Friday 20 January 2017

VIENNA.

PHOTOS & RECOMMENDATIONS. 

Hi! Something really different for you today... I recently went to Vienna and I thought it would be nice to try and shake things up a bit, so I wanted to write a post about my experience and also some recommendations of some things I enjoyed doing if you ever go. I don't really travel a lot, and especially the last few years I haven't been able to do much in the way of holidays so this was a long overdue mini break. I'm also just going to put some photos on here as well, as I took quite a few and it would be nice to have somewhere to display them together!


 (Me & my friend Marie on top of Stephen's Cathedral) 

So we went for 4 full days and 3 nights, which I'd say is a perfect amount of time, although I definitely could have stayed longer. We stayed in Pension City Hotel just off of Stephenplatz (St. Stephen's Square- the main square in the middle of Vienna with the cathedral.) The hotel was perfect, the location was amazing, it was reasonably priced and I can't praise the staff enough, they were welcoming, helpful and friendly. The Cathedral is pretty much the centre of the city, and everything we visited, with one exception, was well within walking distance. 

DAY 1
SIGMUND FREUD MUSEUM & EXPLORING THE CITY.

The first day we arrived and went straight to the hotel where we could left our luggage and headed straight back out. The main thing we did on the first day was visit the Sigmund Freud Museum. Me and my friend both really enjoyed this, especially because as a psychology student I've learned a lot about him already. Admission was €12,00 for adults and €7,50 for students (which Is what I paid). This also included an extensive audioguide which was available in several different languages. This takes about 1-2 hours depending on how thoroughly you listen and read everything, it definitely isn't the biggest of museums but there is plenty to see and hear. We also took a walk around  the city and then down to the river. 



DAY 2
SCHÖNBRUNN PALACE & TIERGARTEN (ZOO).


The second day we visited the Schönbrunn Palace, which also had a zoo in the grounds. This is the only day we had to use public transport, although it was very easy to understand. From where we were staying at Stephensplatz the easiest way to get there was the underground train. It was cheap, fast and easy to navigate- if you're going to go here I definitely recommend you take the train. The zoo and the palace are two separate activities although if you buy the 'Winter Pass' you can have access to both for €27.50, this includes full access of the zoo and a tour of the palace. Admission to the zoo is usually €18.50 itself so this is definitely value for money and includes the extended tour of the palace rather than the shortened tour which is also offered. This, again, is accompanied by an audioguide in a  range of languages. 

 

I'd definitely recommend a full day for this activity. On the day we went, we went to the zoo first and then into the palace. The palace shut at 5pm and we had only just finished our tour, we also didn't have time to fully walk round the gardens and grounds, although to get to the zoo you have to walk through the main grounds regardless (unless you're stupid like us and get lost). 

             

DAY 3
ST. STEPHEN'S CATHEDRAL & THE SOUND OF VIENNA.


On day 3 we spent most of the day exploring St. Stephen's Cathedral. We paid €13.90 for an all inclusive ticket which included access to the South Tower, where you could get a spectacular view of the entire city, The North Tower, a guided tour of the interior of the cathedral, a tour of the catacombs and a tour of the treasury. The tour of the cathedral itself came with yet another audioguide, and the tour of the catacombs was lead by a guide who spoke both English and German. The cathedral was absolutely amazing, both inside and out, and the tour of the catacombs was both interesting but also chilling. 


      

After exploring the cathedral we bought tickets to see a concert called 'The Sound of Vienna', which was advertised as a traditional Austrian music concert which showcased the best of Austrian music and culture, namely the music of Strauss & Mozart. We were slightly reluctant to buy tickets to this event as I wasn't really sure if it would be my thing but it was amazing. This was held at Kursalon Wien, again, a short walk from all the main attractions and landmarks. We were offered a reduced price of €31, down from the original €42 but it was well worth the money, it not only included music but singing and dancing. 


(A view of the whole of Vienna, taken from the top of St. Stephen's Cathedral) 

DAY 4 
CAKE & THE MUSEUM OF ART HISTORY.


After getting a cake breakfast, and trying traditional cakes including the famous Sachertorte, the final day we spent in the Museum of Art History. We didn't have the full day as we had to catch our flight home in the evening so we didn't want to go too far. We decided to head over to the Museum Quarter and visit the art museum. We had originally planned to visit the Vienna Natural History Museum but it is closed on Tuesdays (be aware of this if you want to go!). The Art Museum was great, we paid €15 entry, and could have paid another €4 for an audioguide, but we decided not to get these as everything was labelled and pretty self-explanatory. The museum was massive, and included exhibits on Roman and Egyptian art and sculptures. 

             

We spent about 3/3 and a half hours in the museum but definitely could have spent more time there if we'd looked at everything more thoroughly. The museum is over 3 floors with many different rooms on each floor, so if you're going to go here I'd recommend dedicating the whole day so you can see everything fully. 

 

Overall, we both had a really great time. The weather was cold, as we'd expected, but it was never unbearable, and if you just dress accordingly you'd be fine. Vienna is a great place for a mini-break, everyone we met there was welcoming and friendly, the city was easy to get around both by public transport and on foot and the city itself is beautiful, especially the architecture. I'd highly recommend it if you're looking for a short holiday not to one of the typical cities. 

I hoped you liked this, it's something slightly different and as I don't really travel much its nice to have somewhere to put photos and memories!

thanks for reading,

CATRIONA 

x









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