Vienna – Day 9 of a 10-Day Trip in Europe
Day 9 was my second and last full day in Vienna. The day focused on visiting the palaces – Schönbrunn Palace and the Belvedere Palaces. There are lots of palaces in Vienna. This is because during the peak of the Habsburg Dynasty, each noble family was building their own palaces to imprint themselves into the history books.
Day 9
Vienna
I ended up sleeping in and skipping breakfast on Day 9. First destination for the day was Schönbrunn Palace. I arrived at the palace around 10am and was disappointed to be told that the next available entry time was 3 hours! Not wanting to wait around, I strolled the palace grounds and gardens. Note I was also really confused by the ticket options as one ticket had access to select rooms, then another ticket had access to other rooms, and then there were tickets that included entry to other museums. Yes, the next tour was in 3 hours, but the complicated ticket options also deterred me from visiting. During the winter, in front of the Schönbrunn Palace, is a Christmas Market. Within the garden, there is a walkway up a hill to the Gloriette. The Gloriette once served as a breakfast room for Emperor Franz Joseph I. Today, it is a cafe that opens during the spring/summer season. It also has a fantastic view of the palace and Vienna.
After wandering the palace area, I headed to Leberkas-Pepi Wien Operngasse for lunch. The small restaurant/cafe’s menu consists of a variety of sandwiches utilizing leberkase (Austrian meat loaf). The leberkase options differ based on their spices. A sandwich is quite affordable and one sandwich costs less than 10euros. I picked the truffle mushroom. The truffle was not very strong to me, but I found the meat tasty. The taste and texture of the meat reminded me of bologna.
Afterwards, I walked to Karlskirche. Karlskirche is a Roman Catholic Church that started construction in the early 18th century and was completed in 1737. The church is pretty inside, but it costs ~10euros/adult to visit. I was going to a concert in Karlskirche that evening, so I decided to save my visit for the evening. Instead, I snapped a photo of the church and walked to Naschmarkt.
Naschmarkt is an outdoor market with stalls lined side by side. It extends for a few blocks. It is fun to browse the stalls and I saw Amur Beluga (type of sturgeon fish) Kaviar being sold at 996.80 euros for 250g! It must have been the time of the year (and maybe the time of the day), but the market was quiet and only had a few visitors.
Next stop, the Belvedere Palaces. There are two Belvedere Palaces – Upper and Lower. They are separated by a large garden and have separate admissions (although there is a combined ticket option). Both palaces have history dating back to the 18th century. The Upper Belvedere Palace was more for ceremonial events whereas the Lower Belvedere Palace was the residence. I decided to only visit the Upper Belvedere Palace as I thought I had seen enough royal bedrooms during this Europe visit.
In front of the palace (Note I was visiting in December!) was a Christmas Market. So before buying my ticket for the palace, I took a snack break and bought kaiserschmarrn, an Austrian dessert, from one of the stalls. Kaiserschmarrn consists of a hand-torn pancake mixed with rum-soaked raisins and apple sauce and sprinkled with powder sugar. I’ve never been a fan of raisins so I opted out, but in retrospect, I should have said yes as that is the traditional. Anyways, the pancake bits were fluffy and the dessert delicious.
It was then time to visit the Upper Belvedere Palace. Despite having to wait in line for about 20 minutes to buy a ticket, I did not have to wait at all for entry. The ticket is stamped with an entrance time, but my entrance time was set for exactly the time I bought my ticket. The most popular room in the Upper Belvedere Palace is the Marble Hall. In 1955, a monumental event for Austria occurred in the Marble Hall. This very room is where the Allies signed the treaty that gave Austria its independence after World War 2 (it was previously occupied by Germany and the Nazis). The other rooms of the palace are filled with art. The first floor consists of more traditional artwork and paintings, whereas the upper floors have more modern art. I enjoyed looking out the windows to admire the garden and the Lower Belvedere Palace.
After spending some time at the Upper Belvedere Palace, I walked around the garden towards the Lower Belvedere Palace.
I had checked off my to-do list for the day. I was feeling exhausted after 9 days of non-stop travelling in Europe, so I headed back to the hotel to rest for the afternoon. On the way back to the hotel, I made a last-minute decision to walk around the Rathausplatz area. Near Rathausplatz is a garden called Volksgarten. Volksgarten is a public park in Vienna and this area used to be defensive walls. In 1809, Napoleon occupied Vienna and made the Habsburgs signed an unfavourable treaty; then Napoleon and his troops left and on their way out, destroyed the fortifications. As a result, this made room for the park. In 1823, the park opened to the public. At the centre of the park is a building/monument called Theseustempel, which is blocked off to the public.
Across the street from the garden is the Austrian Parliament. Tours are available.
Close to the Hotel Regina, I stopped for a coffee at Café Latte Art. I had hoped to sip my coffee and people watch for a bit. However, all the tables by the window were taken, so I had to make do with a table in the back (with no view).
After my afternoon break at the hotel, it was now dark out and time for an evening walk, dinner, then my symphony concert in the Karlskirche! I took the train from the hotel to Petersplatz to walk around the area and explore the Christmas Market by the St. Stephen’s Cathedral. The cathedral was lit up and less busy than it was during the day.
Nearby is another Catholic church called St. Peter’s. Since it was in the area, I stopped by.
For dinner, I picked Uni Cafe – Alter Ego, a restaurant near Karlskirche specializing in pierogies. The hostess at Uni Cafe – Alter Ego turned me away however because they were too busy and could not seat me. Disappointed, I opted for Christmas Market food from the stalls by the Karlskirche. I ended up getting a cheese raclette on bread, as well as wieners with pita for dinner.
Finally, it was time for the symphony. I had booked my ticket online on the Get Your Guide website. The concert was Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and it started at 8:15am. The doors open about 30 minutes ahead of time. Karlskirche is beautiful and the acoustics of the building made the music even better. I would 100% recommend a symphony concert in Karlskirche when visiting Vienna! The concert ended around 10pm and I headed back to my hotel for the evening.
Complete Day 9 Itinerary
*Travel times may vary. Check Google Maps for most accurate travel details.
8:00am: Have breakfast.
9:00am: Visit Schönbrunn Palace (32 minute transit from Rathausplatz). Visit the Neptune fountain and the Gloriette.
12:00pm: Have lunch at Leberkas-Pepi Wien Operngasse (20 minute transit from Schönbrunn Palace). Wander Naschmarkt (9 minute walk from Leberkas-Pepi Wien Operngasse).
1:00pm: Visit the Upper and Lower Belvedere Palaces (18 minute transit from Naschmarkt).
4:00pm: Wander Rathausplatz (18 minute transit from the Belvedere Palaces). Check out Rathaus der Stadt Wien (City Hall), the Austrian Parliament, and Volksgarten.
6:00pm: Walk around Petersplatz (16 minute walk from Rathausplatz). Visit the St. Stephen’s Cathedral and St. Peter’s Church.
7:00pm: Have dinner at Uni Cafe – Alter Ego (12 minute transit from Petersplatz).
8:00pm: Watch a symphony concert at the Karlskirche (2 minute walk from Uni Cafe – Alter Ego). Buy tickets ahead of time!
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 Links:
Travels with Carolyne 