Spending summer and winter in Vienna, one notices an entirely different, but equally vibrant, energy.  I’ve been spending time each year in Vienna since my youth.  In 2008, I was in Vienna for a week in June during the Euro 2008 football championship.  At the beginning of last year I returned to attend the annual New Year’s Concert by the Wiener Philharmoniker (Vienna Philharmonic), broadcast to 1.2 billion people each New Year’s Day.

In late summer, I returned to the city to visit its vineyards (Vienna is the only capital city with a significant wine-growing region (ca. 700 hectares) within its borders).

Regardless of when you decide to go to Vienna, there is much to do and see.

What to do in either season

There is so much to see and do in Vienna that the business traveler might want to consider a cultural guide for a few hours. Even though I know the city inside out, I don’t know the ins and outs of many of the museums, so I used the services of Diane Naar (+43 664 3431588 or delphee@aon.at) and saw more of the Kunsthistorisches Museum (filled with one of the world’s largest and most important collections of Old Masters, as assembled by the Habsburg rulers, including Rubens, Brueghel, Titian) in two hours than I could have covered on my own in two days.

Here are a few basic things to do:

1.) Take the Vienna Ring Tram that runs around the entire Ringstraße (as of April 2009) to get a feel for the city.  Buy a Vienna Card at your hotel to get 72 hours of unlimited public transportation within the city plus discounts at many museums.

2.) Go to the Naschmarkt to nosh or dine.  The possibilities are endless but Umar Fisch is one of my favorites.  On Saturdays, you’ll find a flea market starting at the Kettenbrückengasse, but go early (as you would to any flea market) for the best finds and to avoid crowds.

3.) Do as the Viennese do, sit at a café.  The varieties of Viennese coffee are endless and your waiter will bring your coffee with a glass of superb Viennese water.  (He’ll refill the glass of water without complaining while you sit and read newspapers for an hour or two).  My Stammcafé (regular café) is Café Prückel on the Stubenring. I’ve a regular there since I was very young and it doesn’t get any more authentic.  It is also, like many Vienna cafés, the perfect place for meetings.

4.) Haus der Musik may sound a bit boring but it’s one of the most modern, engaging, and high-tech museums I have visited.  One highlight is an exhibit where visitors can conduct a virtual Wiener Philharmoniker (or should I say, “try” to conduct).  In my case, boisterous members of the virtual ensemble told me that they would have been better off if they played without a conductor after I had a go with the baton).

The author conducts a virtual Wiener Philharmoniker at the Haus der Musik

5.) MuseumsQuartier, something very old and very very new.  In 2001, the Imperial stables and riding school were reinvented as a village of museums.  In addition to the Leopold Museum, with unmatched collections of Klimt and Schiele, works assembled by Austrian dentist Dr. Rudolf Leopold, you’ll find the Kunsthalle, the Museum Moderner Kunst  and the Zoom Kinder Museum.

Summer

1.) Walk through Stadtpark, with its statues of Beethoven, Mahler, Strauß, among others, and then continue through the winding streets of the Innere Stadt, the First District that was until the mid 19^th century surrounded by Vienna’s city walls.

2.) Go to a concert at the Kursalon.  Johann Strauß (both father and son) conducted there.

3.) Visit Schönbrunn, the summer imperial palace built by Empress Maria Theresia, for its gardens.  Walk up to the Gloriette (there is a little train available to take you up as well) and admire the view of both Schönbrunn and the city center in the distance.  Note that some of the flowers are arranged in the red-white-red of the Austrian flag.

4.) The Wienerwald, the Vienna Woods, gave inspiration to Beethoven (the “Pastoral” symphony), Johann Strauß (son) wrote his “Tales from the Vienna Woods” in three-quarter time, and they inspired several of Schubert’s songs.  In Mayerling in 1899, Crown Prince Rudolf shot his mistress and then himself.  Today, the Vienna Woods are easily reachable by tram (the name the Viennese give their streetcars).  Stop at a Heuriger (wine tavern) in Grinzing, and continue to the Kahlenberg or the Leopoldsberg (both mountains are within the borders of the city). You can hike from Grinzing to Kahlenberg in just an hour.  Or go to the Cobenzl, a ledge of the Kahlenberg where, in his own words, “the secret of dreams was revealed to Dr. Sigmund Freud” during his stays at the Belle Vue Hotel (no longer in existence).

