Tour tram around the ring. My Travels Free tour of Vienna's main attractions or sightseeing bus route Hop on hop off Vienna Sightseeing Tours by public transport

In the mid-19th century, Emperor Franz Joseph gave the go-ahead for the demolition of the old city fortifications that surrounded the historical core of Vienna. In the vacant space, it was decided to create a wide transport route with boulevards and representative buildings.

In German, the word "Ring" means "ring", but the name of the street does not quite accurately correspond to the true state of affairs. The Vienna Ring is a long arc that begins and ends at the banks of the Danube Canal.

We will begin our walk at the Danube Canal, and if we stand with our backs to the city center, we will move clockwise.

On the very bank of the canal and at the mouth of the Vienna River stands the Urania building, which looks like a large ship. It was built for the needs of public education in 1909 - 1910. architect Max Fabiani / Max Fabiani.

By the way, the observatory at Urania still functions to this day.

If you walk a little from Urania to the “region side”, you can at the same time see one of the main tourist attractions in Vienna - the Hundertwasser House (Löwengasse).

The architect built this unusual residential building in the mid-1980s.

Literally a five-minute walk from here is another creation of Hundertwasser - the Vienna exhibition hall KunstHausWien (Untere Weißgerberstrasse, 13).

This colorful building is less known to tourists than the residential building on Löwengasse.

Now let’s return to “Urania” and begin our walk around the Ring.

The first on the outer side of the street (Stubenring, 1) is a solid government building.

It was built in 1909 - 1913. for the War Ministry of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Directly opposite the ministry, on the inner side of the Ring, there is a small square called Georg-Koch-Platz. By the end of the 19th century, the entire Ring was already completely built up, but after the demolition of the huge complex of military barracks, another free site was formed, part of which became the city square.

In the depths of the square stands one of the best creations of the famous Austrian architect Otto Wagner - the Postal Savings Bank / Postsparkasse (you can read more about this building of the early 20th century in the chapter.

On the opposite side of the street stretches the brick complex of the Museum and University of Applied Arts.

Both buildings in the 1860s - 1870s. built by the same architect Heinrich von Ferstel / Heinrich von Ferstel. The Museum of Applied Arts was the first museum building on the Ring.

The museum and the university are combined into a single complex with the help of a gallery.

And on the inside of the Ring there is another small square, Dr.-Karl-Lueger-Platz.

In the center of the square in 1927, a monument was erected to the Viennese burgomaster Karl Lueger, who served as head of the city administration from 1897 to 1910. and did a lot in the improvement of the city.

In this park there is a monument to Johann Strauss, which has become a symbol of Vienna.

The monument was created in 1906 by sculptor Edmund Hellmer, although the opening of the monument took place only in 1923.

At the end of the park there is a Kursalon with a hall for concerts and balls.

Not far from the Kursalon there is the building of the Park Directorate, built at the beginning of the 20th century.

The Vienna River flows through the City Park.

In 1903 - 1907 the architect Friedrich Ohmann designed the park embankment of the river. The two-level embankment received decorative design in the form of terraces, pavilions and stairs.

Next to the Kursalon and the beautiful river promenade is the main entrance to the park (Johannesgasse).

The Stadtpark metro station is adjacent to the park fence.

This is one of the best-preserved stations of the Vienna S-Bahn, created by Otto Wagner at the very beginning of the 20th century.

The modern entrance to the metro is located a little further, and now in one of the twin pavilions there is a restaurant, and the second in the warm season functions as a museum for the architect Otto Wagner.

The museum displays an interesting design project for Karlsplatz, developed by Otto Wagner, as well as a model of the Franz Josef Museum, which was supposed to be built on Karlsplatz.

It is a pity that Wagner’s projects were not implemented and Karlsplatz remained a huge, stupid and poorly organized urban space.

At the very edge of the square stands another iconic building of Vienna - the Secession (Friedrichstrasse, 12).

