Only In Vienna: A Guide to Hidden Corners, Little-known Places and Unusual Objects [Paperback]

This is a wonderfully refreshing way of discovering Vienna !

Reading this guide does make the difference between just looking
at Vienna and seeing it with all its history and eccentricities.
I don't think I shall ever be tired of reading this book. As well as
being thoroughly educational, each self-contained chapter is a
delightful story for light reading pleasures.

This guidebook is a must for anyone serious about visiting Vienna. And even if you have never considered visiting Vienna, you will certainly want to after even just quickly browsing through this book. I have traveled all around Europe, but I must say that no city in Europe impresses me as much as Vienna, and Mr. Smith tells and shows you why. Every one of the more than 80 sights is charmingly described and photographed, and you really get the sense that Vienna is a unique city brimming with culture and tradition that manages to maintain its treasures without sacrificing their beauty to crass commercialism (Go to Paris, London, or Rome and you'll instantly see and feel the difference-the big sights are uncomfortably flooded with tourists, and the little sights are just not well maintained.). The big sights in Vienna are included here of course (St. Stephan's Cathedral, Schoenbrunn Palace, the Big Ferris Wheel, the Court Palace, etc., with the emphasis placed on the little known details about them, which helps you to understand the importance of the sight and how it fits into Vienna.), but it's the little sights that make you fall in love with this city (an aquarium located in a 42 meter (136 foot) high WWII anti-aircraft tower; the world's oldest existing underground toilet facility, sparkling clean in beautiful Art Nouveau style; a housing and retail complex located in huge, converted natural gas storage containers, 67 meters (213 feet) high and 65 meters (220 feet) wide; an undertaker's museum; and many, many more.)

Mr. Smith's book is a delight to read and a real bargain. I would recommend it to anyone who would like to truly get to know one of the world's most beautiful cities.

Wow! What can I say. If you want a standard, run of the mill, average, guidebook that only guides you to the same overcrowded touristy sites that any other 'guide' book can tell you quite competently about, then please DO NOT buy this book.

If though, like me you crave adventure, enjoy visiting all the famous sites that the place your visiting holds but yearn to discover more about the wonderful area your in and like to get under the surface of the place and find its heartbeat and hidden gems that are pretty much unknown (but are sometimes more interesting than many of its more famous sites), then DO GET this guidebook.

Duncan has done such a great job with his series of guide books, the books themselves are beautifully made, with detailed maps on the inside covers, and just the right size to read whilst your planning your new journey and also to have with you in your rucksack whilst out actually exploring all the sites. Duncan's style of writing is very easy to read, fun, informative and also very authoritative. Duncan has also done an excellent job taking all of the beautiful photographs that adorn the guide's pages; he is truly an 'urban explorer'.

I can simply say I absolutely adore Vienna; it is truly beautiful and has so many contrasts and characters. Duncan's book made me fall even more in love with it and when I was doing some research on my very first trip, the hidden corners, little-known places and unusual stories, places, sites and objects that Duncan explained in great detail made me see and experience things whilst I was there which I wouldn't have discovered otherwise. I have to thank Duncan sincerely for that; he made a trip I was so looking forward to into such a memorable one. My subsequent trips have been just as fantastic, and this book has helped me unlock more of Vienna's past. I have been led on many other adventures througout Europe with Duncan as my guide and I would urge you also to discover his other guides.

If you are planning to go to Vienna, my sincere advice is DO NOT hesitate - order this book straightaway. Book your travel arrangements and accommodation, and then when Duncan's book arrives, find a quiet corner with the comfiest chair you can find and just lose yourself in Duncan's stories about this beautiful place. Be prepared to fall in love with Vienna's charms and I can't think of anyone better than Duncan to take you by the hand and guide on a journey you will not forget.

As Mark Twain said 'Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.'

Enjoy, Ashley
One LIFE. Live IT.