Busabout Adventures

A Busabout pass for the Northern Loop will take you to the most captivating cultural cities. Priceless artwork, incredible beer, beautiful castles, stunning scenery will dazzle throughout your travels.  Start from any city on the loop and travel at your own pace - stay as long as you like at each stop .... then when you've finished exploring, jump on the next bus and move on to the next destination. Click on the destinations in the map to find out more...

Many sights are in the Innere Stadt (inner city), encircled by the Danube Canal (Donaukanal) to the northeast and broad boulevards called the Ring or Ringstrasse.

In addresses, the number of a building follows the street name. Any number before the street name denotes the district, of which there are 23. District 01 (the Innere Stadt) is the most central. Generally, the higher the district number, the further out it is.

Don’t be overwhelmed by the cornucopia of things there is to see and do in Vienna; you can experience the best of these in a couple of days. Commence at the Stephansdom (St Stephen’s Cathedral). Nearly every traveller does, for the 13th-century Gothic cathedral is situated at the city’s heart. The tall, latticework spire and patterned roof are exceptional, but don’t waste your time climbing the tower as the view is quite ordinary.

Instead, head along Graben, past the nobbly Plague Column. At the end, turn left into Kohlmarkt, where you’ll be greeted by the impressive sight of the Hofburg (Imperial Palace), the Habsburgs’ city-centre base. Walk towards it and then wander around this large complex’s nooks and crannies. There are several museums inside. If you’re going to visit any, head for the Kaiserappartements & ‘Sissi’ Museum (%535 75 75; adult/concession €7.50/5.90; h9am-5pm). Get the audio guide (free), because it’s the strange life story of Empress Elisabeth (‘Sissi’), wife of Kaiser Franz Josef, that’s compelling here.

While in the neighbourhood, make a detour to the Kaisergruft (Imperial Vault; 01, Neuer Markt/Tegetthofstrasse; adult/concession €4/1.50) where the remains of several Habsburgs, including Sissi, lie. Dead for more than a century, Sissi is still left fresh flowers by fans – an indication of the place’s weird, cultish feel. Six Feet Under, indeed.

Now go back to the Hofburg and walk through it towards the Kunsthistorisches Museum and Museumsquartier.

Museums & Galleries
If you plan to see just one Viennese museum, the traditional choice has to be the Oberes Belvedere (Upper Belvedere; %795 57-134; 03, Prinz Eugen Strasse 37; adult/concession €6/3; h10am-6pm Tue-Sun Apr-Oct, 10am-5pm Tue-Sun Nov-Mar). This baroque palace is home to Gustav Klimt’s famous and beautiful The Kiss and Judith, and has a fine, manageably sized collection of Impressionist and other early-20th-century works. There’s also an impressive view of Vienna over its French-style maintained gardens.

More central is the highly recommended Museumsquartier (%523 04 31; 07, Museumsplatz 1). Architecturally stunning and modern, it’s renowned for the Leopold Museum (%525 70-0; adult/student €9/5.50; h10am-7pm Wed-Mon, 10am-9pm Fri), which houses the world’s largest collection of Egon Schiele paintings, with some minor Klimts and Kokoschas. However, there’s also the much-lauded Museum Moderner Kunst, Stiftung Ludwig Wien (Museum of Modern Art; %525 00; adult/concession €8/6.50; h10am-6pm Tue & Wed, Fri-Sun, 10am-9pm Thu), an architecture centre, city art gallery and more.

It’s claimed the Kunsthistorisches Museum (%525 24-0; www.khm.at; 01, Maria Theresien-Platz; adult/concession €10/7.50; h10am-6pm Tue& Wed, Fri-Sun, 10am-10pm Thu) houses one of Europe’s leading art collections. Given the display of works by Rubens, van Dyck, Holbein, Caravaggio, Peter Brueghel the Elder (including Hunters in the Snow), that’s undoubtedly true. But this place can quickly give you museum fatigue with all the ornate ornaments, clocks, glassware and antiquities.

