Let's Go Europe 2019. Harvard Student Agencies

of bags of curry powder. Restaurants range from fish counters to bakeries. On Saturdays, a flea market sets up shop. Beware: excessive flirting with the young vendors along the walk may get you swindled into buying an absurd amount of candied nuts. Then again, who doesn’t love candied nuts?

       i Stand prices vary; wheelchair accessible; flea market Sa 6:30am-6pm

       OPERA HOUSE

      Opernring 2; 1514 442 250; www.wiener-staatsoper.at

      Built in the mid-nineteenth century, the Vienna State Opera is a central feature in the “city of music.” Though only the front portions of the opera house remain in their original form, having faced considerable destruction during WWII, it still feels like one of Europe’s great opera houses (take that, Paris). Standing room tickets sell for a handful of euros, allowing you to explore the building and experience the opera for cheaper than a guided tour, though you may miss tidbits about the emperor drinking in his tea room instead of watching the show or figures on how much people spend for a table at the Opera Ball (let’s just say it’s a lot).

       i Tours €7.50, students €3.50, standing room at performances vary by show from €3; tours daily in English 2pm and 3pm (may vary by season); wheelchair accessible

       STEPHANSDOM (ST. STEPHEN’S CATHEDRAL)

      Stephansplatz; 1 51552 3054; www.stephanskirche.at; open M-Sa 6am-10pm, Su 7am-10pm

      This massive work of medieval Gothic style and home of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese is one of the most visited sights in all Vienna. At its highest point, the south tower of St. Stephen’s Cathedral stands at 137m tall, making it one of the tallest built in the Middle Ages. The church’s cavernous interior features an assortment of altars and ornamental characteristics of note, but our favorite part is the simple stained glass windows, which reflect glistening turquoise light off the massive stone-carved pilasters. Visiting the cathedral’s towers is also essential, as they offer visitors expansive views of the city, though a view devoid of the cathedral itself a characteristic piece of the skyline.

       i Free; towers and catacombs from €4; wheelchair accessible; tour times and prices vary by sight at St. Stephen’s, check the website for more information

      LANDMARKS

       BELVEDERE PALACE

      Prinz Eugen-Straße 27; 1 795 57 134; www.belvedere.at; palace open daily 9am-6pm (21er Haus opens 11am), lower Belvedere and 21er Haus open W until 9pm, palace stables open daily 10am-noon

      The Belvedere Palace, once home to nobility of the Habsburg dynasty, now houses the world’s largest single collection of works by celebrated Viennese painter Gustav Klimt. Klimt’s famous masterpiece, The Kiss, is the Belvedere’s prized possession. Not only can you stand in front of the original, but you can visit the “selfie room” right next door where a poster board of the painting lets visitors pucker up and snap a picture alongside the lovebirds. Pick your favorite pose, but we like standing next to the couple and giving the classic “I knew I was going to be the third wheel” eye-roll. Make sure to experience the palace itself, which is said to be one of the most important Baroque structures in Austria, with gardens that you can peruse for free.

       i Upper Belvedere €15, students €12.50, Lower Belvedere €13, students €10, both Upper and Lower Belvedere €20, students €17; both Upper and Lower Belvedere with Winter Palace €26, students €22; include 21er Haus museum of contemporary art €23, students €19.50, audio guides from €3; gardens free; wheelchair accessible

       HOFBURG

      Michaelerkuppel; www.hofburg-wien.at; open daily Sept-June 9am-5:30pm, July-Aug 9am-6pm

      Hofburg Imperial Palace is an elegant monstrosity of Baroque architecture, gargantuan enough to spend countless hours getting lost in the museum and surrounding palace grounds. The complex is so big that you may find yourself asking, “Why do rich people do this? They couldn’t have just had a normal sized palace with one building and common sense hallways?” One of the most celebrated sights at the palace is the Sisi Museum, where you can view famous portraits of legend-inspiring Empress Elisabeth. The museum is by no means the only attraction on the grounds, though: check out the state hall of the Austrian National Library, the largest Baroque library in Europe.

       i Attraction prices vary; tours of Sisi Museum and Imperial Apartments €16.90, students €15.90; tours of Sisi Museum and Imperial Apartments daily 2pm; last entry 30min. before closing; wheelchair accessible

       PRATER

      Prater 7/3; 1 729 20 00; www.praterwien.com; open daily Mar 15-Oct 31 noon-midnight

      The Prater is an amusement park on the north end of the city where you will find Vienna’s Giant Ferris Wheel. In its nineteenth century heyday, it was one of the largest ferris wheels in the world, and continues to offer incredible views of the city today. A staple of Vienna and a symbol of the city’s fun-loving character, the ferris wheel was one of the first major restorations after WWII. Given its historic construction, the ride moves at a glacial pace, allowing for the perfect shot of Vienna, roller coasters, and children driven to the edge of madness by the ecstasy of sugar and adrenaline.

       i Park entry free, rides have individual prices, Giant Ferris Wheel €10; wheelchair accessible

       RATHAUS (VIENNA CITY HALL)

      Friedrich-Schmidt-Platz 1; 1 525 50; www.wien.gv.at/english/cityhall

      Vienna City Hall is a display of Gothic showmanship that made no attempt at conserving tax dollars. (Thank god our own city halls are sticking to the bare necessities.) The building’s high gothic towers are reminiscent of the spires built on cathedrals, and we’ve heard of multiple people mistaking city hall for St. Stephen’s Cathedral upon first glance. We don’t think taking a tour of this landmark is necessary, but it’s definitely worth checking out. The park out front is lined with benches squeezed tightly shoulder to shoulder if you need to rest in the shade.

       i Free; wheelchair accessible

       SCHÖNBRUNN PALACE

      Schloß Schönbrunn; 181 11 30; www.schoenbrunn.at; open daily Apr-June 8am-5:30pm, July-Aug 8am-6:30pm, Sept-Oct 8am-5:30pm, Nov-Mar 8am-5pm; main gardens open daily 6:30am, closing times vary by season

      Schönbrunn Palace, the summer residence of the Habsburg monarchs, is the largest and most ostentatious of the palaces in Vienna—enormous enough to house the industrious procreation of the Habsburg family (Empress Maria Theresa had 16 children, which we think sounds excruciatingly awful). Visitors can tour the palace rooms, visit the Schönbrunn Zoo, or spend time meandering the gardens. Built on more than 400 acres of land, the gardens are expansive, with extremely varied designs. Think, grass areas, rose gardens, an enormous fountain, and tunnels with mazes of vines. Bring a picnic or a book and spend sometime enjoying what the Habsburgs once casually thought of as their backyard.

       i Palace tickets from €14.20, main gardens free, other garden attractions from €3.80, all-attraction pass €24; wheelchair accessible

      MUSEUMS