Travel Tips & Trends

Vienna

Music aficionados usually include Vienna on their list of must-see cities. However, there is much more to the Austrian capital than its classical music heritage.

Every major city seems to have a well-known observation point. In Vienna, the view can be observed from atop the Riesenrad-—a giant Ferris wheel, 200 feet in diameter with 15 enclosed cabins, built in 1897 for the Golden Jubilee of Emperor Franz Josef I. The Riesenrad has been featured in numerous movies and is one of the four most-visited attractions in Vienna. Its luxury cabins are furnished in period style and can be hired for dinners and functions.

The opulence of the imperial era can also be seen at Schonbrunn Palace; baroque Belvedere Palace with its unsurpassed collection of art by Gustav Klimt; and Hofburg Palace, setting of countless imperial banquets and now displaying collections of silver and kitchenware.

Dining specialties of the city include tafelspitz (tender beef), Wiener schnitzel, Sacher torte (Hotel Sacher's renowned chocolate cake) and strudel. Coffee houses and heurigen (wine taverns) are popular with both locals and visitors.

Outside the city, travelers can explore wine-growing villages and the Vienna Woods. The Roman city of Baden, the Abbey of Heiligenkreuz and Europe's largest subterranean lake, the Seegrotte, are also easily reached as part of a Vienna trip.