Other Museums & Galleries
Albertina (%534 83-540; www.albertina.at; 01, Albertinaplatz 1A; adult/student €9/6.50; 10am-6pm Thu-Tue, 10am-9pm Wed) Albrecht Dürer’s Hare and a few Michelangelos are joined by superbly curated modern exhibitions.
Haus der Musik (House of Music; %516 48-51; www
.hdm.at; 01, Seilerstätte 30; adult/concession €10/8.50; h10am-10pm) Make your own music in this mind-
blowing array of interactive exhibits.
Sigmund Freud Museum (%319 15 96; 09, Berggasse 19; admission €5; h9am-6pm Jul-Sep, 9am-5pm Oct-Jun) The former home of the father of psychoanalysis.

Notable Buildings
One cheap, restful way to get a quick overview of Vienna is to catch a tram (No 1 or No 2) around the Ringstrasse, passing buildings like the neo-Gothic Rathaus, the Greek Revival–style Parliament, the 19th-
century Burgtheater, the Gothic Votivkirche and the Postsparkasse by Art Nouveau architect Otto Wagner. From the tram, you can even glimpse the baroque Karlskirche (St Charles’ Church), set back from the Ringstrasse.

The Secessionist movement of the late 19th and early 20th century left a lasting impression on the city, with its Art Nouveau architecture. The best example is the eponymous Secession Building (%587 53 07; 01, Friedrichstrasse 12; adult/student €5.50/3; h10am-6pm Tue & Wed, Fri-Sun, 10am-8pm Thu), with an intricately woven gilt dome nicknamed the ‘golden cabbage’. Inside is Klimt’s enormous Beethoven Frieze.

Nearby, at Karlsplatz, are the unusually attractive train station entrances, or Stadtbahn Pavilions, by Otto Wagner. South of Secession, along Naschmarkt, are the decorated façades of Wagner’s Majolikahaus and Haus Linke Wienzeile (01, Linke Wienzeile 38-40).

You can see the influence of Klimt, plus a little of Spain’s Gaudí, on architect and artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser’s Kunsthaus Wien (%712 04 91-0; 03, Untere Weissgerberstrasse 13; adult/concession €9/7, temporary exhibitions €15/12, half-price Mon; h10am-7pm). Nearby, on the corner of Löwengasse and Kegelgasse, there’s a block of residential flats by Hundert­wasser.

Schloss Schönbrunn
The Habsburgs’ 1440-room summer palace, Schloss Schönbrunn (%811 13-0; 13, Schönbrunner Schlossstrasse 47; self-guided 22-/40-room tours adult €8/10.50, student €6.90/7.99; h8.30am-5pm Apr-Oct, 8.30am-4.30pm Nov-Mar), won’t be to everyone’s taste. On a sunny day, however, no opportunity should be missed to laze around its Versailles-like gardens (admission free). There’s a maze (adult/concession €2.10/1.45) and similar attract­ions. Get there on U-Bahn No 4.

Riesenrad
Anyone who’s seen the film The Third Man will recognise the Riesenrad (Giant Wheel; admission €7.50) in the Prater amusement park; it’s where Orson Welles ad-libbed his immortal speech about peace, Switzerland and cuckoo clocks.

Cemeteries
Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms and Schönberg have memorial tombs in the atmospheric Zentralfriedhof (Central Cemetery; 11, Simmeringer Hauptstrasse 232-244), about 4km south of the centre. Mozart also has a monument here, but he is actually buried in the St Marxer Friedhof (Cemetery of St Mark; 03, Leberstrasse 6-8).

Naschmarkt
Saturday is the busiest day at this market (06, Linke Wienzeile; h6am-6pm Mon-Sat), when the week’s food and clothes stalls are joined by a flea market. Curios and trinkets sit beside delicious produce from Austrian farms.

Water Sports
You can swim and sail in the stretches of water known as the Old Danube, located northeast of the Donaustadt island, and also in the the New Donau, which runs parallel to and just north of the Donaukanal (Danube Canal).

Check Falter for further listings. Although closed at the time of research, the legendary student party night every Friday in the ornate Palais Eschenbach (Eschenbach Gasse 11) should have restarted by now.

Flex (%533 75 25; Donaukanal, via Augartenbrücke) Along a fairly urban-looking stretch of the Danube Canal, Vienna’s leading club buzzes every night, with visiting or local bands and top-name DJs. There’s also a cool café area, where you can surf the Internet and choose your own background chill-out music from a massive sound archive of 700 CDs.

