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Places in Vienna

Ringstrasse
A good way to foretaste the city's treasures is to circle its oldest part along the Ringstrasse. The Ringstrasse was built in 1857 in the place of the old defensive walls that encircled the city and hindered its development. As they were torn down, Vienna drew a reviving breath. The Ringstrasse goes round Vienna's historic centre and many representative buildings are located by it, each of them a separate gem in the city's collection of sights and monuments. Among them, the Museum of the History of Art - Kunsthistorisches Museum - is a must. It boasts one of Europe's richest painting collections: masterpieces from Vermeer, Tizian, Rembrandt are all there. Let alone the world's biggest collection of Peter Breughel.
Being the city's representative artery, the Ringstrasse is not, however, all about the museums, the Opera, or the Parliament. An evening spent at one of the numerous cafes or restaurants scattered along the avenue is a good choice, too.

Schonbrunn
Another gem is the former summer imperial residence, the Schonbrunn Palace. It's the whole architectural complex, together with the vast gardens and the world's oldest zoological garden, dating back to 1752, and the beautiful terraces of the Gloriette. It was in the Schonbrunn Palace where the six-year old Mozart gave his concerts. The palace also saw the end of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, when the Emperor Karl I signed an abdication act there in 1918.
[read more about Schonnbrunn Palace]

St. Stephen's Cathedral
St. Stephen's Cathedral, with the unfinished South Tower, is the symbol of the city. It is one of the oldest buildings in Vienna, dating back to the 13th century. Though its interiors contain a variety of architectural styles, the popular choice is still a long climb up the spiraling, 343-step staircase that leads to the top of the North Tower. The reward is the splendid view over Vienna..

Prater and the Riesenrad
Perhaps an easier way to get a bird's eye view of Vienna is to embark on the Riesenrad, or an enormous wheel, located in Prater, the city's famous entertainment site. The Riesenrad was built in the years 1896/97 by the English engineer Walter Basset and used to be a worldwide sensation once. Basset built four other such wheels, but the Riesenrad is the only one remaining, a true historic monument of the entertainment industry. Also, it is where some of the most gripping scenes from Orson Welles' The Third Man are taking place.