Winter

1.) Go to a concert at the Musikverein, one of the world’s greatest concert halls, at Bösendorferstraße 12 behind the Hotel Imperial (if you are lucky, the Wiener Philharmoniker will be in town). Vienna is also known for the imposing Opera house on the Opernring (where else?). For lighter fare, try the Volksoper, where recent productions included My Fair Lady and operettas such as The Merry Widow.

2.) Go to a Christkindlmarkt (Christmas market) from late November through Christmas.  There are several in the city, including one at the Rathaus (city hall) and another at Schloß Schönbrunn.

3.) Take a ride in a Fiaker, a horse-drawn carriage, starting at the Hofburg (Imperial Palace).  Dress warmly; but the driver will provide blankets.  Consider bringing liquid warmth as well.

4.)  Attend the New Year’s Concert (Neujahrskonzert) in 2011. 60,000 people vie for the 3000 tickets available for what are actually three concerts.  The dress rehearsal takes place on the December 30th, followed by the New Year’s Eve concert.  The big event takes place the morning of January 1st.  You can register for the drawing for tickets to the 2011 concert here.

Viennese specialties to try

Wine – In addition to its own wines, Vienna is near several large wine producing regions, including the Wachau region in Lower Austria (Niederösterreich), and the Burgenland.  Try a Grüner Veltliner (white) or Zweigelt (red).

Desserts – Salzburger Nockerl is a vanilla dessert soufflé, so heavenly it inspired at least one song.  Sacher Torte is a chocolate cake so important to the city that a lawsuit dragged out over 50 years about rights to the name.  Powiderltascherl are pockets of sweetened potato dough filled with plum jam and covered with roasted breadcrumbs.  Marillenknödel are curd cheese dumplings filled with apricot, covered in breadcrumbs and roasted in butter.  Palatschinken are crèpes (thicker than the French variety) filled with Marmalade, curd cheese, chocolate, or nuts.

Main course – Wiener Schnitzel, made with veal, should cover the plate and you should be able to cut through it like butter.  Wiener Zwiebel Rostbraten is steak smothered in onions.  For lighter fare, try a pair of Frankfurter wurst (sausage), which, in a strange twist, Germans call Wiener.  A bowl of Frittatensuppe (broth with sliced up Palatschinken) or Grießnockerlsuppe (with little dumplings) is quite satisfying.  Although technically a dessert, Kaiserschmarrn, literally the Emperor’s Nonsense, are thick pancakes shredded and sprinkled with raisins and sugar, served with plum kompott, is a marvelous main course as well.

Bier – Gösser and Stiegl are my favorites and you’ll probably want to find a source for them when you get home (same goes for the Austrian wines, I should add).  It is increasingly easy to find a selection of Austrian beer and wine in the States both at restaurants and in shops.

Kaffee – In the 1300+ cafés in Vienna, all coffee in Vienna is served with a small glass of Viennese water on the same tray.  Großer and Kleiner Schwarzer or Mokka, large or small espresso black.  Großer and Kleiner Brauner, the same but served with milk, by custom in a tiny jug on the tray. Wiener Melange, half espresso, half hot frothy milk.  A Fiaker, black coffee with rum, named after Vienna’s famous horse-drawn carriages.  A Kapuziner is a small Mokka with a few drops of whipped cream, making the coffee the color of a Capuchin monk’s robe. An Eiskaffee is cold coffee with ice cream and whipped cream served in a tall glass, perfect for a hot summer day.

How to get there

You can connect via Austrian Airlines from almost every major city in Europe and the airline has direct flights from New York and Washington to Vienna.  Upon arrival, “fly the CAT,” the City Air Train, into the city center (Landstraße) in 16 minutes.  Roundtrip fare is  €16.  And keep your boarding pass as it’s good for free or reduced admission or other benefits at museums and shops around the world.

–Jonathan B. Spira is the Editor of Executive Road Warrior and Chief Analyst at Basex, a knowledge economy research firm.

One can feel entirely at home amongst the artists, scientists, businessmen, students, and politicians (not to mention a  few tourists mixed in); Theodor Herzl, Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele, Arthur Schnitzler, not to mention Lenin and Trotzky, were all coffeehouse regulars.

Café Prückel, which opened in 1904, has been my regular Kaffeehaus in Vienna since my teenage years.  It is on the Stubenring, a section of the magnificent Ringstraße near the Stadtpark, or City Park, which encircles the city center, having replaced the walls of the old city in the mid-nineteenth century.  The gemütlich 1950s décor is very comfortable and gives Prückel a unique feel.

