominating feature.

Margareten (Fifth District) is more residential and the historic homes of Schubert and Gluck still stand here. Mariahelf (Sixth District) includes Vienna’s busiest shopping street, Mariahilferstrasse. The Naschmarkt (Produce Market) and the Flohmarkt (Flea Market), on Saturday morning, add to the excitement, while the surrounding streets are packed with beisls (small taverns), theaters, cafes and pubs.

Neubau (Seventh District) includes the Spittelberg Quarter, where the old houses have been renovated into boutiques, restaurants, theaters and galleries, and the  MuseumsQuartier, Vienna’s prime art and cultural space. Josefstadt (Eighth District) was once the area favored by civil servants - the Josefstadt Theater, the city’s oldest (1788), is still in operation.

Alsergrund (Ninth District) is often called the academic quarter - Freud’s home, now a museum, is located here, as is the Lichtenstein Palace, which now houses the Museum of Modern Art.

Further afield, in Hietzing (13th District), is Schönbrunn Palace, one of the finest baroque edifices on the planet and the former summer residence of Habsburg royalty.

Tourist Information
Wien Tourismus
Albertinaplatz/Ecke Maysedergasse
Tel: (01) 24555.
Website: www.wien.info  
Opening hours: Daily 0900-1900.

Other tourist information offices are located in the airport arrivals area. These provide information, make reservations and supply brochures, maps and the Vienna Card (see below). A number of annually printed guides are available, including Kunst & Genuus (Arts & Delights), Architecture, Konzert-Cafés, monthly events and a Gay Vienna guide.

Passes
The Vienna Card offers discounts at 200 attractions, theaters, shops, cafes, restaurants and heurigen (wine taverns), as well as on the CAT train from the airport. It also includes unlimited travel on the U-Bahn, bus and tram networks (including night buses) for 72 hours. Passes are available from tourist information offices, hotels and Wiener Linien sales and information counters. Vienna Cards are also available online (website: www.wienkarte.at).

Key Attractions:

Stephansdom (St Stephen's Cathedral)
The imposing St Stephen's Cathedral marks Graben's eastern end and is easily spotted, due to its brightly colored roof tiles, from more distant viewpoints. Construction began on the cathedral in the 12th century and was completed in 1433. Major restoration and rebuilding work was necessary after the cathedral caught fire at the end of WWII.

01, Stephansplatz 1
Tel: (01) 5155 23520.
Website: www.stephanskirche.at  
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 0600-2200, Sun 0700-2200; English services Sat 1900, services with musical arrangement Sun 1015 (Sep-Jun), Sun 0930 (Jul-Aug); guided tours Mon-Sat between 0900-1130 and 1300-1630, Sun 1300-1630.
Admission charge.

Hofburg
The Imperial Palace until 1918, the Hofburg is almost a city in itself. Today, it houses the office of the Austrian president, an international conference center, a number of museums, the chapel where the Vienna Boys' Choir sings and the hall in which the Lipizzan stallions perform. Visitors can tour the Kaiserappartements (Imperial Apartments), including Franz Joseph's and Sisi's (Empress Elisabeth's) private rooms, the great audience hall, dining rooms and staterooms. The Silberkammer (Imperial Silver Collection) is also on show. The Schatzkammer (Treasury), Schweizerhof 1, contains stunning exhibits that exemplify the power and wealth of one of Europe's most important empires. The Imperial crown of the Holy Roman Empire rests here, as does the crown of the Austrian Empire, the 15th-century Burgundian treasure and the treasure of the Order of the Golden Fleece. The Sisi Museum, which opened in 2004 to commemorate the 150th wedding anniversary of Empress Elisabeth and Emperor Franz Joseph, showcases many personal objects and some of the most famous portraits of the beautiful empress. Last but not least, the Prunksaal (State Hall) of the Nationalbibliothek (Austrian National Library) is a jewel of profane baroque architecture and one of the most beautiful historical libraries in the world, and should not be missed.

01, Innerer Burghof 1, Kaisertor
Tel: (01) 533 7570 (Imperial Apartments, Imperial Silver Collection and Sisi Museum) or 5252 44025 (Treasury).
Website: www.hofburg.wien.info or www.hofburg-wien.at  
Opening hours: Daily 0900-1700 (Imperial Apartments, Imperial Silver Collection and Sisi Museum); Wed-Mon 1000-1800 (Treasury).
Admission charge.

