Vienna

[Floridiana]

I would suggest to go to the Belvedere first and see Klimt if this is your priority. The Belvedere is a bit like a miniature Schoenbrunn, a baroque castle with a garden. Take the tram (I think it is D) to go up the hill or walk in the park.

 

Then hang out in downtown Vienna for the cathedral, a coffee shop and the ambiance. If you still have the time and energy, take the subway U4 to Schoenbrunn. You need to see the castle from the garden side. Or see Schoenbrunn first, then recover in downtown Vienna. :)

 

Downtown Vienna is walkable as long as you stay within the Ring. You can also visit in a horse drawn carriage.

Edited September 6, 2016 by Floridiana

[Got2Cruise]

Schonbrunn also has the carriage museum. That was included when we took the AMA tour. The carriages are very worthwhile seeing. I love seeing how the royalty lived.

[jpalbny]

And it's Burg. Berg is a mountain

 

Darn it. I recently learned that and still mix them up! :) Hofburg... Must get that programmed into my autocorrect!

[Floridiana]

Burg is like Buuuh! the resident Burg ghost!

 

Berg is like Sherpa, the mountain guides in Nepal.

[kb0000]

Having spent 12 days in Vienna on several trips, including 2-3 AMA river cruises. I suggest the first thing you do is to find out which of the two ports in Vienna is the one where you will be docked. The midtown dock is very handy to metro. The suburban dock, in the suburb where Franz Lehar lived, is a pain in the butt to deal with. If you are stuck there, as we were on our last AMA cruise, your best bet is to take the provided shuttle bus into town and then take the metro.

 

Take the included basic tour of the central city. You will see the major highlights of the central city & visit St Stephen's.

 

For Schoenbrunn, if its optional, the price is rip off. Instead take metro to the first Schoenbrunn stop which was originally built as the private metro stop for the Imperial family. Return via the second Schoenbrunn stop. You can easily spend a day at Schoenbrunn. There is a choice of two palace tours, short and long. Long is better, but the overpriced tours offered by cruises is usually for the short tour. Additionally, the Carriage Museum and a walk thru the garden to the Gloriette are essential for a complete visit. Odds are you won't have enough time for all of this, so start with the long tour.

 

As I recall, the best Klimt collection is in the Belvader Palace, again, easily accessed by metro. Belvader is of considerable historic importance. When the Turks invaded Europe, Vienna managed to halt the Turk's invasion at the gates to the city, and then Prince Eugene of Savoy led a combined European army that drove the Turks back to Turkey. The grateful Austrian Emperor gave Belvader to Prince Eugene as a thank you card. Had it not been for Prince Eugene, you & your follow seniors would be Muslims.

 

Although you have a full plate, you omit visits to two of Vienna's top sights: the Charles Church and the National Library. The Library is the only sight in Vienna that we make sure to visit every time we are in Vienna. Put these two on your list.

 

Don't waste $$ on a private guide. Buy a Michelin Green guide or Eyewitness Guide instead

Edited September 8, 2016 by kb0000
forget the last pointp

[rahrah50]

Thank you kb0000!!!!! Great information for us!!!

[jpalbny]

I agree; kp0000 has some great information there.

 

To elaborate on one point: Karlskirche (Charles Church) is really interesting. It has a mixed up façade with elements of very different architectural styles blended together, including columns reminiscent of Trajan's column! The church sits next to a reflecting pool and in the afternoon/evening, the lighting is magnificent for pictures. It is backlit in the morning, though.

 

Another cool thing about this church is that they are renovating the interior. There is scaffolding inside, and you can take an elevator partway up, then walk a few flights of stairs all the way to the cupola at the very top of the church. The view out from the cupola isn't the attraction, but you can see the ceiling art up close and personal from your vantage point. Very cool.