# A Day in Vienna. What to do?



## Don Fatale (Aug 31, 2009)

I'm managed to arrange a 2-night stay in Vienna in May, too late an arrival for much on the 1st night, but obviously with an opera planned on the 2nd evening (L'Heure Espagnole/Les mamelles de Tirésias).

What should I do in the daytime? Preferably opera or classical music based of course.


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## Guest (Apr 14, 2015)

Only 2 days? Very well, get ye down to the huge "central" Vienna cemetery (Zentralfriedhof - http://www.visitingvienna.com/sights/zentralfriedhof/) and spend *at least 8 hours on your knees in pious submission in front of Beethoven's (2nd) resting place*. If you feel like it, you can wander around and check out the graves of other musical greats (Schoenberg, Ligeti, Salieri, Schubert, Brahms...) and many other cultural and political luminaries. Follow this up with a visit to Figlmüller (http://www.figlmueller.at/en/) for a great Wiener schnitzel !!


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## Belowpar (Jan 14, 2015)

Cafe Mozart for lunch - where else?

We had 3 days there in May last year and the only thing I regret was not geting on the afternoon tour of the Opera House. It was the Bank Holiday weekend and every day it was at a different time! PS all the decent restaurants were shut and the palce was a ghost town! Just lovely to walk round and round. Visit the Belvedere.

We saw Cenerentola and one thread I mean to start is how different do people find the productions and audience reaction as you move from country to country. Perhaps we can compare notes.

Have you checked there isn't a matinee on somewhere else?


Enjoy and report back.


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## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

Lucky you! If I were in your shoes, I wouldn't cram too much into the one day, but walk round the city taking in the various buildings and soaking up the atmosphere. But here's a list of museums one might visit; I think I'd only do one, though. I might walk round an imposing church or two; and have a coffee somewhere nice. 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_museums_in_Vienna

I might visit the Folk Museum or the Haydnhaus, though the Museum of Fakes looks entertaining. The Mozart House? The Leopold Museum & see some Klimt? The Jewish Museum? The Vienna Museum itself, all about life in the city?
They all look great. It might depend where they are and how much they cost.

Hope you find somewhere nice & the weather's good.


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## Don Fatale (Aug 31, 2009)

Thanks TalkingHead, BelowPar and Ingelou for the suggestions so far. I should have pointed out that I've been there before (mainly for work) and have been to an opera at the Staatsoper, visited Heiligenstadt and a few other places. I'm sorry if I gave the impression that I was expecting to DO Vienna in a day. ;-)

Yes, TalkingHead, the cemetery is was my likely choice (something I enjoy more than museums), although I might only have time for an hour at the foot of Beethoven's grave as I'd need time for Schubert's grave too. ;-) (Thanks for the link). That'll take care of the morning. I might also check out a walking tour.


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## Dongiovanni (Jul 30, 2012)

Lots of composer related museums there.
Visit this museum... Not so great but you get to access the Eroica room !
Interesting museum with lots of antique musical instruments
Do the tour of the opera ! Be sure to join the que on time. It's a very nice tour, good access backstage.


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## Don Fatale (Aug 31, 2009)

Hi dongiovanni

I hope you had a nice break (from operas!)

Alas, the Staatopera is _geschlossen_ on my visiting day, but I'll check for something similar. I know there's always a chance of afternoon concerts and entertainments. I remember being in Vienna for business with a client and took him to one of those nice elegant tourist concerts in the evening. He loved it so much, and didn't stop talking about it for weeks. 

I have a ticket in the evening for Kammeroper, a double bill of Ravel/Poulenc which I'm looking forward to seeing.

In the course of my time-consuming air travel research I managed to figure out how to get from Inverness to Vienna in time for supper - by means of INV fly to AMS, train to ROT, fly to VIE, and good prices too. (Flybe and Transavia), I'm guessing you've done the Transavia flight.


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## Dongiovanni (Jul 30, 2012)

I took the flight from Dusseldorf to Vienna. There is train from the Vienna airport to Vienna center it takes just 15 minutes. You can walk from the trainstation to Stephans Church in another 15 minutes. Or you can the tube. There is a tubestation exit at the staats oper.


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## Dongiovanni (Jul 30, 2012)

Check out the musiekverein and the konzerthaus. Music in Vienna is always happening.


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

I'm following this thread with interest as I'll have a couple of free days when I see Peter Grimes at Theater an der Wein. I'll definitely try and do the back stage tour at the staatsoper and will check out the museums which Dongiovanni mentions.


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## Kivimees (Feb 16, 2013)

sospiro said:


> I'm following this thread with interest as I'll have a couple of free days when I see Peter Grimes at Theater an der Wein. I'll definitely try and do the back stage tour at the staatsoper and will check out the museums which Dongiovanni mentions.


I am also following this thread with interest - I'll be in Vienna in June.


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## perempe (Feb 27, 2014)

I met a US girl at the performance of Rosenkavalier, she said she saw Elektra in Vienna. She told me that the best part in her long trip was the Spanish Riding School in Vienna.


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## Don Fatale (Aug 31, 2009)

Kivimees said:


> I am also following this thread with interest - I'll be in Vienna in June.


That's great. Seeing some opera I hope. Don't hold out hope for great tourist tips from me; my trip is likely to consist of beer, sausages, cemeteries and opera. :lol: I'll do a combined write-up with Bratislava and Budapest. Sospiro's trip report might be more edifying. 

Thanks for the transfer details, dongiovanni, that should be easy enough.


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## Kivimees (Feb 16, 2013)

Alexander said:


> That's great. Seeing some opera I hope. Don't hold out hope for great tourist tips from me; my trip is likely to consist of beer, sausages, cemeteries and opera. :lol: I'll do a combined write-up with Bratislava and Budapest. Sospiro's trip report might be more edifying.


