Vienna, what to see and do in the Austrian capital in the World Travel ticket
Vienna was founded by the Romans in AD 89. For years, it was nothing more than a military camp garrisoning the Empire’s Alpine colonies.
With the arrival of free citizens, it grew and was absorbed by the neighboring town of Carnuntum forming a real inhabited center. Destroyed by barbarian incursions, it recovered inhabitants and extension during the Middle Ages to then reach its maximum splendor between 1680 and the First World War.
So much history has left obvious and deep traces in the roots of this city which, although having lost its ancient grandeur, still behaves today as if it were at the head of an empire. Like she was a queen.
The elegant sleeping queen, because it looks like the capital of Austria, Vienna, with its measured life, palaces and palaces, amazing parks and churches. A queen or an empress. How was it Sisiwho left here the mark of romanticism that many tourists still come to seek. People come to Vienna for an educated and peaceful holidaybut in the evening this small big capital is likely to surprise you like few.
But let’s see together what to see in Vienna, the capital of Austria, and what to do in the new Viaggi nel Mondo post!
Where is Vienna
The Austrian capital is located in the northeast of Austriaonly 40 km from the Slovak border and about 50 km from another European capital, Bratislava.
The city is made up of 23 districts and the city center is the first district.
Around, to the south, the city is flat and industrialized, while it is hilly and green to the north at the foot of the Vienna Woods.
The city is crossed in its eastern part by the Danube, while a small artificial canal (the Donaukanal) runs along the historic center to the east. The two waterways are separated by the Donauinsel or Danube Island, a thin artificially created strip of land.
Here is the map of Vienna:
Inhabitants of Vienna
The people of Vienna are just a little more than 1,900,000. This makes it a very livable, orderly and not at all excessive city.
The permanent population of the Austrian capital is mainly made up of Northern Europeans, Austrians or of Germanic origin, but recent years have seen an increase in the waves of migration that allow the city to develop more and more. The minorities are rather composed of Italians, Romanians, Bulgarians and North Africans. It is thought that within ten years the city could exceed 2 million inhabitants.
Vienna climate
Vienna a long time very cold winters, but the summers can surprise you. It is not uncommon for the thermometer to exceed 30°, despite the proximity of the mountains. The humidity level is given by the canals of the Danube which cross it.
Coin Austria
Austria joins the Euro and therefore uses our own currency.
Getting around in Vienna
In Vienna it is easy to get around walk, thanks to the small pedestrian historic center. To move around the city, you can use the subway or the extensive bus network.
The public transport system in Vienna and serving the capital is very well organized and efficient. The network of buses, urban trains (surface metro) and underground metro meets the daily needs of residents and commuters.
All the means are usable thanks to the special cumulative passes and discounts or free trips for students. The trams are also excellent, with their additional routes to the city bus service. Vienna has a dozen stations that connect it by train to all of Europe.
The airport, meanwhile, is located 17 km from the center.
What to see in Vienna
Vienna’s main attraction is the large circular avenue that closes it in a historic embrace, and which was born on the foundations of the ancient Roman walls. The Ringstraße it’s too long to explore on foot, but every public transport will show you a piece of it. Another historic attraction in the city is the Prater. This huge public park includes an amusement area with the famous Ferris wheel.
These are splendid monuments to visit: the Palace of Parliament, the Town Hall, the majestic churches ranging from medieval (Gothic) to baroque and neoclassical style. You will surely like it Karlskirche, St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Votive Church, Santa Maria Treu. Among modern architecture, the skyscraper deserves Millennium.
Built in just over three years (1997-1999), this crystal tower was to welcome the new millennium with light and color and offer a new modern attraction to the capital. Fifty floors dedicated to both residence and shopping allow you to walk around and appreciate a true work of architectural art.
Places not to be missed in Vienna
You absolutely cannot miss a guided tour at Sissi Palace, Schönbrunn. Between the palace and the park, it will take at least a day! The palace has more than a thousand rooms, which obviously cannot all be visited. But 190 are available to tourists and their guides. The most evocative places: the Corridor of Mirrors, the Chamber of Ancient Lacquers, the Great Gallery – a baroque passage of gold and crystals that lets you imagine the grandeur of the Empire.
Interesting – as a monument – too the gasometer: the old gas tank of the city, built at the end of the 19th century, is today a fascinating architecture which houses offices and shops.
In reality, they are “plus gasometers”, that is to say circular constructions which once contained the tanks. After an expensive restoration, the old cisterns have become original commercial and cultural centers, whose architecture has been called “Opera Nobel” due to the work of great names such as Zaha Hadid.
What to eat in Vienna
The Schnitzelbeef soup with vegetable broth, meatloaf are all must-haves but nothing is more must-try than Cake Sacher Caketriumph over chocolate.
The cutlet is certainly an immortal classic good Viennese cuisine.
The tender meat is breaded in a soft casing which, when fried, will become crispy but chewy inside. It is accompanied strictly by a slice of lemon and roasted potatoes, flavored with rosemary.
The Viennese are also very fond of fried chicken. But not the American raw way, instead breaded in a rich batter and fried to the point (crispy on the outside, soft on the inside). It is then accompanied by boiled potatoes, or a spicy mash (pepper, cumin, parsley) lightened with lemon juice.
What to do in the evening in Vienna
In Vienna, in the evening, you go to the theater, concerts, cultural evenings, poetry readings, art exhibitions. Or have fun in the streets around the Ruprechtskirche or in the Naschmarkt area where clubs and pubs abound.
Another center for entertainment, clubs and nightlife is the old Jewish quarter, which young people here call “the Bermuda Triangle” because of the three streets that surround it. But also because of the premises in which one literally “loses” oneself with the risk of never wanting to return home.
If you are looking for the classic traditional taverns, or wine bars, you will however have to go a little outside the center and precisely beyond the Ringsstrasse ring.
Our post dedicated to Vienna, the capital of Austria, ends here. See you next time with the reviews of the main European cities by Viaggi nel Mondo!
