Vienna is Austria’s largest city and the centre of its economic, cultural and political life. Vienna was a Celtic land founded in 500 BC. Later in 15 BC it was used by German tribes as a frontier city to guard against the Roman Empire. As far back as 1440 AD Vienna has been a thriving centre for the arts, science, music and gastronomic excellence. With such an impressive and lengthy cultural history, it is no wonder Vienna is regarded for its high standards of excellence.

In the breathtakingly beautiful city of Vienna you can’t help but appreciate the fine works of architecture constructed both in recent years and ancient times. The famous river Danube divides this legendary land and is another means for taking in the many sights the city has to offer.

Countless opera houses, theatres, museums and castles are evidence of the rich and passionate way of life here that the people of Vienna take so much pleasure in. You will definitely want to visit the following “must see” sites which are among the most significant places responsible for shaping the Austrian heritage of arts, culture and music as we know it today. The world renowned Naturhistorisches Museum, opened in 1889, holds artifacts which are more than 250 million years old. Noted as the birthplace of Marie Antoinette in 1755, the Hofburg Imperial Palace now serves as the residence of the President of Austria. Founded in 1752, Tiergarten Schonbrunn is the oldest zoo in the world. The premieres of three Mozart operas were conducted at the Burgtheater in the latter decades of the 1700s. Vienna Philharmonic members are drafted from the most prestigious and world famous Wiener Staatsoper.

During your stay in Vienna, you’ll also want to visit a traditional Viennese restaurant to experience a world famous Wiener schnitzel dinner. Wiener schnitzel is a pork cutlet which is first pounded flat and then covered in flour, egg and very fine bread crumbs. After this process, it is introduced into a hot pan of oil or butter and fried until golden brown. It is often served with cooked red cabbage and garnished with a lemon wedge. For a delicious ending, indulge in traditional items like sachertorte, a dry chocolate cake served with apricot jam or try an apfelstrudel which is almost as it sounds, hot apple strudel. “Guten appetit!” as they say in German!

Although there are a number of five star hotels to choose from, excellent accommodation can be enjoyed in one of Vienna’s many local guest houses. Here you get a more intimate feel for how the people of Vienna live and most importantly experience a delicious home cooked meal as you stay in a traditional home. The Euro is the official currency in Frankfurt. American Express, MasterCard and Visa are all widely accepted. ATMs are available everywhere. The city of Vienna has a climate similar to the eastern provinces of Canada. Summers are humid with the occasional rain shower and temperatures normally in the mid 20°C range. Winters are cold and often can get below freezing temperatures. There are five main airports within the vicinity of Vienna:
Vienna Wien-Schwechat (VIE) is 18km southeast of the city.
Innsbruck (INN) (Kranebitten) is 5.5km west of the city.
Salzburg (SZG) (Maxglan) is 4km west of the city.
Klagenfurt (KLU) (Wörther See) is 4km from the city.
Linz (LNZ) is 10km from the city. Graz (GRZ) is 10km from the city. Austria operates at 230 V 50 Hz. German is the spoken language but English is more than enough to get you through Vienna. The locals are very friendly and almost everyone speaks English. A typical flight between Toronto or Montreal and Vienna, Austria would have a flying time of about 8 1/2 hours. Flying from Vancouver or Calgary would take about 10 1/2 hours. The Canadian Embassy

Address: Laurenzenberg 2,
A-1010 Vienna, Austria

Tel: 43 (1) 531-38-3000
Fax: 43 (1) 531-38-3905 GMT+1 (GMT+2 from last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October).

Other than a couple of weeks where Daylight Saving dates differ, Vienna is six hours ahead of Montréal and Toronto, eight ahead of Calgary, and nine ahead of Vancouver.