Product Description

This is the guide that shows you what others only tell you! Make sure you don't miss a thing with this essential guide to Vienna. Find out where to explore historic buildings of interest and view the finest art collections using the unique cutaways and 3D models. Tips on where to enjoy the best meals, suggested walks and detailed street maps will ensure that you discover Vienna in style. It is the voted Best Guide Book series by Guardian and Observer readers in 2004, and nominated for the second year running. "No other guide whets your appetite quite like this one." - "The Independent".

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #255953 in Books
• Published on: 2005-12-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 288 pages

Customer Reviews

extremely helpful!
I used this book, when being in Vienna with my husband for our honeymoon. It really helped us to find our way through the Habsburgs' palaces and the famous viennese cafes!! Austria's capital is merely one palace that consists of huge, elaborately constructed buildings! This book provided us with very accurate info about the city's history as well as many hidden historical attractions (e.g the catacombs under the Stephansdom and the Habsburgs' graves), which we would not have been able to discover without it! Its maps proved to be very precise and easy to use, also! I strongly recommend it to those who are interested in Austrian history and traditions!

Loved the city, book OK
It looked good on first looking through it but it didn't keep my attention for the duration of the stay.
It is well illustrated, the maps quite good, and it is quite comprehensive in terms of buildings and museums (well it is Vienna).
However, as someone who usually likes the eyewitness guides as a quick way of getting around, this one seemed a bit clinical and didn't appeal so much. Maybe I just didn't appreciate the detail in the book as much as I should have. In addition to the architecture, I enjoyed the Spanish riding school and the Butterfly House in the city, so as the week progressed I would have liked a bit more variety in the content, and some descriptions that would give me a real feel for the place.
Others may well have a different perspective?
As an aside, had some great Viennese cakes :-) - but I don't understand the excitement over the Sachertorte, thought it was very dry and not much flavour.

DK Eyewitness to Vienna
whever I go somewhere new I will always look for the DK eyewitness without hesitation. I did in this instance but, in this case, was wrong to do so.

The descriptions of places seem very vague and a bit distant, a lot of the photos are out of date and the book didn't tell me enough about the city in general. 'Transport from the airport' was especially vague, and didn't even mention the best way of travel, the CAT (a double decker train), let alone tell you that it costs E.17 each way. It is as if the author hasn't been to Vienna for a decade, and has lost touch with the place.

The best two places we went to (over a long weekend) weren't in the guidebook - the Terra-Aquarium, which is housed in what looks like an old municiple water tower (it looks derelict when you walk up to it, but really isn't), and Hundertwasser's KunstHausWein, which was well worth the trek to get there. Both of these places were within the map borders, but not mentioned anywhere in the text.

Also, while telling you about the Chirstmas markets, it omits to tell you that they don't open until well after midday, as do a lot of retail shops.

The book does get two stars because the maps are flawless and highly informative. The few walking routes we did were well planned, though not all that informative. This is a good book, up to their usual visual and mapped standards, its the content that I'm really disappointed with!!

If I go back to Vienna again, I will buy a different guidebook.