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hi, I live in Vienna and love my city... I can't really tell you what you would enjoy without knowing more about you, but I'll write down some ideas anyway:
One of my favorite spots is the "Zentralfriedhof" (the central cemetary). You can reach it by taking the U3 subway to "Simmering" and then the 71-tram to "Zentralfriedhof". Personally, I get off at the first gate ("Zentralfriedhof 1.Tor") and then wander in, and on to where my feet will lead me, which is usually to the back part. In that part of the cemetary, there are a lot of old old old, crumbling and overgrown Jewish graves. And old trees. No visitors. It is so still. And somehow, to me, there is an atmosphere of power there.
You may like to go to the "Burgkino" (one of the older cinemas which shows movies in English) and watch "The Third Man", which is an awesome movie set in Vienna after World War II. Not only is it a really good movie, but since it was actually produced in Vienna after the war, you can see what Vienna looked like then. You see bombed buildings and all the debris, and how the city was divided into sectors... and there is a famous scene on the "Riesenrad" (the "Great Wheel") in the "Prater", the way it looked then.
I believe watching that scene has more thrill than actually going on the "Riesenrad" yourself. But why not do that, too, if you feel like it. Especially since there is a really cute exhibition when you enter, presenting the history of Vienna very visually as models inside models of the wagons of the wheel.
On the other hand, you might like to pick a more exciting ride in the Prater which will also let you see Vienna from above but with more action and thrill to it than the slowly-turning "Riesenrad".
I went off on a tangent, there, but I'd still like to mention how you can find the "Burgkino" cinema: The address is Opernring 19; phone (+43 1) 587 84 06; if you walk along the "Ring"-street from the opera to the hofburg, it's about half way, on your left-hand side.
There is some information on "The Third Man" here:
http://www.burgkino.at/frameset_playnow.phtml
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0041959/
To get to the Prater, you just need to take the U1 subway to "Praterstern"
Another thing that comes to my mind is the "Hofjagd- und Rüstkammer" museum of artistically crafted armour. Including armour for the horses. I was so impressed when I first walked in there, and I'm a girl, neither into fighting nor into the Middle Ages...
Also I found that part of the "Hofburg" (imperial palace) where the museum is impressive to see from the inside. And in the same museum there is also a large collection of old musical instruments, well worth seeing if you are interested in music.
If you stand on "Heldenplatz" square, facing the (not quite) semi-circle of the "new" (100 years old) part of the "Hofburg", the entrance to the museum is right in the center of that semi-circle and then to your right.
Oh, and since you are from Greece, I think you -must- ;) go to the Volksgarten park (enter from "Heldenplatz" square opposite the "Hofburg" (imperial palace) or from the "Ring" street opposite parliament. Why that? In that park, there is an original-size replica of the Theseus temple in Athens.
I wish you a great time in Vienna, hope you will enjoy my city!
....
p.s. I just realized: My ideas probably add on to your time-shortage rather than solve it. Definitely start with the must-see touristy things because you shouldn't miss them:
St. Stephen's cathedral is a good place to start. Take the U1 or U3 to "Stephansplatz". You find yourself in the heart of the city. In the middle of the first district, which used to be the whole city until the medieval city walls finally came down. On St.Stephen's, notice that beside the main entrance in the wall there is a measurement possibility for bread, used in the Middle Ages to prevent fraud. Also, there is the abbreviation for the resistance movement during WW2.
After seeing the cathedral, walk around it to the back of it, and there, enter through a doorway in a building into Blutgasse, where Mozart once used to live. But less because Mozart used to live there, and more to see the tiny streets there and get a feeling for what it must have been like in the Middle Ages.
Then you could walk along "Kärnterstrasse" to the "Ring" street and the opera. From there, you could take the 1 or 2 tram around the "Ring" to see all the important buildings along that street (built a little over a century ago, in place of the city walls).
Then, after coming back full circle to the opera, or else from "Schwarzenbergplatz", you could take the D-tram in direction of "Südbahnhof" and get off at "Belvedere" to see the Belvedere palace.
Finally, Schönbrunn Palace is a beautiful must-see as well. U4 subway in direction of "Hütteldorf" to "Schönbrunn".
Then I think you can consider yourself to have seen all the really important sights and will not have to leave Vienna feeling you missed something you should have seen. And hopefully you will still have some time left to do something "hot" of your choice...
Kahlenberg/Leopoldsberg would be nice too... aaarrrgghh, I just can't stop! ;) Enjoy! |
Ingmar
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Well, you have to consider this: Locals tend not to view their respective cities though the eyes of a visitor. So, while they can give you a few hints on the current hot spots and trends, they will generally not have the same needs as you as a tourist.
Try to enjoy the city as such, savior the atmoshpere. Visit a traditional coffee house (not the "Hawelka", which is where all the tourists go. Personally I recommend the "Griensteidl", located at Michaelerplatz close to the "Hofburg", or perhaps the "Landtmann" on the "Ring" opposite the university.)
If you are looking for an interesting musem, try the MUMOK (museum of modern art), or my personal favorite, the Leopoldmuseum.
I suppose one must see St. Stephens, so you might as well get that over with early in the morning. If you feel like walking a bit, try the "Prater", which is particularly lovely in the spring. |
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