Vienna during spring time
- Travelneur
- May 5, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: Dec 1, 2024
I visited Vienna for a long weekend (for 4 days) in the end of April. Vienna is a majestic capital of Austria with beautiful palaces, like Schönnbrunn and Belvedere, city parks like, Volkspark and Stadtpark, and fancy cafes, like Cafe Central, Sacher and Landtmann, that add a historic glory to it.
The weather was sunny most of the time, around 20 degrees during the day but quite cold during late evenings and night time.
It is very easy to get from the airport to the city centre either by airport shuttle train CAT (more expensive but faster) or a normal OBB train that takes only around 20 minutes to the city centre. We took the public train and one-way ticket was just around 4 EUR.
I also recommend to buy a public transport ticket, depending on how long you stay, they have daily and 3-5 day tickets. The city is quite stretched and it is very easy to get around by metro, bus or tram. 3-day card costs about 17 EUR and you can easily buy it from a machine in the stations.
The food is quite expensive if you eat in the restaurants in the city centre, especially cappuccinos that cost on average 6 EUR.
I really recommend to try the real Wiener Schnitzel made out of veal and usually served with potato salad, Beef Goulash with potato dumplings or just boiled potatoes and desserts like Kaiserschmarrn (fluffy shredded pancake dessert made originally for the Kaiser Franz Joseph I), chocolate cake Sachertorte and apple cake Apfelstrudel with vanilla sauce.
Main streets where we did some shopping are Graben and Mariahilfer street. Graben area has a main shopping street with mainstream brands but also more high-end boutiques around the area. Mariahilfer is a long shopping street with many cost-friendly shops.
You will for sure end up in Graben at some point as also the famous St. Stephen's Cathedral (Stephansdom) is on this street.
My main highlights during this trip:
We took the Classic Pass with entrance to Schönbrunn Palace, Privy Garden, Orangery Garden, Maze and Gloriette.
Inside the Palace it takes around 1-2 hours and you get a free audio guide. The walk to the Gloriette is up the hill but the views over Palace gardens and city are really worth it. The Maze is a fun activity, especially with kids. Orangery garden had a beautiful selection of blooming flowers to admire.
Since we booked our trip one month before, we didn't have a wide selection for opera tickets left, only the most expensive or cheapest with limited viewability. We decided to go for the more expensive ones to fully use the opportunity and enjoy the ballet Lady of the Camellias. The opera looks beautiful from inside with several side halls to admire during breaks and the performance was spectacular. The Opera deserves its fame:)
Wiener Walzer: Strauss and Mozart concert in Kursalon
There are several places where to hear the classics like Mozart and Strauss, we decided for a concert in Kursalon in Stadtpark, beautiful setting for a classical concert. They have these concerts almost every evening.
We had a walk in the Botanical Garden next to the palace, and only in the Palace garden, as the tickets were sold out for the Upper Palace for that day already. I recommend, to buy your tickets in advance online, like we did with Schönnbrunn Palace. In Belvedere Palace you can see famous paintings, for example Klimt.
Beautiful and calm park right in the centre of Vienna. Great place where to take a break from all the walking:) The park is surrounded by top sightseeing spots like the Parliament House, Volkstheater, Hofburg Palace and Museum Quarter.
The Zoo is situated in the garden of Schönnbrunn Palace and I have to say it is one of my favourite Zoo as we managed to see giraffes, pandas, koalas, rhinoceros, seals, penguins, elephants, zebras and many more animals.
Apartment house with an interesting architecture made by an Austrian architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser and Joseph Krawina, completed in 1985.
Vienna as a city is a true classic like many great artists that have once lived there. Beautiful for the eye and highly recommend to plan also a concert visit during your stay.
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