Vienna

This Capital city of Austria, Vienna, is one of the most popular tourist places in the world. This charming city is also considered as the Cultural Capital of Austria. Situated at the banks of River Danube, the vivacious Vienna is one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna hosts variety of cultural events ranging from art exhibitions, concerts to film festivals. From Dance performances to theater shows. Apart form the creative streak, Vienna also offers a range of coffee houses and traditional wine inns to enjoy. The churches in Vienna hold religious music performances. Vienna is positioned at the third place in the world for quality of life according to a Unit Study of 127 world cities. Also in the year 2001, the city centre of Vienna was designated as UNESCO world Heritage. While the whole world is turning towards high rise tower like structures for business as well as residential construction, Vienna still keeps itself low. In fact, rules for high rise buildings are pretty strong from the planning stage and many areas in the city are high-rise free zone.

Hapsburg gardens and Churches

As Vienna is a cultural hub of Austria, it offers a broad variety of fascinating places to visit. Whether you are an art lover or fan of different architectural designs, if you are a history enthusiast or a devoted shopper, Vienna has an interesting place for you to visit. This delightful city has number of palaces and castles, theaters and museums. Vienna hosts some places associated with artists and composers lived in Vienna like grave of Mozart at Hapsburg gardens, Beethoven’s residential places as well as grave. One of the most famous churches, St. Stephen’s Cathedral is also situated in Vienna.

Anchor Clock (Ankeruhr)

The Anchor Clock or Ankeruhr as its called, honors Vienna’s past and present through it’s design. While clock ticks off 12 hours, twelve historical characters or pairs of characters move across the bridge which the clock forms between the two parts of Anker Insurance Company’s buildings was built between 1911 and 1917 after the plans of the painter Franz von Matsch. It is situated on the oldest square of Vienna and represents a typical Art Nouveau design. One of the most spectacular tourists shows is at every day at noon when all these figures march across with music from their own eras. Built between 1911 and 1917 Ankeruhr is situated at Hoher Markt which is the oldest square in Vienna.

Belvedere Palace

Visit this place in spring or early summer and you enjoy its splendid beauty at its best as at that time most of the plants in the alpine garden in the park area of Belvedere Palace start to flower. This is Europe’s first alpine garden which was created back I n1803. Today there are about 4000 different type of plants from alpine ecosystem are found here. These two outstanding places in Belvedere ground were built for Prince Eugene of Savoy and are constructed in Rococo style. Arts lovers can enjoy the art museums in both these palaces today. Where 18th Century art is displayed in the lower palace and a collection of 19th and 20th century paintings are displayed in the upper palace area.

Burgtheater (National Theatre)

The Burgtheater is the National Theatre of Vienna and has a very interesting story attached to it. In 1741 an unused dance-parlour was given away to a theatre company named Sellier by Empress Maria Theresia. The company moved in another location in the year 1888 and the building is since then used as a theatre house. The theatre shows off statues of famous writers like Goethe and Schiller etc. While the theater emphasizes on presenting the works of traditional Austrian writers, it has also housed many international shows. In fact, its one of the favorite theaters of many well known playwrights for the premier shows of their works.

Danube Tower

The “concrete needle” as affectionately called my Viennese the Danube tower is about 352 meters high. The specialty of this tower is that it was built in just 20 months. This place offers the most magnificent view of Vienna which could be enjoyed while you enjoy the traditional Viennese cuisine in the café. The café also rotates very slowly with regular pauses so that the tourists enjoy the view while they relax. If you want to experience some thrill you can enjoy the bungee jumping. Danube Tower holds the highest bungee center of the world since year 2000.

Hofburg

Originally a medieval castle, Hofburg only shows its medieval remains in the castle chapel. This castle holds almost all the architectural styles in its construction. Today, this huge castle holds a National Library, Imperial Treasure with a wide collection of musical instruments, the famous Spanish Riding School as well as Museum of Ethnography with its collection of weapons. Apart from housing these mixed bag collections, the castle also holds a collection of exotic butterflies in an amazing glass house.

