The Vienna Links Page
Vienna Lodging
Right across from the Westbahnhof is the Hotel Fuerstenhof
. If you arrive at Vienna's airport there is a bus that takes you right to the Westbahnhof. All you have to do is walk across the square to this wonderful old Hotel with great rooms (ask for #40, it overlooks the hustle and bustle of the Square) and a fantastic old hydraulic elevator.
Trams, buses, and the U-Bahn are right out the front door so you are within minutes of everything in this marvelous city. Staff is excellent and the breakfast buffet is huge.
The Zur Agnes in Sievering is absolutely fabulous. We recommend this charming little place very highly.
Marta and the "Boss" will take excellent care of your every need. We had a great time here. It is only about 15 minutes from the Ringstrasse by Tram and a bus which drops you at the front door.
Or you can have a very interesting and intense bike ride up to it like we did when we searched this beautiful place out. Marta can direct you to almost anything you need in town and also can direct you to some REAL heurigers close by.
If you are staying more than 3 days in Vienna you should try an apartment. You can really enjoy life in Vienna by shopping at the local stores and eating in the many neighborhood Gasthaus and Heurige. We stayed in Floridsdorf, a suburb of Vienna. Floridsdorf is within 15-20 minutes of the inner-city, quite convienient by all the excellent public transport.
We rented an apartment for a week from Ilona Kaminek, she and the apartment were absolutely wonderful.
I highly recommend the Kaminek's for an excellent stay at very affordable rates. The Kaminek's have several apartments in different locations that can accomodate from 2 to 5 people. Below are a few shots of our fantastic apartment.
Bike rentals in Vienna and general assistance
There is only one place we recommend and that place is Pedal Power.
Rick and Company are an excellent help in all your biking needs. They offer some great tours of Vienna and will deliver your bikes to wherever you are staying in town.
We decided to rent our bikes from Pedalpower rather than shipping our own from the States. The bikes we rented were perfect for touring and we got a great deal on a weeks rental.
The folks at Pedalpower are a great source of information about Danube touring, they have maps and everything you need to make for a fun and exciting bike journey.
Make sure you ride the Riesenrad nearby in the Prater!
Before you go I HIGHLY recommend that you get Rick Steves' guides. Rick has done an enormous amount of research
about where to stay, eat, and what to see. His "Europe Through the Back Door" guide will help you prepare for your journey and his site offers many other helpful tools.
Our wonderful stay at the Fuerstenhof happened because we read about it in Rick's "Best of Europe 2001". I can't recommend him enough for preparing your trip.
Mike and Andrea's Danube Trip is another great source of information and insight about touring in Salzkammergut and the Danube.
Other helpful links
The Volksoper for excellent operetta and some opera.
Dining in Vienna
If you want excellent traditional Austrian cuisine and superb wine, the Witwe Bolte (Spittelberg / Gutenberggasse 13
1070 Wien
Telefon 01/523 14 50) is the place to go. It is located on a little cobblestone street in the charming Spittelberg district.
Reservations recommended.
For great indoor or outdoor food and atmosphere go to Esterhazy Keller (Haarhof 1, A-1010 Wien,Telefon: 0043-(0)1-533 34 82). The food is good, the cellar atmosphere wonderful, and the excellent wine comes in a mug. Try the Gruner Veltliner.
If you want great beer and excellent traditional Austrian fare in an informal setting that is non-touristy I highly recommend Gasthaus Hansy, (Heinestrasse 42, 1020 Wien, Tel.: +43 1 214 53 63)
which is right near the Prater amusement park across from Wien Nord station. We liked it so much we went there 3 times on our last stay. Try the Hansy hefetrübes Weizenbier and do not miss having their excellent Topfenknödel for dessert.
Though a touristy Heuriger, Zum Martin Sepp (Cobenzlgasse 34 1190 Wien Tel. 01/320 32 33) in Grinzing is great fun. They usually have a Gypsy trio that wanders the place playing melodies from Viennese operetta while you sip the wonderful wine in the garden.
For the biggest wienerschnitzel you've ever seen go to Figlmueller. The wine is good and overall experience is great.
For good food and atmosphere stop by the BREZL GWÖLB (Ledererhof 9, Tel: 01/533-8811). Have a Kruegel of Gösser and enjoy their famous Tyroler G'röstl.
Cafe Schottenring (Schottenring 19, Tel: +43 1 315 33 43, Fax: +43 1 315 33 44) is a grand old Kaffeehaus on the Ring that is filled with charming ambiance, they also have internet access. Try a Fiaker coffee.
The Kleines Cafe (Franziskanerplatz 3) is worth a visit. The Kleines is great for sitting outside and watching the world go by while you sip a beer or glass of wine.
The Spatzennest (St. Ulrichsplatz 1 1070, Wien, Tel: 01/5261659) is fantastic for great local fare at good prices. It sits right off of Burgasse in the Spittlberg district. We highly recommend this place!
GÖSSER BIERKLINIK (Steindlgasse 4 1010 Wien Tel. +43(0)1/535 68 97) is another fine place for good beer and excellent food.
Though touristy, everyone needs to visit the Cafe Central. (Herrengasse 14, Tel: 43 1 3153120) Historic beauty and good Wiener Kaffeehaus atmosphere
Another great Kaffehaus is Cafe Diglas. (Wollzeile 10 1010 Wien, Tel: +43 1 51257650) Great place to sit and watch the world go by.
Smutny (Elisabethstraße 8, A-1010 Wien Tel.: ++43 1 587 1 356) is owned by the people that run Gasthaus Hansy. Good food and great beer!
