Okay here we go. A touristic but not so super touristic guide with lots of nice things to see that are off the trail.
Firs tof all i have no idea where you guys are staying, but ill try to keep it .. lets say .. directional, so you can like follow the guide around town without having to travel too much. Also ill keep your parents in mind so ill include the obvious tourist spots too.
Lets start in the west of Vienna, shall we.
First stop. Hitzing (U4 station Hitzing). The place you want to go is the wst entrance of the Schlosspark, the palace gardens. If you go in there you are pretty much on the more interesting side of the gardens, with the Zoo and some various other things like the "Tropenhaus" and "Wüstenhaus". The Tropen and Wüstenhaus are two really really nice pavilions which, as the name already say, have different themes. Back in the days Empress Sisi loved to have excotic stuff around, so they built those to have palm trees, tropical plants, flowers, butterflies, birds and whatever in them, like a giant winter garden. The Wüstenhaus is pretty much the same just desert themed. You got reptiles running around, sand, rare desert plants, cacti and such.
If you keep going trough the park you got the castle Schönbrunn there, empress Sisi's summer residence in Vienna. A beautiful late-renaissance palace, with an even more beautiful park, maze and zoo around it. It is absolutely worth it to go there, even if you just stroll around the park and look at the nice scenerey. Its especially nice in winter. Sure you wont have much from the mazes, but its still very very nice to wander the parks. There are some things to see in the huge park besides the park too. If you stand right infront of the palace, you will see a hill with some sort of temple building on it, the so called Gloriette. It was built as a war memorial in memory of the victory over King Friedrich the second in 1757. Today it is an insanely nice cafe, and one of the highest spots in Vienna. It wont look too high if you are the bottom of it, but if you go up you got an amazing panoramic view of Viennas inner districts since vienna is generally quite a flat city. Also there is a (quite expensive) cafe inside it where you can get some of the best traditional Vieneese breakfasts and bakeries in town with an amzing view. In the summer you can even go up the Gloriette for an even better view, dont know if its open in the winter, but its also worth looking into the cafe just to get an idea of a nice vieneese cafe (ill come to some you have to get in later). On your way up the hill you will find the Neptunbrunnen, or Neptuns fountain. You cant miss it, its right between the Castle and the Gloriette. Also a very nice piece of typical renaissance artwork.
On your way down, head down the east side, and check out the Taubenhaus, which means Pigeonhouse. Its a big pavillion full of pigeons. Quite nice too and worth a look on your way down. You will find yourself on the big main plaza infront of the palace again, where you can either go trough the lower levels of the palace or go around the rose gardens (obviously there wont be any in the winter, so go for the palace). You will then come to the front plaza, where if you go out you have to walk straight up the road from the plaza to get to a Tram station (#52 or 58 -> Westbahnhof) on the left hand side which will take you up down town. You get out at the Westbahnhof, and head down the Mariahilfer Straße. The MaHi as its called is the longest and biggest shopping street in vienna, also its really nice to just walk down there and look at stuff. When you head down the MaHi, at around the middle of it you will get to a big crossroad (Neubaugasse crossing) with the Cafe Ritter on the corner, you cant miss it.
Now if you head down there for a little shortcut you will already see the old Flak tower in the Esterhazipark from the MaHi. Go down there, take a look at it, maybe go up to the flak platforms and take a look at the city. Its some amazing view there too and its just worth it to see the 3 1/2 m thick steel reinforced concrete walls of the bunker which they cut trough so you could get out. Today its a big aquarium, but i believe there is a cheap ticket to get up the platform only if i remember correctly.
