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Destinations : Vienna
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Things to do |
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Carriage
Ride
As you explore the city, you will be
sure to see the horse drawn carriages, known locally as fiacres. They
first appeared in Vienna around 1670 and remained an important means
of transport until the introduction of taxis at the beginning of the
20th century. Today there are only about 30 fiacres left and they
do a roaring trade with the tourists. A short tour
of the city takes 25 minutes and costs around £30 per carriage.
Or, if you want a longer trip you can hire one for around £68
per hour.
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Schonbrunn
Palace
Schonbrunn palace is one of Vienna’s
most famous attractions and it owes much of its splendour to the influence
of Empress Maria Theresa who lived here in the mid 18th Century. The
palace, it’s park and garden, where handed over to the state
in 1918. The grand gallery is 43 metres long and 10 metres wide, it’s
absolutely stunning and it’s the perfect setting for grand receptions
and festive banquets and bizarrely it was also used as a waiting room!
The hall of mirrors is where Mozart was rumoured to have given his
first ever, public performance at the tender age of six, for lucky
Empress Maria Theresa. Another famous resident of Schonbrunn palace
was Emperor Franz Joseph, who came to power at the age of 18 and reigned
for an incredible 68 years, until his death in 1916.
Audio guides are available and you just pick them up on the way in
and they give you all the information you need and they’re absolutely
free. It's worth going back to the palace in the evening when the
building is flood-lit, the tree looks splendid and the markets remain
open to 8.30pm. To add to the atmosphere there are Choral performances
to enjoy for free.
The performances begin at 6pm on week days and 1pm
on the weekends, from mid-November to December.
Admission: Adults: £5.70, Children £3
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Christmas
Markets
One of the big attractions in Vienna are the Christmas Markets. The
tradition of Christmas markets in Vienna began some 700 years ago
and it’s estimated that last year alone they attracted 600,040
visitors from around the world. You’ll find markets all over
the city but the main one is in front of the city hall. There are
140 stalls selling decorations, handy-crafts and traditional hot drinks.
On drink is Gluhwein, it’s a traditional drink like a fruit
punch. It costs about £1.50 for the drink and you pay £1.50
for the mug, which you can take home if you wish or you can bring
it back and get your £1.50 back.
one of the most popular things in the markets coming up to Christmas,
are baubles. Hand-made, hand-painted and they are beautiful, a really
nice keepsake of Vienna.
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Visit
to a Micro-brewery
Joe managed to get myself a seat at the Seven
Star brewery one of the many micro-brewery’s around
the city. Now a micro-brewery is a bar that basically makes it own
beers. You won’t get any of your commercial labels here and
it tastes much better. |
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The
Museum Quarter
If your looking for an alternative for the pub or café, then
get yourself down to the Museums quarter where every year from the
middle of November to Christmas eve, they erect a winter-scape with
futuristic igloo’s, DJ booths and a curling
lane. It’s just a really cool place to hang out.
Although more of a rural past time, ice curling is very popular in
Vienna in Christmas. So if you want to be sure of getting a game you
would be advised to book before you travel. This can be done by email.
It costs £18 per half hour no matter how many people are playing.
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Vienna Riesenrad
The giant
ferris wheel, officially known as the Vienna Riesenrad
is 60 metres in diameter and 64 metres at it’s highest point.
Built in 1896 it is now over 100 years old. The wheel operates all
year round and costs about £5 for adults and £2 for
children or if you’ve plenty of money you can rotate in style.
There are special cabins that can be hired out for dinner, or for
lunch or you can hire them out to get married in. They cost €200
an hour.
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Haus der Musik
Vienna is a musical city: Classical, opera, choirs and it’s
everywhere from the Opera houses through to the cafes. Your hotel
or tourist office will be able to help you find a show that suits
your needs and will point you in the right direction for tickets.
Suzanne went to The Haus
der Musik which has three floors of exhibits some of
which allow you to experiment, with sound and others dedicated to
the many great composers that have hailed from Austria - Mozart being
one of them. If you've always quite fancied yourself as a conductor
then you get the opportunity to try out your skills with a machine
called the Virtual Conductor at The Haus der Musik. If you get it
wrong someone from the orchestra will get up and tell you off!
Admission: Over 12s £7, Under 12s £4
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Christmas Workshops
If you can tear yourself away from the stalls and into the building
itself you can have a go at making your own gifts to bring home. This
was originally set up for children but it’s proved so popular
the adults can now join in between 3 and 7pm from Monday to Friday.
Each workshop
costs £4 per adult and £2 per child and there's a whole
range of crafts to try out, but the cookie making is exclusively for
the kids. For 85p they get to roll some pastry, cut out shapes and
come away with a bag of cookies and a bakers hat. |
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