Vienna, Austria

Our final destination in Austria had to be the capital, Vienna.

Main shopping mall

After spending so much time in the Austrian Alps it was difficult to adjust at first to the hustle & bustle of a thriving metropolis. It didn't take long though, before we loved being in this fabulous city.

We stayed at Derag Livinghotel An der Opera Karntnerstrasse 44 Innere Stadt Wien.  The hotel is 50mts from the State Opera and the Karlsplatz underground train station. A very good location. We booked standard rooms and were amazed at the size of the rooms. The room included a large lounge, bathroom and dining area. The only drawback is the one/two person lift but it's an easy walk
upstairs.

A great place to check out and learn about the history of Vienna is Schonbrunn Palace. Being winter it was great to be indoors on this particular rainy day and visit this 1441 room former imperial summer residence. The palace and Imperial family history are explained on the guided tours. The rooms are a showplace of the beautiful architecture and decor of the Rococo style at its best.

The food in Austria is one of my favourite things, we tasted and enjoyed many hearty meals that were ideal during the cold weather. Figlmuller Restaurant is well known for its schnitzels, they are larger than the plate and there always is a wait to get a table, but it's well worth it.  Another very lovely and traditional cuisine restaurant to try is Lugeck, or Cafe Schwarzenburg a traditional Viennese coffee house dating back to the 19th century, is a good place for breakfast. We loved that Vienna has a  coffee culture that's impressive, there are many speciality coffee houses you can try out.

If you want a great view and a good perspective of the size of Vienna, visit Donauturm. It's a quick train trip to get there and not overly expensive to go up. There are 3 levels to view from, the outdoor platform, the indoor platform, and the revolving restaurant. We happen there on an extremely windy day and had to fight the winds to use the outdoor platform, must say its was fun, though. After battling the winds we sat down for a coffee at the restaurant while we got a great view of all around Vienna as the restaurant did its rotations.
We stayed 3 nights in Vienna and that was nowhere near enough to see this beautiful city and its history as the centre of Europe. This is the cultural capital of Europe with its music and arts. This city is a must on any european tour.

Back to London, then home.