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Has anyone had good/bad experiences visiting Vienna? My parents went once many years ago, but said outside of the "ring" it was like a drab, East Block country, although I'm sure things have changed greatly since then. One of my relatives married an Austrian, but he's a total snob who only talks to other Europeans and can't wait to move back.
My wife and I backpacked all around Eastern and Western Europe last year. Vienna was our LEAST favorite city. We wouldn't return and we advise others not to visit. If you do go, go for the night views, which are gorgeous, but don't buy anything or try to use any services. Though it's surely not true for every person, we found that the % of unhelpful and/or unfriendly people is highest in Vienna compared to every other major European city we visited. The city is overly expensive and seems to be still doing it's best to ride on the fading glory of the Hapsburgs. Really sad and surprising since it's such a pretty city and I even speak the language.
The best thing about Vienna is that it has direct rail connections to much better, cheaper, and friendlier cities like Budapest, Kosice, and even Munich.
I went to Vienna on a study abroad a few years ago... it was beautiful, but yes, a little pretentious. I found that everyone was friendly though and was willing to speak English if you made the effort to note that you didn't speak German (apologize and ask for help in English, it helps a lot). If you go during...I think it's June or July... the city center is one big party for about a week straight
The museum is to die for, same with Schönbrunn Palace. The ring is just a lot of high priced shopping (you'd find the same kinds of things on Rodeo Drive). There is gorgeous crystal in the antique shops though.
For what it's worth, I found that the most beautiful parts of Austria were outside Vienna.
I would also recommend somewhere like Prague over Vienna if you're in the area. I'm dying to take my husband to Prague, but I don't think he'd be interested in Vienna at all.
I've been to Vienna twice, many years apart, and was disappointed on both occasions. The city is provincial, and not the great center of culture and music it once was. The people are very unfriendly, too. There is a lot of what is supposed to be "beautiful architecture", but it struck me as very official-looking, and low on character and charm. The Schönbrunn Palace and gardens are Vienna's major attraction, but they are vastly inferior to similar complexes in Western Europe (e.g., Versailles). The city is very clean, and that appeals to people who have a thing for clean cities, but I don't find it enough to redeem Vienna.
I am probably very biased, but I love Vienna (the memory of it). It was my first trip ever, I was 10 years old, immigrating with my family from the Soviet Union. We had to go through Vienna, and stayed for 2 months. I thought it was heaven. It was beautiful, spectacular...
Coming to Brooklyn, NY after Vienna was a huge letdown (of course I got used to it since then). NY was drab, gray, garbage in front of everything...
I haven't been to Vienna since (that was 1987), but I definitely want to go one day.
I immigrated from the Soviet Union too, when I was only 2 months old. My mom was from Leningrad/St. Petersburg, but as I said, she thought Vienna was a drab city outside of the ring. I think she much preferred Italy to anywhere else. I wonder what you will think of Vienna when you go back someday?
Interesting posts. I was thinking of doing a bicycle trip between Vienna and Prague. I may look for an alternate destination as I haven't found to much 'have to see' stuff about Vienna either.
Perhaps it will be a let down, I hope not. We were moving from Odessa, and after a very long train ride, finally stopped in Vienna. Our hotel was in the center of the city, so I really didn't see the outskirts. Our hotel was actually really average, maybe even below that. We were 7 people in one room + kitchenette. Hias (the jewish organization) put us there, gave us some money to buy our own food, and basically wait for all the paperwork to go through. We would go to farmers market, take the train around town, go to supermarket. Meet other immigrants from Soviet Union. It didn't really feel like vacation, more like just living there. Everyone was friendly, but we weren't Americans back then, maybe that made a difference.
We didn't go through Italy, would love to go there one day as well.
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