Vienna (March 24)
Wow. Just Wow.
Now if I’m being completely honest, Vienna wasn’t on my list of cities to visit, but now I’ve been here I can’t quite fathom out why… and mores the point, why Vienna isn’t raved about by more people and more often.
It has a style that screams culture, and a history that is as interesting as it is chequered. It’s where art and politics collide and is one of the cleanest and safest cities, let alone capitals I’ve ever visited and no matter what direction I walked I stumbled across a gem.
Yes – the people who live and work here have a reputation of being a little curt and grumpy, but I think that’s a ruse to put this city further down the list of desirable locations and have everyone head for Rome, Paris and London instead. I think they secretly want to keep this to themselves!
I’ve spent days with my eyes as wide as dinner plates and on occasions it’s does get a little overwhelming with architectural wonders that rival anywhere in the world.
Around every corner is yet another historic building or awesome sight to behold. There are also hidden alleys with row of shops and cafes that look like they belong in a museum.
It really does make you wonder how one single capital city can have so much going on!
I only booked for two nights, but I am now wishing I’d have booked for longer – there is so much I’ve not seen, so I’m going to have to come back.
I stayed in what has to be the most central yet cheapest locations possible to book in Vienna, I did my usual research before coming, and found a place that would cater for “my” needs whilst travelling alone. The hawk eyed among you will have already noticed that I usually “upscale” and go for comfort when going somewhere with Emma and downgrade when I’m on my own.
Details at the end of the blog along with the usual hints and tips.
Despite spring being in the air, the weather changes quickly here, so it’s worth booking a trip that lasts more than a few days so you can get those blue sky background images that will be burnt into your memory. I had two days of absolute deluge when it was raining stair rods and I needed waterproofs and an umbrella, only to have my final day give me the most blue skies possible and spring like temperatures.
Small world!
My favourite memories have got to be day two when, after taking the advice from my parents I headed for the Lipizzaner horse stables and Spanish riding school. This is world renowned and a must see.
So I grabbed a ticket to watch their rehearsal and who should I bump into, my youngest daughter, Sarah who was with her mother, Kim, my first wife – NO WAY!
None of us knew until getting here that we’d booked a trip on the same weekend, in the same European city, so what an absolute coincidence!
A few seconds of mild awkwardness was overtaken with WTF and hands in the air resignation, so we ended up enjoying the show, grabbed a coffee/beer after, and then went on our merry way! Now as coincidences go, that has got to be out there!
The rest of the trip was awesome, so many churches and squares to visit. I love the way central Vienna is organised and arranged, it like it’s been set up for people to marvel at the dreams that were had by visionaries centuries ago! It just works…
God only knows what this place is like on the summer when the restaurant tables spill out onto the pavements.
There are cafe-bars, as well as old fashioned beer cellars all over Vienna, some are tourist traps, others less so, a few have been knocking about for a century and a half, so are well worth the experience. Like “Cafe Central” for example, or the “Palmenhaus”.
This City wasn’t on my list of places to visit, but now is on the top of the places I want to return.
…and it’s not everywhere you get a public roadway passing under an architectural feature like this!
I ended the trip with a sneaky visit to the Vienna lounge at the airport, I got my moneys worth in wine alone, as lounges go this is a good one, the food choices are huge and the quality divine.
Hints and tips
Flights – WizzAir. £8.99 single (£17.98 return) from Gatwick South. I managed to pack all my clothes in a 40x30x20 cabin bag so didn’t have to pay for extra baggage. RESULT!
Train – €4.40…. Getting from the airport to the city is straight forward. You don’t have to buy the Airport Express ticket for €14+ as there are cheaper alternatives which are almost as fast. Simply go to any ÖBB red ticket machine and stick in the name of the station you want to get to (it doesn’t matter if it’s on the underground), just follow the instructions on screen. The combined ticket price via ÖBB is IRO €4.40 (one way) and there is a two hour window to use the ticket. I travelled in to Vien Mette station and transferred onto the U3 underground line, it’s all quite straightforward. There are maps online.
If you buy a ticket from “other” machines (like Wien Mobile or underground machines) you may need to validate the ticket before travel, or buy it online via their App (Sarah gave me that tip).
This you tube video I found explains the difference! https://youtube.com/shorts/WrMIwOqydz4?si=1oLxPUzElOP5fQR0
Accommodation – £38.43 per night. Now this is where most people would draw the line, but I for one couldn’t fault it. It was an up market hostel with a lockable sleeping pod instead of a bunk (a bit like those things that were all the rage in Japan in the 1990s). The pod was designed like a space capsule, has a double bed and sliding door. Netflix, and self contained and adjustable air conditioning. The showers and toilets were pristine! So nothing to complain about. The place is called “Space” and there are a few different venues across Vienna. I stayed at City Hall.
