Car Hire Vienna - Mini guide to Vienna

For centuries Vienna was the centre of Europe, as the mighty Habsburg Empire stretched far and wide. The legacy of grandeur remains with magnificent churches, palatial palaces and enormous opera houses. Today its importance is somewhat diminished, but it is an ideal city for tourists with its pedestrianised centre and compactness.

At its centre is the huge Hofburg (Imperial Palace), with various additions spanning the six centuries during which the Habsburgs ruled from here. The sweeping Schweizerhof (Swiss courtyard) dates from the 13th century. The BurgKappelle is where the famous Vienna Boys’ Choir sings, and an idea of its palatial interior can be seen in the Kaiserappartements and Schatzkammer - boasting some gobsmacking jewelry. Within the complex are some impressive museums, including an extensive collection of ancient musical instruments, an ethnological museum and the Albertina collection of graphic art.

The best view of the city can be seen from the top of the latticework spire of Stephansdom. The multicoloured chevron tiles on the cathedral roof stand out and remains of the original 12th century church are incorporated into the building.

The massive Kunsthistorisches Museum is testimony to the Habsburg’s tendency for collecting objects d’art from their vast territorial gains. It contains a who’s who of notable painters and sculptors, in addition to many unusual oddities. Also popular is the Sigmund Freud Museum. Outside the city centre, the splendid Baroque Belvedere Palace is an impressive gallery of some of Europe’s finest art.

The centre of the city is nowhere near the ‘romantic blue Danube’, but has an easy atmosphere free of cars and is full of tourists bemused by all the dressed up Wolfgang look-alikes peddling opera tickets.

Sweeping parklands add spaciousness to this stately capital, and in the summer the Volksgarten is full of student layabouts.