Vienna, Austria — Activities
Vienna Culture
Among the esteemed maestros who once lived and worked in Vienna are Strauss, Schubert, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Schönberg and Mahler. It was in Vienna that Mozart created his operas and Strauss gave the world the Blue Danube waltz and such beloved operettas as Der Fledermaus.
Tickets to cultural events are available from all major concert venues and theaters. Bookings can also be made at Bundestheaterkassen, 01, Hanuschgasse 3 (tel: (01) 5144 42960; www.bundestheater.at).
For cultural listings, check out the monthly magazine Programm, published by the Albetinaplatz tourist office. Other listing sources include Wien Magazin (www.wienmagazin.at), Wien Live (www.wienlive.at) and Falter (www.falter.at).
Music and Dance
Musikverein
The Vienna Boys' Choir is a Viennese institution, having been formed as the Boys' Choir of the Royal Court in 1498. Together with members of the chorus and orchestra of the Vienna State Opera, they form the Hofmusikkapelle, which performs at Mass in the Chapel of the Imperial Palace throughout the year. The Vienna Boys' Choir also perform in the Brahms-Saal (Brahms Hall), the venue for chamber music in the Musikverein, and at the Volksoper (People's Opera), a smaller venue that stages opera, operettas, ballets and musicals. The renowned Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and the Vienna Symphonic Orchestra also perform here.
01, Bösendorferstrasse 12
Tel: (01) 505 8190.
Website: www.musikverein-wien.at
Staatsoper
The world-renowned Wiener Staatsoper (Vienna State Opera) performs daily September to June from a repertoire of nearly one hundred operas, operettas and ballets. The splendid opera house makes for a romantic and regal setting in which to see the performances. This is also where Vienna's most prestigious ball and the highlight of the Viennese social calendar, the Opera Ball, takes place on the Thursday before Shrove Tuesday. Waltzers in long gowns and dinner jackets twirl under chandeliers, recalling the splendor and romance of a bygone era.
01, Hanuschgasse 3
Tel: (01) 5144 42250.
Website: www.wiener-staatsoper.at
Wiener Konzerthaus
Wiener Konzerthaus is where the Vienna Symphonic Orchestra mainly performs. The Konzerthaus is also home to the Wiener Singakademie choir and hosts touring international orchestras.
Lothringerstrasse 20
Tel: (01) 242 002.
Website: www.konzerthaus.at
Theater
Burgtheater
Theater also has a long and proud tradition in Vienna - the patronage of the Imperial Court has been an important factor in its development. There are 50 theaters in the city but the Burgtheater (Palace Theater) stands at the forefront and is an intense source of pride to the Viennese. This impressive edifice is the oldest and one of the most important stages in the German-speaking world. Built on the Ringstrasse in the 19th century, Burgtheater stages classical and contemporary works of the very highest standards of production. Other important theaters in Vienna include the Volkstheater, the Theater in der Josefstadt and the Schauspielhaus.
01, Dr Karl Lueger Ring 2
Tel: (01) 5144 44140.
Website: www.burgtheater.at
Vienna's English Theater
For English-language productions, Vienna's English Theater has an excellent reputation on the world stage, to the extent that many contemporary playwrights choose to premier their works here. There are also annual productions of French- and Italian-language works.
08, Josefgasse 12
Tel: (01) 402 12600.
Website: www.englishtheater.at
Vienna Tours
Walkingtours
Vienna Walks offers tours, ranging from ‘Vienna in the Footsteps of The Third Man', which scouts out the locations of the famous film, to tours of the homes of Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert. Other tours focuse on a historical period, Jewish life in Vienna, or the underground city of crypts and wine cellars. Vienna With Love also offers walks in English, including art nouveau architecture, medieval quarters and hidden courtyards, or the Imperial Palace. Tours are between 90 minutes and two hours, and there is a minimum of three walkers per group, although individual tours can be pre-arranged.
Vienna Walks
Tel: (01) 774 8901.
Website: www.viennawalks.com
Vienna With Love
Tel: (01) 889 2806.
Website: www.verliebtinwien.at
Bustours
Vienna Sightseeing Tours offers a three-and-a-half-hour ‘Historical City Tour', which includes a visit to Schönbrunn Palace. Cityrama offers a similar full city tour, as well as the three-hour ‘Sisi Tour', covering the historical sites of the city and including a visit to St Stephen's Cathedral, the Hofburg and a training session at the Spanish Riding School. Redbus City Tours organizes two tours of the city, one sticking to the attractions along the Ringstrasse and within the Innerestadt, and the second taking in all the sights of the first plus attractions on the outskirts of the city.
Cityrama
Tel: (01) 534 130.
Website: www.cityrama.at
Redbus City Tours
Tel: (01) 512 4030.
Website: www.redbuscitytours.at
Vienna Sightseeing Tours
Tel: (01) 7124 6830.
Website: www.viennasightseeingtours.com
Boattours
The DDSG Blue Danube Schiffahrt GmbH offers several cruises on the River Danube. Most are available only from mid-April to mid-October, but The Danube Round Trip is available year round. The two sightseeing tours, the ‘Grand Danube River Cruise' and the ‘Hundertwasser Tour', go between Schwedenplatz and Reichsbrücke and it is possible to take one tour in one direction and return on the other tour. Each tour lasts 70 to 100 minutes.
Tel: (01) 58880.
Website: www.ddsg-blue-danube.at
Othertours
Pedal Power provides three- to four-hour bicycle tours departing from in front of the Vienna Opera, twice daily from May to September. Sights include KunstHausWien, St Stephen's Cathedral and the Danube Canal. The Vienna Ring Tram is a sightseeing tour on a classic yellow tram that dates from the late 1920s. The round trip takes 24 minutes. A romantic, albeit expensive way for visitors to see the city is by a traditional Fiaker (horse-drawn carriage). These are available for hire at Stephansplatz, Heldenplatz and Albertinaplatz. The prices and lengths of the ride must be negotiated in advance.
Pedal Power
Tel: (01) 729 7234.
Website: www.pedalpower.at
Vienna Ring Tram
Tel: (01) 790 9105.
Website: www.wienerlinien.at
