Hi Steemians!
Whether you’re in Vienna just for a day due to a river cruise port of call, long flight layover, a day off on a business trip, or just limited vacation time and you’ve always wanted to go to Vienna, you can still explore this capital city of Austria and get a feel for its culture and history. Here are the top sites to see if you have only one day in Vienna.
If you arrived at Vienna airport, there are few ways to get to the city centre:
I personally prefer the CAT, as it is quite a luxury train, and going non-stop to Wien Mitte, and giving you access to the U-Bahn (metro), lines U3 and U4.
While taking a bus, it takes to Schweden Platz, from where you have to walk around 200 meters straight to the U1 U-Bahn and go in the direction of Oberlaa, only 1 stop, going out at Stephansplatz.
Hint: try to be there at the time, where the church holds a mass (http://cathedralofststephen.org.au/mass-times/)
Each institution within the MQ has its own opening hours and sells its own tickets. However: The three main attractions (Leopold Museum, MUMOK, Kunsthalle) are included in the Vienna Pass.
Opened in 2001, the Museumsquartier is a pedestrianized complex of modern art museums, cultural venues, bars, shops and restaurants with regular events and exhibitions. Perhaps most famous for the huge Schiele collection in the Leopold Museum. Access to the complex is free, but you need to buy tickets for individual museums and most exhibitions.
Rathaus is the city hall of Vienna and is the seat of the mayor plus houses the city council. It was built in 1883 and is an example of Historicism architecture, which blends historic architect styles of the past with a new style that is all its own.
While visiting Rathaus, be sure to look for the Rathausmann, a knight sculpture atop the tower which stands guard over the city. The Rathaus Tower is accessible via 331 steps which take you up spiral staircases to a landing with great views of Vienna, but if you only have one day in Vienna you may want to skip making this trek.
Parlament is situated on the Oper Ring, as well as the Rathaus.
Austrian parliament building appeared in the second half of the 19th century as part of the urban renewal and expansion project that followed the demolition of the former city wall.
Given its representative function, it might come as a surprise to learn that the architect was not local, but Danish (Theophil von Hansen).
The Karlskirche in Vienna was built to impress. However, the church is notable not simply for its monumentality: what escapes most onlookers today is the complex symbolic programme that can be read from the individual elements of its architecture.
From the 18th century to 1918, Schönbrunn was the residence of the Habsburg emperors. It was designed by the architects Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach and Nicolaus Pacassi and is full of outstanding examples of decorative art. Together with its gardens, the site of the world’s first zoo in 1752, it is a remarkable Baroque ensemble and a perfect example of Gesamtkunstwerk.
The gilded bronze monument of Johann Strauß II is one of the most known and most frequently photographed monuments in Vienna. It was unveiled to the public on 26 June 1921 and is framed by a marble relief made by Edmund Hellmer. The gilding was removed in 1935 and laid on again only in 1991.
There are several other monuments, e.g. of Franz Schubert, Franz Lehár, Robert Stolz and Hans Makart; the Stadtpark is the park with the largest number of monuments and sculptures in Vienna.
There are many other places to visit, like Hundertwasser Haus, Belvedere, Mozart monument in Burggarten, but we will talk about those in my other posts coming!