The exhibition pavilion, built in 1898 by Joseph Maria Olbrich, became a symbol of a new, revolutionary movement in art. (More details about this building can be found in the chapter).

To the left of the Secession begins the long, very long Viennese market Naschmarkt / Naschmarkt.

But we will return to the Ring, where on its inner side at the intersection with the shopping and pedestrian street Kärntner Strasse stands the building of the famous Vienna Opera.

The Opera House was the first public building on the Ring, erected in 1861 - 1868. (architects Eduard van der Nüll and August Siccard von Siccardsburg).

To get inside the Opera, you don’t have to go to an evening performance; you can just go on a guided tour, which takes place during the day.

Shortly after the Opera, the fence of the Burggarten palace park will appear on the inside of the Ring.

We have already been to this park for a walk.

The Burggarten park is adjacent to the new wing of the Hofburg Imperial Palace.

The Ringstrasse, or Ring, is a major street in Vienna that encircles the central district of the Inner City. This is the place where the most significant sights of Vienna are concentrated; it is a boulevard semi-circle in the shape of a horseshoe, both of its ends go to the canal, and the embankment becomes a kind of completion of the Ring. The ring is formed by several alleys; along the boulevard there are unique historical and simply interesting buildings: the Exchange, the university, the Town Hall, various museums, the Vienna State Opera, the Parliament, the theater and others.

The most beautiful boulevard in the world has become a real open-air museum, it is framed not only by many of the city's most famous sights, but also by luxurious palaces, vast parks and important monuments. Its length is 5.3 km, width - 57 m. Most of the buildings located on the Ringstrasse are completely different in style. At the same time, they surprisingly combine with each other and become part of the unique flavor of not only the boulevard, but the entire city as a whole.

History of the Ringstrasse

Until 1857, the city was surrounded by a circular city wall. In the mid-19th century, the suburbs of Vienna were annexed to the city territory, and the wall became an obstacle to communication between the city's districts. Then Franz Joseph I issued a decree in 1857, following which it was necessary to dismantle the fortifications and fill in the protective ditch. The decree specified the size of the future boulevard, as well as the placement and function of buildings on it. The Ringstrasse and its buildings were supposed to become an indicator of the greatness of the Habsburgs and the Austrian Empire, but the practical side of the boulevard was that the wide street became an obstacle to the erection of barricades on it by revolutionaries. In this matter, the city copied the experience of Napoleon III, who established this fact when creating boulevards in Paris. So the place of the former fortifications was taken by a beautiful street, which the Viennese began to call simply “the ring” or Ring.

It took more than 50 years to build the entire street; the new capital boulevard was opened in May 1865. At that time, only part of the boulevard was rebuilt, and the construction of buildings along the Ring continued until the end of the 19th century. The famous Ringturm tower, which became the first Viennese skyscraper and is located here, was completely rebuilt in the 1950s.

Attractions Ringstrasse

After the completion of the Ringstrasse, nobles and townspeople began the hasty construction of pompous palaces next to the luxurious boulevard. Both sides of the street were lined with important public and secular buildings, among which were Todesco, Epstein, Ephrussi, Hansen and others. Most former private houses still impress with their appearance, although most of them are good only from the outside. The style of construction of buildings was noted in history under the name “Ringstrasse style”, it manifests eclecticism, and the main difference was the copying of numerous architectural forms of past eras.

At various times, the Vienna State Opera, the Town Hall, the Burgtheater, the Parliament and the University appeared here, and the street was also replenished with the most important musical complexes, the Votifkirche church, the Austrian Savings Bank, the educational center Urania and the Exchange. For the construction of the buildings, a historical style with features of Gothic, Renaissance and Classicism was used.

