Things to do in Austria
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Church
The church, sometimes known as the Wallfahrtskirche, was built in the early 15th century from volcanic stone, some of it filched from a nearby Roman ruin. Originally Gothic, it later received Romanesque and baroque modifications. The exterior south wall is embedded with relief panels and ancient gravestones – look for the Roman mail wagon carved into one of the stones and the weird frescoes of people growing out of bulbous flowers on the church ceiling (they represent the genealogy of Christ).
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Haus des Meeres
What the ‘House of the Sea’ lacks is the chance for visitors to spring into the shark tank for some thrashing and splashing. There are probably insurance reasons for this not being a hands-on (or rather, feet-off) museum but a staff member does negotiate the tank at 6pm Thursday. While the museum is unlikely to blow you away instantly, you can get an interesting glimpse into the world of lizards, sharks, crocodiles and snakes, with a few fish and creepy-crawlies tossed in. The shark and piranha feeding sessions at 3pm Wednesday and Sunday are strong draws, and another is the reptile feeding at 10am Sunday and 7pm Thursday. There’s a glass tropical house filled with lithe…
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Ernst Fuchs Privat Museum
This small museum about 2km north of the U4 Hütteldorf stop is devoted to Ernst Fuchs’ fantastical paintings, etchings and sculptures. The works have a, shall we say, drug-induced look about them, and what may be more interesting to the visitor is the villa housing the collection. Built by Wagner in 1888, it was saved from ruin by Fuchs and restored to its former glory in 1972. In the gardens (visible from the road) are some interesting statues, ceramics and the ornate Brunnenhaus created by Fuchs.
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Point of Sale
Situated in the alternative strip of Wieden on the cusp of Margareten, the Point of Sale draws a colourful crowd for light dishes, ranging from chicken satay through pasta to burgers. There’s lounge-type seating in a front mezzanine level, benches along the side and regular seating out back. You can do a lot here: eat very decently, surf to find your next port of call or simply hang out over a drink. Vegetarians and vegans are well catered for, as are those looking for a good breakfast, which is served until 3pm.
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Schloss Ambras
The city’s biggest stunner is Schloss Ambras. Archduke Ferdinand II acquired the castle in 1564, the year he became ruler of Tyrol, and transformed it from a fortress into a palace. He was the mastermind behind the Spanische Saal (Spanish Hall), a 43m-long banquet hall with a wooden inlaid ceiling and Tyrolean nobles gazing from the walls. Also note the grisaille (grey relief) around the courtyard and the sunken bathtub where his beloved Philippine used to bathe.
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Schloss Belvedere
Belvedere is a masterpiece of total art and one of the world’s finest baroque palaces. Designed by Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt (1668–1745), it was built for the brilliant military strategist, Prince Eugene of Savoy, conqueror of the Turks in 1718. The Unteres (Lower) Belvedere was built first (1714–16), with an orangery attached, and was the prince’s summer residence. Connected to it by a long, landscaped garden is the Oberes (Upper) Belvedere (1721–23), the venue for the prince’s banquets and other big bashes.
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Meinl’s Restaurant
Meinl’s combines cuisine of superlative quality with an unrivalled wine list and views of Graben. Head chef Joachim Gradwohl uses the freshest of ingredients to create inviting dishes, often integrating delicate Mediterranean sauces and sweet aromas. The waiters are professional to a fault, the atmosphere is surprisingly easygoing and you can even chill out on sofas and admire the Pestsäule. Meinl’s Weinbar, in the cellar, is open until midnight, and there is also a quality providore, Meinl am Graben, onsite.
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Neu Wien
Neu Wien is a plush new restaurant on the edge of the Innere Stadt's medieval quarter, with the look and feel of a lounge bar (low leather seats, well-stocked bar). The cuisine harks back to the days of the Habsburg empire, with the likes of roasted fillet of zander, fillet of Alp ox, and proper veal Wiener schnitzel filling the menu, but there are a few unusual dishes too, like mushroom Gulasch (goulash). After the meal, head downstairs to KIK (Kultur im Keller) for cabaret and live music.
