AUSTRIA A LA CARTE\Travelers feast on a banquet of beauty in old Vienna.

Byline: Susanne Hopkins Daily News Travel Editor

Two words to remember when you go to Vienna: Look up.

For it is there, brushing against a vivid blue sky, that you will see the crowning artistry of the Viennese - great Gothic spires, extravagant sculptures, intricate friezes and majestic green-washed domes with filigree edges and golden cherubs. The skyline of this beautiful city is so lavish one half expects to learn that it was a Viennese artist who, needing a backdrop for such beauty, painted the sky itself.

This splendor, however, makes Vienna a traveler's dream and a traveler's nightmare. One can become so preoccupied admiring the Old World majesty of this Austrian capital lying in the curve of the Danube River that the essence of the place is lost.

And that would be a pity indeed.

Vienna's beauty isn't only skin deep - there's substance here. The city is home to 100 museums, 50 theaters, three concert centers, 300 coffeehouses, the National Library with its 5 million items and the University of Vienna, which dates to 1365.

There is, in fact, so much to see here that a traveler can easily become overwhelmed. How does one discover the real Vienna? Seemed like a question for an expert like professional Viennese tour guide Monika Koppl.

Seated in a floral banquette at one of the Sacher Hotel's small marble-topped tables, Monika Koppl sipped tea and speared a sliver of chocolate Sachertorte before answering my query on what visitors to Vienna should see.

She put down her fork and her words tumbled out in a torrent.

"They should see St. Stephansdom (Vienna's landmark medieval church) because it is the oldest tombs (entrails of some of the Hapsburgs, who ruled Austria for 700 years, are buried here), and the downtown," she said. Then, she added, there's the Imperial Palace, Hofburg, located near Michaelerplatz in the center of Old Vienna, and Schonbrunn Palace, once the summer residence of the imperial family, on the outskirts of the city.

"And art lovers should see the Museum of Fine Arts, the Belvedere (Palace and Gardens (which boasts a Gustav Klimt collection and other fine Austrian art), the Crown Jewels Museum and the Museum of Silver and Gold. They are unique.

"If you love music, you go to Beethoven's, Schubert's and Mozart's houses," she continued. "And if you love gardens, take a tour of some of our 800 gardens. If you're sportive, rent a bike and take bike streets along the Ring Avenue - and a large Vienna Woods."

She chuckled. "That means one week is full. And don't forget the wienerschnitzel."

I didn't have a week; I had only a few days to discover Vienna's heart. I started with a panoramic view of the city, something best done from the giant Ferris wheel at the city's legendary Prater amusement park (You may remember it from the film, "The Third Man.").

Standing in a slow-moving (2-1/2 feet per second) boxcar with several others folks - the cars hold 20 people - I looked down on this city of 1.6 million people that traces its heritage to Roman times. Through the mist, I spotted lush parks, the feathered, 450-foot tall spire of St. Stephansdom, and pastel century-old apartments standing in a tight row like a chorus line.

But to really see Vienna, you have to walk its intriguing streets, alleys and courtyards. I followed fiakers (horse-drawn carriages) through the elaborate archway leading into the Hofburg from the Michaelerplatz (where one can see recently excavated ruins of a Roman encampment). From its beginnings as a 13th-century city fortress, Hofburg evolved into an enormous complex to become the Hapsburgs' imperial palace. Now, its 10 buildings spanning seven centuries house the imperial apartments, the Austrian National Library, the Winter Riding School (where Austria's noted Lipizzan horses regularly perform), several museums, churches and the offices of the president of Austria.

Neither the horses nor the president were in town, so I toured the imperial apartments and gaped at a 500-pound Bohemian chandelier, 17th-century tapestries, a profusion of gilt and marble, the lavishly appointed banquet hall, Empress Elisabeth's wooden gym (even in the mid-1800s, she worked out four hours a day) and the humble iron bed of Franz Joseph, Austria's longtime emperor (1848-1916; the Hapsburg rule ended in 1918.)

At Schonbrunn, the golden yellow palace that is Austria's most popular tourist attraction, the tour guide spun the tale of Maria Theresa, who reigned from 1740 to 1780. Mother of 16 children, one of whom was France's ill-fated Marie Antoinette, she fought wars, abolished serfdom and torture, instituted compulsory elementary education and steered Austria in a new, modern direction.

Her 1,400-room home is a tribute to Rococo-era decor. White walls accented in gilded ornamental molding, colorful friezes on the walls and ceilings, lacquered panels and intricate parquet floors - it's a tour of 40 rooms of opulence.