The Parliament Building is one of the most beautiful, impressive and architecturally successful representative buildings of the late 19th century on the boulevard. The Danish architect Theophilus Hansen, who designed it, used the style of ancient Greek temples for the foundations and vaults. The structure has a projecting central body and a double Corinthian portico, two wings and four completed pavilions. A double ramp leads to the main entrance, and on it itself there is a series of sculptures by famous ancient historians. The side wings are decorated with a magnificent Corinthian colonnade. The central part is crowned with a statue of Pallas Athena.

The most honored stage among German-speaking Europeans is the Burgtheater or Castle Theatre, the construction of which was launched by order of Empress Maria Theresa herself. The theater was opened at the end of the 19th century, and performance on its stage is still considered a special distinction for artists.

The emergence of the Museum of Art History and the Museum of Natural History, built in the neo-Renaissance style, was extremely important for the city. These masterpieces of architecture are beautiful not only on the outside, but also on the inside, while they are custodians of magnificent artistic and natural treasures.

Adjacent to the Ring Boulevard is one of the best parks in the city - Stadtpark. It is designed in English style and is strewn with beautifully decorated shrubs, lawns and flower beds. Tourists will be especially curious about the Strauss monument and the flower clock, and you can spend moments of relaxation on the picturesque pond.

A large number of architects from different schools and different times took part in the creation of the Ringstrasse architectural complex, and the monumental buildings and palaces themselves alternated with gardens, squares and parks. The establishments opened their doors for local residents to relax; during the street’s heyday, there were 27 coffee shops here. The city owes the current appearance of the Ring Boulevard to Heinrich von Ferstel, Theophil von Hansen, Friedrich von Schmidt and Karl Freiherr von Hasenauer. The Ringstrasse style was replaced at the end of the 19th century by the elegant Viennese Art Nouveau style, which was based on the rejection of displayed luxury and splendor.

The current state of the Ringstrasse boulevard

The appearance of the boulevard has hardly changed since the beginning of the 20th century. There are tram tracks along the entire Ringstrasse; traffic here is one-way for all transport except trams: they can move in both directions. Once in the city, you should definitely take a trip on a modern tram along the Vienna Ring route, while avoiding peak hours. The most enjoyable tram ride will be in the morning, around 11 am. Afterwards you can take a fascinating excursion in a fiacre.

The Ring is known as a busy shopping and promenade area; The boulevard is the most important transport artery, a witness to historical events and a venue for significant events and demonstrations of the city. In the luxurious park complexes located between the buildings on the Ringstrasse, tourists can take a break from the noise of Vienna and enjoy beautiful views of nature.

The boulevard has nine sections and encircles the city on almost all sides, with the only exception being the northeast, where instead of Ring Street, the Franz Joseph Embankment is laid parallel to Donaukanal. This part does not belong to the classic ring, however, the place is very popular: the segment has become a modern urban area, where a large number of different gastronomic establishments are concentrated.

Excursions along the boulevard

To appreciate all the beauty of the place along the boulevard, you need to travel on foot, however, you should first study the future route using a sightseeing tram. The entire walk takes no more than 25 minutes; visitors are offered an audio guide to accompany them. They board the tram at Schwedenplatz, and upon completion of the circuit, tourists are brought here. There are no stops along the way.

A sightseeing walk along the Ring Street will be the best option for those who are in the city for a short time, but still want to have an interesting time and get to know Vienna a little. Such tourists usually choose short but intense excursion routes, which allow them to get acquainted with the maximum of historical monuments and find themselves at home with dozens of beautiful photographs. If you have enough time to leisurely explore all the sights of the Ringstrasse, you should stock up on a map and prepare to spend the whole day in this area.

How to get to the Ring boulevard in Vienna

You can get to the famous ring boulevard by metro, starting from the starting point, choose the stations Stubentor, Schottentor, Stadtpark, Karlsplatz or Schottenring.

The most convenient way would be to travel independently by car, but you should take into account that some of the roads on the route are toll roads.

Moving from the airport, you can opt for the City Airport Train (SAT), which goes to the city center, or take the intracity train S7, you will need to get off at the Wien Mitte stop, then transfer to the metro.

