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Advice on itinerary for 2 1/2 day visit to Vienna

We are a middle aged couple visiting Vienna (from the US) end of April before proceeding to Prague. We land in Vienna at 4:15 PM on Saturday and plan to depart for Prague midday on Tuesday. Interested in a bit of history, general ambience/scene, riverside walks, museums, music and anything else special (I know there is not a lot of time to do all these things!). Planning to do the show at the Spanish riding school on Sunday if possible. Would prefer to stay in a self catering type arrangement but certainly in a central place. Any advice on accommodation and itinerary are welcome. Thanks in advance.

Posted by
509 posts

Spanish Riding School: get tix in advance, on line, to be sure you'll get in. Our visit was fall of 2017, so you'll want to confirm the following. The voucher/confirmation we received via email had to be exchanged for the actual tickets at the Hofburg Visitor Center. This isn't at the entrance to the SRS, but is instead a short walk around a few corners. There was a sizable line at the Visitor Center. We didn't allow enough time to do this leisurely and were seated only moments before the show started after scrambling around in the rain. In fact, we had some trouble finding the Hofburg itself from the nearby subway stop. (That will amuse the Forum's Vienna experts given the massive size of the Hofburg and good signage, but it was our first morning in Vienna and I'd failed to do my homework.) Good luck! My wife loved the show.

Posted by
1576 posts

The Belvedere Museum has a terrific collection of paintings, is in a gorgeous palace, and is set on beautiful grounds in the center of Vienna. The Heurigen on the hillsides surrounding the city are a worthy folk culture trip.

Day 1 (After landing in Vienna)

St. Stephens Cathedral tour and for evening Naschmarkt
http://www.naschmarkt-vienna.com/

Day 2

Morning Schonbrunn Palace and Gardens

Spanish Riding School

Belvedere Museum https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g190454-d245701-Reviews-Belvedere_Museum-Vienna.html

Day 3

Day trip to Melk in Danube valley to visit Melk Abbey (52 minutes by Train from Vienna)
Danube cruise

The following accommodations are great places to stay. Most are located in Vienna city center.

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1027443

https://www.hotellamee.com/en

http://www.ktboardinghouse.at/index.php/de/

https://www.spiess-vienna.at/en/

Posted by
3961 posts

Hope you don't mind if I chime in & ask Harold what was his favorite tour in Vienna? It looks like there are a number of selections.

@ Jules, we decided to book Hotel Austria after reading your repeated recommendations!
Thank you.

Posted by
35 posts

Thanks everyone for the detailed inputs and advice - much appreciated.

Posted by
33 posts

Hi, i really enjoyed the ambience of Cafe Central Herrengasse 14, Vienna. Make sure to sit inside and admire the gorgeous interior and try a slice of Altenbergtorte- chocolate cake with white, dark and milk chocolate mousse.
If you love gardens you can happily spend hours in the Schonbrunn Palace Gardens. I found the Roman Ruins- purposefully built particularly fascinating.
I have stayed 3 times at Hotel Austria and can highly recommend it too. Its location is fabulous. Something i did last time as i had a very late evening flight was to pay a very reasonable amount to use another less expensive room all day.
Have a wonderful time, Virginia

Posted by
5362 posts

You have picked a lovely time to visit Vienna.

A few thoughts - the day you arrive, assuming you will be coming from the US, you'll not be up for much due to jetlag/overnight travel. You are likely to get to your hotel by 6 pm. If you are now staying at Hotel Austria, I would suggest dinner nearby. Lugeck, for example, would be a good choice. After dinner, get some fresh air and walk down Rotenturnstrasse to the Cathedral, turn right on the Graben, turn right on Tuchlauben and then walk through Hoher Markt back to your hotel. I can highly recommend a stop at Zanoni & Zanoni for ice cream if it is a warm evening.

Day 1 - As this is Sunday, your first stop will be the Spanish Riding School. Me, personally, I am not a fan, but if you like horses, go for it. I would much rather attend the excellent, free choral mass at the Augustinerkirche. Afterwards, I can recommend lunch at the nearby Palmenhaus. If the weather is nice, I suggest spending the rest of the afternoon at Schonbrunn. You'll get there in the early afternoon and can tour the gardens (be sure to see the wisteria arbour, which should be in bloom). Visit the interior as well, walk up to the Gloriette. Sundays are quiet days in Vienna. Stores will be closed. Have a nice dinner.

Day 2 - On this day, I'd focus on the city center. Spend the day visiting the cathedral, Hofburg Treasury, National Library, shopping and absolutely a cafe. I'd suggest Cafe Diglas or Cafe Landtmann. Cafe Central is a madhouse these days and the queue is long. Not a real authentic experience anymore. If you want to see art, then visit the Albertina or the Kunsthistoriches Museum. The Belvedere is lovely and famously houses Klimt's the Kiss, but it is not in the city center. For the evening, I'd suggest going to the Opera.

Day 3 - As you only have the morning, I suggest taking a stroll through the Naschmarkt. Be sure to have a look at the Secession Building and the Majolikahaus. Two iconic Jugenstil buildings in Vienna.

Do not be disappointed that Vienna has no riverside. The Danube was redirected a long time ago and doesn't pass through the historic center.