Vienna City Guide

by Neal Bedford, Caroline Sieg (Contributor), Anthony Haywood

Let us introduce you to Vienna, the Lonely Planet way. We'll show you magnificent baroque palaces, but also lead you through the city's most atmospheric hidden alleyways. We'll bring you Mozart in the Staatsoper but also give you the rundown on Viennese electronica, and we'll serve you traditional coffee-house culture but also guide you to vineyard-studded hills where you can drink young wine under the trees. Whichever Vienna you want, you'll find it in this guide.

GET THE INSIDE STORY with our resident author's top tips and favorite places, and interviews with local experts.

CHOOSE YOUR POISON - Vienna's famed coffee houses, traditional wine taverns, and kicking DJ bars are all covered.

GET OFF THE BEATEN TRACK with walking and cycling tours through charming neighborhoods and out into the Vienna Woods.

GO BEYOND SCHNITZEL and discover modern Viennese cuisine with our switched-on take on the city's dining scene.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Reference

260 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1995

Reviews

[Kristof Claes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun and informative to read. Not so user friendly to use as a reference guide too search something. It takes way too long too search the right maps and the index is very incomplete.

[Steven Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, let me observe that I have never been to Vienna. Thus, I cannot comment on how accurate this volume is.

Second, though, I would enjoy visiting this city at some point my life. I have always felt that it is one of the "magical" cities of Europe, from reading a number of works in which Vienna figures.

The book begins by providing useful context for the reader. At the outset, we get a brief introduction to the city (more detail provided in a later section on history of the city). Key quotation here (Page 6): "Vienna is a place where culture, history, art, and nightlife all mix together seamlessly. With only a few days on your hands, there is a lot to experience, but any time spent in this magical city will bring rich rewards."

The volume covers the normal issues in such a guide--city life. architecture, the arts, history, sights, tours, eating and drinking, entertainment, shopping, where to stay, excursions, and basic information on language. None goes into great detail (a consequence of a travel book that is comprehensive in coverage--can't really be avoided).

Let's take a look at a couple of the sections, to provide a flavor of this work. History: This section traces the development of the city from a Paleolithic settlement to a Roman city through the Hapsburgs to fascism to the contemporary era. The portion on "Music, Literature, and Cinema" provides the reader with a brief glimpse into the key role of Vienna in the arts. In music, of course, we find giants, from Gluck to Mozart to Beethoven to Mahler and beyond. . . .

There is also the helpful summary of places to eat and to stay, the kinds of walking (or biking) trips one can make, shopping opportunities. Each should contribute to a visit being able to make sense of the city and how to take advantage of its multitudinous charms.

All in all, to a novice, this seems like a nice adjunct to any proposed visit to Vienna.

[corcoran · Rating 3 out of 5]

lonely planet is really good, but the cross referencing can get distracting. and we found we really wished they had a 'rainy day' itinerary. also the walking tours are great adventures, but be prepared for the directions to not be as clear in reality as they are when you are simply reading them.

[Catherine Woodman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good guide for a great city which still has a tremendous amount of music going on--read Equal music to get a sense--bu it tells you where to go, and how to get there

[Paoleletta · Rating 4 out of 5]

lonely planet sempre favolose

[Aaron Benarroch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice, but some of the best ways to get discounts are not mentioned here!!!