Vienna Travel Guide
Travel guide to Vienna, Austria with comprehensive information about events, shopping, and major Vienna sporting events to help you enjoy your visit more.
Vienna Overview
Vienna is the capital of Austria and is located adjacent to the Alps mountain range sitting astride the famous river Danube.
The very centre of the city is pedestrianised, called the Innere Stadt it is where the main attractions can be found and makes a wonderful location to walk around and savour the city. Around this is the Ringstrasse, where there are more café bars than you could ever wish to try in several visits, let alone one, offering a wide variety of beverages and pastries.
The Ringstrasse also offers access to some of the most amazing art and historical artefacts to be found anywhere - the Kunsthistorisches Museum, The Museum of Applied Art, the Naturhistorisches Museum and the Secession Building house the most fantastic works by the greatest artists.
For those seeking culture and knowledge, Vienna was the home of Sigmund Freud, Johann Strauss, Beethoven and Mozart amongst others. Their homes can be found here and have proved inspirational to visitors from far and wide. Of course mention should be made of the Spanish Riding School where the horses make a wondrous sight and the Belvedere Palace, housing a wonderful collection of Viennese art.
An alternative to the more high brow profile of the above is Prater Park, where visitors will find an 18th century amusement park, whose main attraction is the Riesenrad ferris wheel and also the various statues located around the Park taking an irreverent view of life.
Top Vienna Attractions
No trip to Austria is complete without visiting the world famous Spanish Riding School, home to the Lipizzaner Stallions. Also on the list should be the Schonbrunn Palace where you will find the Hall of Mirrors State room the venue for Mozarts musical debut (aged 6!), the Wagenburg Imperial Coach Museum and the Tiergarten which is the oldest zoo in Europe.
Shopping in Vienna
The city is probably most well known for its antique shops and many markets. These are held throughout the city and are well loved by visitors and locals alike. In addition of course, and befitting a city of such splendour, there are many delightful shops offering all manner of goods, with a common theme of quality.
Vienna Sporting Events
There are two football clubs in the city - Austria Vienna and Rapid Vienna - both of which have been seen in the UEFA Cup competitions many times. Reflecting the cities footballing heritage it will also host the European Championships in 2008.
Other sports are well represented here too - especially ice hockey, volleyball and American Football, where the Chrysler Vikings Vienna won the 2004 Eurobowl.
