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Four full-day Vienna Itinerary for the Mobility Challenged

Posted by (Hyattsville, MD, USA) on

Hello All,

My wife and I will be arriving in Vienna on Fri Nov. 22, and departing for Budapest on the morning of the 27th. I am reserving the arrival and departure days from planning to allow for travel and fatigue. We can walk, but not too fast and not for too long without breaks. We plan to use public transportation extensively.

In pouring over the various guidebooks and forums, there is so much to do that I think we'll be visiting Vienna again in the future. Given that, I think we will postpone visits to the sites that include park scenery (e.g., Schonbrunn Palace and grounds), the Opera House (no tours are available on their calendar), and a day trip to Melk/Wachau Valley so that we can travel by boat.

However, there is still so much to do that I am having trouble coordinating the logistics (not to mention that a fear of missing out keeps creeping into my brain). Our remaining list of interests include the Hofburg (w/ Sisi Museum, Imperial Treasury, and performance of the Vienna Boys Choir at the Hofburg Church - not sure about the Imperial Apartments and Furniture Museum, though), Museum of Art History, Belvedere (Upper and Lower), Albertina, House of Music, State Hall/Nat'l Library, Sigmund Freud Museum (a must for my lovely wife), the Risenrad Ferris Wheel, St. Charles' Church (with a possible Vivaldi concert), and St. Stephen's Church. Not to mention Emily's favorite Christmas markets (8 out of 10 or higher) and food experiences (thanks for those lists, Emily).

I apologize, but I am having difficulty getting this coordinated while minimizing the walking. I would be grateful for your suggestions as to how to group sites together geographically for maximum efficiency, plus any suggestions that you feel a culture-lover (like us) would enjoy. Thank you in advance for your help.

One last piece of info, if it helps: we have yet to book our accommodations, but have narrowed the list to the Pension Suzanne, Austria Classic Hotel Wien, Appartement-Hotel an der Riemergasse, magdas Hotel Vienna City, and K+K Maria Theresa. Any thoughts or shared experiences re: these properties would also be appreciated.

All the best,

Mark

Posted by
28 posts

We mill be following in your footsteps. We got a gap day in a long itinerary. We will have about 24 hours in Vienna in mid December. I am a wheelchair user so we are careful on hotels and areas to stay. We are staying mid way between the train station and the Christmas markets. We are booking Hotel Motto. Google maps will be a good resource. Pull up a city map, take the little man icon and check out neighborhoods. I have to check for curbs, who has steps to get into a hotel and things like that. Often the train, subway and tram stops show whether they are wheelchair accessible.

I haven't been to Vienna before so with 24 hours I will ogle the architecture on our way to the christmas markets and revel in the season. Have fun.

Posted by
109 posts

We were in Vienna for four days last fall. I love beautiful Vienna and I hope you fall in love too.

Even though I have visited several times, this visit I took a different approach. I used the RS Austria book. The Vienna section is excellent and will help your plan your days to see sites that are near one another. The city center is compact with many sites. And when you get tired, sit and enjoy people watching or go to a cafe for a sweet.

I also used the Lonely Planet guidebook to supplement the RS book and kept it with me for quick reference.

A note about the Belvedere - IMHO a visit to the upper museum is time well spent and I would save the lower museum for another time. You can pre-purchase your tickets online or take a chance and buy them when you arrive. This area requires a lot of walking. There is a nice cafe on the grounds.

Posted by
2141 posts

I am a wheelchair user so we are careful ...

Vienna has become wheelchair-friendly over the past decades.

Curbs are lowered at most cross-roads. If you want to plan your route ahead, I recommend using the official online City Map, published and maintained by the City of Vienna: https://www.wien.gv.at/stadtplan/en/
On the left side, "Show on the map", you can overlay a vast amount of information. There is a menu item called "Traffic and transport" having a sub-item "Barrier-free pedestrian route". If you zoom-in sufficently you can see the kind of paving, lowered curbs, etc.

All subway stations are equipped with elevators, follow the signs on the platforms. (In the rare case that an elevator is out of order, you need to go one stop further, change to the other side of the platform and go back one stop.)

