Vienna – Day 8 of a 10-Day Trip in Europe
It was time to say my goodbyes to Salzburg and head to Vienna. Vienna is the capital of Austria and is also the country’s capital city. What a change in pace compared to Salzburg. Vienna was busy and had large city vibes, yet had a historical charm due to the Gothic churches and Baroque buildings.
Day 8
Vienna
My day started with an early train to Vienna from Salzburg. For breakfast, I picked up a pastry at a bakery by the station. The train to Vienna was about 2.5 hours long and I opted to travel using Westbahn’s services to the Vienna Westbahnhof station. There are also options to travel to Vienna Hauptbahnhof (Central Station) from Salzburg as well. Once I arrived in Vienna, I picked up the 48-hour Vienna City Card which includes unlimited transit and attraction discounts, then headed to the Hotel Regina to drop off my bags. The Hotel Regina is within the centre area of Vienna and beside it is Votivkirche, a Catholic Church. Votivkirche was built by an Emperor’s brother, Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian, as a way to thank God for saving his brother, Emperor Franz Joseph’s life from a failed assassination. The failed assassination attempt occurred in 1853 and the church was consecrated in 1879.
Next stop was lunch. I selected the restaurant Figlmüller Bäckerstraße. The restaurant specializes in Viennese schnitzel and is an Austrian staple. It was unfortunately way too busy and the line was over an hour long. Too hungry, I walked around the corner to another restaurant called Lugeck, which also had schnitzel on their menu. They had a table open, so I had no issues being seated. I ordered the Veal Wiener Schnitzel, which came with a potato-field salad, and a herb-flavoured soda called Almdudler. The schnitzel was tasty. The potato-field salad was nicely seasoned and refreshing. The herb-flavoured soda was my favourite and so interesting!
Afterwards, I walked to St. Stephen’s Cathedral. St. Stephen’s Cathedral is a Roman Catholic Church and the main church of Vienna. The first structure of the cathedral started construction in 1137 and it underwent expansions and reconstruction until around 1578.
I then continued my walk to the Austrian National Library. Near the plaza entrance to the library is a small church, Augustinerkirche.
The Austrian National Library dates back to the 14th century and houses over 12 million items! The main attraction is the State Hall, which has walls filled to the brim with books and a life-size marble statue of Emperor Charles VI.
After the library, I headed to Albertina, the largest modern art museum in Central Europe. It features art by Michaelangelo, Monet, Picasso, and many more! I kept the photography in the Albertina at a minimum as it is not the same as admiring the art in person. It is amazing to be in the presence of artwork created by such big names! On the way to Albertina, I passed by the Butterfly House as well. The Butterfly House is a big glass building where you can walk around with the butterflies. I do not like bugs, so I decided to skip this, but this is a great spot for butterfly-lovers!
I continued to the Maria-Theresien Plaza, passing the Hofburg Palace on the way. Hofburg Palace was once the Imperial Palace of the Habsburg Dynasty. It actually served as the winter residence, while Schonbrunn Palace was the summer residence. The Habsburg family ruled Vienna from 1282 to 1918. Since 1946, the Hofburg Palace has been the home and workplace of the Austrian President.
At the Maria-Theresien Plaza, there are two main museums – the Kunsthistorisches (Art) Museum and the Naturhistorisches (Natural History) Museum. Each museum is immense with lots to see. The museum buildings themselves are amazing to visit due to their Baroque architecture. I was more interested in seeing historical art than science history, so I opted to visit the Kunsthistorisches museum. The museum had lots of paintings and artifacts. It even had a whole Egyptian area (several rooms) with sarcophaguses. This was the first time I was seeing a sarcophagus up close and it was so fascinating! The main stairwell connecting the floors is gorgeous as well with the high ceiling and intricate design. There is also a cafe/restaurant at the centre of the museum, which would be a cool spot to have a coffee.
During the winter, a Christmas market opens up at the plaza with vendors selling boutique items and food. So after visiting the Kunsthistorisches Museum (it had become dark out), I wandered the stalls and bought a currywurst hot dog for dinner and hot berry punsch (mixed with red wine) to warm myself up.
On the way back to my hotel, I stopped by the Rathaus der Stadt Wien (City Hall). The building was lit up and also the centre of another christmas market! It was fun walking around and browsing the stores before calling it a night.
Complete Day 8 Itinerary
*Travel times may vary. Check Google Maps for most accurate travel details.
8:00am: Head to Vienna Westbahnhof Station from Salzburg Central Station (2.5 hour train)
11:00am: Visit Votivkirche (30 minute transit from Vienna Westbahnhof Station).
12:00pm: Have lunch at Figlmüller Bäckerstraße (9 minute walk from Votivkirche).
1:00pm: Visit St. Stephen’s Cathedral (5 minute walk from Figlmüller Bäckerstraße). Visit Augustinerkirche (8 minute walk from St. Stephen’s Cathedral). Visit the Austrian National Library (1 minute walk from Augustinerkirche).
2:30pm: Visit the Albertina (3 minute walk from the Austrian National Library).
4:00pm: Visit the Kunsthistorische Museum (10 minute walk from the Austrian National Library).
6:00pm: Have dinner!
8:00pm: Walk around the City Hall/Rathausplatz.
10-Day Europe Itinerary
Click “Download” below for an excel version of my 10-Day Europe Itinerary to Czech Republic, Germany, and Austria. Feel free to use the excel file as a planning template for your own trip!
Austria:
Travels with Carolyne 