One of the most romantic cities in Europe, and renowned throughout the world for its music, art, and architecture. Vienna is a beautiful destination for any occasion, but also has a strong reputation as one of the worlds most desired destinations for international conferences. Famous attractions include the Schönbrunn Palace and its lush gardens including the Vienna Zoo, The Spanish Riding School, St Stephen’s Cathedral, to name but a few of the standout attractions. Food in the city is enriched by the influences of the former vassals of the old Hapsburg Empire. The people are friendly and cheerful, and boasting more than a few great Brauhaus to rival those of their Germanic neighbours. However, you choose to spend your visit. Vienna has something for everyone.
About Vienna:
Vienna offers a fantastic, year-round destination for travellers, whether their trip is for business or pleasure. With a befittingly large airport to match its historical status as one of Europe’s most important capitals, and excellent rail connections to neighbouring countries, travel to and from is never a burden, perhaps, thanks to the above-average number of UN department offices and charitable organisations that use Vienna as a base, fixing it firmly in the eye of the World as a city of progress. Befitting a city with such amazing and diverse Architecture, there are some truly impressive and unique hotels and other venues to visit recreationally, and professionally.
Travel Tips and Fun Facts:
Weather: Being a landlocked country close to two different mountains ranges, expect winters to be chilly and summers to be scorching as the seasons roll in and out of Vienna. Do not let travelling during the colder months put you off, however, as Vienna can be at its most beautiful when covered under a blanket of snow, and the Christmas markets rival that of any other nation.
Travel: As mentioned, there is a large airport just outside the city which is being expanded further to include a third runway to further facilitate international travel. Optionally, outstanding rail links to neighbouring countries can provide fun, and impressively scenic method of travel. Travel from Budapest, Bratislava, Munich, Berlin, and Prague is easily negotiable, and with a good quality of service on most Austrian trains will ensure that your trip gets off to a very hospitable start.
Food: Where to even begin? Wien Schnitzel is a very big deal, but one of the best bowls of Goulash you can find anywhere we believe is in Vienna. Bread or potato dumplings, meat or vegetable stews, knuckles of pork the size of your own head, and all to be washed down with steins of glorious golden beer, or goblets of wine from the lush vineyards in the foothills of the city, you may well have to tighten the belt by a few notches by the time you are finished eating after a trip to this city. We recommend you drink the Schnapps the locals offer you after every meal as well as a lot of it is home-made and rather excellent!
Language: Austrian-German. But you will find a handy amount of English speakers due to the cities international prestige, as well as more than a few other tongues from neighbouring regions like Hungary, Bratislava, and Czecha. Due to a strong Jewish community Hebrew is also spoken more commonly than most European cities.
Did you know? Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was not born in the city but came to it from the countryside in his youth. He is however buried there, but not in anywhere near as much luxury as you may think as his remains were exhumed and dumped amongst the bones of tens of thousands of the cities former inhabitants under St Stephen’s Cathedral! You can actually visit the catacombs but it is not for the faint-hearted.
Did you know? Tiergarten Schönbrunn, the zoo housed in the grounds of the palace of the same name, is the oldest continuously operated zoo in the world. A small zoo had previously existed on the premises from as far back as 1540 but was not officially opened to the public until 1779. Today it has the added distinction of being one of the few zoos to house Giant Pandas.
Did you know? The Third Man (1949) is perhaps the most famous film to have been shot in the Austrian capital and starred Orson Welles at the height of his fame. However Welles was something of a pain in the neck on the set of the film and very little footage of him was actually shot in Vienna due to his reluctance to travel and stay there, forcing the production team to even have to use the Assistant Director as a body double in some cases.