Except for the very old trams, which are being phased out and still used during peak hours, all trams have entries at curb level. If you need assistance notify the driver of the tram and wait at the door next to him. He will pull out a ramp for you. Inside there is a button for telling the driver that you want to alight. The same is true for busses, except that the ramp is at a middle door of the bus.

Historical buildings, e.g. museums, which are archtictural landmarks and protected from changes, have usually a side entrance for wheelchairs if they cannot have a ramp at the main entrance.

Posted by
27609 posts

The Kunsthistorisches is a large, potentially time-consuming place. Most of the exhibits fall broadly into one of three areas: antiquities (basically lacking English signage as I recall), decorative arts and paintings. Perhaps you won't be interested in all three categories; focusing on just one or two areas would help you survive the experience.

Posted by
34 posts

Thank you to all for the suggestions - we appreciate them. @lynne We will follow your suggestion and forgo the Lower Belvedere for another day. @acraven Your idea is a good one. We will confine our visit to the Picture Gallery and the Kunstkammer. I am allotting four hours for the visit - I hope that is enough time.

Posted by
34 posts

OK, here is what I have mapped out so far. Please check me for realism on these allotted time estimates

Fri 11/22
9a-11a Land in Vienna. Travel to hotel. Check in, drop off luggage.
11a-12p Wander around checking out the architecture.
12p-1:30p Lunch near Appartement-Hotel An Der Riemergasse (near St. Stephans Cathedral). Any recommendations?
1:30p-4p Ring tram or tram tour of city.
4p - Coffee and dessert at Cafe Central.
5p-ish - Christmas Village @ Altes AKH (will henceforth substitute "Xmas" for "Christmas". Done for brevity - no offense intended)
6 something - return to hotel and crash.

Sat 11/23
9a-10:30 St. Stephens Cathedral tour.
10:30- 12:30 Shopping streets (e.g., Graben, Kohlmarkt, Karntner Strasse). Whatever we can fit into two hours.
12:30-1p Quick lunch.
1p-6p Kunsthistorisches Museum (Paintings and Kunstkammer).
6p Dinner in area (any recommendations?).
7:30- MuseumsQuartier Xmas Market, Xmas Market on Spittelberg, and Xmas Village Maria Theresian Platz.

Sun 11/24
9a-11a Full Mass at Hofburg Imperial Chapel (including Vienna Boys Choir performance).
11a-6p Hofburg complex, including Sisi Museum, Imperial Treasury, and National Library (lunch at the complex).
6p-8p Travel to Neni am Prater for dinner.
8p Prater/Riesenrad.

Mon 11/25
9a-11a Upper Belvedere.
11a-12ish Xmas Village @ Belvedere.
12p-2p Travel to Naschmarkt (eat lunch there).
2p-4p St. Charles' Church.
4p-6p Karlsplatz Art Advent Xmas Market.
6-8p Dinner at Restaurant Purstner (near our hotel, in case we have to change clothes).
8p Vivaldi Concert at Karlskirche.

Tue 11/26
10a-12p Haus der Musik.
12p-1p Lunch at Bitzinger Wurstelstand.
1p-2p Dessert at Cafe Sacher.
2p-4p Travel time and tour of Sigmund Freud Museum.
4p-6 something Am Hof Xmas Market and Freyung (Altweiner Christkindlmarkt).
?? Dinner at Figlmuller @ Wollzeile.
?? Any Xmas market we missed.

Critiques and suggestions will be welcome.

Posted by
27609 posts

I don't know whether November will be different, but in July there was an outdoor line every time I walked past the Sacher, Demel, and Central cafes. The lines weren't terribly long, but your schedule doesn't seem to have much flex in it. And if the weather is unpleasant... Demel has an outdoor window selling take-away kaiserschmarrn (prepared on the spot), hot chocolate and I assume also coffee. That line was short, and I think you'd be served fairly quickly there.

I think your 4-hour time allowance at the Kunsthistorisches Museum will be OK, but I'd still recommend stating with whichever section is your top priority.

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