International Destinations

One-day Vienna tour is whirlwind not waltz

By Nicholas Spillios

Forget the waltzes and 3/4 time. With only one full day to cover a city that was once the capital of Europe, dancing is out of the question!

I had referred to my travel books for advice. Unfortunately, all appeared to agree that at least three days are needed to do this charming historical and imperial city justice. One day was definitely not enough. Well, on our tour, one day was all that my wife Charlotte and I had.

Reverence for the Hapsburg rulers of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the musical greats Mozart, Bethoven, Schubert, Brahms, and, of course, Johann Strauss, appear to permeate everywhere. Is it any wonder that Empress Marie-Therese would return here regularly rather than spend her time in Prague, the seat of Hapsburg power at one time?

The best approach to exploring the city is to walk the Ringstrasse, which begins on the Danube Canal, encircles broad boulevards and returns to that point.

The major focus here is District #1 (Inner Stadt). With limited time it is the only area that the visitor can possibly handle. The best bet is to hop on the streetcar.

We spotted signs noting the 250th anniversary of Mozart’s birth, although he was born in Salzburg. The Viennese make a habit of celebrating any famous personage who spent time in their beloved city. Listen carefully and you may hear the strains of his operas in the streets.

As one follows the Ringstrasse, one is struck by the majestic sweep of the city, its adherence to tradition with imposing Art Nouveau and Baroque buildings, and the delightful ambience.

The famous coffee houses are hard to turn down (forget Starbucks for this day!) and the sausage stands offer more than 10 varieties, served with bread, mustard and Austrian beer.

On the busiest part of the Ringstrasse is the Hofburg. This historic building was home to the Austrian Empire’s Hapsburg rulers for several centuries and was formerly known as the Imperial Palace.

We took a walk around and found ourselves part of festivities which most of Vienna seemed to be attending. We also discovered the entrance to the internationally acclaimed Spanish Riding School dating from the Imperial era. An equestrian show by the Lipizzaner Stallions takes place at this location. We had been told that the show with the stallions performing to classical music was a must.

Nearby is the most dramatic building in the city, St. Stephen’s Cathedral, located in the square known as Stephansplatz. The Viennese refer to it as Stephansdom. The church dates back to the 12th Century and is topped by lattice patterns and statues.

Shortage of time meant we had to bypass the Museumsquartier, with its treasure of museums, cafes and coffee houses, but we did catch an outstanding exhibit of Van Gogh drawings and paintings at the Albertina Museum.

At this point, it was time to savour the world famous Viennese pastries.

Yes, I know that I should have treated Charlotte to a Sacher Torte (a rich chocolate cake with apricot jam) at the Sacher Cafe but having been advised that such a bite would have cost about $30 Canadian, we opted out and stopped in a little cafe called the Cafe Palais Palffy, almost directly across from the Albertina Museum.

I am happy to report that the cheese strudel with vanilla sauce and the pancake with apricot sauce which Charlotte ordered was superb and at half the price of the Sacher Torte! So watching your pennies as seniors is possible, even in Vienna.

Across the street from the Sacher is the world famous Opera House which boasts 290 performances per year. Tickets for performances here are in the minimum of $200 Canadian range. Another time, perhaps. While the city of wiener schnitzel has a high reputation for food, be forewarned: dining here can be very, very expensive.

Our advice is to opt for other than Viennese food by dining at the many ethnic cafes to be found on or off the Ringstrasse. We found a Turkish cafe called Levante where Charlotte had yogurt rice soup and a spinach strudel and I enjoyed creamy lentil soup and lamb-stuffed eggplant. It was delicious and the bill was only $40!

No visit would be complete without a tour of the Schonbrunn Palace, second only to Versailles for opulence. The walk through its myriad of 40 rooms out of the 1,441 is breathtaking – and time-consuming. Frescoed ceilings, precious artifacts, gold decorated ornaments, and crystal chandeliers dazzle the eye. Did we visit the famous Kunst Museum? The Sigmund Freud Museum? Did we have dinner at the Cafe Royale? Visit the Vienna Woods? Or see the locale where Prince Rudolf and Maria Vitsera uttered eternal love before taking their lives? No indeed.

Nor did we visit The Third Man Museum with its artifacts from that film. But we did catch a glimpse of the ferris wheel from which Harry Lime, played by Orson Welles, fell to his death in the film.

On the plus side, we did meet our senior budget, although with difficulty. What we missed we’ll see next time...