Vienna, Austria

Vienna is a unique blend of the historic and the modern with a wealth of architecture and artistic and musical heritage. Many of the world's most important composers, including Beethoven and Mozart, have lived and performed behind Vienna's Baroque façades. In addition to this Baroque splendor, there are excellent examples of Art Nouveau architecture .

The heart of Vienna is the Innerestadt where some of Vienna's most popular tourist attractions can be found, along with pedestrianized streets lined with countless shops, cafés, bars and restaurants. The center point is the Graben (literally 'moat'), which is a wide square lined with shops and pavement cafés under large umbrellas. Following the demolition of the city walls in 1857, the Ringstrasse was laid out and some of Vienna's most beautiful buildings were built along it, between 1858 and 1865. Among the most important are the Staatsoper (State Opera House), Kunsthistorisches Museum (Museum of Fine Arts), Naturhistorisches Museum (Natural History Museum), Parlament (Parliament), Rathaus (City Hall) and Burgtheater.

Things to see and do

* Hofberg Palace
* St Stephen's Cathedral
* Spanish Riding School
* Schönbrunn Palace
* Museum of Fine Arts

Cruise Season - March - Nov
Currency - Euro (€) (EUR)
Language - German
Land Area - 415 sq km's
Population - 1,600,00
Electricity - 2 round pins European style
Time - GMT plus one hour
International Country Telephone Code - + 43

Port Location - The Reichsbrücke Schiffahrtszentrum (Navigation Center), near the Vorgartenstrasse U-Bahn station, is the main dock for passenger boats to and from Vienna. The U1 at the Vorgartenstrasse U-Bahn station (underground) goes to Stephansplatz in the city center.

Transport Links - Austria's main airport (Wien Schwechat) is located 18km (11 miles) southeast of the city. The airport handles passengers traveling to destinations worldwide, including London, New York and Bangkok. There are also international rail and bus services to and from most Central and Eastern European capitals.

Getting around Vienna you can use the U-Bahn (underground), S-Bahn (commuter rail), Strassenbahn (tram) and bus network.