Vienna
Masterpiece-filled Museums
One of the Habsburgs' most dazzling Rinsgstrasse palaces, the Kunsthistorisches Museum, houses the imperial art collection. It's packed with priceless works by Old Masters, and treasures including one of the world's richest coin collections. Behind the Hofburg, the former imperial stables have been transformed into the innovative MuseumsQuartier, with a diverse ensemble of museums, showcasing 19th- and 20th-century Austrian art at the Leopold Museum to often-shocking avant-garde works at the contemporary MUMOK. Meteorites, fossils and prehistoric finds fill the Naturhistorisches Museum, while exquisite furnishings at the applied-arts Museum für Angewandte Kunst are also among the artistic feasts in store.
With its rambling palaces, winding cobbled lanes, elegant Kaffeehäuser (coffee houses) and cosy wood-panelled Beisln, Vienna is steeped in history. Yet it's also at the cutting edge of design, architecture, contemporary art, and new directions in drinking and dining. What I love most about the city is that not only does it hold on to its traditions, it incorporates them in everything from high-fashion Dirndls (women's traditional dress) with pop-art motifs or punk conical studs to handmade Sacher Torte–flavoured doughnuts and inspired neo-retro cafes. Vienna's past is alive in its present, and, by extension, its future.
More infoBy Catherine Le Nevez
Imperial Architecture
Vienna's imperial grandeur is the legacy of the powerful Habsburg monarchy. Their home for more than six centuries, the Hofburg palace complex, incorporates the Burgkapelle (Imperial Chapel), where the Vienna Boys' Choir sings Sunday Mass, and the famed Spanish Riding School, where Lipizzaner stallions perform elegant equine ballet, along with a trove of museums, including in the chandeliered Kaiserappartements (Imperial Apartments). Other immense palaces include the baroque Schloss Belvedere and the Habsburgs' 1441-room summer residence, Schloss Schönbrunn, while 19th-century splendours such as the neo-Gothic Rathaus (City Hall) line the magnificent Ringstrasse encircling the Innere Stadt (inner city).
By Catherine Le Nevez
Renowned Drinking & Dining
The Viennese appreciation of the finer things in life extends to its opulent coffee-house 'living rooms' serving spectacular cakes; its beloved pub-like Beisln dishing up hearty portions of Wiener Schnitzel, Tafelspitz (prime boiled beef) and goulash; elegant restaurants; and its fine Austrian wines served in vaulted Vinothek (wine bar) cellars, and in rustic vine-draped Heurigen (wine taverns) in the vineyards fringing the city. Local and international delicacies fill the heady Naschmarkt stalls, and creative chefs are experimenting with local produce and fresh new flavour combinations in innovative, often repurposed venues.
More infoBy Catherine Le Nevez
Soul-stirring Music
With a musical heritage that includes composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Josef Haydn, Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Schubert, Johann Strauss (father and son), Johannes Brahms and Gustav Mahler, among countless others, Vienna is known as the City of Music. Its cache of incredible venues where you can catch performances today include the acoustically renowned Musikverein, used by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, the gold-and-crystal main opera house, the Staatsoper, and the multistage Konzerthaus, as well as the dedicated home of the Vienna Boys' Choir, MuTh. Music comes to life through interactive exhibits at the captivating Haus der Musik museum.
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More info
By Catherine Le Nevez
TU Wien
TU Wien is able to look back on a long tradition of scientific research and teaching, having been founded in 1815 as the k.k. Polytechnisches Institut, before being subdivided into 5 faculties in 1865. A year later, the first freely chosen rector was appointed. In 1872, the university was renamed the "Technische Hochschule" (Technical University), with the first-ever doctorates awarded in 1902. The current name "Technische Universität (TU Wien)" has been used since 1975. TU Wien attained full legal capacity as a result of the 2002 University Act. In 2015, the TU Wien was celebrating its 200th anniversary.
The conference will be held directly at the university complex.
More information can be found at: TU Wien (the information provided here is taken from this site)
Arriving
Visitor information is available through the Vienna tourist information website and the official travel guide site of Austria.
Information for attendees travelling to Vienna can be found on the following pages:
Vienna Travel GuideAustria Customs & Import
U.S. Passports & International Travel
Airport
Vienna International AirportWien-Flughafen
1300 Schwechat
Austria
Transportation
City Airport Train (CAT)With a travel time of only 16 minutes from Wien-Mitte station to Vienna International Airport, CAT is the fastest means of transport by far. The CAT travels between Vienna International Airport and Wien-Mitte station every 30 minutes between 06:06 a.m. and 23:36 p.m. In addition, passengers can check in their baggage at the City Air Terminal at the Wien-Mitte railway station and get their boarding passes.
Tickets may be booked online at City Airport Train or at the CAT ticket machines at the City Air Terminal and the Vienna Airport.
City Airport Train (valid as of June 2014)
Single Ticket: EUR 11 (online) / EUR 12 (ticket machine)
Return Ticket: EUR 17 (online) / EUR 19 (ticket machine)
Other Airport Transfers:
- Bus shuttle to city center (Schwedenplatz), United Nations HQ / Austria Center Vienna, or Westbahnhof every 20 minutes (single fare EUR 8.00)
- Suburban railway S-Bahn to city center every 30 minutes (single fare EUR 4.20)
- Taxis (fare approx. EUR 33 – 40)
Wiener Linien (Vienna Transport Authority)
- Most modern and efficient network (5 underground lines, 29 tram routes, 107 bus routes, and 20 night buses)
- Short waiting times (at peak times, between 3 and 5 minutes; in the evening hours, between 5 and 15 minutes; night buses operate at 30-minute intervals)
- Operating hours daily from 5.00 a.m. to 0.30 a.m., night buses from 0.30 a.m. to 5.00 a.m.
- 24-hour operating times on underground lines on weekends
- Safe, clean, efficient, easily accessible, and good value.
Visa
Nationals of EU member states, the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland do not require a visa for entering the Republic of Austria. All other nationals require a visa in order to enter the Schengen Area or the Austrian territory. For stays of up to 90 days per 180 days these individuals require a Schengen visa, given that they do not take up employment.
Both information regarding special rules applicable for Family members of EU/EEA nationals and the Visa Information System (VIS) can be found on the homepage of the European Commission.
Nationals of countries which signed bilateral or multilateral agreements on the abolition of visa requirement, are visa-free if they stay in Austria for a maximum period of 90 days and do not take up employment.
More information can be found at: Europe Integration Foreign Affairs (the information provided here is taken from this site)