Fans of comfort should choose a taxi. The Uber app operates in the city.

The tour starts at Karlsplatz Square, near Karlsplatz metro station. You can get here by metro, bus 4A, tram 62 (Karlsplatz stop). Alternatively, you can go to the Schwarzenbergplatz stop.

Opening hours of excursion facilities

Karlskirche

Mon.-Sat. 09:00-18:00; Sun. and holidays 12:00-19:00.

Visit fee: €8 (with Vienna City Card – €3).

Wagner Museum (OttoWagnerPavillonKarlsplatz)

From April to October – Tue.-Sun. 10.00-18.00 (closed Monday). Standard ticket – €5. Elderly people, students under 27 years old, visitors with disabilities – €4. Visitors under 19 years of age are free. First Sunday of the month – free entry for everyone!

When visiting the Otto Wagner Pavilion and the Karlsplatz Museum together, the cost of a general ticket is €10.

Vienna Museum Karlsplatz (WienMuseumKarlsplatz)

From April to October – Tue.-Sun. 10.00-18.00 (closed Monday). Standard ticket – €10. Elderly people, students under 27 years old, visitors with disabilities – €7. Visitors under 19 years of age are free. First Sunday of the month – free entry for everyone!

Website: wienmuseum.at

Vienna Secession

Tue.-Sun. 10:00 – 18:00; Mon. - day off.

Entrance ticket price: for adults – 9.5 euros, for schoolchildren, students and pensioners – 6 euros, for children under 10 years old – free.

Website: secession.at

Butterfly House

From April to October – Mon.-Fri. 10.00–16.45, Sat.-Sun. 10.00-18.15; from November to March Mon.-Sun. 10.00-15.45.

Ticket price 6.5 euros. Ticket for older visitors and holders of the Vienna Card tourist card – 5.5 euros. For preschoolers over 3 years old – 3.5 euros. Schoolchildren and students under 26 years old – 5 euros. People with

Website: http://www.schmetterlinghaus.at/en/

Fotivkirche

Tue – Fri. 16:00 – 18:00, Sat. 09:00 – 13:00, Sun. 09:00 – 13:00.
Website: www.votivkirche.at

We regularly update information about opening hours and ticket prices, but we cannot always guarantee that it is up to date. We advise you to check on the official websites.

An educational adventure in the capital of Austria for you and your children will be a tram ride or just a walk along Ringu(Ringstrasse), " ring street", encircling the central historical district of the city. The street has the shape of a horseshoe, the ends of which overlook the Donaukanal (Danube Canal), and the embankment of the canal - the Franz Josef embankment - seems to close the ring of the Ring.

Ring Shape has developed historically. After the annexation of Vienna's suburbs to the city in 1850, the old city walls from the 13th century became an obstacle to traffic within the city. Then before Christmas 1857. Emperor Franz Joseph I decreeed the demolition of the medieval walls and the construction of a new luxurious boulevard. The Ringstrasse, 6.5 km long and 57 m wide, was opened in 1865.

Now the Ring looks almost the same as it did after construction was completed. There are many majestic buildings along the street. And between the buildings there are numerous parks.
Many architects took part in the construction, each of whom wanted to outdo each other in uniqueness. As a result, a mixture of styles that was criticized at the time, which eventually became Vienna's calling card.

In practice, it is convenient to do this in excursion tram Vienna Tram Ring- a yellow tram that runs along the inner side of the ring exactly on schedule. Its 13 stops connect all the main attractions, and you can get on and off at any stop. The multimedia device in the tram provides commentary during the trip, including Russian.
Excursion tram Vienna Tram Ring runs daily from 10 to 18 hours (in July-August until 19) with an interval of 30 minutes. You can recognize the stops by the yellow circle with italic capital letters. R in the center.

So let's get started with some attractions Ringstrasse.