Schonbrunn, which was completed in 1730 and restored in 1952 after being damaged in World War II bombing raids, is now a privately run facility that features a zoo, a public swimming pool, a greenhouse of exotic plants, a coach museum, a delicatessen, a restaurant and a marionette theater.

It also, our tour guide said, is home to 260 people. Though the apartments once were opened only to government employees, now anyone can apply. "It's very hard (to get in)," he said. "You have to wait until someone is carried out."

Back in the city center, my attention turned to music. Vienna was, after all, the music capital of the world in the 18th and 19th centuries. Mozart, Schubert, Haydn, Beethoven, Brahms and Strauss all made music here - and their music can still be heard.

"You can discover in every street corner a little of the music," Koppl told me.

It's true. I followed the lyrical sounds of street musicians to Vienna's numerous plazas. Violins, horns, harps - their pure tones floated on the air.

I heard a little concert by members of the Vienna Boys Choir. The choir traces its founding to Maximilian I who, in 1498, decided he wanted to hear choir boys sing at Mass. The boys, who range in age from 10 to 14, attend school and reside at Augarten Palace in Vienna. They perform at 9:15 a.m. Mass on Sundays at the Hofburg Chapel, along with the Philharmonic and State orchestras.

The Vienna Opera House, an opulent Neo-Renaissance-style structure, looked as it must have in 1869, when it opened. But as I toured it, I learned it was largely destroyed by a bomb in 1945 (28 percent of Vienna was damaged during World War II) and didn't reopen until 1955. I walked up the impressive marble staircase with its lavish statuary, admired the tea room with its silk draperies where Franz Josef congregated with his courtiers at intermissions and the foyer with its opera-scene friezes and busts of famous composers and conductors.

This is a place for the upper crust. At the annual opera ball each February, Austrian elite pay about $220 per person just to enter. If they want to sit down, it's another $1,500 per person for loge seating, a guide told me.

But ordinary people can take in an opera performance. While tickets for a performance range from about $120 to $200 (provided you can even buy one - they are generally sold out), standing-room-only tickets are also sold for about $2. Just talk to the guy dressed like Mozart who roams the Opera House grounds.

I strolled the old quarter's intriguing side streets, passing the home on Michaelerhaus where Josef Haydn lived; the Evangelical Church on Dorotheergasse where the last mass was said for Johann Strauss; and Franz Schubert's house, the charming Dreimaderlhaus tucked away on the cobbled street called Schreyvogelgasse.

The latter wasn't far from the Pasqualati Haus on Moelker Bastel, one of Beethoven's 79 residences in the city (he lived in this house twice, from 1804 to 1808 and again from 1810 to 1815). The unpreposessing house has been transformed into a modest museum accessible via a narrow, spiral staircase that goes up four floors. The climb was worth it. Inside, I found some early editions of Beethoven's music (the Fifth Symphony, his only opera, "Fidelio," and his Violin Concerto were written here), a lock of his hair and a pianoforte that may or may not have belonged to him. There is a modest collection, as well, of paintings and sculptures.

I stopped for a bite at a tiny shop crowded with locals queuing up for a mini beer or most (grape juice) and tasty open-faced sandwiches. Later, I wandered past the Dorotheum, the city's most important auction house, where, on Wednesdays, you can peruse - and perhaps even purchase - elegant old jewels set out on sidewalk tables.

No jewels this day. It was Thursday, the end of my final day here. Had I found the real Vienna? A small portion of it, perhaps.

But at least I didn't forget the wienerschnitzel.

On Location

This year, Austria celebrates the 1,000th anniversary of the birth of its name (noted as Ostarrichi in those first official documents) with a yearlong festival of events.

Art exhibitions, concerts, even tributes to the legendary Danube River that winds through the country are planned. In addition, many of the country's premier architectural landmarks are undergoing restoration in preparation for the countrywide festivities.

For more information about Vienna or 1,000th anniversary events, call the Austrian National Tourist Office Inc., [phone].

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Photo (1--Color) The classic lines of many Viennese buildings are enhanced with lavish sculptures, creating a startlingly beautiful skyline. Susanne Hopkins/Daily News (2--Color) Hofburg, the Hapsburgs' imperial palace, started out as a 13th-century fortress. (3--Color) Extravagance from floor to ceiling meets the eye in the imperial apartments. (4) The elaborate pyramid tomb of Archduchess Maria Christina is in Vienna's Augustinerkirche. Susanne Hopkins/Daily News Box On Location (See text)