Vienna (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

Rating:
Summary: A bird's eye view of Vienna
Review: As helpful and user-friendly as one has come to expect from DK Guides, this book on Vienna will help you track down key buildings such as the Hundertwasser Haus, the best coffeehouses such as the Cafe Sperl, and some interesting out-of-the-way places such as the Werkbundsiedlung that will make your trip more enjoyable. It also maps out the underground metro system and gives you an outline of the extensive trolley bus service. Of course, these guides are always subject to changes when it comes to hotels, restaurants, theaters and museum times, so one should check out the DK website for the latest updates. The maps key you into the districts of Vienna with beautiful illustrations, such as impressive cut-away sections of Stephansdom and other major buildings, along with photos of the buildings and quarters which comprise this great city. The guide also fills you in on the important dates and history of the city down through the ages to clue you into the meaning of the sites. It does lack a good overall map of the city, but these are easily available in Vienna. Best of all, you have a very nice way to recap your trip when you get home.

Rating:
Summary: Great Guide for Sights, History and Transportation
Review: I picked up this guide for my trip to Vienna based on my perusal of all the Vienna city guides at my local bookstore. I had already booked an air and hotel package so was looking for a guide to the major sights, history, food and transportation. This book filled the bill quite nicely. Vienna is an imperial city with a rich history and the Eyewitness guides are well known for their depth in that area. Also useful was the star rating system for sights not to be used, and very useful information on the wonderful transportation system we had included with our Vienna Card. There were some good tips on dining, particularly in the Vienna cafes. One of my favorite features was the survival guide with lots of practical information on transportation from the airport, diagrams of bus, tram and subway lines, and more. If you don't need hotel information, this is probably the best guide for the money.

Rating:
Summary: Nifty little guide of a stupendous city
Review: This is a surprisingly effective and well-organized guide, with some interesting photos. If you're planning on spending just a few days in Vienna, then this compact little book will be indispensible in locating the famous streets and tourist sights. The maps are more than adequate and the walking descriptions to each locale are precise and accurate. There is also corresponding material on how to use the U-Bahn in the city and which station to take for each particular site. There is a separate chapter on the churches of the city with a brief ranking system for the nosiest places, the friendliest, the cheapest food, etc.

If you're planning a lengthy sojourn in Vienna or if you already know the city well, then this book would not be as helpful. It is solely intended for the casual tourist and there is little, if any, information on the intriguing environs of the city. Many of the best sites are neglected because most tourists don't want to bother or simply don't have the time to stick around. Still, this is a thrifty guide you can stick in your pocket and consult when you need to find a restaurant, beer haunt or hotel. In short, if you're a first timer to Vienna, enjoy one of the greatest cities in Europe and be sure to tuck away Brook's guide.

Rating:
Summary: OK, but Better Update Needed
Review: This Vienna Guide was obviously not updated recently. For example, the Benvenuto Cellini salt cellar is prominently illustrated in the section on the Kunsthistorische museum. Unfortunately, when I went there I found out that it had been stolen from the museum in May 2003. So much for the "updated" 2004 version. There are similar art items (such as the Vermeer) that have been loaned out to other museums for an extensive period, and should not have been listed in the 2004 guide.
In addition, most of Vienna as of late June 2004 is being renovated, so you will find the exteriors of the Schoenbrunn Palace, the Staatsoper, the Kunsthistsorische museum, and even the Hotel Sacher in scaffolding, and the Parliament building's steps and fountains are a pile of rubble as they are being rebuilt. The Guide offered no warning for any of these.
On the positive side, the Guide offers a good map of the underground and how to get to the city from the airport (the CAT train from the airport is even easier than the Guide indicates). It also offers a street map of the area most tourists would visit. However, the street I had to go to (Schikanedergasse) was not listed in the Guide map even though it was within the map area, and the seam in the book divided the map in an awkward fasion.
The Guide also offers some good descriptions of the area within the Ringstrasse. However, some buildings that are a block or two apart are described in different sections of the book, so you may miss out on some of the sights if you only look at one section at a time.
All in all, the book offered some help, but at times the information was vague or outdated. The next time I go to Vienna I shall consult another guide.