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St. Stephen's Cathedral (Stephansdom) – You can't
miss Stephansdom, right in the middle of the city – a Gothic special,
with an amazing roof covered with green, yellow, white and black tiles in
geometric designs. Outside the church, on the south side, check out the bronze model of the cathedral, to get a feeling for the overall shape
of the cathedral and roof designs. |
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 South
Tower – Climb up the South Tower (343 steps, round and round) for
a panorama of the city and views of the Danube flowing through Vienna. (Also,
walk around the church to compare the height of the South Tower and North
Tower – the North Tower is a stubby little thing compared to the soaring
South Tower.) |
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Pummerin
bell – Take the elevator up the North Tower to see the Pummerin,
one of the biggest bells in Europe. Completed in 1711 to commemorate the
victory of Vienna against the invading Turks, the Pummerin was destroyed
in World War II, but recast from metal from the old bell. Note: At the top
of the tower, the steps leading up to the bell have good railings, but anyone
with vertigo will get sweaty palms. |
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"Toothache
Lord" – Near the elevator for the Pummerin is a sculpture
of Jesus that originally stood outside the church. According to legend,
three young men mocked the statue, attributing the suffering in Jesus face
to a toothache. That night, the three guys were flattened with terrible
toothaches, until they returned to the church to ask forgiveness, and their
toothaches were cured. |
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Right next to the Toothache Lord, is a self-portrait of Anton
Pilgram, the stone mason who carved the pulpit in the middle of the
church. Master Pilgram is leaning out over the sill, holding his compass
and square. |
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Catacombs
tour – Take a half hour tour through the catacombs under the church.
In the old catacomb are the crypts where the archbishops and emperors of
Vienna were buried for centuries. The founder of the Habsburg dynasty, Rudolph
IV, built the cathedral, and he and his wife are buried in the crypt. |
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In
later years, the crypt became too crowded for all the Habsburgs, so you'll
see small, medium and large copper boxes containing the intestines of the
Habsburgs (their bodies are buried elsewhere). In the new catacomb, bodies
were haphazardly dumped under the church during the plague, and skulls and
bones are still there in mass graves. |
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Older kids, especially teenagers,
will find the catacomb tour fascinating, but the new catacombs are pretty
gruesome. |
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Horse carriage ride – On Stephansplatz, near the
North Tower of St. Stephen's cathedral, you'll see horse-drawn carriages
(called fiaker) lined up. Go for a delightful clip-clop carriage
ride around town. |
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Anker Clock (Ankeruhr) – At noon every day in
the Hoher Markt, watch twelve figures progress across the large gilded and
copper Anker clock. Each figure is someone important from the history of
Vienna, such as the Roman Marcus Aurelius (#1), King Rudolf (#5), Empress
Maria Theresa (# 11), Joseph Haydn (#12). |
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Clock Museum (Uhrenmuseum) – Vienna has a fascination
with clocks, and this small museum has an amazing collection of clocks throughout
the centuries. Don't miss "painting clocks," where a naturalistic
painting is embedded with a clock in the scene, watches in the shape of
violins, cuckoo clocks with wooden mechanisms, and glass "glockenspiels." |
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Dolly and Toy Museum (Puppen und Spielzug Museum) –
A charming old-world museum chock full of exquisite late 19th century and
early 20th century dolls – wide-eyed dolls with porcelain faces, lovely
long hair and old-fashioned dresses. There's also two small puppet theaters
and small model trains, but come to see the dolls. |
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Boat trip on the Danube – Pick up the boats at
the bridge at Schwedenplatz, and cruise down the Danube Canal (Donaukanal)
to join the main river. You'll pass through modern locks, chug along the
Prater park, passing under bridges, with views of the Danube Tower in the
distance, and back through the Danube Canal. Children under ten are free. |
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Walk along the Danube Canal – The Danube Canal (Donaukanal
is lined with trees, and if you walk from the Augartenbrucke to Friedensbrucke
on the easy side, there's grass and play areas as well. Both sides of
the canal are lined with wide sidewalks and bike paths. It's a peaceful
place on a Sunday afternoon, benches for picnicking, a playground here
and there. |
