Austria

Vienna on a budget – can it be done ?

24 hours in Austria’s capital, Vienna

So as a pair of budget travellers, what can we manage in the one of the worlds most expensive city ?

1st bargain – we have bargain priced accommodation, thanks to Paloma we are 150meters from a metro station, staying on the aire de Sosta on the U6 train line ( N. E ) . With full services for €21 per night !

The train into the city is a  cheap €2.20 each, and we can travel anywhere on the line for that ! – once into the city unlisted public transport can be bought from the tourist information office at about €7 a day.

2nd –  we can’t afford the horse and carriage tour at €55 euro each ! ( for the short tour) 

So we opted to follow a walking tour, which took around 4 hours leading us to the main sites of city. 

Starting off at Vienna State Opera House – now tickets for this venue normally run into the hundreds and hundreds of pounds, but as a budget traveler you can have a taste. Just around the corner is a door marked “standing area” . Tickets for this area are a mere €4 each, but make sure you are correctly dressed !!  ( that means no shorts and definitely  no crocs – opps)


To purchase these tickets you need to arrive about an hour and half before the performance and queue up .

So a few euros you can enjoy the sights and sounds of the opera.

Around the back of the opera house you will find cafe Sacher home the original Sacher torte, the queue for this little cafe with its stunning interior is always long, so we grab a couple of photos and carried on our merry way.


Next the walk took us  along the Karnter Strasse, filled with expensive shops including the Swarozski crystal shop with it stunning displays, sadly no photograph could ever do it justice- each piece is encrusted with thousands of tiny sparkles.


On to St. Stephens Cathredal – probably Vinenna’s most famous building with its ornately carved pillars on its 4 towers. There is a chance to climb one of the towers, but when I mentioned it has 343 steps, the response was “you carry on my love”


On the roof of St. Stephen’s Cathedral, colorful roof tiles are laid to create the Royal and Imperial double-headed eagle and the coat of arms of the city of Vienna. 


The interior of St. Stephen’s Cathedral was a fantastic sight to behold, as we arrived on Wit Monday mass was in full swing, so it was lovely to see the building full to brim, being used as it was attended.


Just around the corner from the cathedral is the Mozarthus house which was his residence from around 1784 until 1787, sadly the building is now a modern museum dedicated to the man.

We headed next for the imperial Hofburg, the place in the centre of Vienna, once home to the Hasburg dynasty and now the official residence of the president of Austria.


As we crossed through this impressive building we were greeted with another impressive statue.


before crossing the road into the museum quarter.


And then continuing down toward the secession building with its stunning glowing golden dome. The building has the motto of the secessionist movement above its impressive entrance “Der Zeit ihre kunst.Der kunst ihre Freiheit” or roughly translated ” To every age its art, to every art its freedom”.


Next on the list, and one thing I was most looking forwards to was being able to wonder around the numerous amount of stalls, cafes and bars of the Naschmarkt, that’s got to be on everyone list of must do in Vinenna.

Onwards we went crossing into the Karlsplatz, wondering through this lovely piece of parkland until we found Karlskirche with its epic dome roofed.


We wondered further finding the city’s best fountain and war memorial.


Cutting back into town for a little drink, it had to be the only place to defy the “no kangaroo’s in Austria” saying  Crossfields Aussie Pub, with not only Kangeroo on its menu but Grasshoppers too.

Giving those a miss we opted for another Vinenna institution for lunch  we had Vienna sausages from wursterland…..  Yes folks this city is famous for its hot dogs and judging by the queue,  we had to find out why…… What can I say street food at its best – yummy !


Lastly for our days tour, and a pure school boy error we visited the Anker Clock with its moving people, very impressive when we saw it, but apprently at 12 o’clock they all come out from the sides and move!

So to sum up Vienna is epic, an easy going capital, you could blow thousands, or like us less than a €100 euro and saw all the sights. 

The other thing we could have done, with more time was bike across the city, you can just collect the bikes and drop off at the next location! What an ace idea!


Paul.

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