Postcard from Vienna

Vienna was the third city I visited on my recent interrailing adventure. I’d heard great things about the city so I had high hopes. My postcard from Vienna provides a small taster of what you can expect from a short visit to this wonderful city.

Danube Observation Tower

My first stop in Vienna was the Danube Observation Tower. I have to be honest and say it wasn’t the most picturesque view of a city that I’d seen on my interrailing trip (Prague wins that particular accolade, closely followed by Budapest) but it certainly gave me some perspective on the length of the Danube River. Flowing through 10 countries, the Danube is huge.

St. Stephen’s Cathedral

There were two things in Vienna that, when I first laid my eyes on them, literally took my breath away. St Stephen’s Cathedral was one of them. My first visit to St Stephen’s Cathedral was at night. It was dark, reasonably quiet, and a little bit eery. But it was absolutely beautiful.

I visited the Cathedral again the next morning – this time I climbed the Cathedral’s South Tower for a different, more picturesque view over Vienna.

Schonbrunn Palace

Schonbrunn Palace, and especially the grounds surrounding the Palace also left me breathless.

A former Imperial summer residence, Schonbrunn Palace is one of Vienna’s most visited tourist attractions. It has more than 1400 rooms, 40 of which are open to the public for guided tours. The 40 rooms are certainly impressive, but it was the surrounding park and gardens that really did it for me.

Schonbrunn Park and Gardens

The Palace is situated in the middle of a 500 acre park with loads of exploration opportunities. Aside from walled gardens, greenhouses, monuments, statues and fountains, there’s a maze, a labyrinth, a roman ruin and even a zoo.

The Gloriette

Behind Neptune’s Fountain, at the top of a hill overlooking the Palace, and with amazing views of Vienna, The Gloriette is another highlight from Schonbrunn.

Anker Clock

The Anker Clock is situated in the Hoher Markt are of Vienna. The clock forms a bridge between two parts of the Anker Insurance Company’s office buildings. Each hour on the clock is represented by a historical figure, and every day at noon the 12 historical figures parade across the bridge to the sound of music from different eras.

Walking Vienna

I started my self-guided walking tour of Vienna with a really interesting, and partially interactive visit to the Sigmund Freud Museum.

From the Freud Museum, I walked south, passing the University of Vienna, the Rathaus (Vienna City Hall), the Burgtheatre and The Austrian Parliament Building. I sauntered through Volksgarten to Heldenplatz and Maria-Theresien-Platz, finally arriving at the stunning Museums Quartier.

Prater Park

For my last night in Vienna I decided some good old fashioned theme park fun was in order. Cue a visit to Prater Park, where I rode roller coasters in the dark, cowered on ghost trains, laughed at some bizarrely themed attractions (involving lazers, bonking polar bears and Right Said Fred music) and had a go on Prater Turm, which I’m told is the highest swing ride in the world.

So, after 3 wonderful jam-packed days exploring the city of Vienna, sadly it was time to leave.

Next stop, Budapest.

For more, check out my interrailing adventure video highlights.