Waltz away in music central
You’d better be hooked on “The Blue Danube” waltz if you’re planning to visit Vienna. There’s no escaping Johann Strauss II’s tune, which premiered in 1867.
It plays constantly in the city’s shops, restaurants and hotels, and ends most concerts in the Austrian capital.
But if you’re sailing through Central Europe on a Danube River cruise, getting a healthy dose of the music is only fitting.
Vienna is music central, birthplace of Schubert, the place where Mozart composed most of his greatest symphonies and home to Beethoven, Haydn, Mahler and Strauss.
But the city also offers parks and palaces besides musical performances. It’s an excellent place to see an opera, hear the Vienna Boys Choir or watch the prancing Lipizzaner horses at the Spanish Riding School.
Vienna relishes its past, and it has the attractions to prove it: Visit St. Stephen’s Cathedral, one of the city’s finest landmarks; learn about the long-reigning Habsburg family at Schönbrunn Palace, originally a hunting lodge and later the official Habsburg summer residence; or visit some of the city’s first-rate museums.
Looking for a memorable purchase? Vienna is an excellent place for a treasure hunt for rare antiques.
Most cruises spend at least one night here. There’s a lot to do; you just need to find time to do it.