Town Hall (Rathaus)
Construction of the new Vienna City Hall to replace the old one, which was already too small for Vienna, which had expanded territorially and demographically, began in 1873. and lasted 10 years.
The style of the building, like many others on the Ringstrasse, is eclectic. The facade and tower are more reminiscent of Flemish Gothic town halls, and the seven courtyards of the structure give it the appearance of a Baroque palace.

The area of the town hall is 113 thousand square meters, it has 1575 rooms and more than 2000 windows.
In the center of the building, a 98 m high main tower rises above the terrace, flanked by four more towers. If you climb onto the platform on the spire of the central tower, you will have a beautiful view of the city. The top of the tower is decorated with an iron figure of the guardian of the town hall - a knight in armor "Rathausmann" (German: Rathausmann), 3.5 m high.

The building houses the city municipality and hosts meetings of the Austrian state parliament - the Landtag. In addition, exhibitions, concerts, balls are held in the halls of the town hall - in total there are about 800 events a year.

Your children will definitely enjoy a stroll through the magnificent park in front of the Town Hall. This English-style park is decorated with fountains and sculptures of famous Austrians, including Joseph Lanner and Johann Strauss the Father.

And if you come to the city with your children, then on the square in front of the Town Hall you will see an invariable attribute of the holiday - a huge Christmas tree, and nearby one of the best fairs. In the Town Hall itself, master classes on baking Christmas gingerbread and other crafts are held for children.
In the summer, theater festivals are held here, as well as circus performers.

Parliament
The Austrian Parliament building is one of the most beautiful and architecturally unique buildings on the Ringstrasse. The building was built in 1874-1883. in neo-Greek style designed by Theophil von Hansen.
Like the Vienna Opera House, the Parliament building was also heavily damaged during World War II. Much of its interior was restored in 1955-1956.
Until 1918, the Chamber of Deputies of the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary was located here. Then, until now, meetings of the federal and national councils of the Austrian parliament began to be held here. Important state ceremonies are also held in the Parliament building.

One of the main attractions of the Vienna Parliament building is the fountain " Athena-Pallas“, executed between 1893 and 1902 by the sculptor Karl Kundmann.

Take time to visit this wonderful tourist site with your children - the Parliament building, as well as its side wings, are open to tourists.

Vienna Opera (Staatsoper)
The Vienna Opera is perhaps the most famous building in Vienna. By decision of Emperor Franz Joseph, the authors of the project for its construction were architects Eduard van der Nul and August Zickardsburg. The magnificent building was opened in 1869. Mozart's opera Don Giovanni.
During the Second World War, the theater building was badly damaged: the stage, auditorium, scenery and props for 120 operas were completely destroyed. Its restoration began in the post-war years and ended in 1955. Then the theater was reopened with Beethoven's opera Fidelio. For those who were unable to purchase tickets to the premiere, music was played from specially installed speakers.

The Vienna Opera is one of the largest centers of musical culture in the world. And the Vienna Balls held here annually are included in the UNESCO list of cultural heritage of Austria.

City Park (Stadtpark)
The most famous park in the Ring is the Stadtpark (city park). This magnificent park, like the park in front of the city hall, was laid out by the gardener Rudolf Siebeck in the English style according to the design of the architect Josef Zelleny.
Initially, the park arose on the left bank of the Vienna River. Its opening took place in 1862. A year later, a park for children was established on the right bank, connected to the main park by the Carolinenbrücke iron bridge.

The city park is a great place to relax and walk with children. Here, like in no other park in Vienna, you can see a large number of sculptures, including famous composers of Austria - the “King of the Waltz” Strauss, Franz Schubert, Robert Stolz, Franz Lehar.

Convenient location, romantic atmosphere, fresh air made the park extremely popular among local residents and guests of the city.

In this article I will tell you how you can organize excursions around Vienna yourself, saving a lot of money and getting a lot of positive impressions.

