To the Viennese, the most prestigious address of Vienna's 23 Bezirke, or districts, is the First District. Spreading out from the Stephansdom (St. Stephen's Cathedral), this inner city is bounded by a circular roadway called the Ringstrasse. Along the Ring stands many magnificent buildings, including the Staatsoper (Opera House), the Kunsthistorisches (Art History) Museum, and the Naturhistorisches (Natural History) Museum.

The Second through Ninth districts surround the inner city (starting with the Second District across the Danube Canal and running clockwise); the 10th through 23rd districts form a second concentric ring of suburbs. A tourist office booklet, "Vienna from A-Z" (AS70), gives short descriptions of some 250 sights around the city, all numbered and keyed to a fold-out map at the back. Vienna is a city to explore and discover on foot. With the exception of the Schönbrunn and Belvedere palaces and the Prater amusement park, most sights are concentrated in the First District, much of which is a pedestrian zone. It is here that you'll come across the Hofberg (Imperial Palace), an enormous conglomeration of museums, apartments, governmental offices, and even a famous riding school.

Vienna's public transportation system is fast, clean, safe, and easy to use. Get public transport maps at a tourist office or at the transport-information offices (Wiener Verkehrsbetriebe), underground at Karlsplatz, Stephansplatz, and Praterstern. The nearest U-Bahn (subway) stop is indicated for most attractions described below.