Prückel offers a traditional selection of coffee including a Wiener Melange (espresso with hot frothy milk), an Einspänner (which itself is a Verlängerter, or extended, espresso in a special glass topped with Schlagobers, or whipped cream), and a Fiaker (espresso with rum).

Waiters in dinner jackets and bowties provide friendly service, refilling the small glass of Viennese water served beside every cup of coffee, while one reads the paper and watches the world and the hours go by.

It’s perfect for a light supper, offering typical Viennese soups such as Grießnockerlsuppe (broth with a semolina dumpling) or Frittatensuppe (broth with sliced up Palatschinken, a Viennese crèpe), and various Wurst, or sausage, including Frankfurter, Debreziner, or Berner Würstel.

Desserts are my favorite part of the menu.  They have excellent Kuchen (cakes); my favorite is the Mohnkuchen (poppy), but the Apfelstrudel is also super.

Café Prückel, Stubenring 24, 1010 Vienna, Austria

–Jonathan B. Spira is the Editor of Executive Road Warrior and Chief Analyst at Basex, a knowledge economy research firm.

Mondsee, Austria

The country is known the world over for its music: Beethoven, Brahms, Haydn, Mozart, and Strauß (father and son) are some of the more prominent names of composers but Austria has more recent musical exports including Falco and DJ Ötzi.

One of the most popular destinations in Austria (Österreich) is, of course, its capital city, Wien (Vienna), which offers imperial tradition, wine taverns, the coffee house (Kaffeehaus), and a blend of modern and traditional architecture.  There are of course so many beautiful and distinct areas of the country, all worth a visit at one time or another.

There are nine federal states (Bundesländer)

• Burgenland – capital Eisenstadt;
• Carinthia (Kärnten) – capital Klagenfurt;
• Lower Austria (Niederösterreich) – capital St. Pölten;
• Upper Austria (Oberösterreich) – capital Linz;
• Salzburg – capital Salzburg;
• Styria (Steiermark) – capital Graz;
• Voralberg – capital Bregenz;
• Vienna (Wien) – capital Vienna

If you are driving, make sure to have purchased an Autobahnvignette (toll sticker) and Warnwesten (safety vest, one of the latter for each occupant of the car – and they must be kept inside the vehicle, not in the trunk) before entering Austria.

Austrian Airlines offers non-stop flights from New York (JFK) and Washington, D.C. to Vienna and features numerous non-stop flights from destinations within Europe and the Middle East to Vienna as well.

–Jonathan B. Spira is the Editor of Executive Road Warrior and Chief Analyst at Basex, a knowledge economy research firm.

Reception at the Hotel Imperial

Guests are treated like regulars, even on the first visit.  The hotel is also the official residence for visiting heads of state,  Charlie Chaplin, who visited in 1931, reportedly said “Stay at the Imperial and feel like an Emperor.”

WHERE IS IT?

The Imperial is on the Kärtner Ring, a section of the magnificent Ringstraße, which encircle the city center, having replaced the walls of the old city.  It is within walking distance of the State Opera House, the Stadtpark (city park, replete with statuary of Vienna’s musical gods), St. Stephan’s cathedral, the Hofburg Palace, the Spanish Riding School, the Hofburg Convention Center, and many embassies and corporate offices.

The Imperial is centrally located on the Ringstraße

It is also across from the Musikverein, home of the Wiener Philharmoniker (Vienna Philharmonic) from which the annual New Year’s Day Concert is broadcast.

ROOMS

Sumptuous yet welcoming. Nothing else can describe the feeling I had when I was shown to my room, which was furnished with antiques, crystal chandeliers, and a marble bathroom larger than most hotel rooms.  It combined timeless elegance with the latest creature comforts.

Sleeping area in an Imperial suite

My first floor room overlooked the Ring, although the windows did not allow any street noise to enter.  From the desk in my living room, I could sit and watch my fellow Viennese go by.  As a business traveler, I had to spend considerable time at the desk but the surroundings made work very pleasant.

The lobby is dominated by the Royal Staircase, with magnificent chandeliers shimmering from high ceilings, which leads to the Royal Suites.  I skipped the lift and took every opportunity to walk up and down from my room (which, for the record, was not a Royal Suite) to the ground floor.