Volksgarten (%533 05 18; 01, Burgring 1) This atmospheric 1950s building has recently been given a new high-tech dance floor and retractable roof, but retains a traditional curved salon facing the Volksgarten (People’s Park) in which it’s located. Friday and Saturday are the biggest nights. Be warned that drinks are expensive.

Underground (U-Bahn), tram, suburban train (S-Bahn) and bus routes are outlined in the free tourist office map.

All advance-purchase tickets must be slotted into the validation machines at the entrance to U-Bahn stations or on trams and buses. Singles cost €1.50 from automatic machines before you board; or €2 on-board.

Daily passes (Stunden-Netzkarte) cost €4/5 (8am to 8pm, valid from first use) for 24 hours and €12 for three days (72 hours).

You will need a Maestro debit card to use Vienna’s cheap city bikes (%0810 500 500; www.citybikewien.at in German; €2 deposit, bike rental free first hr, roughly €2 per hr afterwards). Check the website for locations.

Internet Access
Bignet (per 10/30 min €1.45/3.90; %503 98 44; 01, Kärntner Strasse 61; Theobaldgasse 19)
Haus Wien Energie (%582 000; Mariahilferstrasse 63; free access)
Surfland Internetcafé (%512 77 01; Krugerstrasse 10; €1.40, then €0.08 per min)

Medical Services
For out-of-hours dental treatment, call %512 20 78.
Allgemeines Krankenhaus (%404 00; 09, Währinger Gürtel 18-20) General hospital.

Money
Train stations have extended hours for exchanging money and there are ATMs all over the city.

Post
Other post offices open long hours are at Südbahnhof, Franz Josefs Bahnhof and Westbahnhof.
Main post office (Hauptpost 1010; 01, Fleischmarkt 19; h24hr)

Tourist Information
Tourist-info Zentrum (Main Tourist Office; %245 55; www.wien.info; 01, Am Albertinaplatz; h9am-7pm)
Information & hotel reservation counters Westbahnhof (h8.30am-9pm); Airport (arrivals hall; h8.30am-9pm)
Jugend-Info Wien (Vienna Youth Information; %17 99 inside Austria only; 01, Babenbergerstrasse 1; hnoon-7pm Mon-Sat) Can get various reduced-price tickets for 14- to 26-year-olds.

Travel Agencies
American Express (%515 40; 01, Kärntner Strasse 21-23; h9am-5.30pm Mon-Fri, 9am-noon Sat)
STA Travel (%401 48-0; 09,Garnisongasse 7; h9am-5.30pm Mon-Fri); (%401 48-7000; 09, Türkenstrasse 6B); (%502 43-0; 04, Karlsgasse 3)

FESTIVALS & EVENTS
The Wiener Festwochen (Vienna Festival; %589 22-22; www.festwochen.or.at) has a wide-ranging performing arts programme from mid-May to mid-June. Vienna’s Marathon often coincides with Festwochen’s start, and the city can be totally booked around that time.

At the end of June, look out for free rock, jazz and folk concerts in the Donauinselfest. Vienna’s traditional Christmas market (Christkindlmarkt) takes place in front of the city hall between mid-November and 24 December.

The most interesting cheap eats are found among the multicultural stalls, cafés and restaurants, all open Monday to Saturday, at the Naschmarkt. However, the usual university canteens exist, including the Technical University Mensa (04, Resselgasse 7-9; mains €3.20-4.80; h11am-2pm Mon-Fri) or University Mensa (7th fl, 01, Universitätsstrasse 7; mains €4.20-4.80; h11am-2pm Mon-Fri). While the latter is closed in July and August, its adjoining café (h8am-3pm Mon-Fri) remains open. Do your after-hours grocery shopping at Franz Josefs Bahnhof or Westbahnhof.

Trzesniewski (sandwiches €0.80; hMon-Sat; %512 32 91; 01, Dorotheergasse 1; %596 42 91; 06, Mariahilferstrasse 95) At this stand-up café chain you can really feel like one of the Austrian Emperor’s minions on the way home from the factory. Tiny open sandwiches featuring egg or fish are washed down with a tiny Pfiff beer.

Schnitzelwirt Schmidt (%523 37 71; 07, Neubaugasse 52; schnitzels from €5.10; hMon-Sat) Fabulously grumpy waiters – who’ll sometimes shout at you if you get in their way – plonk down huge Wiener Schnitzels on your table in this buzzing establishment. It’s a true institution.

