They may be rowdy, drunk and disruptive, but football fans are generally welcomed with open arms for the sheer economic force they bring to host cities. But not everyone in Vienna is stoked about the UEFA Football Championship and its assorted mayhem: The Vienna State Opera has canceled a concert scheduled the night of the final, and attendance is down by nearly a third overall since the footballers came to town.

Given how much singing goes on at European football matches--albeit in profane ways too complex to explore here--one would think a love of opera and the Euro Cup need not be mutually exclusive. The European championship continues through June 29, and tickets can still be had through the national organizations in competition. (That includes for matches involving teams from Portugal, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain at this writing.)

If you'd rather go highbrow, you can buy tickets by phone to the Vienna State Opera's performances or try for €30 ($46) rush tickets to shows like Verdi's "La Forza Del Destino" and Tchaikovsky's "The Queen of Spades."

Related Stories:
· Soccer 1, Opera 0 [Canadian Press, via Google]
· Culture Travel coverage [Jaunted]
· Sports Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: station_nord]

Any idea what a "casual luxury" hotel is? We're not sure either, but apparently Vienna's new The Ring Hotel is a shining example of one. We have a feeling it doesn't mean that you can run around in your oldest shorts and flip-flops, but instead it sounds like they're trying to saying The Ring is a place where you can get everything you want but without any snootiness. Sound okay?

It's called The Ring--not the name we'd choose thanks to the scary movie franchise, but there is a reason--because it's located on Kaerntner Ring, one of the streets that forms a loop around the center of Vienna. Actually it's in a great spot, almost opposite the

The Langerado Music Festival starts tomorrow in the Florida Everglades, with all your favorite jam bands--from Beastie Boys to Gov't Mule--making appearances. So what's the Ferris wheel connection? There'll be one on the festival grounds, giving bird's-eye views of the bands.

If you prefer your music a bit more proper, maybe a trip to Haydn's hometown would suit you better. Vienna, Austria's opera capital, also claims one of the world's first Ferris wheels, the Riesenrad. (That's German for "giant wheel.")

The ride, above, towers 200 feet into the air, and even showed up in the film noir classic "The Third Man." If you can't snag a seat on one of the Riesenrad's 15 gondolas, there's a smaller wheel on the outskirts of town at the Böhmischer Prater.

Related Stories:
· Langerado Music Festival [Official Site]
· Vienna Prater, Home of the Riesenrad [Official Site]
· Ferris Wheels coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Wikipedia]

Where would humble lil' Austria be without its musical history? Probably way off the tourist radar, we think. So it's no surprise that the Austrians are already starting the hype for 2009: Haydn Year.

Haydn Year is timed to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the composer's death. Haydn started out as a choir boy in Vienna's gorgeous Stephansdom and eventually became one of Austria's most prominent classical composers. That makes him worth celebrating, Austrian style.

All manner of events are planned to excite locals and tourists alike. Apart from tons of exhibitions in Vienna and Eisenstadt, there will be (seemingly) endless performances of Haydn's music, especially in the capital. The creepiest one is the performance of "The Creation" at the Austrian Academy of Sciences. It'll take place on March 27, 2009, exactly 201 years after Haydn made the oratorio his last public performance before his death. Even Beethoven was in the audience.

If you want to be in the audience this time round, get planning now. If you're lucky they might even throw in a seance and free chat with Haydn himself.

Related Stories:
· Haydn Year 2009 [Official Site]
· The Constant Sight of the Sound of Music [Jaunted]
· Vienna to Fight Junkies With Opera [Jaunted]

[Photo: josquin2000]

Cubicle Dreamin' is a feature in which we ask the hotel mavens to take some time out of their busy work day, surf the Internet, and tell us what hotel they wish they could beam themselves to right that very second--all on the slave driving companies dime, of course. Oh, like these people aren't surfing aimlessly anyway--at least now their purposeless clicking will be cobbled together into useful hotel stories--we hope. Have a destination hotel you are just dying to leave your cube for? Send the story our way.