State Hall of the Austrian National Library
01, Josefsplatz 1
Tel: (01) 534 100.
Website: www.onb.ac.at  
Opening hours: Tues-Sun 1000-1800, Thurs 1000-2100.
Admission charge.

Spanische Hofreitschule (Spanish Riding School)
For over 400 years, the horses of the Spanish Riding School have performed their elegant maneuvers at the Imperial Stables. The Lipizzaner Museum Wien (situated at the stables) traces the history of these renowned performing horses and offers the opportunity to see into the animals' quarters. The easiest way for visitors to see the horses in action is at their morning training sessions, 1000-1200 Tuesday to Saturday. Tickets to the training sessions, which involve classical dressage exercise to music, are only available at the door on the day. Tickets for the actual performances are in high demand and need to be booked well in advance. The season generally runs from March to June and from September to December. Gala performances vary from month to month, usually Saturday or Sunday mornings and occasionally Friday evenings. The expensive tickets are available on the Internet, by post or by fax (standing room is cheaper). Final dress rehearsals before the season starts are cheaper and tickets are available on a first-come-first-served basis.

01, Michaelerplatz 1 (Riding School ticket office), Reitschulgasse 2 (Lipizzaner Museum)
Tel: (01) 533 9031 (Riding School) or 5252 43450 (Lipizzaner Museum).
Website: www.spanische-reitschule.com or www.lipizzaner.at  
Opening hours: Daily 0900-1800 (museum); Tues-Sat 1000-1200 (morning training sessions). Guided tours Tues-Sat in the afternoon. Gala performances are usually held on Sunday morning at 1100, occasionally on Friday evenings.
Admission charge.

Schloß Schönbrunn (Schönbrunn Palace)
Schönbrunn Palace is Vienna's answer to Versailles and was used as the summer residence of the Habsburgs from the 18th century until 1918. Of the 1,441 rooms in the palace and its adjacent buildings, 40 state rooms are open to the public. The golden-yellow palace is set within equally magnificent gardens, landscaped in the baroque style, with some fabulous views. The palace and gardens are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The Gloriette is a triumphal arch that stands on the hilltop behind the palace and affords a stunning view over the grounds and the city beyond. The Palmenhaus (Palm House) is an excellent example of late 19th-century architecture, with cast iron columns delicately holding up the glass walls and roof. The world's oldest zoo can be found in the park. It was commissioned in 1752, to amuse and educate the court.

13, Schönbrunn Palace
Tel: (01) 81113 ext. 239.
Website: www.schoenbrunn.at  
Opening hours: Daily 0830-1700 (Apr-Oct, until 1800 Jul and Aug); daily 0830-1630 (Nov-Mar).
Admission charge.

Belvedere
The Oberes Belvedere (Upper Belvedere Palace), which was built in 1721-23 for Prince Eugene of Savoy, offers terrific views across the gardens to the Unteres Belvedere (Lower Belvedere) and the city beyond. Artwork from the middle ages and the Baroque era is featured in the Unteres Belvedere. The Oberes Belvedere houses art from the 19th-century classical, Romantic and Biedermeier periods on the second floor and post-1918 art on the ground floor. The first floor, however, is what draws visitors, with paintings by Gustav Klimt (including der Küss), Egon Schiele, Oskar Kokoschka and other fin-de-siècle artists.

03, Österreichische Galerie Belvedere, Prinz Eugenstrasse 27
Tel: (01) 79557.
Website: www.belvedere.at
Opening hours: Daily 1000-1800 (Oberes Belvedere); Thurs-Tues 1000-1800, Wed 1000-2100 (Unteres Belvedere).
Admission charge.

Kunsthistorisches Museum (Museum of Fine Arts)
This museum was built to house the Imperial Hapsburg collections in one place, although these have now grown to such an extent that some are housed in the Hofburg and in Schönbrunn Palace (see above). The grand staircase here provides passage to the galleries, which include the Antiquities, Egyptian-Oriental and Coin collections. The Kunstkammer (art chamber) houses sculpture and decorative arts. The Gemäldegalerie (picture gallery) has works by Old Masters, including Dürer, Raphael, Rembrandt, Rubens and Titian, and the most comprehensive collection of Brueghels in the world.