OH Pot, OH Pot (%319 42 59; 09, Währinger Strasse 22; hot pots at lunch/dinner €6.20/8.20) This sweet Bohemian restaurant, painted in warm Mediterranean colours, serves decent hot pots (or stews) from around the world. They come with either soup or salad. From 3pm to 6pm the prices drop to €4.90.

Ra’an (%319 35 63; 09, Währinger Strasse 6-8; lunch €5.80, dinner €6.40-11.60) This cool noodle bar has sushi and rice dishes at lunch, served in cute cardboard boxes. At dinner, more elaborate Thai and Vietnamese dishes are served.

Ra’mien (%585 47 98; 06, Gumperndorferstrasse 9; mains from €6.80-15.50; hTue-Sun) Across town, Ra’an’s sister establishment serves more straightforward noodle dishes.

Schweizerhaus (%319 35 63; 02, Strasse des Ersten Mai 116; €5.40-17; hMon-Sat Mar-Oct) In this Prater Park institution, a rowdy crowd of international travellers wash down hintere Schweinsstelze (roasted pork hocks) and equally appealing goodies with enormous mugs of beer.

Wrenkh (%533 15 26; 01, Bauernmarkt 10; lunch menus €11) Sleek customers come to this up-market vegetarian restaurant for lip-smacking Mediterranean, Austrian and Asian
fare. Not a mung bean in sight.

Also recommended:
Pizza Bizi (01, Rotenturmstrasse 4; pizzas & pasta €5.40-5.80) Italian for those in a hurry.
Rosenberger Markt (01, Maysedergasse 2; mains €6.20-7.80) Charmless but handy motorway-style restaurant with real value-for-money buffet.
Tunnel (08, Florianigasse 39; mains €5-11, lunch specials €4) Low-key student haunt.

Coffee Houses
The Kaffeehaus (coffee house) is an integral part of Viennese life. Everyone has a favourite. Try one of these:

Café Central ( %533 37 63; 01, Herrengasse 14; hclosed Sun) A lot more commercialised than when Herr Trotsky drank here, but still with appealing vaulted ceilings and palms.
Café Demel (%535 1717-0; 01, Kohlmarkt 14) A bit posh to drink in, but the best for takeaway chocolate and cakes.
Café Diglas (%512 57 65; 01, Wollzeile 10) Ornate surroundings and a relaxed vibe.
Café Hawelka ( 512 8230; 01, Dorotheergasse 6; hclosed Sun) Smoky, crowded, noisy, with nicotine-stained walls and arty regulars.

Falter (€2.05) and the tourist office’s Vienna Scene have up-to-date listings.

Cinema
Burgkino (%587 84 06; 01, Opernring 19) Screenings every Friday evening and Sunday afternoon of The Third Man allow you to revisit this classic film in the city where it’s set.

Classical Music
Staatsoper (State Opera; %514 44-29 60; 01, Opernring 2; seats €5.50-220, standing room €3.70) Performances here are lavish, formal affairs, where you can watch Viennese high society in all its finery.

Volksoper (People’s Opera; %514 44-36 70; 09, Währinger Strasse 78; seats €17-75, standing room €1.50-24) Putting on more modern performances, the ‘people’s opera’ is a little more relaxed in atmosphere.

You can buy tickets for both these venues, at little or no commission, at the Bundestheaterkassen (%514 44-78 80; www.bundestheater.at; 01, Goethegasse 1) or Wien Ticket (%588 85), in the hut by the Staatsoper. However, the cheapest deals are the standing-room tickets that go on sale at each venue an hour before the performance. You might need to queue three hours before that for major productions. An hour before curtain-up, unsold tickets also go on sale cheap (from €3.70) to students under 27 (student ID plus international student card necessary).

Musikverein (%505 18 90; www.musikverein.at; 01, Bösendorferstrasse 12; seats €16-110, standing room €5-7) The opulent (unofficial) home of the world-class Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra is said to be acoustically perfect. Here, standing tickets can be bought three weeks in advance at the box office.

There are no performances in July and August. Ask the tourist office for details of free concerts at the Rathaus or in churches.

