Architecture
Gothic style:
* Stephansdom: Vienna's main cathedral; very good and unusual sculptural work at the pulpit, by Anton Pilgram; great spire
* Kirche Maria am Gestade (1., Salvatorgasse 12) from around 1400; small but richly decorated, with a very nice spire the church is in one of the most medieval looking areas of the town, with a maze of small streets
Renaissance:
Stallburg (external part of the Hofburg, Reitschulgasse, close to Michaelerplatz), from 1558-65
Schweizerhof and Schweizertor within the Hofburg; nice frescos on
the ceiling of the gate from 1552, in grotesque style
The Hofburg was enlarged again and again over six centuries
Baroque, Rokoko:
** Belvedere (3., Rennweg 6): Prince Eugen's summer residence,
built by Lukas von Hildebrandt, 1714-16 and 1721-22. One of
the most beautiful Baroque ensembles world-wide.
In the interior of the Upper Belvedere an exceptional collection
of paintings by Gustav Klimt.
* Karlskirche (4., Karlsplatz), by Fischer von Erlach (sen. & jun.), 1716 - 1730
Peterskirche (1., Petersplatz, off Graben) and Pestsaeule (`plague column') on Graben, close to Stephansdom.
* Schloss Schoenbrunn (13., Schoenbrunner Schloss-Str.); 1695-1730 by Fischer von Erlach; very big and impressive, splendid rooms inside; huge park with Gloriette (a little arc de triomphe; nice view of Vienna from there)
Prunksaal der Nationalbibliothek in der Hofburg (entrance from Heldenplatz or Josefsplatz); richly decorated great hall of the national library, by Fischer von Erlach 1726, lots
Kaisergruft (Imperial Burial Vault) in the crypt of the Kapuzinerkirche (1.,Neuer Markt): most of the Habsburgs in lead sarcophagi
19th Century:
Michaelertrakt of the Hofburg (town gate of the Hofburg with
neo-baroque dome over the entrance, from 1888-93)
Neue Hofburg with Heldenplatz and two rider statues
ensemble along the Ring (Votivkirche, Neues Rathaus, Burgtheater,
Parliament, Naturhistorisches and Kunsthistorisches Museum, Opera);
Musikverein
parks: Volksgarten (between Heldenplatz and Burgtheater), Stadtpark
(with many monuments for great composers)
Riesenrad am Prater (2., Praterstern); nice view over Vienna from the giant wheel, famous from the movie `The third man' with Orson Welles
Jugendstil (Art Nouveau, Art Deco):
* Secession (1., Friedrichstr. 12, close to Karlsplatz), main exhibition venue of the Jugendstil artists' association, built 1897-98 by J.M. Olbrich; in the interior Klimt's Beethoven-Fries
* Otto-Wagner-Pavillons (1., Karlsplatz): entrance halls of the underground, nicest parts of the Stadtbahn project
Postsparkasse (1., Georg-Coch-Platz 2) by Otto Wagner from 1906, great facade; still in use as the postal bank; original interior (they also sell some nice Jugendstil-type gifts there)
Apartment buildings (6., Linke Wienzeile 38 and 40, not far from Secession) by Otto Wagner; very nice facades (golden medaillons by Kolo Moser), and right next to the Naschmarkt -- daily fruit market and lots of little international eateries
Strudlhofstiege (down Strudlhofgasse, 2 mins from ESI): famous (and nicely asymmetric) Jugendstil staircase from 1910
Facade of the Engels-Apotheke (1., Bognergasse 9)
[* Otto-Wagner-Kirche am Steinhof -- unique specimen of a Jugendstil church, but it is still being renovated, so one can't see much apart from the dome, which has recently been refurbished in gilted copper.]
Ankeruhr (1., Hoher Markt 10/11): richly decorated clockwork on one of the oldest places of Vienna (from Roman times)
Loos-Haus (1., Michaelerplatz 3), facing the town gate of the Hofburg (much to the Emperor's dismay); designed 1909-11 by Adolf Loos, the main (modern) antagonist of the Jugendstil architects.
Former French Embassy (4., Schwarzenbergplatz 12, between Karlsplatz and Belvedere): beautiful example of French Art Nouveau, by George-Paul Chedanne; interesting to compare to the Viennese style.
Modern:
Karl-Marx-Hof (19., Heiligenstaedter Str 82-92): complex of early council flats (1927), built in `expressionist style' (think of Lang's Metropolis)
UNO city (22., Wagramer Str. 3-5)
Haas-Haus: from 1986, glass facade facing and reflecting the Stephansdom
Hundertwasser: Hundertwasser-Haus (3., Loewengasse/Kegelgasse), KunstHaus, Heizwerk on the Donaukanal (exercises in how to avoid straight lines ...)
Some museums and special exhibitions:
* Kunsthistorisches Museum -- comparable to the National Gallery in
London; huge collection, centred on Italian and Flamish paintings
special exhibition on Giorgione (one of Titian's teachers)
* Oesterreichische Galerie Belvedere: Klimt (see above)
Albertina (1., Albertinaplatz 3): huge collection of engravings, drawings and graphics; special exhibition on Rembrandt
Museumsquartier (7., Museumsplatz): several new museums for (mainly
modern) art:
Leopoldmuseum (one of the largest Schiele collections,
and more Klimt),
Museum moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig (MUMOK)
* Kunstforum (1., Freyung 8): special exhibition on Kandinsky
Palais Liechtenstein (9., Fuerstengasse 1, at the bottom of the Strudlhofstiege): recently re-opened, huge private collection (mainly Baroque art)
Museum fuer angewandte Kunst (applied arts) MAK (1., Stubenrung 5): design, in particular by the Wiener Werkstaetten (between Jugendstil and Bauhaus)
KunstHaus Wien (3., Untere Weissgerberstr. 13): permanent Hundertwasser collection
Schubert-Museum (9., Nussdorfer Str. 54): Schubert's birthplace and very cosy little museum
Sigmund-Freud-Museum (9., Berggasse 19)
The opera (Staatsoper, Opernring) is one of the best in the world. Standing tickets are EUR 3.50.
Coffee houses to try out:
Cafe Central (1., Herrengasse 14), meeting place of the Vienna
intellectuals already in the first decades of the 20th century
Cafe Landtmann (1., Dr.-Karl-Lueger-Ring 4, next to Burgtheater)
Cafe Hawelka (1., Dorotheergasse 6)
Cafe Demel (1., Kohlmarkt 14)
Alte Backstube (8., Lange Gasse 34):
very good Strudel (Apfel-Strudel and Milchrahm-Strudel), open until
midnight
Hotel Sacher (1., Philharmonikerstr. 4, behind the opera), famous for
its Sacher-Torte.
Cafe Weimar (9., Waehringer Str. 68)