Like a classy and classic lady, Vienna is perfumed with the best of the Old World charm. The capital city of Austria, which was once a gem in the Hapsburg crown, is known for its opera and classical music. But if you peer deeper at its veneer, you will see that the past merrily mixes with the present. Experimental arts, food fusion and green living take a modern stance that keeps Vienna at peace with modernity, too.

Vienna is royally lulled on the banks of the Danube River. It is nestled right at the foot of the last slopes of the Alps and is surrounded by that large green belt that makes up the so-called Vienna Woods. Our group of Trafalgar guests and guides, led by Helen Hao, GSA of Trafalgar Tours in the Philippines and vice president of Pan Pacific Travel, accompanied our group as we toured Vienna.

For this special trip, with an itinerary that included Budapest, Prague and Bratislava, you can certainly be guaranteed that there simply is no better way to travel than with Trafalgar Tours. You will simply fall in love with its witty, intelligent and charming tour director, coach driver and the entire staff who make sure that no stone is unturned in helping you enjoy your sojourn.

Special mention goes to the beautiful and brainy Choy Teh, marketing specialist of Travel Tours, which operates Trafalgar, who shared that it was Stanley Tollman, founder of Trafalgar, who belongs to the family that has proudly run the business for four generations. His nephew Gavin has certainly made revolutionary developments for the family–run business empire. Our Trafalgar travel director Malcolm MacRae proved to be a very dedicated and charming fellow who led our coach of 44 passengers that included members of the delegation from Singapore, Malaysia and India. 

Malcolm told us there are 23 bezirkes (municipal districts) that make up Vienna, the cultural, political and economic heart of Austria. Each district is navigable using the very efficient underground train. The first district encompasses the oldest part of town, the so-called Innerer Stadt or inner city. It has a population of slightly over 1.6 million inhabitants and stretches over 415 square kilometers. The winters are cold and humid while the summers tend to be pleasantly mild.  Life in what was once the capital of one of the most powerful 19th-century empires unfurls at the pace of a slow waltz. Some of the greatest composers of history, such as Strauss, Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert, were born or raised here. Their music still echoes amid the walls of its sumptuous palaces, its large parks and avenues and its cozy cafés.

Vienna is also the city where Sigmund Freud, Otto Wagner and Gustav Klimt revolutionized the fields of psychology, architecture and painting, respectively, offering one more example of the traditional and extraordinary cultural vitality of which Vienna can be rightly proud. At the same time, it is a city of lively flea markets and up-end fashion stores, of Sachertorte and select pastry shops of the Hapsburgs, and the headquarters of many international organizations. In sum, Vienna is an open city and visitors will easily fall under the spell of any of its wide-ranging charms.

Some of the highlights of a visit to Vienna include a trip to St. Stephens Cathedral. This is the most emblematic building of the Austrian capital. The square where St. Stephen’s can be found is filled with culture and tradition as well. On one of the sides of the square, almost across from the cathedral is Haas House. This contemporary building dating from 1990 replaced a 19th-century warehouse damaged at the end of the world war. Its avant-garde design by Hans Hollein was very controversial, criticized for clashing with the square’s main aesthetic line. Its glass, curved façade is one of its most outstanding elements and on it reflects the cathedral’s silhouette. The cafeteria outside in the sitting area provides an appealing option for leisurely admiring the temple and square’s beauty.

From the 13th century to 1918, when the Republic was proclaimed, Hofburg became the residence of the Hapsburg Dynasty. This cluster of buildings in a heterogeneous compound is a charming and expansive enclave of building clusters that features tapestries, treasures and chandeliers from each time or era. What really caught my attention were the jewels of Empress Maria Teresa and the symbols and insignia carried by the Hapsburgs during crowning ceremonies. It is also possible to visit the Emperor’s Apartments located in the Chancellery wing dating from the 18th century. Transformed into a museum, the emperor’s dwellings include the hall where the courts acts were held, the conference room in which Franz Joseph met with glass lamps, china, porcelain heaters and Louis XV furniture.