Some suites include butler service.  The butler will bring you a freshly-ironed newspaper and tea or coffee in bed.

ROAD WARRIOR SUPPORT

Augmenting the “business center” corner near reception, with several computers for guests’ use, the hotel recently installed wireless Internet in the rooms, available at a fee of €36 for 24 hours or  € 9 per hour.

RESTAURANTS AND BARS

A hearty Viennese breakfast is served in the morning in the Café Imperial, open daily until 23 h.  From noon on, it is a typical Viennese café, with scrumptious fare.

The magnificent Royal Staircase watched over by a portrait of Kaiser Franz Josef

One expects the Empress herself to walk into the Bar Maria Theresia at any moment while you are enjoying a glass of Sekt.

The Restaurant Imperial regales you with a blend of traditional Viennese cuisine and the finest cooking.  Ordering off the menu is not a problem; I ordered a Salzburger Nockerl (a vanilla dessert soufflé) when we sat down (necessary as it takes almost an hour to prepare).  When dessert was brought out, diners at every other table turned their heads and then started asking their waiters what it was and how to get it (a phenomenon I had warned my dining companion of in advance).

BUSINESS AND MEETING FACILITIES

Seven separate meeting spaces that can accommodate between 12 to 120 people.  Since the rooms are all on one floor, up to 365 people can attend a dinner or dance utilizing all of the rooms.

LEISURE

The Imperial features a well-equipped gym and sauna.  And the concierge can achieve more miracles than are known to man.  (Tickets to a sold-out performance at the Theater an der Wien or Volksoper? No problem.  A ticket to see Rudolf Buchbinder at the Musikverein (also sold out).  Consider it done.)  Shopping is across the Ring on the Kärtnerstraße.  For hiking, the Vienna Woods beckon.  And to dance or listen to waltzes, the Kursalon, where Johann Strauß II conducted his own orchestra, is a five minute walk down the Ringstraße.

MY VERDICT

I hope to have many more meetings in Vienna so I can return to the Imperial oh, perhaps once or twice a year.

–Jonathan B. Spira is the Editor of Executive Road Warrior and Chief Analyst at Basex, a knowledge economy research firm.

In 5 days, I covered 2426 km and four countries (Austria, Germany, Hungary, and Italy). I crossed international borders 22 times.   I planned each day’s drive the night before, choosing my destination primarily based on the promise of good weather.

11. November – 460 km, Germany, Austria, and Italy

Friends Rich and Jill joined me for breakfast and soon enough, we were on the Autobahn in two 2006 3er Series BMWs.  Our itinerary: drive across the Brennerpaß into Italy and then head back north to Berchtesgaden.  I wonder if anyone noticed the consecutively numbered license plates on the two automobiles.

Destination: Berchtesgaden

We headed south in tandem on the A8, continuing on the A93 and then the A12 (Inntal-Autobahn) as it led to the Brenner-Autobahn (A13) and became the Autostrada del Brennero (A22)

Heading south was a good idea as it offered the best weather in the region. It turned out to be a beautiful, sunny day, with temperatures reaching 13°C.

Once we got to Sferzing (214 km later), it was time to change direction and head towards Berchtesgaden.  This involved retracing our steps until we reached the motorway intersection at Inntal, at which point we headed east on the A8 towards Salzburg.

I let the navigation system guide me the final kilometers to Berchtesgaden and the InterContinental Resort.  Given the fog, the late hour, and the fact that we were climbing to an altitude of 1000 m, I was able to enjoy the ride knowing that a little voice would tell me where to go.

Tired but exhilarated, I checked into the InterContinental. Even though it was dark, I could sense how incredible the view from my window would be.  I couldn’t wait until morning to actually see it.

View from the author's room at the InterContinental, Berchtesgaden

The view was incredible.  The InterContinental Resort Berchtesgaden, built on the site of Field Marshal Hermann Göring’s house near the Berghof, is promoted as being “between heaven and earth,” set on a small plateau 1000 m high overlooking the Nationalpark Berchtesgaden in Berchtesgadener Land, Bayern (Bavaria) adjacent to Salzburg, Austria.  Innately beautiful, the Nationalpark contains five main mountain ranges; one third of the park is rocky and glaciated, a further third is covered in mixed woodlands of spruce, beech, fir, and other conifers; alpine pastures comprise the remainder.

