Vibrant Vienna
We had chosen to stay at the Das Tyrol Hotel which has member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World status. It has thirty spacious rooms all with air conditioning, Satellite TV, Safe, complimentary Nespresso coffee machine and high speed, LAN & WLAN internet connection. A delicious Viennese buffet breakfast was served each morning. A wellness centre with private steam bath, sauna and therapy shower was available in the basement of the hotel. The friendly staff on reception provided extremely helpful literature and advice covering places to see, recommended restaurants, tours and options for getting around the city to visit the main attractions.
It proved to be a great choice not only in terms of the comfort and quality but more importantly its excellent location. Just a short walk from the central area for shops, Coffee houses, restaurants and many of the famous historical buildings. It was just a short walk to the main pick up point for the hop-hop off tourist bus system which in the thirty degree July temperature proved a lazy but necessary help to reach the more distant attractions away from the City Centre. There were also plenty of bars and cafes right near the Hotel for recuperating after a day sightseeing, a pre-dinner drink or a nightcap.
From the hotel’s recommended places to eat for dinner, we chose “Ilja” which had a very good selection of meat and seafood dishes, “Umar Fisch” a fabulous fish restaurant right in the Nachsmarket, a huge market area where trendy restaurants are wedged side by side with bars and market stalls. The fish was superb and the portions massive! Being in Vienna we felt we had to sample some local cuisine so visited the Plachutas Gasthaus Oper not far from the famous and magnificent Opera House building. Dishes on offer included the Vienna classic, Wiener Schnitzel also Tafelspitz, prime boiled beef, huge portions of a local grilled chicken speciality plus of course apple strudel. Of the many Cafes and Coffee Houses to choose from I loved one called Café Demel in the central area close to, St Stephens Cathedral, which had been recommended by one of my customers whose husband is Austrian. The cakes were amazing to look at and almost too good to eat!
Vienna, a city of 1.7 million inhabitants is modern, affluent and vibrant boasting a much admired quality of life with an excellent choice of shops and entertainment yet retains an air of Imperial elegance and old fashioned charm.
Our sightseeing included the Museum quarter one of the world’s top ten cultural complexes and the splendid Museum of fine arts, City Hall and Parliament buildings. At the end of Heroes Square, we saw the Hofburg former home to the Hapsburgs for over 6 centuries and now housing the offices of the Austrian President along with the famous Spanish Riding School and a variety of Museums. The Spanish Riding School is reached through an arched walkway which then leads out into the central area for shops, restaurants and cafes and the Gothic St Stephens Cathedral.
Further out from the central area we visited the Schloss Belvedere Palace a baroque masterpiece built in the 18th century for Prince Eugene who had conquered the Turks in the Austro Turkish war. Nowadays it is a huge museum housing artworks both historic and modern. Then we moved on to visit the remarkable Schloss Schonbrunn the opulent baroque residential palace of the Hapsburg family which was originally built in the 17th century and modified many times since. Forty of the 1400 plus rooms are open to the public as are the extensive gardens.
From the hop-on hop bus we saw the famous giant Ferris wheel in the park area known as the Prater which also contains a modern amusement complex. To round off our explorations we enjoyed a leisurely two hour river cruise on the Danube.
Vienna is a charming city with so much to offer for a city break whether it be historic buildings, classic music concerts, excellent shops, cafes, bars and restaurants there is something to suit all tastes. We were just amazed that we hadn’t thought of visiting it before.