My music history advisor is taking us to lovely Wien for a culture study (here is the class info if anyone is interested). Any sight-seeing tips?

Oh, that's great, Terez! Wish I could go!!

Summer Palace is quite nice.

Don't buy anything in Stephenplatz because the prices are comparatively higher than the rest of the city (most of the tourists end up in the Stephenplatz so the shops and cafes prey on them).

Ruprechtskirche is also quite nice


And so is Kahlenberg Hill outside of the city.

I might have spoken too soon - I was the 10th person to sign up for the trip, meeting their quota, but two people dropped out today. The deadline for application is next Friday, so I hope that he can get some more people signed up.

Greetings Terez!

Re: Sightseeing tips in Vienna?... It depends what you like, but I am assuming that you are a big fan of music

Seriously, dress up and visit the Bosendorfer factory/showroom, a 10 minute walk from the Opera house. Play on an Imperial Grand and let us know what you think?...

A sentimental favorite of mine was visiting the National Cemetery (Zentralfriedhof) where you'll discover the graves of Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert, Strauss (father & son), and a monument to Mozart. It's a 30 minute bus ride from the inner city. From the main entrance, you'll walk through beautiful gardens before you're in midst of the Greats. I think that it's a pilgrimage that every musician should make in one's lifetime. Last time I was there, I placed some flowers over Beethoven's grave. Prepare yourself, because I didn't. For me it was very emotional; it was as if I had journeyed to the Earth's core - the energy was surreal. As I gazed over the monument for the first time, the opening bars of the Eroica Symphony kept resonating in my head, then I calmed down to to the elegiac 2nd movement of the Pathetique. A sublime experience, and I can promise that you'll never play Beethoven the same way either.

The Opera House, Hofburg Complex, St. Stephan's Cathedral, Schonnbrun Palace, and the Musikverein are also very good sites. Don't forget to sample the pastry too!

I was there in Vienna and Salzburg for Mozart's 250Th anniversary and the summer music festivals 2 years ago. I do a lot of landscape photography on my trips, and for me it was a musical and photographic safari all in one.

Will you be touring outside of Vienna too?....

Lastly, buy a DK Eyewitness Travel Guide on Austria or Vienna - Best $20 you'll ever spend for any European trip as it is an exquisite compact guide - pictures, descriptions, maps, schedules, history, etc.

Bon Voyage!

Vienna pastry is good, I was expecting jewels for the mouth. But it was not what I had expected. However, the pastries are not as sugary as in the US which makes them a helluva lot better than the crap made in this country.

I just got my trip packet, so apparently it's a go! Woo!

Thanks for the sight-seeing tips - most of the music stuff will likely already be on the itinerary, since that's the point of the trip (music culture). I think we'll have afternoons and weekends free, but not sure yet. Ugh, I hope we don't class too terribly early each morning...

If anyone is around and wants to meet for coffee or something, let me know!

Glad to see you manage to make the trip. I've never been in Wien, but I have one single tip for you, since nobody mentioned it: go here and have one of this.

Looks fancy. How many Euro does that cost?

You don't have to eat a whole cake (as I would probably do ), they won't fleece you if you stop in there for a snack.

Wein, Weiber ung Gesang !

Vienna, wives and song? I dont get it. (I'm probably too young to understand )

Yes, you are too young for that.
Actually it's Wein, Weib und Gesang, see

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wein,_Weib_und_Gesang

What else could us men want?

I have been promised that this course won't be Strauss-intensive. Just Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert.