What you need to know about Vienna
Language: German is the national language although some nationals speak Hungarian. Some key phrases in German will be helpful for you when you travel around the city but English is also fairly well spoken in the tourism sector.
Currency: Austria uses the Euro (€) as their currency, which is normally traded as one of the stronger currencies in the world.
Banking: ATMs are typical in shops, super markets and on most streets. All major bank cards are accepted by retailers generally.
Weather: The weather is temperate mostly but in the winters can be very cold. If you are travelling to Vienna between November and February then you might want to pack a scarf!
Majestic Architecture
Vienna's majestic greatness is the inheritance from the amazing Habsburg dynasty. Their home for over six centuries, the Hofburg royal residence, fuses the Burgkapelle (Imperial Chapel), where the Vienna Boys' Choir sings Sunday Mass, and the celebrated Spanish Riding School, where Lipizzaner stallions perform exquisitely artful dance, alongside a trove of exhibition halls, incorporating into the chandelier-strewn Kaiserappartements (Imperial Lodgings).
Other highlights await such as the rococo Schloss Belvedere and the Habsburgs' 1441-room summer home, Schloss Schönbrunn, while nineteenth century wonderful qualitieslike the neo-Gothic Rathaus (City Hall) line the glorious Ringstrasse.
The famous Karlskirche building in Vienna is fantastic.
Museums not to be missed
One of the Habsburgs' most stunning Rinsgstrasse royal residences, the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna, houses the magnificent workmanship from throughout the ages in the form of the former ruler's trove of artworks and refinery. It is full with works of incalculable value by Old Masters, and one of the world's most extravagant and largest currency accumulations; there are countless coins everywhere to behold.
Behind the Hofburg, the previously magnificent stables have been changed into the creative MuseumsQuartier, with various exhibition halls, displaying nineteenth and twentieth century Austrian workmanship at the Leopold Museum and contemporary pieces at the MUMOK.
Shooting stars, fossils and ancient pieces fill the Naturhistorisches Museum.
Scintillating Music
With a legacy that incorporates Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Josef Haydn, Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Schubert, Johann Strauss (older and younger), Johannes Brahms and Gustav Mahler, Vienna is rightly thought of and often labelled as the City of Music. There are a whole host of unbelievable concert halls where you can listen to exhibitions that incorporate works of various master composers. Venues you can enjoy include the Musikverein, a home for the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, the Staatsoper, and the much-used Konzerthaus.
Music becomes immersive through intuitive displays at the charming Haus der Musik gallery. Try your hand there at conducting a symphony, composing a waltz at the mere roll of some dice and enjoy learning how some of history's finest composers plied their trade.
Mozart's house is another place you must visit. Wander the rooms and imagine yourself in the company of greatness, with pieces like the Magic Flute created within those very walls.
Prestigious Drinking and Dining
The Viennese love to indulge themselves with their food and drink choices. Cafes selling awesome cakes and chocolate treats are commonplace.
Done feeding your sweet tooth? Head to one of the restaurants or beer halls and tuck into a portion of Schnitzel; a Viennese staple, and try some inventive culinary delights from local chefs who sometimes amaze with their refreshing blend of flavours. There are plenty of places to toast the day with a top bottle of red wine too.
Check the best time to visit Vienna using our handy guide to the city's events, weather and everything to expect when you visit the capital of Austria.