12. November – 550 km, Salzburg and Niederösterreich

Today was a ca. 550 km roundtrip to Dürnstein.  Leaving the InterContinental, I took the windy Alpenstraße (B160) to the Tauern-Autobahn (A10), staying on that a brief 7 km or so until I get on the West-Autobahn (A1).   I stopped briefly along the banks of the Mondsee, one of the most beautiful lakes in the Salzkammergut.  I continued driving west to Melk, where I turned on to the Donau-Bundesstraße (B3), running along the Donau (Danube).

A view of the Danube in the Wachau valley

Dürnstein is where Richard Löwenherz (Richard the Lionhearted) was held captive after having been captured in Erdberg by the Mayor of Vienna in 1192. He was held in a huge fortress on a hill high above the village.  His loyal troubadour, Blondel de Neale, found him, so the story goes, by wandering around Europe singing Richard´s favorite ballads outside every castle, until a response came.

I stopped at the Gasthof Goldener Strauss for a glass of Grüner Veltliner (a local specialty), Frittatensuppe, Forelle (Trout), and for dessert, Powideltascherl before returning to Berchtesgaden.

13. November – 370 km, Bayern, Salzburg, Steiermark, Kärnten, Osttirol

Today was a Landstraße/Bundesstraße day. I started on the B305 leaving Berchtesgaden and, after 10 km, crossing the border into Austria, where I continued on Landstraßen and then the B159 for several kilometers.  At Hallein, I entered the Tauern-Autobahn (A10), going through the Tauernautobahn Tunnel.  After 128 km, at Lendorf I switched to the B100 to get to Lienz.  I then headed to Kitzbühel and back to Berchtesgaden taking the Felber Tauern Straße and Tunnel, and for the drive into Berchtesgaden, the Alpenstraße.

I drove through many different climates (coldest: 0,5°C – warmest 12°C in Berchtesgaden), went from light frost and a little snow on the ground to sunshine, and went up and down several times to 1200 or 1300 m.

14. November – 747 km, Germany, Austria, Hungary

For this trip, I planned a mix of Autobahnen and Bundesstraßen, allowing me to take the Tauern-Autobahn for ca. 60 km, and continue with Bundesstraßen (the B99 and the B320) for 75 km towards Liezen in Steiermark.  From Liezen I took the Pyhrn-Autobahn (A9) towards Leoben (Kärnten) for ca. 80 km.  From there I continued on the Semmering-Schnellstraße (S6) through Steiermark and Niederösterreich. The S6 meets the Süd-Autobahn (A2) at the Anschlußstelle Knoten Seebenstein where I continued on the A2 towards Wien (Vienna).  Near Wiener Neustadt I switched to the S4 (Mattersburger-Schnellstraße).  From there, I took the S31 to the Südost-Autobahn and in 6 km I was crossing the border into Hungary.

Neon-lighted highway rest area

I did get a chance to practice my Hungarian (which is somewhat limited) and enjoyed some nice palacsintá (with chestnut filling) and Hungarian coffee.  With some quick shopping (stocking up on paprikás and Marzipan), I still had a 380 km trip back to Berchtesgaden so I headed towards Wien and took the West-Autobahn (A1) for a fast drive back.

15. November – Berchtesgaden to Garching bei München – 173 km

The weather this morning was the best since I arrived. Sunny, 12°C (of course that was at 1000 m.  When I got down to 500m, it was .5 ° C).  I didn’t want to leave the InterContinental (in addition to the view, I was becoming especially attached to the electronically-controlled, gas Kamin (fireplace) in the room), but it’s a good thing I did.  Two days later, Germany was hit with heavy winter storms and, although my car has xDrive, it also is equipped with high-performance summer tires.

My final drive for this trip would take me to the offices of E.H. Harms in Garching (bei München).  A ritual I’ve followed many times before. Condition report; power of attorney form, remove front license plate (I had already removed the first aid kit and warning triangle and shipped these with other sundry items from the hotel), and hand over one key.

Rolf Raffelsieper (see resources), who worked at BMW since 1967 before retiring, was happy to pick me up at E.H. Harms and drive me to the airport in a new 745d.

Before I knew it, I was on board Lufthansa flight 410 to New York.  I logged into FlyNet, for on board Internet access.  The adventure was over, but I had a lot of e-mails and pictures to send from 11,000 m aloft.

–Jonathan B. Spira is the Editor of Executive Road Warrior and Chief Analyst at Basex, a knowledge economy research firm.