Vienna

Description

Vienna is a truly royal city, it is the former capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Czech Republic was part of it too. Modern Vienna, which is a capital of Austria is a city of both classical and modern art, it is the city of elegant series of parks and gardens, luxurious residences of the royal families and, of course, it is the city of Viennese waltz! And of course Vienna is nothing without apple strudel and a cup of Viennese coffee in a Viennese café... Vienna, Vienna, Vienna, Vienna! So many things were named in your honor!

Sights

Once you are in Vienna, be sure to go for a walk around the Ringstraße, which is one of the biggest streets encircling the inner city, which is the main tourist and business center of the Austrian capital. Many sights are located here.
In the Opernring area we will see the charming Viennese State Opera.
Viennese Opera is the name, which became a common noun. Once a favorite place of the aristocracy of the capital, the opera is popular among Viennese high society to this day. In the evenings, when the city lights flare up, the luxurious building of musical theater built in the style of Neo-Renaissance looks like a real royal palace. It is an ideal place for those wishing to enjoy a live performance of the legendary classical pieces of music, while sitting in the golden royal box. Just imagine: the building that you can see now is a copy, which was created using the original drawings after the opera was bombed during the Second World War. It is a unique historical relic and it won’t change due to the passing of time.
Further off, on the Burgring street you can see one of the greatest buildings of the capital called the Hofburg, it is the winter residence of the Austrian Habsburgs. The imperial family wanted this grandiose building sooner or later to become a real Roman "Imperial Forum". So for centuries the Habsburgs were buying the neighboring buildings, demolishing them and building new constructions there, thereby extending the residence to epic proportions. Now Hofburg includes 2600 halls and rooms. This is a real architectural encyclopedia. Swiss Renaissance courtyard is surrounded by numerous medieval buildings, among which the gothic chapel of the XV century and the imperial treasure chest with ornaments back from the days of the Holy Roman Empire are of particular interest. Visit Hofburg and go on a time travel, see how everything looked 14 centuries ago, see the birth and demise of one of the most powerful dynasties in Europe with your own eyes.
On the Univerzitetsring stage you can see the University of Vienna, which was founded in 1365. It is the third oldest university in Central Europe after the universities of Prague and Krakow. Now it is the largest university in the German-speaking countries, more than 90 000 students study there. Its modern part of the building was built in the late XIX century, it is a masterpiece of eclectic style of architecture mixing disparate styles in one creation. Roman Palazzo Farnese built in a Renaissance style and numerous residences of emperors of Austria in Austrian baroque style were the prototypes for the Viennese Alma Mater. University of Vienna is the longest building on the Ringstrasse. In its courtyard you can see 155 sculptural portraits of well-known scientists, the galleries with the names of teachers and rest areas for students.
After looking at a little bit pompous Ringstraße we will go a little deeper into the inner city. That’s where hid another construction, which is very important for the whole Austria and for the city of Habsburg in particular - St. Stephen's Cathedral.
It is simply impossible not to notice the main cathedral of the country. Its majestic spire can be seen in almost all areas of the city. The masterpiece of gothic architecture draws the attention with its high lancet windows, carved ornate facade, beautiful stained-glass windows and unique tiled roof with coats of arms of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Many members of the Habsburg family are buried here. The interior of the cathedral is done in the Baroque style, it is also consistent with the status of the monarchic burial vault. Among the many altars and chapels you can see relics, reliquaries, books and even apparel decorated with gold and precious stones. One of the largest organs in Europe with four rows of keys, one hundred and twenty five registers and ten thousand pipes is built here. Another thing, which draws attention is unique carved pulpit of the XV century decorated with fantastic ornaments of toads and lizards, on sides of it you can see carved statues of four Doctors of the Church. Another interesting thing is that 23 bells are installed in the belfry of the church. The biggest bell called "Pummerin" rings only on major holidays.

Important notes

- Do not forget to bring your insurance and passport as you will cross the Austrian border.
- Travel time to Vienna is 4 hours. It is not a short path, but the tour begins immediately after the departure from Prague, so it will be interesting.
- Austria is located in the euro zone. Therefore, we recommend to bring a certain amount of euro cash. You can exchange currencies at favorable rates in the Czech Republic.
- Vienna is a nice place to go shopping. The choice of goods is much wider.
- Be sure to buy and sample a couple of bags with the famous chocolate sweets called "Mozart".
- One of the largest «Swarovski» shops in Europe with area of 1200 square meters recently started working in Vienna. Here you can not only buy fashion accessories, but also you can make them by yourself and even participate in master classes for making such.
- There is a unique Music Centre in Vienna, where you can see the unusual giant-sized musical instruments and hear a variety of sounds, which you can rarely hear in everyday life.
-The Most beautiful area of Vienna is Heldenplatz, the Heroes' Square from where all the tour groups start the tours.
- Viennese Ball is a famous annual event, which is considered to be not only prestigious and luxurious, but also very costly. Tickets for the ball are often sold out long before the event, although they cost a lot: from €200 to €20000.