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Beinhaus
This small charnel house contains rows of neatly stacked skulls, painted with flowery designs and the names of their former owners. Bones have been exhumed from the overcrowded graveyard since 1600 and the last skull in the collection was added in 1995. The Beinhaus stands in the grounds of the 15th-century Catholic Pfarrkirche and has Gothic frescoes and three winged altars; arguably the best one, on the right, dates from 1510 and shows saints Barbara and Katharina, with Mary in the middle.
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WUK
WUK (Werkstätten und Kulturhaus; Workshop and Culture House) is many things to many people. Basically a space for art (government subsidised but free to pursue an independent course), it hosts a huge array of events in its concert hall. International and local rock acts vie with clubbing nights, classical concerts, film evenings, theatre and even children’s shows. Women’s groups, temporary exhibitions and practical skills workshops are also on site, along with a smoky cafe with a fabulous cobbled courtyard.
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Die Spur des Einhorns
Die Spur des Einhorns is Friesach’s main attraction, a contemporary and dreamlike art installation housed in a 15th-century bishop’s palace and loosely based on the myths and stories of the medieval age in Europe. Music, voices and light effects accompany the visitor throughout a visit, from an ‘enchanted forest’ made of mirrors to the final resting place of the mighty sword, Excalibur. It’s fascinating, beautiful and perfect for children and adults alike.
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Ruprechtskirche
A few steps north of Ruprechtsplatz, Ruprechtskirche (St Rupert’s Church) dates from about 1137 or earlier, making it the oldest church in Vienna. The lower levels of the tower date from the 12th century, the roof from the 15th century and the iron Renaissance door on the west side from the 1530s. What makes this church attractive is its unusually simple exterior of ivy-clad stone walls in cobblestoned surrounds. The interior is just as sleek and worth viewing, with a Romanesque nave from the 12th century.
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Kirche Am Hof
The former Jesuit monastery Kirche Am Hof, on the southeast side of Am Hof, has a baroque facade adapted from its fire-damaged Gothic predecessor and the hugely expansive nave is lined with white pillars and topped with gold badges. It was here in 1806 that a royal herald announced the end of the Holy Roman Empire, ruled by the Habsburgs for about 500 years. The Mariensäule (Mary’s Column) in the centre of the square is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and was erected in 1667.
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Passage
Passage is the closest thing to a megaclub in Vienna. Its sleek interior, soothing colours and sweaty atmosphere attract the beautiful people of the city, their entourage and plenty of oglers and barflies. The music is loud (noise from the Ringstrasse traffic directly overhead is easily drowned out) and fairly mainstream, with R&B, hip-hop and house nights; ‘Disco Fever Tuesday’ draws some of the biggest crowds. Expect lines and black-clad, muscle-bound doormen after 10pm (11pm on Friday and Saturday).
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Gabarage Upcycling Design
Recycled design, ecology and social responsibility are the mottoes at gabarage upcycling design. Old sealing rings become earrings, former outdoor rubbish bins get a new life as tables and chairs, advertising tarpaulins morph into carrying bags, and fused ring binders reappear as recliners. Humans also receive a second shot at a new life: after completing therapy for substance abuse, former addicts receive jobs plus one year’s training in various skills through gabarage’s own occupational therapy program.
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Chang Asian Noodles
Chang is a small, well-established Asian diner a short walk from the Innere Stadt. The venue is bright, open, uncomplicated and highly relaxed, while the service is quick and attentive. Noodles (either fried or in a soup) are the mainstay of a menu spanning the Asian continent (at least from China to Singapore) – expect plenty of chicken, prawns (both baby and tiger) and vegetable choices. Everything is available for takeaway. The affiliated duck restaurant next door (mains €13 to €16) has the same hours.
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Strandbad
Klagenfurt’s wonderful lakeside beach has cabins, restaurants and piers for basking like a seal. You can also plough a satisfying circuit 100m offshore for about 500m along the buoys. Kästchen (lockers large enough for day packs) in the Strandbad cost €1 plus €20 deposit. There’s also good swimming outside the buoys further south, past the Maria Loretto beach. Those lounge lizards for whom all this might sound a tad too strenuous will enjoy indulging in paddle or electric boat escapades alongside the Strandbad.
