A Nature Lover's Austria Trip | Family Trip | Salzburg and Vienna

Vienna was the second leg of our tour to Austria. We explored Salzburg area and then arrived in Vienna by train for a short stay.

Day 6 | 09 Oct | Check-in at Vienna

We were taking it easy this day. Got up a bit late than usual, got fresh, finished our breakfast and packed our bags. Checked out our Airbnb apartment in Salzburg by 11 am to catch 12:07 train to Vienna. Train started 40 mins late and we reached our new Airbnb home by 4 pm. Had booked this place on Landstraße street about 12-14 min walk from Wien Hbf. 

We had planned to visit the bazaar at Nashmarkt, however it was raining again slightly. It dampened our spirits a bit. We just had a stroll, and had dinner at a restaurant nearby. I had been wanting to try the schnitzel. Had the chicken Schnitzel with a wonderful Salad on the side. A shout out to Moment cafe, a small cafe seemingly run by a couple. They were very courteous and welcoming. We had a great meal, was definitely money well spent. Was surprised at the service, contrary to what I had read and heard about the service at restaurants in Austria. Post that we did some grocery shopping and headed back home.

Prices:

Train travel from Salzburg to Vienna: 171 Euros

Dinner for 4: 45 Euros

Day 7 | 10 Oct | Exploring Vienna

We planned to cover the Hofburg palace, St. Stephen's Cathedral, Nashmarkt and Belvedere palace gardens

We rode the tram 1D by 9:15 AM to the Inner stradt where most of the city's attractions are located. The stop was a short walk from our Airbnb. This time I used Wien Mobil app to book tickets. I am thoroughly impressed with the public transportation system in Vienna. It is very easy to get around! 

Booked tickets for Hofburg palace online right in front of the palace! The ticket covered Sisi museum and Imperial apartments including audio guide. You are given a slot to enter. We received our slot 10:15 -10:30 AM. There weren't too many tourists around.

Tip: If you are sure about reaching on time, prebook the palace tickets online. Else like in my case, since there wasn't any rush, I could afford to reach there and book. I was fine with the the half hour wait for my slot. Note that your ticket is valid for the 15 min slot within which you need make an entry.

Once you get in, you are handed a device which is your audio guide. It takes you through a well articulated life journey of Empress Elisabeth(Sisi). Just need to press the right number on the device and listen to it. Numbers are marked at different spots along the way, each spot showcasing something pertaining to the empress's life. Walking through the same rooms and corridors where the Hasburg dynasty once lived and breathed felt surreal !!! 

After the Sisi museum, the tour continues to Imperial apartments where you get to see the different rooms and halls of the palace, finally ending in a grand Imperial dining room. The whole tour took about 1 hour 20 mins.

It was a wonderful experience, almost taken back in time through the midieval times. Kids enjoyed it too.

Tip: Some people visit the Spanish riding school to watch the training routine of horses. I had read online reviews that it wasn't worth it. We were infact lucky that the riders passed by as we were walking to the Sisi museum entrance. We got a close look at the beautiful horses and took a few pics as well. If you are lucky, you might get a view. Try to reach there early.

We then headed to St. Stephen's cathedral. Weather was good. We walked about 15 mins to reach there. It was an architectural beauty. something to behold. We entered the cathedral and sat there admiring the stunning architecture and ornate decorations. There are two options here, taking the elevator to the top of tower to get views of the city or go down to the underground burial chambers, the catacombs. I wanted to do the latter as recommended by people online. But kids were a bit hungry and grumpy by then. We decided to head to Nashmarkt where we planned to have Lunch. We took the tram from Stephansdom to Karlsplatz and then a short walk to Nashmarkt. 

We walked through the pathways of Nashmarkt soaking in the aromas of spices.and stopped by to have lunch at on of the food counters. It was filling and not too heavy on the pocket. We were looking for chocolates, Jam and honey to take back home but did not find good stuff there, probably we didn't look enough. We bought them later at Billa supermarket. It had started to rain by then. We headed back home.

We relaxed for a bit and then headed out again to Belvedere palace gardens by 4:30 PM. It was pretty close to our stay. Did not plan to visit the palace. It was closing time too. Enjoyed our stroll around the upper and lower Belvedere and then headed to Billa for purchases on the way back to our apartment.

That was the end of Vienna leg of our tour. Wish we had more time to explore the city. But we had covered what we had planned mostly.

Prices:

Tram ride: Two rides - 14.40 Euros

Hofburg Palace: 63 Euros

St. Stephans Cathedral Entry: Free

Lunch at Nashmarkt: 30 Euros

Belvedere Palace gardens: Free

Day 8 | 11 Oct | Return to Bangalore 

We checked out by 7:15 AM, walked to the Wien Hbf station to catch 7:40 train to the airport. Our flight was at 11:55 AM. We reached pretty early.. it is only at 15-20 mins ride by train. We were being a little cautious to avoid being late. Flight was delayed a bit but we reached Bangalore on time at 3 AM on 12th October with a transfer at Abu Dhabi again.

We had a wonderful 8 days with so many memories to cherish. But all good things have to end like this trip. Back to the grind now 😕 until another trip somewhere next time.

Prices:

Train ride to Airport station from Wien Hbf: 13.60 Euros