Wehen you keep going you will see the Apollo Cinema on the corner at the end of the park, head down that road infront of it to the south-east till you get down to a big 3 lane road, the Wienzeile. Cross that street and head left (north) again. You will get tot he Naschmarkt. The Naschmarkt is super famous in vienna, its basically a giant market where you can buy everything you can imagine that is eatable and even things you never knew existed. Its really really nice, espeically if you stroll trough the market you always get offered some things to try out like olives, dried fruit, bread, ham, whatever. Also there are some insanely nice restaurants like the "Neni" or the "Deli", which have oriental and exotic food right fromt he market. Real insider tips for a great meal in nice ambient. When you reach the end of the end of the Naschmarkt, you will see the Secession on the left hand side on the other side of the road. The Secession is a museum of "art nouveau", or modernism in the Secessionsstil. A bit white building with a big golden leaf-globe on top if it, again you cant miss it. Vienna had its very own modernism style and its worth a look, even if you dont want to look at the exhibition, but at least go in and look at the architecture. Its rather small, but very nice non the less. Behind that, the big brick building is the university of arts where ill most likely be
Anyway, head to your right again to the Karlsplatz and check out the Karlskirche, a big church in the park. There should also be a christmas market where you can get nice punch. From there you head back the same way you came until you reach the Secession again, where oyu go up the Getreidemarkt street for 2 minutes until you find yourself on the end of the MaHi again. On the left hand side you got the MQ or Museumsquartier, which is the absolute best place to hang out in the summers in vienna. You got the museum of modern art there (MuMoK), the museum of contemporary arty (Leopold Museum), also a lot of very nice cafes and shops. The fair colored ston block is the Leopold, the darker one the Mumok. I really recommend you to stop by the Cafe Leopold. Go up the stairs next to the museum till you reach the top, you will a great cafe where they play live jazz and swing in the evenings. Really nice to hang out.
From the MQ you head east again, down the rest of the MaHi. You will reach the "Ring" very quickly which you cant miss. A very big street with alleys of trees on its side which is called Ring becasue it surrounds all the first district of vienna. Everything on the other side is the inner district already. That is also where the old city walls where. Walk down there and imagine you are walking on top of the old castle walls. When you reach the Ring you will have the Hofburg (the old emperors residency) and the Burggarten, a very nice garden on the back side of it with a ver nice Cafe (Palmenhaus, very recommended, amazing assortment of great wine). Dont go further there yet, you will come back there again. Head back to the Ring and go north (right if you come out of the park again). You will then come to the Burgtor, the palace gates. Dont be tempted to in there yet, you will get there soon. Keep walking up the Ring till you get to a subway station. Use that to switch road sides, and keep walking on the other side.
You will then see the Parliament, a huge building in classic style. You cant miss that. Go up the ramps, maybe look inside the trough the glass door, you will the the Marmorhalle, or marbel hall. Thats there all the goverment stuff is being done. If you are done there, keep going the same direction, you will already see the next stop from there.
Cross the street and walk trough the park until you get to the Rathausplatz, or Town Hall plaza. You can obviously see the town hall there which is pretty amazing. If you are lucky (they have super stupid opening times) you can walk around the left hand side of the town hall till you come to a gate and ask if you can look inside. Usually the let you in if there isnt any meeting or if its closed already. I dont have the hours in my head, but its worth the try.
If not, well, dont worry, there is plenty more to see. Walk down the plaza to the Ring again, the building you see infront of you is the peoples opera (Volksoper). Cross the Ring and go around the right side of the Opera, you will find an entrance to the park on your right to the Volksgarten. Go in there, walk a bit undtil you reach the Theseus Temple and get in there. Usually there is some nice arty installation in it, and dont mind the chains around it, just step over them and dont worry. They are only there to prevent skaters to do silly things on the stairs, they are not ment to keep people out. Keep going there until you reach the other side of the garden and leave it. You are now on the "Heldenplatz" or the heroes square. Also you stand infront of the Hofburg agian which you already saw from the rear in the Burggarten. Keep going until you reach the middle of the plaza. On the right you got the Burgtor again. If you haven't checked it out before, go chekc it out now. Otherwise head left trough the gate there. There are two ways, no actually three, to get trough there. A sidewalk on the left, a street for cars and horse carriages in the middle and another sidewalk on the right. Take the right one, you will find a small but nice antiques dealers. They manly have pre-WW1 and WW1 stuff, but you never know what you find there. Also beware, obvious tourist shop, so lot of fake stuff to expect. Ill come to real antiques dealers later. Keep walking across the next plaza till you reach a big dome. That is the empress sleeping quarters. Yes, she had over 150 bedrooms. She slept in a different one every days, and every time she slept in one it had to be competely redecorated so she never slept in the same room twice.
Keep going and you will reach the Michaelerplatz. Now its getting tricky, since there are three ways you can go. If you go left down the Herrengasse you will see the Cafe Central on the right side. You HAVE to get in there. That is the most traditional and the nicest cafe in whole vienna. Its a cafe where the waiters wear suits and white gloves, where Freud and Schiele spent their days, and you will too. Go in there, order a Melange and a curd cake or something else you fancy and enjoy a delicious and sweet meal of the gods. Even if you dont want to eat/drink anything, go in and take a look. Noone will mind, but check it out.