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Radiokulturhaus
Expect anything from odes to Sinatra and R.E.M. or an evening dedicated to Beethoven and Mozart at the Radiokulturhaus. Housed in several performance venues including the Grosser Sendesaal – home to the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra (which hosts classical and modern music plus theatre productions) and the Klangtheater (used primarily for radio plays) – this is one of Vienna’s cultural hot spots. The venue also presents dance, lectures, and literary readings as well as low-key performances in its cafe.
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Vapiano
This eat-in Italian cafeteria-style chain offers pizza, homemade pasta and salads in several different categories. You collect a card at the door and make your choice at one of the counters, where dashing young lads and lasses will whip up the dish before your very eyes. Hold onto your card and pay at the door when you leave. Bonuses are a nappy-changing room and long opening hours. The downside is that the eating is often shoulder-to-shoulder and the noise level can make spaghetti of your nerve endings.
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Gold n’ Guitars
This is one of a kind in Vienna: owner and guitar craftsman Michael Eipeldauer restores and sells contraguitars, also known as a Schrammelguitar, used for folk music, jazz and other styles – they have a standard neck and a second fretless one for bass notes. A prize piece is a Biedermeier model from the 1840s. Expect to pay from €1600 (used) to €3500 (new). Stylish secondhand East German guitars such as models from Musima, as well as Arthur Lang jazz guitar classics, glisten on stands around the store.
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Do-An
Located in the heart of Naschmarkt, Do-An does an eclectic mix of sandwiches, rice and noodle dishes, delicious salads and meats as well as some Turkish staples at affordable prices. Many of its diners head straight for the breakfasts from around the globe; the American reads more like a traditional English fry-up and the continental is a nice, light starter of bread and spreads. Like Naschmarkt Deli, Do-An is a rectangular aquarium with huge glass walls and a steadfast following who enjoy the relaxed vibe and sunny corners.
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Augarten Contemporary/Gustinus Ambrosi-Museum
Sculptures by Austrian-born Gustinus Ambrosi (1893–1975) are the highlight of the works displayed inside the Atelier section of this museum in the western corner of the Augarten. Alongside his works are sculptures by other European artists from the 20th and 21st centuries, while the Augarten Contemporary, part of the same museum, features temporary exhibits from international artists.
Entry to the Atelier is included in the Schloss Belvedere ticket (adult/senior/student/child €13.50/10.50/9.50/free).
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Kindermuseum
Schönbrunn’s Children’s Museum does what it knows best: imperialism. Activities and displays help kids discover the day-to-day life of the Habsburg court, and once they’ve got an idea, they can don princely or princessly outfits and start ordering the serfs (parents) around. Other rooms devoted to toys, natural science and archaeology all help to keep them entertained. Guided tours in German are a regular feature, departing at 10.30am, 1.30pm and 3pm (in English by appointment only).
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Beim Czaak
In contrast to more-heavily touristed Beisln in the Innere Stadt, Beim Czaak has a genuine and relatively simple interior. As you would expect, meat dishes dominate the menu, with choices like Waldvierteler Schnitzel (with fried bacon, onions and mushrooms) and the Haus Schnitzel (weighted down with ham, cheese, mushrooms and onions – yum). Standard Viennese vegetarian, such as Eiernockerl (egg pasta) and Spinatknödel (spinach dumplings), are also options. In summer, take advantage of the umbrella-shaded tables on the tiny square out front.
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Unteres Belvedere
Built between 1714 and 1716, Lower Belvedere is a treat of baroque delights. Highlights include Prince Eugene’s former residential apartment and ceremonial rooms, the Groteskensaal (Hall of the Grotesque; now the museum shop), a second Marmorsaal (Marble Hall), the Marmorgalerie (Marble Gallery) and the Goldenes Zimmer (Golden Room). Audio guides in English cost €3.50. Often it’s only open between 10am and noon due to lack of staff.
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