My boyfriend and I are just returning from a 10 day trip to Italy, with a long weekend in Vienna thrown in at the end. We’re both mid-30s and physically active. I’ve had the privilege of backpacking extensively through Europe in my 20s, so we decided to take this trip a little slower and focus more on enjoying wandering and cafes than on heavy sightseeing. We both hate rushing, and hate spending my vacation days in transit, so spending at least 2-3 nights per destination was the top priority for us. While we both enjoy art and museums, spending time outside was also a top priority.
We relied pretty extensively on the Rick Steves guidebook which proved indispensable. He only steered us wrong once — everything else was wonderful and easy. I wish I had used his restaurant recommendations a bit more since those are 10/10 every time.
To reach Vienna we took the OBB Night Jet from Florence. This is pretty ideal since it eliminates a travel day. We fell asleep somewhere outside of Florence and woke up just before reaching Vienna.
Since this was at the tail end of a two-week trip, and coming out of 12 days sightseeing in Italy, we were definitely pretty tired and rundown. Anywhere here is the itinerary:
Day 1 Woke up before the train arrived in Vienna and had a nice breakfast. Dropped luggage in the Airbnb near Hauptbahnhof then went to the Freud Museum. Incredible dinner at Bretzel Gwolbe followed by a nighttime stroll of the city center. Slept Vienna.
Day 2: This was my third time in Vienna so
my sightseeing priorities may be different for most. AM went to see Schönbrunn which was OK. I guess I’m not really a palace person? But learning about the Hapsburgs was very interesting. Quick pizza and then the highlight of Vienna for me, the Imperial Furniture Museum. Ahhhh so lovely. Spent many hours enjoying the exhibits. I walked down Mariahilferstrassr after this but did not find it particularly interesting. Picked up my boyfriend and we took the tram to a Heuriger in the Vienna Woods. 10/10 worth the hassle of transferring, etc!
Day 3 Last day of our European vacation. We were both definitely exhausted and tired of sightseeing. I think 11-12 days is the max for
us. We both felt like we couldn’t take anything else in in terms of tours, museums, or art. So we had a slow day — cafes Goldegg and Havelka for amazing Viennese coffee, a brief look at St Stephens Cathedral, and then a lazy afternoon at a second Heuriger. The wine is great at these but for us the star of the show is the buffet! And that’s coming from a vegetarian! Plus getting outside the city and into some greenery is always nice. Bus back into town, a long post-wine nap and then dinner again at Bretzel Gwolbe. Honestly we couldn’t get enough of their pretzels.
Now we’re heading back. Our trip felt full and complete. I don’t think I could take another day of travel to be honest and am ready to be at home in my garden with my dogs, planning whatever the next trip is (Dolomites or Sicily next year!)