Changes

Even though Vienna is also along the Danube, the main area of Vienna is not along the river like in Budapest, therefore a river cruise doesn't make much sense. It's pretty tough to find a starting point for something like Vienna, but start with the Hofburg(2), Heldenplatz, Volksgarten(3), Parlament(4) and Rathaus(5) in the illustration. You can rent a horse-drawn carriage (called a "fiaker") to do this section of Vienna in style, and to save your feet.  Afterwards, head to the opera house and take a look (you won't get tickets here, that would be beyond lucky),  and then head up the '''Kaernter Strasse''' (the pedestrian mall) towards '''St. Stephens cathedral'''. Along the way you come by Hotel Sacher, take a look at the pastries there (and their world famous cake - Sachertorte).  If you head further up north past the cathedral, you'll eventually will wind up at the '''Prater''', a very old amusement park with a big ferris wheel. If you ever seen the movie '''The Third Man''' with Orson Welles, this will look familiar. Take a loop with the ferris wheel to get a look across Vienna, and take a gander through the park. Once you make your way south through the '''Kaernter Strasse''' pedestrian area again (and walk around the side streets), past the southern end and past the Opera House is the '''Naschmarkt''', a culinary market with amazing foods from all over the world.  To the east from here, about a 3/4 mile walking thru old Vienna (or taking a cab), is Belvedere, a huge complex made up of palaces, gardens and parks. Since you're there in spring, you'll see the gardens in full bloom. If the place looks familiar, it's because it starred in an endless number of movies as backdrop, including James Bond. And this is only a few pieces of downtown Vienna...