Vienna

Vienna sits between the lush hills of Vienna Woods and the Danube Canal. Vienna Woods are the final stretch of the Alps which hug Vienna along the northwest part of the city. They are rich with vineyards producing young wine.  

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The city is easy to navigate. Its main attractions are inside the Ringstrasse, which is a ring road surrounding the Old Town. A tram for tourists travels around the Ringstrasse and gives a recorded narration of the history and sites which makes it a nice introduction to the city.

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Vienna is known for it's classical concerts and music festivals. Check a calendar before you go to see what's on and order tickets in advance if you would like to attend a concert.

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Day 1

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Morning

We arrived at our hotel, Hotel Das Tyrol.

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We started our day at the famous Vienna Opera House and took a guided tour inside. The building is regal with hand-painted murals, elegant crystal chandeliers, gold-trimmed ceilings and the emperor's ornate reception area. The tours take place several times per day between 10 am – 4 pm. You can buy tickets at the Opera House but check their website as this could change. 

 

Afternoon

We went to the Secession Museum which is a small contemporary gallery behind the Fine Arts Museum. It has a few Klimt paintings and rotating temporary exhibits. It is an interesting gallery which doesn't take very long to visit.

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We then walked around the Museum Quarter. This area is a mixture of old and new buildings which house a variety of museums and galleries. The plaza around it has modern sculptures and interesting furniture to relax in and have a bite to eat in the sunny weather. Many tourists and locals can be seen chilling in the plaza.

 

Evening

We had dinner at Glacis Beisl which is in the Museum Quarter. It has a lovely garden and the food is very good. They serve traditional Austrian food with a modern twist. I had a vegetarian goulash made of fresh mushrooms which were in season at that time. The restaurant has a very nice atmosphere.

 

Day 2

 

Morning

We did a three-hour private walking tour with Andrea from Discover Vienna. She is a local guide and gave us an overview of old Vienna and its history, focusing mainly inside the Ringstrasse. It was very interesting and she was extremely informative. Vienna is easy to get around and the Old Town is easy to wander through. Very picturesque.

 

Afternoon

We had lunch at the famous Sacher Café located inside the Sacher Hotel - you may have seen shots of it in the movie Lady in Gold. It has a nice lunch menu which is served in their elegant dining room. Of course we enjoyed their famous rich chocolate Sacher Torte, with a dallop of "schlag" (whipped cream) for dessert. 

 

We took a bus to the Belvedere Palace and Museum. It is a beautiful palace that was converted to a wonderful art gallery. They have an extensive collection of Klimt paintings including the famous Kiss. The gardens and grounds are beautifully manicured and particularly lush during the summer. Definitely worth the trip out there. It really doesn’t take very long.

 

Evening

This evening we went to a Mozart concert by the Vienna Mozart Orchestra. It was a wonderful way to spend the evening. We ordered the tickets in advance of the trip.

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Day 3

 

Day trip along the Danube

Today we did a bicycle tour for the day along the Danube River. This tour took us outside of the city and along the countryside, including vineyards and small towns. I got a little nervous when we realized that we were the oldest people on the tour! Nevertheless, we were able to keep up with the youngsters. It was pretty flat most of the day, which made it fairly easy to ride. We meandered along the river, stopped in small cobblestone towns and tasted some apricot schnapps. The tour also included some wine tastings and lunch. The tour company is called Discover Vienna Tours and our tour was the Grape Escape Winery Bike Tour.

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Evening

We went for dinner at a restaurant in the lively Spittleberg area which is filled with restaurants and cafes. We ate at Witwe Bolte which had a very nice front patio area. 

 

Day 4

Morning

We visited the Imperial Treasury, housed in the palace, which had an impressive collection of royal artifacts, including jewels, crowns, embroidered tapestry and ornate robes. It is a large museum and definitely worth visiting.

 

Afternoon

We wandered around looking for a good Viennese Café. Some of our favourites include Demel Bakery, which bakes unique pastries and sweets and has a window into the kitchen so you can see the bakers at work; the Central Café with its pianist playing classical music in the background and was a favourite spot of Freud's; and the Sacher Café, with its famous chocolate torte. The Vienna coffee culture is different from North America. The Viennese like to linger at cafes and live life at a slower pace. You'll be hard-pressed to find somewhere where you can get a coffee to go.

 

We went to the beautiful Albertina Museum which is a modern museum housed in a historical building. It has several Klimt’s as well as other wonderful paintings including Monets and Picassos and other masters. 

 

Evening

We went by bus to Vienna Woods, an area in the suburbs of Vienna. This hilly neighbourhood is considered the tail end of the Alps region. There are several wineries which produce wine from young grapes. Some of these wineries have wine gardens and restaurants which are close in proximity to one another. It is very nice to walk around there.  Beethoven’s house is also in that area. We chose the Werner Welser Wine Garden. The garden was nice but it is very casual - you go up to a counter and choose what you'd like to eat and then they bring it to your table. 

 

Day 5

 

After breakfast we headed to the train station for a few days of hiking in the pastoral Austrian Alps. See Austrian Alps in 3 days.