7.Austria
Vienna Waits for You
Day 1:
Another day another country! We traveled via bus again from Prague to Vienna. We used Flixbus, another great budget friendly way to get around Europe and it only cost 12 Euros. The 4 hour journey was very scenic in fall, passing through colourful rolling hills and the dark still waters of lakes and winding rivers. We stayed at Hotel Klimt named after the Gustav Klimt, famous Austrian painter of The Kiss. Some of you may have seen it before and if not you sure will when you go to Vienna, IT’S EVERYWHERE.
Our hotel was a bit of a walk uphill from the subway, but the rooms were much nicer then majority of the hostels we had previously stayed in and it was only 75$ CAD for a room for 2. This day was more so a travel and grocery day for us. To skip to the quick info click here. To here about how we spent the rest of our 3 days in Vienna read on!
Day 2: Forever Young
Today was a special day on our journey because it happened to be Halloween and what could be more fun then spending it at the oldest amusement park in the world! We took a 20-30 minute subway from our hotel to Prater Amusement park also known as Wurstelprater, and boy was it a hoot! The great thing about Prater is that the park itself is free to enter so if you just want to explore and admire the vintage rides//fun houses you can just pay a few euros for whichever rides you do wish to go on. Being in the park is like travelling through time, it’s nothing like what you would see at Wonderland or Disney world, the best way I can describe it aside from pictures is like the final scene in Grease at the big carnival where everyone is happy and dancing. From classic scramblers to houses of mirrors it’s everything you could want at an amusement park and more.
Since it was Halloween we felt the first ride should be a horror house and opted to try the “Psycho Hotel” inspired by the Alfred Hitchcock film Psycho. Although we didn’t run into Norman Bates, the ride consisted of complete darkness with terrifying figures popping out every turn. It was freaky and fun, but I wouldn’t recommend it to children that scare easily aha. We tried a couple of other rides in the park and ended our Prater journey on their famous ferris wheel.
The ferris wheel is featured in Orson Wells film The Third Man and is made out of old fashion Train Carts. Before you on the ride you go through a miniature figure museum of Prater that tells you a bit about the history. It’s pretty interesting and once your up on the Ferris wheel you get some great views of Vienna. The Ferris wheel cost 10 euros for adults and although the ride itself isn’t very long it’s pretty cool to say you went on a famous ferris wheel at the one of the oldest amusement parks in the world. The park isn’t too big in size but allow yourself at least an hour to walk around or more if you choose to go on several of attractions. When we went it was the end of October so there weren’t any lines which was awesome. For more information about the park you can visit there website here.
After Prater we walked to St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Hochstrahlbrunnen fountain, then headed to Belvedere Palace another historical landmark in Vienna. The Palace itself is quite elegant, but at this point in our journey we had seen several palaces so it wasn’t a major “wow” factor, although we went in October so there wasn’t much in the way of gardens and water falls. I’m sure it’s more scenic during their peak season. Worth a stroll if you have the time and are into history//architecture. For dinner we strolled the main downtown streets of Vienna where there are lots of outdoor patios for a late night bite. I don’t recall the name of the specific one we went to, but there are numerous ones too choose from, although not the cheapest of eats we had in Europe. For the first time on our trip we felt truly homesick when we saw maybe one or two people in Halloween costumes in Vienna. We LOVE halloween and all it has to offer from dressing up to the horror movie marathons, it’s one of my favourite holidays for sure, but it didn’t seem to be as big of a deal in Vienna. So we spent halloween in our room eating candy, drinking wine, and watching Carrie and The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown. Do you have any Halloween traditions that you cherish? Let me know in the comments below??
Day 3: We’ll Never Be Royals
For our last day in Vienna we decided to visit Schonbrunn Palace which was another short subway away from our hotel. SUBWAYS ARE YOUR FRIENDS. These palace grounds appeared to be almost three times the size of Windsor Castle. There is SO much you can do here from botanical gardens, zoos, and even a hedge maze if you want to feel like you are in The Shining. I recommend giving yourself min 2-3 hours in Schonbrunn just to walk around the property alone. Again it was fall so the gardens weren’t at their full potential, but even so the colourful tree lined walkways make a statement in itself.
We hiked up this massive hill to get to another portion of the palace, which I STRONGLY recommend for great city views and pictures. PRO Travel tip: If your legs/ass isn’t burning it’s not the best view. It’s always worth it to take a million stairs or climb a mountain for the optimal view…unless their is an elevator or something and you don’t feel like it lol…but it’s much more rewarding to work for the view, then it feels like you’ve truly earned that privileged position. Plus EXERCISE IS YOUR FRIEND. Let me tell you why travelling is the greatest thing ever; my travel diet basically consisted of fries and gelato, yet I lost more weight then ever before from walking and hiking everywhere. It’s a Win-Win situation.
To conclude I would say Vienna was worth a visit for a couple of days but I would try to venture out or take day trips to other sides of Austria. I was pretty bummed out that we couldn’t make it to the beautiful beauty and the beast library (Admont Abbey) or Salzburg.
The Run Down:
Where to stay: Hotel Klimt (can be found on booking.com), although Airbnb wasn’t as big at the time I always recommend comparing prices and locations there first, especially if you are travelling in pairs or groups!
Where to eat: although I can’t remember the specific name of the place we ate here are some big one’s that are fairly well priced: Mini, Vinothek W-Einkehr, Restaurant Lebenbauer, Gasthaus Kopp, (vegan and gf options).
Best Place to grab a quick bite/Coffee: Loads of vendors and Costas located in Old Town square, we recommend the candy apples! delish:)
Nightlife: Again we opted to save money for other excursions, but this site has GREAT ideas for cool locations and shows that cater to your personal night-life preferences: https://www.wien.info/en/lifestyle-scene/nightlife
Sights and Excursions: Prater Amusement Park, St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Hochstrahlbrunnen fountain, Schonbrunn Palace, Belvedere Palace. Again I recommend going outside Vienna if you have more time and taking a day trip. Viator has great options you can access here: https://ca.viator.com/Vienna-tours/Day-Trips-and-Excursions/d454-g5