In this episode, editor Juliana fantasizes about the perfect place for a drink. Enjoy.

Lately, I haven't had time for much Cubicle Dreamin' but today it's finally

Depending on your destination, a number of Eurail trains in and out of Vienna stop at Wien Westbahnhof, loosely translated as the West Vienna rail station. Directly opposite the Europaplatz side of Westbahnhof, you can find the Mercure Wien Westbahnhof which as well as being handily located to a main train station is also served by the underground train, airport bus and trams.

Apart from the great location and reasonable price (you can often get a room for around $100 a night), the Mercure Wien Westbahnhof isn't really a special hotel. There are about 250 roooms and sometimes large tour groups are put up there, and the central transport location can mean it's sometimes a

A tip for the guys: proposing to your girlfriend during a romantic holiday in Vienna definitely increases the chance that she'll say yes. One guy proved this recently with the help of the Budget Travel mag: during his stay in Vienna, he took his girlfriend into the Liechtenstein Museum just before closing time, popped the question in the library and then had the staff to bring in champagne and a gift basket.

Which kind of begs the question: the library? The Liechtenstein Museum is full of amazing art, is itself an incredible Baroque building and has magnificent gardens. Perhaps the girlfriend was a bookworm -- she said yes.

Related Stories:
· A Surprise Engagement Made Better [Budget Travel]
· Hotels in Vienna [HotelChatter]
· Liechtenstein Museum [Official Site]

[Photo: guldfisken]

Bobby McFerrin (who doesn't worry and is happy) is alive and well, and about to headline the Wiener Festwochen (Vienna Festival) in Austria. This month-long party takes place every year and is full of music, dance, theater and even the circus. We know Vienna's so big on music that they pump opera into the subway, so any festival like this has gotta be good.

If you're in Vienna this week you can check out the free opening concert outside the city hall on May 11. For other events, check if you're eligible for the Wiener Festwochen young people's bonus that gives all kinds of people up to the age of 27 a discount. But if you're not in Austria this time round, don't worry. Be happy next time.

[Photo: UWSP]

Related Stories:
· Vienna to Fight Junkies With Opera [Jaunted]
· Vienna Festival 2007 [Official Site]

There are some standard Vienna sightseeing haunts: anything to do with Mozart or any high culture like an art gallery or two. And then you have to remember that Empress Elisabeth once graced these cobbled streets.

Better known as the beloved Sisi, the nineteenth century pin-up princess graces many of Vienna's hotspots, and the best place to get to know her better is at the Kaiserappartements and Sisi Museum. Take the free audio guide and wander through the overindulgent rooms where Sisi lived, check out her silver collection (she definitely didn't shop for cutlery at IKEA) and follow her life story and tragic assassination in the museum exhibits. A recent bonus: the empress's bathroom is now open to visitors, but only to look, not to use.

[Photo: denkrahm]

Related Stories:
· Messing With Mozart [Jaunted]
· A House Amok at MUMOK[Jaunted]

Vienna's famous as one of the opera capitals of the world, right? Recently it seems like nobody likes it. After Paris Hilton fiddled with her cell phone and yawned her way through the recent Vienna Opera Ball, opera's about to get another bashing when it's used at the Karlsplatz subway station to get rid of junkies and drunks.

After numerous attempts by police to crack down on loiterers in the underground area, the local council has one last idea:

We will be playing classical music, and broadcasting opera on specially installed TV screens. These sort of people are not known for their love of opera and classical music, and we believe they will not hang around. Those that do might find that civilised music encourages civilized behaviour.

It didn't work for Paris, but maybe it'll be easier to get civilized behavior out of Viennese junkies.

[Photo: jaime.silva]

Related Stories:
· Paris Looks Bored at Vienna Opera [Times Herald Record]
· Opera to Drive Out Junkies [Ananova]