INSIDE VIENNA There are so many exquisite
palaces, showcase boulevards and public monuments in Vienna, you might consider the old city a vast outdoor museum... and a great place to spend a little more time. There’s the high-tech interactive House of Music, where you can steep yourself in the worlds of Viennese composers, and even “conduct” an orchestra... popular outdoor markets like the Naschmarkt... the Weiden district, where you’ll find hip galleries and trendy restaurants... picturesque neighborhoods and antique shops off the beaten paths, and the Reisenrad (the iconic giant ferris wheel featured in the movie The Third Man)... which, by the way, harkens to the setting for our exclusive Viennese evening: the Pallavicini Palace, in all its Baroque splendor, was the film location of Harry Lime’s apartment... a city where art is life.
DINING IN THE VIENNA
WOODS Austrian wineries sometimes have small taverns attached, called heurigers, where
traditional food is served with your glass of red or white wine, music is played, and the atmosphere is congenial. Join us at a heuriger in the Vienna Woods, where the music is sure to include Strauss, and the Viennese cuisine is authentic, but you’ll also get a taste of everyday life that visitors to the city seldom experience.
BEAUTIFUL BELVEDERE The Belvedere is one
of the most important museums in the world, housing an unrivaled collection of works by 19th- and 20th-century masters like Klimt, van Gogh, Monet and Renoir, and Austrian works from the Middle Ages to the present. And even if you don’t care for art, the museum itself is a masterpiece.
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8. IN THE VIENNESE STYLE Disembark this morning in romantic Vienna. Your introduction begins with an excursion to the Vienna Woods, the vast forest park on the city outskirts that inspired Strauss’ famed “Tales...” now a green retreat where Viennese go to escape the urban bustle, and immerse themselves in nature and traditional culture... which includes drinking and dining at the area’s vineyards. Many of the wineries have cozy taverns (heurigers) attached to them where regional delicacies are served, Viennese music is played, and the atmosphere is warm and welcoming. Indulge in the pleasures of a heuriger lunch in the woods, like a Viennese native, then head for your luxury hotel in the heart of the city. The Ritz-Carlton, Vienna is an amalgam of four opulent 19th-century palaces, steeped in marble, frescoed ceilings, wood paneling and murals (not to mention the spa and indoor pool), presiding on a corner of Schubertring boulevard, steps from the Ringstrasse, and in easy reach of major landmarks. Check in, then enjoy free time to explore and dine on your own. Meals BL
9. IMPERIAL VIENNA / NIGHT AT THE PALACE A sightseeing tour this morning introduces you to Imperial Vienna’s legendary opulence and elegance... as witnessed in its showcase boulevards and plazas lined with Baroque palaces, parks, and monuments. But its inner beauty lies in its awesome abundance of world-class galleries and museums, and today you can choose to immerse yourself in one of the following: Kunsthistorisches (the Fine Arts Museum), a palace built by the Hapsburgs in 1891 to house the family’s vast classical art collection (subject to availability); Belvedere Museum, housing masterpieces from the Middle Ages to the Impressionists; and the House of Music, an interactive, high-tech museum where you can sample the works of the city’s legendary composers, and
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