A Trip to Vienna

Schönbrunn

The baroque Schönbrunn palace is a former residence of the Habsburg rulers and one of Vienna’s major attractions. It’s been listed a UNESCO Cultural World Heritage Site since 1996. The palace has 1,441 chambers, 190 of which are open to public. The admission fee starts at 42 euros, depending on what you want to see. We didn’t enter the palace, we just took a walk through the gardens and fountains in the beautiful and very large park. The Vienna Zoo and Gloriette are also part of the garden. The Gloriette is a monument that’s supposed to represent power and grandeur of the Habsburgs.

The Vienna Zoo (Tiergarten Schönbrunn)

Inside the park one can also find the Vienna Zoo – the oldest zoo in Europe. The admission fee is 24 euros for adults and 14 euros for children. The zoo is well-appointed and has lots of playground equipment, footpaths and restaurants. We liked it because the animals have plenty of natural space and aren’t stuck up in a cage. We were fascinated by penguins, a giraffe calf and two koalas who were, sadly, asleep. The Schönbrunn palace and zoo are located in the 13th district or seven kilometres from the city centre. We took the underground or U-Bahn to the city centre. You can find more about the zoo here.

The Natural History Museum (Naturhistorisches Museum)

There are two interesting museums in the city centre, at Maria-Theresien-Platz, right next to the magnificent statue of Maria Theresa. The Natural History Museum can be found on one side and the Museum of Fine Arts or Kunsthistorisches Museum on the other. The buildings, which were built in the late 19th century, are gorgeous – both have a rectangular shape, have a 60-metre-high dome and a sandstone façade, while beautiful ceilings, marble and stucco decoration can be found in their interiors. The admission fee to the Natural History Museum is 14 euros for adults, and children aged under 19 have free admission. The museum has multiple floors of rich collections, including plants, fossils and numerous skeletons. Be careful in the dinosaur hall, though, as they can suddenly “come back to life”.

The Museum of Fine Arts (Kunsthistorisches Museum)

The Museum of Fine Arts or Kunsthistorisches Museum, one of the country’s largest such museums and one of the world’s most important ones, can be found across the Natural History Museum. Each hall is dedicated to a different type of art and we first walked through the Ancient Egyptian, Iranian and Greek art halls. The staircase is decorated with paintings of Gustav Klimt and other artists. You can find information about admission fees and opening hours here.

The Hofburg Palace

The Hofburg palace is a former imperial palace in the centre of Vienna that served as a winter residence for the nobility. It’s now the residence of the president of Austria. There are still many carriages and beautiful Lipizzaner horses outside the palace. That’s because the Spanish Riding School with Lipizzaner horses is one of the palace’s most interesting parts. There are gardens or huge lawns and parks on each side of the building.

The Hundertwasserhaus

The Hundertwasserhaus is a really special house in the 3rd district of Vienna (Landstrasse). It’s the work of architect and artist Hundertwasser. The house has 52 flats and several business premises. What’s special about it is that the façade, which consists of multiple colours and various patterns, doesn’t have a flat surface. This colourful and unusual house also has uneven floor in the hallway. There’s a real park on the rooftop and trees grow from the walls at places.

Prater Amusement Park

Prater, with its giant metal Riesenrad, is definitely one of the major attractions in Vienna. The amusement park is open all day and offers more than 250 rides. Unlike Gardaland in Italy, Prater doesn’t have an admission fee, so you can walk freely in the park and pay the fee at each individual ride. You can find more information here.

A few tips for travellers:

• HI membership card holders get 10% off when booking any of the wonderful hostels in Vienna’s city centre.
• With the Vienna Card, which costs 17 euros, you can use all types of public transport for 24 hours, go on a scenic ride with the Hop On – Hop Off bus or get a discount on museum tickets.
• Public transport in Vienna is very well organised, while driving in your car in one-way and congested streets in the city centre can be quite frustrating. I suggest that you park at any of the designated and cheaper car parks which can be found somewhat outside the city centre and then use the underground (U-Bahn) to travel around the city.

Vienna is a wonderful city with a rich history. It’s one of Europe’s largest capitals. If you’re planning a trip to Vienna, you should take multiple days because the city offers lots of attractions that are worth visiting. And don’t forget to grab a piece of Sachertorte.