Vienna (Eyewitness Travel Guides) (Turtleback)
May 25, 2009 by Destination Guide
Filed under Travel Austria Guides
Product Description
Includes: Stephansdom Quarter, Hofburg Quarter, Schottenring, Alsergrund, Town Hall, the Museum Quarter, Opera, Naschmarkt, and the Belvedere Quarter.-
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This is a surprisingly effective and well-organized guide, with some interesting photos. If you’re planning on spending just a few days in Vienna, then this compact little book will be indispensible in locating the famous streets and tourist sights. The maps are more than adequate and the walking descriptions to each locale are precise and accurate. There is also corresponding material on how to use the U-Bahn in the city and which station to take for each particular site. There is a separate chapter on the churches of the city with a brief ranking system for the nosiest places, the friendliest, the cheapest food, etc.
If you’re planning a lengthy sojourn in Vienna or if you already know the city well, then this book would not be as helpful. It is solely intended for the casual tourist and there is little, if any, information on the intriguing environs of the city. Many of the best sites are neglected because most tourists don’t want to bother or simply don’t have the time to stick around. Still, this is a thrifty guide you can stick in your pocket and consult when you need to find a restaurant, beer haunt or hotel. In short, if you’re a first timer to Vienna, enjoy one of the greatest cities in Europe and be sure to tuck away Brook’s guide.
As helpful and user-friendly as one has come to expect from DK Guides, this book on Vienna will help you track down key buildings such as the Hundertwasser Haus, the best coffeehouses such as the Cafe Sperl, and some interesting out-of-the-way places such as the Werkbundsiedlung that will make your trip more enjoyable. It also maps out the underground metro system and gives you an outline of the extensive trolley bus service. Of course, these guides are always subject to changes when it comes to hotels, restaurants, theaters and museum times, so one should check out the DK website for the latest updates. The maps key you into the districts of Vienna with beautiful illustrations, such as impressive cut-away sections of Stephansdom and other major buildings, along with photos of the buildings and quarters which comprise this great city. The guide also fills you in on the important dates and history of the city down through the ages to clue you into the meaning of the sites. It does lack a good overall map of the city, but these are easily available in Vienna. Best of all, you have a very nice way to recap your trip when you get home.
I picked up this guide for my trip to Vienna based on my perusal of all the Vienna city guides at my local bookstore. I had already booked an air and hotel package so was looking for a guide to the major sights, history, food and transportation. This book filled the bill quite nicely. Vienna is an imperial city with a rich history and the Eyewitness guides are well known for their depth in that area. Also useful was the star rating system for sights not to be used, and very useful information on the wonderful transportation system we had included with our Vienna Card. There were some good tips on dining, particularly in the Vienna cafes. One of my favorite features was the survival guide with lots of practical information on transportation from the airport, diagrams of bus, tram and subway lines, and more. If you don’t need hotel information, this is probably the best guide for the money.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent
The eyewitness guides are a pleasure to read .Many great pictures and plenty of detail .I am as pleased with this one as the others I already own .
3.0 out of 5 stars
Unreasonably slow delivery
The product delivered was OK. However the delivery took almost a full month, being delivered on the very last day that reading the fine print said the product might be delivered…
5.0 out of 5 stars
Use for sightseeing, not restaurants or hotels information
Restaurants and hotels pricing was off, but, as usual, DK Publishing Eyewitness guides are like having a personal historical/architectural
guide by your side – 24/7/365…
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great City, Great Guide
Vienna is a fascinating place to visit and this is a great book to use. For once I did not find the subdivisions as useful in this book.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Eyewitness Travel Guide Vienna (2003)
Rugged bound handbook for touring Vienna. Outside cover is plastic coated card stock, doesn’t soak up water when lying on the lunch table, easily cleaned.
5.0 out of 5 stars
As rich as a piece of Viennese cake
The Eyewitness DK guides are beautiful books in their own right–you would enjoy reading them even if you didn’t make the trip.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent reference material to plan your Viennese vacation
There are two kinds of travel guides, and both are useful: those guides that help you to plan your trip, and those to carry in your shirt pocket when the shoes hit the pavement…
4.0 out of 5 stars
A visual delight
These books are beautiful and informative and perfect for a pre-trip virtual tour of any city. However, I find them overly complex for actual touring and rely more on Rick Steves…
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good maps, but book heavy.
We bought the Insider guides for Prague, Budapest & Vienna after reading good reviews. They were the best for finding where things were.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Glossy
Maybe not quite as practical as some other guides, this is the glossy, color guide you want to use to get yourself excited about a trip to Vienna – or to get your companion…