Things to Do in Vienna

Sisi, or Empress Elizabeth, was the wife of Franz Josef 1 of Austria who she married when she was only 16. She was very beautiful and strictly maintained her 20 inch (50 cm) waistline! The headstrong girl from Munich gained a reputation for rejecting court etiquette and being a bit of free-spirit. But after the death of her daughter Sophie, Sisi became ill herself and began often going south for the warmth, separate from her husband, to write poetry and meet with a string of lovers. When her beloved son Crown-Prince Rudolf died tragically in a murder-suicide pact with his lover, Baroness Mary Vetsera, Sisi was inconsolable. In 1898, aged 60, in Geneva, she herself died, assassinated by a young anarchist, Luigi Lucheni. 

Her life was like a soap opera and these days she is a cult figure. The Sisi Museum houses hundreds of her personal belongings as well as a history of her fascinating life. 

With rolling vineyards of grapes and apricots, plus a collection of more than 5,000 historic monuments, it's no wonder that the Wachau Valley is a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of Austria's most popular tourist attractions. The Danube River carves a picturesque path through the valley's towns of Melk and Krems, uniting a harmonious blend of wineries, Gothic churches, and medieval castles.

The Basics
The Wachau Valley (Danube Valley) is most commonly visited on a day-trip from Vienna. Wine tasting is regularly at the top of Wachau Valley tours' itineraries, as is Melk Abbey, an 11th-century Benedictine monastery adorned with bright frescoes. The valley is also a popular place for a bike tour thanks to its flat paths and stunning scenery.

Full-day tours typically combine visits to the castle ruins of Burgruine Durnstein, the village of Spitz, and the medieval town of Krems with a Danube River cruise. Energetic sightseers can also add Salzburg — the birthplace of Mozart and setting for 'The Sound of Music' to their schedule on an excursion that covers the Salzkammergut Valley and Salzburg's Mirabell Palace and Gardens. Lower Austria's close proximity to Bratislava and Budapest, the respective capitals of Slovakia and Hungary, make the region an ideal launchpad for exploring more of Europe.

• History buffs and wine lovers are spoiled for choice of things to do in Wachau Valley.
• The region can be explored by car, coach bus, or bike.
• Most tours include hotel pickup and dropoff in Vienna.

How to Get to the Wachau Valley
From Wien Westbahnhof in central Vienna, catch the REX train to Melk Bahnof (a one-hour journey) or to Krems, which requires changing trains at St. Polten. If visiting from Salzburg, you should also change trains at St. Polten for the REX line destined for Melk. Although catching the train to Melk is a breeze (especially from Vienna), it's best to explore the valley with a tour guide as part of a sightseeing or biking tour. With more than 5,000 historic landmarks, it's tough to see the best independently.

When to Get There
The spring months of March to May are undoubtedly the best time to visit the Wachau Valley, when wine and food festivals such as the Wachau Gourmet Festival and Wachau Weinfr¸hling take place. In late March and early April, the area's landscapes are awash with the pastel-pink blossoms of apricot trees.

Vienna was the home of the Liechtenstein Princely Family for generations until the Anschluss (annexing of Austria into Nazi Germany) of 1938 forced them back to their tiny mountain principality between Switzerland and Austria. The family left behind not one but two palaces full of treasures.

After decades of gathering dust, Prince Hans-Adam II's private collection of artwork, showcasing masterpieces from the 16th to the 19th centuries, was transferred back to Vienna and installed into the fabulously ornate Garden Palace.

The Princely Collections make up one of the most valuable and important private art collections on earth. Highlights include the highly elaborate and inlaid 16th-century Badminton Cabinet and a number of Renaissance and Baroque works, including no less than 30 paintings by Flemish artist Pieter Paul Rubens. You'll also find pieces by Franz Hals, Anthony Van Dyck, Rembrandt, and Raphael. An ornate carriage, gilded and adorned with painted side-panels of cherubim painted in the workshops of Boucher, was made by Parisian craftsman Nicholas Pineau in 1738, and is a rare survivor of the French Revolution.