Travel to Austria

Vienna (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

Format: Turtleback
Author: DK Publishing
ReleaseDate: September, 2003
Publisher: DK Travel
Rating:

Great City, Great Guide
For once I did not find the subdivisions as useful in this book. Vienna is a fascinating place to visit and this is a great book to use. Vienna can be a very confusing city to get around until you get the hang of it and sometimes the street maps in the book cut off in odd places. Despite that the recommendations of things to see and do and the smaller maps were top notch. I saw almost everything this book recommends within one jam packed three day weekend. Highly recommend. .

Eyewitness Travel Guide Vienna (2003)
Outside cover is plastic coated card stock, doesn't soak up water when lying on the lunch table, easily cleaned. Rugged bound handbook for touring Vienna. Glossy paper throughout its 288 information packed pages: a district map on inside front cover and public transport map on the inside back cover.

"Introducing Vienna" is the first chapter devoting 60 pages to an overview Vienna from a geographical, historical and cultural perspective. Then brief descriptions of major attractions, even the brief descriptions take 20 pages because Vienna offers so much to the visitor.

Next comes "Vienna by Area" with more detailed information on attractions with highlights of St Stephans Cathedral, the Hofburg area which was the Habsburg center of power now converted to civic and cultural uses, museums, palaces etc, too much to describe here as the book devotes 120 pages to guide the reader to sites, dining and maps.

Next comes "Further Afield" with adjacent areas like the Prater recreation area with it famous Ferris Wheel "der reisenrad" and more museums. Schoenbrunn palace also in this chapter as are recommended day trips outside the city and along the Danube river. Concluding the chapter are detailed walking guides for self directed excursions.

The section "Travelers Needs" has restaurants, hotels etc plus photos of local cuisine along with the German language name including the famous Sachertorte, it makes me hungry just looking at it.

Closing the book are suggested entertainment venues, casinos, music theaters followed with practical information on exchanging money, public transportation, how to use public telephones, posting letters and cards, street maps and index.

I selected this guide because it has plenty of information on sites and cultural attractions, its sturdy binding which will outlast me on the trip and its convenient size. I have travelled may places and a good practical guide is great for me, the explorer. I like to explore and discover on my own rather than join guided tours and be shown what others believe should interest me. This book givens me so much information I should not overlook anything major unless I choose to, and that's the point, I will choose for myself what to see and do. Vienna has so much to offer, the guide helps me sort it out.

I intend to spend a full day at the KHM Art History Museum, watch an Opera at the world famous State Opera House, listen to a Mozart concert by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in the Music Hall, attend Sunday mass with Vienna Boys Choir, see Schoenbrunn, Belvedere etc. Still time in my schedule for day trips up the Danube to Durnstein to see the Castle where Richard the Lionheart was imprisoned and if my wife is up to it, a day trip to Budapest. Of course each day in Vienna we plan to visit pastry shops and coffee houses to get the full "flavor" of Vienna. A ride on the ferris wheel is almost mandatory.

If there is anything more in the guide I could ask for, it would be more web site listings for music attractions as many of the venue tickets can be purchased in advance to be sure of getting seats. The guide has some web sites addresses, but a self planner like me could use more.

As rich as a piece of Viennese cake
The text is well organized and extensively illustrated with artwork and 3-D pictures of the major tourist attractions. The Eyewitness DK guides are beautiful books in their own right--you would enjoy reading them even if you didn't make the trip. The directions are excellent and they direct you to the important things to see at each location.

A particularly helpful feature is a section with specific instructions on how to use Vienna's extensive public transportation system including a description of the various types of tickets and pictures of the ticket machines.

This guide blows the competition out of the water.

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