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Cheap Holidays to Vienna

Vienna - It is difficult not to be moved to hum a Brahms lullaby or a Strauss waltz as you explore the sights of Austria's beautiful Baroque capital, Vienna, which for centuries was the centre of the splendid Hapsburg Empire. The city remains infused with the grand imperial spirit in the form of magnificent palaces and grand mansions peppering the Innerestadt.

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Vienna is a city of music, but it is also synonymous with gourmet fare, cream cakes, superb coffee, the angelic strains of the Vienna Boys' Choir and the proud prancing of the Lippizaner stallions at the world-famous Spanish Riding School. Most of the city's tourist attractions are within the largely pedestrianised inner city area which was once enclosed by the city walls. The walls have been replaced with the Ringstrasse, a wide ring road. Further out in the suburbs is the thrilling Prater amusement park with its massive ferris wheel, and the opulent Schonbrunn summer palace. Visitors also should not miss a trip to the Vienna Woods, peppered with ancient 'heuringen' (wine taverns).

Vienna Attractions

Hofburg Vienna

The Hofburg Palace, or Imperial Palace, was the home of the Austrian Hapsburgs for 600 years. The first fortifications were erected by King Ottakar Premyst in the 13th century and were added to by every generation until it became the monumental structure it is today.

St Peter's Abbey Vienna

If you only have time to visit one of Salzburg's many churches, make sure its the 9th-century St Peter's Abbey Church (Stiftkirche St Peter), one of Salzburg's most impressive Rococo buildings. The Peterskirche was built at the beginning of the 18th century on the foundations of the former church which was founded in 792. The ornate interior is more impressive than the exterior with high marble pillars and a magnificent frescoed ceiling. The ancient catacombs that were carved into the rock face by the early Christian inhabitants are accessible only through a short guided tour.

Spanish Riding School Vienna

The Spanish Riding School of Vienna is the oldest and last riding school in the world where classic dressage is still practised in its purest form. This Institute was founded in 1572 and named for the Lipizzaner horses, which are of Spanish origin.