Vienna has been welcoming tourists for a long time and probably loves it. Therefore, everything here is done for you and me, the main thing is to find everything on time and use it for its intended purpose.

So, here are two excursions that will be free for you if you buy a public transport pass

Free sightseeing tour of Vienna, along the local Boulevard Ring, called the Ring, versus the sightseeing tram for 9 euros per person.
Free tour of the main attractions of Vienna versus the Hop on hop off tour bus for 20 euros per day.

Free sightseeing tour of the Ring in Vienna

Surely at a public transport stop you will notice a bright yellow tram, which is very different from its neighboring counterparts. This is not a regular tram, but an excursion one called the Vienna Tram Ring.

The tram moves along the Ring, offering tourists an overview of Vienna, namely its 13 attractions.

The ring is an analogue of our Garden Ring only in the shape of a horseshoe. The ring runs around the very center of the city and ends at the embankment.

Everything would be fine, but travel on it is paid, tickets for public transport in Vienna are not valid for it.

Prices for the excursion tram:

24 hour combined ticket: 14 Euro (allows you to ride the tram and all public transport in Vienna during the day)

24 hour ticket: 9 Euro (allows you to ride the sightseeing tram for at least a whole day)

24 hour ticket: 5 Euros ( for children from 6 to 15 years old)

1 trip around the Ring (30 minutes): 7 Euro

1 trip around the Ring (30 minutes) for children: 4 Euro (for children from 6 to 15 years old)

You can buy a ticket for the sightseeing tram online here Here . Or you can buy a ticket on the tram.

During the trip you will be able to use an audio guide in Russian for free.

Download a booklet in Russian about the tram.

Tram Ring

So where is the free excursion you ask? It's simple. The most common trams No. 1 and No. 2 run exactly the same route as the excursion tram. So, you can print out a map from the booklet with the sights of the Ring and visit them all for free.

The stop is located near the Oper metro station (lines U1, U2, U4) (and others too, see the map)

For example, on our first visit to Vienna we simply took a lap of honor to get an overview of Vienna.

Free tour of Vienna's main attractions or sightseeing bus route Hop on hop off Vienna Sightseeing Tours by public transport

Prices for a double-decker sightseeing bus in Vienna Vienna Sightseeing Tours

1 hour trip: 13 euros for adults, 7 euros for children

2 hour trip: 16 euros for adults, 7 euros for children

1 day: 20 euros for adults, 7 euros for children

2 days: 27 euros adult, 7 children

During the trip you will have access to an audio guide in Russian. But, believe me, he tells little and very superficially. It's better to read a good guide.

The excursion bus starts from the Oper metro station (lines U1, U2, U4), but you can get on at any stop. The driver will be happy to sell the ticket.

Here are the tour bus routes Vienna Sightseeing Tours.

viennasightseeing route

Well, let's figure out how to travel all three routes by public transport.

Red route called Ring on public transport

Stop #1: State Opera

You need to get to the Oper metro station (lines U1, U2, U4). Here you will see the beautiful Opera building and can stroll around.

Stop #2: Heroes Square

Get on the metro and go 1 stop to the Volksheater station (lines U2, U3), or take tram number 1 or D.

Stop #3: University

Take the U2 line one more stop to the Schottentor Universitat metro station, or take tram number 1.

Stop #4: Schwedenplatz.

You can get there by the same tram number 1 or to the Schwedenplatz metro station (lines U1, U4).

Stop #5: St. Stephen's Cathedral

You need to take the metro one stop to Stephanplatz station (lines U1, U3).

Stop #6: Hilton Hotel

By metro to Landstrasse station (lines U3, U4).

Stop #7: Kursalon

We take the U4 line one stop to the Standtpark station.

Stop #8: State Opera

We return to the starting point of the route by tram No. 2.

This is how you can easily drive through all the sights. You don't have to follow the bus schedule or stand in line.

To be continued, I will soon post a description of the blue and green routes.

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