Actually, Vienna and I are old friends. I've been there many times and as usual this trip is work-related, so once again I won't have much free time. I do plan on a visit to the Zentralfriedhof this time and maybe the Haydn museum. I will likely trade the beer for wine in that delightful Viennese establishment, the Heuriger. The sausages are given (spicy mustard please!). My trip also features two days in Bratislava. 

(Mrs. Kivimees and I had a very nice time in Inverness last summer at the end of our trip to Scotland, of which most was spent on the Orkney Islands.)


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## Dongiovanni (Jul 30, 2012)

Not so music related, but it's the Vienna culture tradition, the cafe's. If you like sweets and coffee, this is the place to be. There is the famous Cafe Sacher just opposite of the back of the State Opera, with it's famous Sacher Torte.

Cafe sacher and it's famous cake:








Also very special is Cafe Central, the meeting place in the early 20th century for people like Freud.

The sweets:














The cafe entrance:








Another interesting cafe:








Architecture freaks will know the famous bank building. Notice the contrast between the cafe and the bank building.


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## Dongiovanni (Jul 30, 2012)

This is the house where the Eroica was first performed








If you are a Beethoven fan like me, be sure to visit the Theater an der Wien. It's still active as a music theater. Beethoven lived here and some of his works premiered here. The theater's manager was a certain Emanuel Schikaneder... yes, the first Papageno and librettist of the Magic Flute.


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## Dongiovanni (Jul 30, 2012)

One more... what you will notice is that you are surroundend by music. This is a very common scene:








Also, lot's of cafe's have live music and mostly acoustic.

But weware of the 'Amadeus' men.. they resell tickets often too very commercialized concerts. Always book your tickets at the ticket office off the concert hall / theater.

And this is the altar where Mozart married Constanze


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## Don Fatale (Aug 31, 2009)

Kivimees said:


> Actually, Vienna and I are old friends. I've been there many times and as usual this trip is work-related, so once again I won't have much free time. I do plan on a visit to the Zentralfriedhof this time and maybe the Haydn museum. I will likely trade the beer for wine in that delightful Viennese establishment, the Heuriger. The sausages are given (spicy mustard please!). My trip also features two days in Bratislava.
> 
> (Mrs. Kivimees and I had a very nice time in Inverness last summer at the end of our trip to Scotland, of which most was spent on the Orkney Islands.)


I'm looking forward to not having work and clients with me this time, although business was always pleasant and sociable - a well known Austrian crystal company. I was often the anti-social one on these trips, as I would rather track down an opera instead of another gut-busting business dinner.

Kivimees, firstly I trust you were well treated on your trip to the Highlands and Islands, secondly Dongiovanni and I were recently discussing a future Baltic opera jaunt, and may ask some questions of you, but I guess we should keep it for another thread.


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

Dongiovanni said:


> Not so music related, but it's the Vienna culture tradition, the cafe's. If you like sweets and coffee, this is the place to be. There is the famous Cafe Sacher just opposite of the back of the State Opera, with it's famous Sacher Torte.
> 
> Cafe sacher and it's famous cake:
> View attachment 68359
> ...


:tiphat:

Thank you! These will be at the top of my 'to do' list!


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## Kivimees (Feb 16, 2013)

Alexander said:


> Kivimees, firstly I trust you were well treated on your trip to the Highlands and Islands, secondly Dongiovanni and I were recently discussing a future Baltic opera jaunt, and may ask some questions of you, but I guess we should keep it for another thread.


Yes, we were very well treated - a magnificent trip! And should you and Dongiovanni decide on a Baltic trip, I will offer all the advice I can.


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## jim prideaux (May 30, 2013)

have read through this thread with great interest as I visited Vienna twice last year, as with many others because of my interest in music and Art Nouveau architecture and art-might I recommend the following (although you may not have the same interests)

Musikverein-home of the VPO, if there is a concert there are often 'returns' from season ticket holders who cannot attend and they can be obtained from the ticket office (in February last year I managed to get a ticket for Bruckner 6th and Mozart 25th,accidentally 'gatecrashing' a reception to mark the demise of Abaddo)

Leopold Museum-Klimt, Schiele and Kokoshka-part of an impressive 'museum quarter'

Porgy and Bess Jazz club-one of the European 'biggies'

Belvedere Palace-walk through the gardens with Haydn on an I pod, go inside for more Klimt.....

Linke Wienzille-Otto Wagner and others designed the incredible apartment buildings, there is an excellent little museum dedicated to the great architect at the Stadtbahn pavilions on Karlsplatz....on the south side of Karlsplatz there is also the City museum

Adolf Loos-perhaps one of originators of the whole art deco thing-have a look at his building opposite the Hofburg-Franz Joseph apparently could not bring himself to look across the square at a building that today many would regard as he height of a simple grace

At any opportunity make use of the underground...it is superb

and as for Cafes-in my experience-any because they are just marvellous.....

and if you are that way inclined south of Mariahilf there appears to be an accumulation of eccentric and really well stocked second hand CD shops.....

I could go on and on.......


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

jim prideaux said:


> have read through this thread with great interest as I visited Vienna twice last year, as with many others because of my interest in music and Art Nouveau architecture and art-might I recommend the following (although you may not have the same interests)
> 
> Musikverein-home of the VPO, if there is a concert there are often 'returns' from season ticket holders who cannot attend and they can be obtained from the ticket office (in February last year I managed to get a ticket for Bruckner 6th and Mozart 25th,accidentally 'gatecrashing' a reception to mark the demise of Abaddo)
> 
> ...




Uh-oh. I'm already regretting I haven't booked a longer stay!


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