Keep going down the Herrengasse a few more meters and go in at the door on your right to the Palais Harrach. You can walk right trough the gallery with some really nice shops in there (there is a chocolate shop there every female in your group will love). When you reach the other side you are the Freyung. That is a historical place where people got "redeemed" from their sins. It was said that if you went there, no goverment or any force could harm you there, you where under the protection of the church as long as you stayed on that plaza. Surely a lot of nastly people hung out there, but now its quite nice. Go right up the road, you will reach a small side street that curces upwards to the left. take that one, its nicer. Keep going on that street and you will reach the Graben. Now keep that one in mind.
I told you you got 3 ways from the Michaelerplatz. First one was left, second is straight down the middle over the Kohlmarkt. The Kohlmarkt is Viennas most expensive place. You will find the Hotel Demel there, world famous for its sweets (worth a visit) you will finde Gucci, LV, Armani, pretty much everything thats expensive. Also you wont find so much securities on such a little place anywhere else in town. Its a short street, but you reach the Graben again.
The third way from the Michaelerplatz (which is the least recommended imo) would be to the right to the Hofreitschule. You can go there, but you will come by there again later if you take the other ways so leave that for now.
Lets get back to the Graben. Go down the Graben and you will get to the Stephansplatz, ot St. Stevens Square. You will see the St. Steven cathedral there. You can go inside, its free and its pretty nice.
Now if you are there you have two choices again. If you come out of the cathedral, you can go left (would recommend you that) and go down the Kärntnerstraße. The Kärntnerstraße is another Shopping street you can walk down. When you reach the end, you will come to the big Opera house. Cant miss that one. On the left hand corner there is a starbucks just for orientation, on the right side you got the world famous Hotel Sacher, fameous for their Sacher Cakes. Im sure you know them. If you havent eaten enough already yet, get into the cafe, let yourself get seated and enjoy a real Sacher Cake. You havent eaten one till you have eaten one there. From the Sacher, if you go down the street to your right, you get to the Albertina. The Albertina is a really nice Museum of mixed art again, currently there is .. uhm .. Wurm and Ernst, two important Austrian artists. But thats not the important thing, go up the escalator under the "wing" roof and enjoy the view. On one side you will see the Burggarten and the back of the Palmenhaus again. Go down the stairs and keep walking that direction. On your left side you will find the Schatzkammer (the royal treasury, pretty cool and really nice fromt he inside) and if you walk trough the tunnel you will see the already mentioned Hofreitschule, the spanish royal riding school. You can look into the stables trough the glass there and see some of the fancy white ponies. If oyu keep going you end up on the Michaelerplatz again.
Yes, you kind of went in a circle, but there is no real other good way to see everything. Now if you want you can take the side roads up north and you will end up on the Graben again where you can go to the Stephansplatz again.
This time keep walking down that road thats heading right north from the cathedral (the Rotenturmstraße) till you reach the Schwedenplatz. You have now reached the Donaukanal (danube canal). Cross the street and go to the canal. There is a great place to eat and drink again, you cant miss it, its a huge modern building hanging over the canal, the "Motto am Fluss". You can walk up there and have a nice over the canal and walk down on the other side again. They also bake they own bread there in that restaurant, so ordering a sandwich is pure delight. You can however also take the stairs down to the canal and walk down there. If you keep heading right from the Schwedenplatz you will get to the Urania, an obersatory and cinema. Also you will see the Wienfluss enter the canal. The Wienfluss is a flood canal for vienna. Follow that one to the right. If you walk next to it on the side you where you will reach the Stadtpark (City Park) which is very nice too. Walk trough there and keep that direction after you leave it. (on the left side you will have the hotel intercontinental for orientation). If you keep walking you will get to the Schwarzenbergplatz with a giant-ass fountain on your left. There is also a russian WW2 memorial behind the fountain. Head down the road to your left until you reach the entrance of the Belvedere (called the Unteres Belvedere). Go in there, enjoy the park, enjoy the place, climb the hillside, enjoy the view. Its really really nice. Also, nice cafe inside.
So thats it for now. Its getting late and im kind of tired already, so ill drop you part 2 with some nice antique dealers, more nice restaurants you need to see, shops and some secret nice things tomorrow
Also i guess ill draw you a map on google maps so you have some idea where you are going
