Stephansdom (St. Stephen's Cathedral)

Besides the Prater, the Stephansdom (St. Stephan’s Cathedral), with its unfinished North Tower and ceramic-tile roof, is Vienna’s most recognizable symbol. The Gothic structure dates to 1147, though it was damaged and rebuilt throughout the centuries. There are four towers, two of which can be climbed. The South Tower, known as the Steffl, measures 447 feet, while the 224-foot North Tower was never completed. If you’re dying to see the view from the top, I would suggest the North Tower, which has an old-fashioned elevator (to get to the top of the South Tower, you climb more than 300 steps up a narrow spiral staircase—a claustrophobic nightmare). Be aware that the platform you arrive on is a grate through which you can see all the way back down to the Stephansplatz, so this is not a recommended activity for those even remotely afraid of heights. The views of the city and 360-feet-long roof are amazing, especially on a clear day.

The Stephansdom also has creepy catacombs, which can be visited with a guided tour that starts out near the elevator of the North Tower. Descending through a gloomy gate, you are told gruesome stories of mass burials of victims of the bubonic plague (until 1783, approximately 11,000 people were buried in mass graves here). Farther down you see rows of urns in which the Hapsburgs buried their intestines—bodies are kept in the nearby Kapuzinergruft, hearts are kept in the Augustinerkirche—a fact that seems to both thoroughly gross out and impress kids. Contact Indagare to book.