Lipizzaner Museum & Spanish Riding School
The famous Lipizzaner stallions strut their stuff in the Spanish Riding School (tickets@srs.at; seats €45-145, standing room €24-25) near the Hofburg. Ask in the adjacent museum about seats. Same-day tickets can be bought for training sessions (€11.50; h10am-noon Tue-Sat Feb-Jun & Sep-Dec) or the weekly final rehearsal (€20; hFri or Sat).

Vienna Boys’ Choir
The Wiener Sängerknaben perform weekly at the Burgkapelle (Music Chapel; %533 99 27; hofmusikkapelle@asn-wien.ac.at; Swiss Courtyard, Hofburg; seats €5.50-30, standing room free; hperformances 9.15am Sun mid-Sep–Jun). Tickets are available on Friday, and from 8.15am Sunday before performances. They often put on shows in the Konzerthaus (%24 20 02; 03, Lotheringerstrasse 20; h3.30pm Fri May & Jun, Sep & Oct).

Bars
The area around Ruprechtsplatz, Seitenstettengasse and Rabensteig near Schwedenplatz is dubbed the Bermudadreieck (Bermuda Triangle) for the way drinkers disappear into its numerous pubs and clubs. Venues are lively and inexpensive, but not particularly atmospheric.

In summer, a stretch of Danube near the Reichsbrücke known as the Copa Cagrana comes alive with open-air bars, cafés and restaurants.

Centimeter (%524 33 29; www.centimeter.at; 07, Stiftgasse 4) This is the most conveniently
located of a city-wide chain, in the charming ‘Spittelberg’ area of cobbled streets, bars and restored Biedermeier houses. It’s a rollicking establishment selling Austrian food and lots of beer (which is sold by the centimetre).

7Sternbräu (%523 61 57; 07, Siebensterngasse 17) A popular Styrian brewery, 7Stern has an interesting range of brews, from hemp beer to Prager Dunkel (dark Prague beer).

Shebeen (%524 79 00; 07, Lerchenfelderstrasse 45-47) English-speaking travellers and expats alike come for the good food, relaxed vibe and, occasionally, to watch major football matches on TV.

Café Stein (%319 72 41; 09, Wäh­ringer Strasse 6-8) This trendy student café-bar cum diner has been an institution on the scene for several years.

Das Möbel (%524 94 97; 07, Burggasse 10) Another Spittelberg hang-out, much cooler than Centimeter, ‘Furniture’ is remarkable for just that. It has cube stools, a circular ping-pong table, quirky lamps and much more.

Rhiz (%409 25 05; Lechenfelder Gürtel 37-38) One of the bars lining the U-Bahn arches near the Gürtel, this is a hip mecca of Vienna’s electronic music scene.

Chelsea (%407 93 09; Lechenfelder Gürtel 29-31) Along the same strip as Rhiz, this is more underground, with frequent indie bands or DJs.

Heurigen
In the suburbs to the north, south and west of the city, you’ll find Vienna’s renowned wine taverns (Heurigen). Selling ‘new’ wine produced on the premises, plus food, they have a lively atmosphere – and sometimes strolling musicians wandering between their outdoor picnic tables. Opening times are approximately 4pm to 11pm, and wine costs less than €2.50 a Viertel (0.25L).

The Heurigen areas of Nussdorf and Heiligenstadt are near the terminus of tram D. In 1817 Beethoven lived in the Beethovenhaus (19, Pfarrplatz 3, Heiligenstadt). Down the road (bus No 38A from Heiligenstadt or tram No 38 from the Ring) is Grinzing, an area favoured by tour groups. There are several Heurigen in a row where Cobenzlgasse and Sandgasse meet, of which Reinprecht (%320 14 71; 19, Coblenzgasse 22) is the best, even if still rather touristy.

Alternatively, catch bus No 38A east to the final stop at Kahlenberg and walk 15 minutes to Sirbu (%320 59 28; 19, Kahlenberger Strasse 210; hMon-Sat Apr-Oct), which has great views of the Danube.

Gay & Lesbian Venues
Rosa Lila Villa (%586 81 50; 06, Linke Wienziele 102) The Ur-venue of Vienna’s gay scene is this pink-and-purple information centre with popular bar and restaurant.

Café Savoy (%586 73 48; 06, Linke Wienziele 36) This camped-up, olde-worlde café makes for a prime people-watching spot during Saturday’s Naschmarkt. At other times, the clientele is less mixed and more male-
oriented.