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Showing posts with label vienna. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vienna. Show all posts

Sunday, 9 November 2014

#96 Vienna, Austria

Vienna is the capital city of Austria, a country most famous for 'The Sound of Music' and bearded woman/Eurovision winner Conchita Wurst.



The main sights are the three palaces - Schonbrunn, Belvedere and Hofburg. You can also see other impressive buildings including the Rathaus, St Stephens Cathedral and the Opera House. There are many impressive shopping streets, the most famous being Kärntner Straße (near the cathedral) and Mariahilfer Straße (near the Museums Quartier). 

There is the Naschmarkt, an outdoor market where you can sample both local and international foods. There is a big zoo (where you can see Giant Pandas!) but prices are a little expensive so I gave it a miss. You can also get standing tickets for the Opera for under €10, but you have to queue early to be sure you get one. In terms of transport, I would recommend to get either the 24, 48 or 72 hour ticket (prices from around €7 to €17). 

It uses the Euro which is convenient, but it is more expensive than nearby countries like Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovenia. It is centrally located and really easy to hop on a train and get a cheap ticket to many of its neighbouring countries, which is always a positive. 

Ryanair don't fly to Vienna - but don't worry as they do fly to Bratislava in neighbouring Slovakia, which is only one hour away by train. 

I wasn't a huge fan of Vienna. It was nice, it was pretty, it was clean, it was efficient, the weather was great - but for me something didn't click. Perhaps it was a little safe, nothing made me gasp in awe and wonder. It was nice but for me it just wasn't amazing.

Schönbrunn Palace

Schonbrunn Gardens


Buildings at the Naschmarkt

Vienna Opera House

 Kärntner Straße

Hofburg Palace

Vienna Rathaus

Prater Ferris Wheel

Tuesday, 12 August 2014

#92 Good news, everybody!

So after about a year of travel draught, I have just booked my flights for a trip to Bratislava, Budapest and Vienna in October!

If you're not sure where I'm talking about - Bratislava is the capital city of Slovakia, Budapest is the capital of Hungary and Vienna is the capital of Austria. So basically I'm going to Eastern Europe.

Why? Mostly because it's different - everyone raves about Paris and Rome but I want to go somewhere less explored - somewhere more exciting! They're also cheaper than the major European cities, which is a big bonus.

Why these three cities in particular? Well we're flying into Bratislava, and from there Vienna is only about one hour away by bus, and on the other side Budapest is about 2 hours away, so it would be a pity not to visit since they're so close!

So I'll keep you updated on my plans and picking out what I'm going to see, and feel free to comment and add your own suggestions!

A map to show you where I'm talking about


The old town in Bratislava

The Hungarian Parliament in Budapest

The city centre in Vienna