01, Maria-Theresien-Platz 1
Tel: (01) 525 240.
Website: www.khm.at  
Opening hours: Tues-Sun 1000-1800 (until 2100 Thurs).
Admission charge.

MuseumsQuartier
On the site of the former imperial stables, this large cultural complex, which opened in 2001, is one of the biggest of its kind in the world. Don't miss the excellent Leopold Museum, a must for anyone interested in Austrian art, and MUMOK, the Museum of Modern Art. The MuseumsQuartier (MQ) is a very pleasant place to hang out for a few hours, especially in summer, as the place is packed with students and young people relaxing outside or in one of the many cafes.

07, Museumplatz 1
Tel: (01) 523 5881 or 52570-0 (Leopold Museum) or 52500 (MUMOK).
Website: www.mqw.at or www.leopoldmuseum.org or www.mumok.at  
Opening hours: Wed-Mon 1000-1900, Thurs 1000-2100 (Leopold Museum);
Tues-Sun 1000-1800, Thurs 1000-2100 (MUMOK).
Admission charge Leopold Museum and MUMOK.

Further Distractions:

Prater
The Prater is a giant wooded park, fairground and the location of one of Vienna’s most famous sights - the century-old Riesenrad (Giant Ferris Wheel). Harry Lime fought here in The Third Man (1949) and Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy fell in love here in Before Sunrise (1995).

02, Prater
Tel: (01) 728 0516.
Website: www.wiener-prater.at  
Free admission.

Riesenrad (Giant Ferris Wheel)
02, Prater 90
Tel: (01) 729 5430.
Website: www.wienerriesenrad.com  
Admission charge.

KunstHausWien (Vienna Art House)
KunstHausWien is the unmistakable architectural expression of Friedensreich Hundertwasser’s unique vision. Appearing like a Klimt painting as seen through a kaleidoscope, the building contains an exhibition of Hundertwasser’s artwork as well as a bright cafe with a chic clientele and relaxing garden. The goulash is excellent. The nearby Hundertwasserhaus is an apartment project, which can only be viewed from the street.

03, Untere Weissgerberstrasse 13
Tel: (01) 712 0491.
Website: www.kunsthauswien.com  
Admission charge.

Kaisergruft (Imperial Burial Vault)
The Imperial Burial Vault in the Kapuzinerkirche (Capuchin Church), which was build between 1622 and 1632, is well worth a visit. The vault became the burial place of the Hapsburgs and the highlight is the double casket of Maria-Theresa and Franz I.

01, Neuer Markt 1
Tel: (01) 512 6853/16.
Website: www.kaisergruft.at  
Admission charge.

Haus der Musik (House of Music)
The Haus der Musik is a major addition to Vienna’s museum scene, offering a link between technology and art. It includes the museum of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, where visitors are given the opportunity to view the last New Year’s Day Concert; the Sonosphere, where many aspects of sound are presented, using hands-on computer technology and giant instruments; the Virtual Conductor, where visitors can use virtual technology to conduct the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra; and the Brain Opera, an interactive musical environment with unique ultramodern musical instruments. There are also historic displays of great Viennese composers, from Haydn to Berg, a wine bar, a cafe and several concert rooms. All exhibitions are presented in both German and English and anyone can happily spend hours here, whether musically inclined or not.

01, Seilerstätte 30
Tel: (01) 51648.
Website: www.hdm.at
Admission charge.

Liechtenstein Museum
Built between 1690 and 1712, the Liechtenstein Palace is one of the finest examples of baroque architecture in the city; it’s also home to the impressive private art collection of the Liechtenstein family. The rich interior, which is worth the admission charge alone, is perfectly complemented by works from the likes of Rubens, Rembrandt, and Raphael. Note the museum is only open Friday to Monday.

09, Fürstengasse 1
Tel: (01) 3195 7670.
Website: www.liechtensteinmuseum.at
Admission charge.

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Austria Attraction Guides:
Belvedere Palace (Osterreichishce Galerie Belvedere) Giant Ferris Wheel (Riesenrad) Hofburg Palace (Hofburg)	Kunsthistorisches Museum (Museum of Fine Art) Mozarts Geburtshaus und Mozarts Wohnhaus (Mozart's Birthplace and Residence) Schonbrunn Palace (Schloss Schonbrunn)