Three Days in Vienna — Prices, Sightseeing, and Tips!
Learn Everything You Need to Know!
Family holidays have a contrasting character. They are calm, and serene, without the excess of novelty, since their aim is a morning coffee in a picturesque square, a tour full of history and mystery in an ancient building, and a relaxing walk in the snowy center of the Austrian city. On the other hand, they are erratic — think of a cannon full of gunpowder where all it takes is an irony to light the fuse. My family holiday in Vienna had a little of everything. For those not interested in personal drama, don’t go. There will be tips and places you absolutely must visit in that frosty lady called Vienna. Let’s get started…
The Flight
At first, the trip starts with the classic fear of the plane. We arrive in Thessaloniki, sleep all the way from Larissa, pass through security, browse some liquor and chocolates, and boarding begins. We get into the “bucket” of the plane and a delicate lady sits next to me. She crosses herself, mumbles things, and at the first announcement from the captain she bites her lip in agony. On take-off, as if I remember, she let slip a scream. The weather was overcast, the cabin was quiet and I, with my headphones glued to my ears, was enjoying this mechanical miracle of flight. I distinctly remember when we reached maximum altitude, where the autopilot was activated and snacks were served, the clouds below us spread out like the most tender blanket. The sun colored the blanket golden and I, with the imagination of a seven-year-old, hoped I could sleep just once alongside all those who once existed and left, envisioning that after death there is this something, an indefinite continuity.
Vienna Centre
As soon as we landed, the cold greeted us with the question of how to get from the airport to the center of Vienna. The feeling of everyone now speaking a different language always fills me with optimism. Optimism because I managed to travel, and a trip always promises a new memory. But to the point… Here I will give you the 1st tip:
- Don’t believe the signs. They are all green and advertise a train called CAT. It’s an express train, it gets you downtown in 15 minutes, however, it’s costly compared to an underground train called OBB and it’s red. The schedules are frequent, while at the same time, it is very cheap.
With plenty, we boarded the OBB, exchanged a few words with each other, and comfortably, I’d say, we made it to the center. As soon as we exited the station, a huge building rose up in front of us, which was the mall. We quickly said we would come back someday to browse and shop; we never did.
I fondly remember busting into the first bakery we found. For some reason, I was stuck with the idea of taking a warm espresso and wandering like a true Larissa resident through the cobbled streets of the Austrian city. The same enthusiasm didn’t continue, however, as I took a small sandwich with a piece of turkey, cheese, and a tomato, and paid close to 8€. Single espresso, of course. I knew from the first steps that the city bites and unfortunately it bites on food.
Our compass was a little golden statue that towered over every building in the city. The eye gazed at the oddities of Vienna. Cars stopped at crosswalks, statues popped out of buildings and all the passers-by seemed to me to be sulking. And while the eye gazed absentmindedly, the compass led us to St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Its appearance reminded me of the Duomo of Milan, only in miniature. The roof was mosaic-textured with Gothic architecture adorned with many statues. The statues, for the most part, represented religious, humble, and fearful people. Some held crosses, others were imprisoned behind stone bars, and as you continued to observe, the eye would somewhere fall upon monstrous creatures of the night with huge teeth and sharp angles. The visit to the cathedral was brief as the fatigue of the whole day began to emerge strongly.
And this is where the first coffee was made. The first impressions were painted vividly on the white table as the coffee came down. Father smoked happily, mother’s eyes feasted on the new images and sister enjoyed just being with us all.
After coffee, Google Maps worked, and we wandered around the market for a bit more when we finally got on the metro. By the time we got home, the bellies were purring as if we were the most coordinated choir.
Food
We ordered Burger Kings 60€. 5 burgers, some fries, and a Coca-Cola if I remember correctly. So expensive… But, here comes the good part. My family was in a state of confusion, because putting both my and my father’s incessant hunger and expenses into the same equation, the math were unfortunately not coming out. The confusion brought much thought when the father blurted out the idea of a supermarket. Our room was on Wiedner Gurtel Street and right next door was a HOFER store. HOFER was super in every sense of the word since the products were decent and the prices were unbelievable. 2nd tip then:
- Look for a supermarket like HOFA and your lunch will be heaven!
Of course one night out of the 3 we stayed in Vienna we ate grand mansions. More specifically, we dined at the Purstner restaurant which is a traditional Bavarian tavern. The staff didn’t speak English, however, when you are hungry everything is easily translated. The interior design was vibrant, with stuffed animals flying from the ceiling, traditional beer pots adorning the shelves, and murals of jesters all around us. My sister got the traditional schnitzel (like foam but delicious), I got beef and pepper (too much pepper), my mother got soup and my father got something like a pork chop. And somewhere around here, I’ll give you the 3rd tip:
- Make a reservation wherever you go.
Sightseeing
Following on from the above narrative about Day 1, after hitting the burgers, we slept in, recharged our batteries, and then visited Belvedere Palace. This palace was built as the summer estate of Eugene of Savoy. I imagine in the winter he got bored of it and went elsewhere. I’m not very good with humor.
Before the palace, there was a myriad of gardens of all shapes and colors. A waterfall dominated the center of the manicured vegetation and some weird statues lined the gardens, separating them from the paths. After much walking, we reached the entrance. We bought 2 bottles of water, paid 8€ and with a sweaty face we poured ourselves into the pure beauty of the marbles.
The welcome hall was an oasis of art. An imposing chandelier bathed the pageantry of colours representing a feast of angels and men. There were fireplaces in every corner, and from every wall hung paintings of every era, every concept, and every artist capable of making his mark. In addition to paintings, there were also sculptures in the palace. The most special of which was an exhibition where each sculpture captured in its expression a source of emotion, highlighting the fact that body language sometimes transcends poor words. Finally, I want to admit that enough said about my experience, I don’t want to prejudge your impression of the next attractions. So I’ll just list the sights we visited that took our breath away. Tip 4:
- Cathedral of Saint Stephen
- Belvedere Palace
- Hofburg Imperial Palace
- Museum of Natural History (Naturhistorisches Museum)
- Vienna Opera House
- Albertina Museum
- Parliament (Pallas Athene Brunnen)
Ballet, Opera, and Drink
Another feature that struck me was the fact that there were men dressed as charlatans everywhere trying to convince you to attend an opera, ballet, or even a gallery tour. I’ve never seen art like that before. In Greece, when you see streetwalkers, they usually sell you some stolen glass. Anyway, we snapped up the offer and in the evening my sister and I met up at a palace to watch a ballet duet and listen to opera. I can say that this virgin experience impressed me. For the first time, I realized that music really does speak to your soul, if only you are absorbed in it. Violin, pirouettes, small voices, and champagne made up a beautiful evening in the cold Austrian city.
Finally, go for coffee at Central!
