Swords Travel Guide to Vienna

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Swords Travel Guide to Vienna

Last week Mark, Stu, Hollie & Carla visited the beautiful city of Vienna so we thought we’d share our highlights with you. Vienna is a great place to visit for a city break or as part of a river cruise itinerary. The city is packed full of stunning architecture, culture and it’s well known for it’s food and wine. Find out where are the best places to eat in Vienna, the top 5 attractions and where to stay in Vienna .

HOW TO GET THERE

Vienna is only a short 2 hour flight from the UK. Direct flights are available with British Airways, Austrian Air, Wizz Air and Ryanair. Jet2 also fly there in November and December for the Christmas markets.

WHEN TO GO

Vienna is a year round destination, but our recommended times to visit are in Spring, when the temperatures perfect to go on long walks exploring the city, Summer when the gardens at the palaces are in full bloom and November/December for the Christmas markets.

HOW TO GET AROUND

We found Vienna really easy to get around, with a lot of the top attractions all within easy walking distance of each other and a very easy to use metro system. It would also be really easy to explore by bike. Several of the river cruises that stop in Vienna have bikes onboard that you can use to explore. Check out Scenic River Cruises.

WHERE TO EAT IN VIENNA

FOR A LOCAL MEAL

Head to Melker Stiftskeller for an authentic local meal in an underground wine cellar. Enjoy their famous pork knuckle (which has the most insane crackling), wiener schnitzel and apple strudel.

FOR FINE DINING

We’ve heard great things about APRON. Located near the historic centre, you can expect a creative set menu that uses local and seasonal ingredients to deliver incredible dishes, well worthy of their MICHELIN star.

FOR VEGETARIAN

Dine at Tian Bistro am Spittelberg for creative plant based dishes. This is the more casual sister restaurant to MICHELIN star TIAN, a fine dining gourmet restaurant.

FOR BRUNCH

Enjoy views of the city with a delicious brunch at Chez Bernard. We loved the stylish decor in the rooftop restaurant and the brioche-striezel french toast is to die for! In the summer you can also dine alfresco on the rooftop terrace.

TOP 5 ATTRACTIONS IN VIENNA

Eat strudel at Schönbrunn Palace. Go to the apple strudel show and walk around the beautiful gardens. If you have children, head to the children’s museum where they can dress up as prince and princesses.
Marvel at St Stephen’s Cathedral. The gothic cathedral is one of the main landmarks of Vienna. You will find it right in the middle of the city, it’s hard to miss at 136m tall. You can enter part of St Stephen’s Cathedral for free, but most areas require a ticket.
Walk the Ringstrasse. Vienna’s famous boulevard with many impressive buildings located along it. The architecture in Vienna is absolutely beautiful and well worth exploring.
Go on a ride at Wurstel Prater. One of the oldest amusement parks in the world, with a ferris wheel that opened in 1897! The park is free to enter but you pay individually for each ride. If you fancy getting the adrenalin pumping there are some serious thrill rides in here!
Go to a classical music concert. Vienna is famous for opera and classical music and was the home of Mozart, Salieri and Schubert. Enjoy a show at the State Opera, Musikverein or Konzerthaus. If you are visiting Vienna on a river cruise, some of the ships offer classical shows as an excursion. Scenic include a classical evening show at Palais Liechtenstein with ballroom dancing. This is completely private to Scenic guests.

WHERE TO STAY IN VIENNA

££££

The Rosewood Vienna opened it’s doors last August and has quickly become the place to stay. As with all Rosewood hotels, it has been designed to reflect the location’s history and culture and you can see this throughout the hotel. The rooms are incredibly spacious and have beautiful art deco touches in the design. At the rooftop you’ll find the spa, a brasserie restaurant and steps leading up to a speakeasy style bar with an impressive rooftop terrace with stunning views of the city.

£££

For a stylish boutique hotel in the heart of the city with a spa, stay at at Hotel MOTTO. You’ll find Chez Bernard restaurant are on the rooftop of this hotel, a beautiful restaurant for breakfast and dinner.

££

Max Brown 7th District Hotel is in Vienna’s trendy district where you’ll find hipster cafes, funky bars and great restaurants as well as loads of great independent shops. The hotel itself is very cool with quirky touches in the rooms like an old vinyl record player and basketball hoop.

River Cruise

Vienna is an amazing city to visit as part of a river cruise itinerary. We really love the experience onboard Scenic and the exclusive excursions they offer their guests in Vienna. By visiting the city on a river cruise like Scenic, you get the benefit of staying in luxury accommodation with river views, great excursions included and all your meals and drinks included too. Plus you get to visit more than one city on your trip.

Top tip for anyone visiting Vienna

“Walk around the city rather than getting public transport where you can. If you’re not travelling far it’s often as quick to walk than getting public transport and their are so many beautiful buildings to see everywhere you go“

Swords Travel is proud to be affiliated with Colletts Travel, a trusted and well-established Tour Operator. Our affiliation with Colletts means we are part of a network that is ABTA, IATA, and ATOL bonded, ensuring your bookings and travels are secure and protected. Collett’s Travel Limited , a Global Travel Collection UK Company, registered in the UK under companies’ house 01714349. For more information, you can review Terms & Conditions on the following link: Colletts T&Cs

Swords Travel are also bonded by the Travel Trust Association for further financial protection and are ATOL bonded. Swords Travel Limited a UK Company, registered in the UK under companies’ house 10075557. For more information, you can review Terms & Conditions on the following link: Swords Travel T&Cs

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0203 1891381

0203 1891381

Africa

Asia

Australasia & Oceania

Caribbean, Mexico & Bermuda

Europe

Indian Ocean

Middle East

South America

UK & Ireland

USA & Canada

Swords Travel Guide to Vienna

HOW TO GET THERE

WHEN TO GO

HOW TO GET AROUND

WHERE TO EAT IN VIENNA

FOR A LOCAL MEAL

FOR FINE DINING

FOR VEGETARIAN

FOR BRUNCH

TOP 5 ATTRACTIONS IN VIENNA

WHERE TO STAY IN VIENNA

££££

£££

££

River Cruise

Top tip for anyone visiting Vienna

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