Naschmarkt

During 19th century when River Wienfluss was roofed over, a few sellers put up their stalls on the roof which later made Vienna’s most exciting market place – Naschmarkt. Naschmarkt like any other market holds many stalls, coffee shops and restaurants but most of all, the market gives a mixture of traditional Austrian market ambience with an a heavy oriental impact.

Prater

If you are looking for a break from visiting museums and want to relax away from any noisy market places, the Prater is the most ideal place for you. Located near the city centre the place is just right for a day off. Take a quiet walk or cycle around or relax your mind with some jogging and if you are too tired of visiting places lying in the grass would end your day just perfect. If you still want to explore further after have some time for yourself, you can have a look at the sports and recreation facilities there and you will find a racing track, a soccer field and a public swimming pool and a few more sports activity places. Apart from these attractions, the Prater also features a fun fair with the Giant Ferris Whee with 200 feet altitude and the Lilliputian Railroad taking you around to the Trade Fair grounds and to the Stadium. In 1945 the Giant Ferris Wheel was rebuilt after it was burnt down in the World War II and it is the only giant ferris wheel prevailing from its time which is still in use.

Schonbrunn Palace

Served as a summer residence at one time for Habsburg rules, Schonbrunn Palace is a significant monument in Austria. Not only the palace itself but the surrounding buildings and the beautiful gardens also holds a cultural importance to the nation. Built in baroque beauty as a competition to Versailles in France; could not stand up to the rival due to lack of funds. This entire palace building is listed in UNESCO’s World Cultural Heritage names. The palace structure and the interior are magnificent. With crystal chandeliers and large mirrors and golden decorations, the palace still shows a tradition of classic taste and life style of its owners. The residence has 1441 rooms including Maria Theresia’s bedroom, sitting room and parlour as well as the other apartments. The palace also boasts to hold a palm house with 3 different climate zones created. It is adorned with rain forest plants from around the world. Schonbrunn palace also has a special theater where you can enjoy puppet shows as a special attraction.

Schonbrunn zoo

Located in the south eastern part of the palace is the world’s only baroque zoon - Schönbrunn Zoo. Built in 1760 the zoo is the oldest zoo in the world. The animals here are kept with care according to their own special requirements. In May 2003 the zoo became well known to the world for its pair of Chinese Great Pandas and the care taken at the zoo. Apart from the well cared animals the zoo is also known for its tropical specialty piece. It boasts of lovely colorful orchids, miniature rice plantation and mangrove woods. It also holds tropical storms with hard rain, lighting, thunder and fog for an absolute experience of the tropical charm.

St. Stephen's Cathedral

Built in 1147 AD and regarded as the heart of Vienna the St. Stephen’s Cathedral continues to win the visitors’ hearts by its magnificent structure. The church was restructured from 1359 in a Gothic style as per the orders of Duke Rudolf IV. The South Tower the “steffl” as titled by Vinnese was completed in 1433 which is a major representation of the Cathedral. Apart from this, the cathedral proudly hosts two magnificent features – the tall, lean tower of 1367 meters of height and the extremely large roof of the cathedral. At the interior of the Cathedral there are many fascinating attractions for the tourists like The Gothic wings altar, a self portrait of the sculptor, the altar piece of Wiener Neustadt and the tomb of Prince Eugene of Savoy, etc. The new celebration in Vienna is not completed without the sound of the Pummerin - the big bell in the Cathedral.

Vienna Opera House (Oper)

The Vienna Opera House is built by August Von Sicardsburg and Eduard Van Der Null between 1861 and 1869. The Opera House is recognized for its Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and other great opera performances. As a visitor you must visit the opera house and experience an opera night. The interiors are decorated with designs from the ‘Magic Flute’ the famous opera by Mozart and other such great opera. There are also number of statues and figures at the outside and inside of the Opera House which gives a very cheerful ambience to the place.