One of the most interesting buildings in the Imperial Palace is the one hosting the Spanish Riding School so named because in its early days, its horses came from Spain. The Baroque Structure dates from 1728 to 1735 and was built by Fisher von Reach to house an institution that is unique in the world and that has preserved virtually unchanged the classical riding style. Wearing their double-horned hats and brown tailcoats, the riders can make their Lipizzan horses — “the emperor’s white horses” — perform precise and elegant moves to the rhythm of the music in the room with 46 columns, stuccoed walls and ceiling. Some 10 years of training are required to become an expert rider. The show is, without doubt, one of Vienna’s most fascinating attractions, both for its beauty and for the wonderful facility where it takes place.

We toured the famous Vienna Opera House, which first opened its doors in 1869, when the first opera performed was Mozart’s Don Giovanni. The architects in charge of the project August Secord von Sicardsburg and Eduard van der Null were harshly criticized for their work. People didn’t like the sunken box design and would you believe van der Null ended up killing himself over this controversy?  The other architect, von Sicardsburg, died from a heart attack two months later. Despite the controversy, this design is perhaps one of the most fascinating though it was almost completely destroyed by bombs.

Trafalgar tours are famous for allowing you to discover hidden treasures. We discovered the Blue Room of the Sacher Hotel, near the Opera House. At the cozy Blue Room, we were served the yummiest Sachertorte. The Sacher Hotel is famous because of its founder who created the internationally known Sachertorte cake. Franz Sacher was the very first to make it in 1832; the delicious sponge cake with melted chocolate and jam has since become famous for its quality and taste, one of Vienna’s symbols.

Another highlight one shouldn’t miss is Schönbrunn, the Summer Palace or residence of the Hapsburgs located on an old estate with large forests that Emperor Maximilian II bought in 1569 and transformed into a hunting reserve. It was in 1612 when Emperor Matthias discovered during a hunting outing the pretty fountain after which the estate was named. But Schönbrunn owes its fame to Leonor de Gonzaga, wife of Ferdinand 11, who in 1642 rebuilt the estate’s main house to transform it into a fantastic retreat house that hosted fabulous parties. It was Empress Maria Teresa who decided to turn Schönbrunn into her summer residence and the epicenter of court life, and who gave the project the necessary momentum for its completion. In 1744, she commissioned architect Nikolaus von Pacassi to complete the building works. Around 1765, architect Johann Ferdinand Hetzendorf von Hehenberg, a representative of the classicist current of the time, took over. He is responsible for the roundabout at the heart of the park. Schönbrunn Palace is said to be an illustration of the good taste and sensibility of Empress Maria Theresa. With a surface area of 1.76 square kilometers — four times larger than the Vatican — Schönbrunn has 1,441 rooms including bedrooms that can host 1,500 people. Today, Schönbrunn is used for official events organized by the Austrian government.

Last but not least, one must hop on the world’s oldest wooden Ferris wheel in Vienna called the Wiener Riesenrad built in 1897. From the top of the wheel, one can have an expansive sweep of the vicinity as well as locations far off, including Budapest.

Vienna mesmerizes you with history and culture. You are carried here by traditions, and transported to another realm of delight. I have seen Vienna thrice, but every opportunity to visit it is always like the first time.

I can’t wait for my next visit.

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For more information, call Pan Pacific Travel Corp., the GSA of Trafalgar in the Philippines, at 526-8404 or 536-1265/67 or send email to trafalgarmanila@panpacifictravel.com.ph. Avail of the 7.5 percent Early Payment Discount on Europe and Britain brochure. Book on or before March 31, 2016 to avail yourself of 10 percent off on selected CostSaver itinerary on Imperial Highlights with June 17, July 8 and Aug. 26 and Highlights of Bohemia tours for Aug. 6 departure.