by Roy -

This article is written by Chetna Prakash. Chetna is a London-based traveler & travel blogger.

To Dipti Kharude, who is stopping by Vienna on her way to Italy.

A friend, art critic and travel writer, Girish Shahane, described Vienna in his blog as “the Aishwarya Rai of cities, extraordinarily beautiful but cold and rather boring.”

Unfortunately, his description is quite apt. Of all the European cities I have visited, none left me more underwhelmed than Vienna.

The city is beautiful: Wide roads, parks, gardens, huge palaces, elaborately sculpted buildings, baroque public sculptures and the wide blue Danube flowing through the city. But for some reason, it just doesn’t have enough people to bring all that extravagance to life. To Sid and I, it simply looked like an elaborately planned party which the guests forgot to attend.

(In a way, the theory fits. Vienna is one of the few European cities, whose population has fallen dramatically since the 19th century. So it was built for a lot more people than it houses today.)

If you are visiting Vienna, here’s what I would recommend. Don’t waste too much of your time trying to soak in the city’s street atmosphere. It doesn’t have any. Instead, head for its cafes.

Now, Vienna’s cafes (or Kaffehaus, as they are called) are another story. They are full of atmosphere. Most hark back to the 1920s and before, and are sumptuously furnished in rich wood, heavy curtains and diffused sleek lights. The waiters still dress traditionally in full-sleeved white shirts, vest jackets and black trousers and swirl around the place elegantly balancing coffee-and-dessert trays in their hands. And you actually see people around you, chatting, laughing, playing board games and reading newspapers. I guess, that is why you don’t see any Viennese on their streets. Because they are all sitting in the cafes!

In fact, recently the Viennese cafes were listed by Unesco as an intangible world cultural heritage.

Here’s a good guide to some of the most atmospheric Viennese cafes. If you can find any of the ones mentioned, great. But even if you can’t, just pop into the nearest one that looks interesting. You will have a good time.

If art is something you find intriguing, you can visit the Museumsquartier (or Museum Quarter). It is basically a collection of old and ultra-modern museum buildings in the city centre. The one museum Sid and I visited and would definitely recommend is the Leopold Museum, dedicated to Austrian artists, particularly Egon Schiele. His works are frighteningly stark. You will come out loving him or hating him, but react you will. The museum will also have works by other famous Austrian artists, Gustav Klimt, Oscar Kokoschka etc. Give it a shot!

Other than that, the most popular tourist destination is the Schönbrunn Palace, home to the Austria’s erstwhile monarchy that went down with the First World War. The building is uber-ornate and the gardens are  beautifully manicured. If shopping is critical to your travels, head for the fasionable Kaerntner Strasse (Strasse being street in German). It begins at Stephanplatz, the city centre.

Staatsopera, Vienna

Vienna is also very famous for its western classical music (Mozart being its most famous progeny). The State Opera (Staatsopera) has the best performances, though the city is littered with smaller music houses. However, if you want to catch some western classical music for free, visit any of its churches on a Sunday morning. The service will have some beautiful classical music to go with it.

That should be enough to cover a day or two in Vienna. If you plan to spend more time there, you’ll struggle to find things to do.

To find out more, check Wiki Travel. Among other things, it explains very well how to get from the airport to the city centre, Stephanplatz, using the cheap metro service, S Bahn.

PS: Remember to pick a good map of the city from the airport.

2 June 2011

http://indiancompass.com/2011/06/vienna-an-indian-compass-review/

Average Rating: 4.8 out of 5 based on 261 user reviews.

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by Roy -

This article is written by Sathish K, a Software Professional and travel writer, based in Bangalore.

From Innsbruck I take the evening train to Wien. On the train I meet a student of Wien University who happened to be flipping through pages of lonely planet book. Under impression that it was for Wien I enquire to learn that it is for South India a journey which is under plan for them. Me being an Indian and a South Indian I share my knowledge about this beautiful country. And goes the conversation for few hours till we reach Wien.

At the station my host picks me up and we walk down to the place.

Its pretty easy to travel around in Wien also. Most of the touristic spots are located in the 1st district.

On the first day I walk around the 1st district for 6hrs stopping at spots like Parliament, History Museum, SchornKirch. I paid 10euros for walking inside the History Museum which had a wonderful tagline “We don’t have emperors, We have only their jewels”.

The entry fee looked pretty high for me and so I stayed away from other museums, tho I dont think I missed much.

I complete almost 3/4th of the tour when I reach the river Danube. I spend about 1hr along the river side without doing anything. Some other time I would have thot why am I wasting time but here I was on vacation and had liberty to do what I wanted to do without thinking about work or anything else.

Then I walk along the river check out some clubs and then feeling hungry walk over to “Der Wien Deewan” restaurant. This restaurant is very unique. They serve Pakistani/North-Indian curry (3 varieties of chicken & 3 veg). You can take the curry with as much rice as you want. The concept is very simple “Pay as you wish”. How much ever you eat, whatever you feel like paying pay. This was started by a Pakistani who married an Austrian and settled in Wien. This is a definite must for whoever is touring this city.

On the second day I dont do much. Later in the afternoon, I meet two guys Dirk and Nick who are travelling around the World on their motorbikes. They, my host and me we have lunch and then some photoshoot time and then some conversation with the bikers am off to take the train back to Frankfurt which ends my vacation.

Sathish K

17 Apr 2008

http://sathishk.wordpress.com/2008/04/17/vienna-wien-austria/

Average Rating: 4.7 out of 5 based on 216 user reviews.

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by Roy -

This article is written by Shantanu Ghosh.

Some of you have been amused I could actually write three posts on Vienna without describing its food in some detail. Actually, I was saving the best for the last! Vienna has much to offer the foodie, more so if you love meat and have a sweet tooth. During my week in this lovely city, I sampled every local delicacy I could find. Between the evenings of fine dining, gourmet coffee at Vienna’s famous cafes and the local desserts, there was enough to keep me content. And of course, there was that evening in an underground wine tavern.

First, let me cover fine dining in Vienna. Armed with recommendations from colleagues who have lived in this city, I ended up in a restaurant that dates back to 1933. A Michelin recommended restaurant, Drei Husaren is located within a block of the famous St. Stephens Cathedral. Started by three hussar-officers, this restaurant changed hands multiple times during its long history. What did not change is its reputation as one of more interesting Viennese restaurants in the old Imperial district.

As you enter the restaurant, the warm colors, paintings of old maestroes and period furniture all contribute to setting the mood. Service is formal but impeccable. Fresh bread and a variety of herb butter spreads arrived as we perused the wine list. We finally settled for an Austrian Pinot.

I started with the Boletus Soup. This mushroom soup, made from the seasonal Porcini and topped with Cappuccino foam with slivers of mushroom, was served in a glass. The soup was highly flavored, served at just the right temperature, and was among the best soups I have tasted. What a great beginning to the meal!

A pianist played compositions of the many local greats, we moved to our entrees. They had charged us €5 per person for the live entertainment, but the pianist was gifted – this was Vienna after all!

For my entree, I chose the Escalope of beef with crisp onions, Viennese-style sauteed potatoes and gherkin. This was another winner. Chewy, but in a good sort of way, and the meat went very well with the deep fried onion.

For dessert, I selected a pancake, The Three Hussars, stuffed with walnuts, and topped with chocolate and strawberry sauce. They also had a Cheese Torte on their menu.

By the time we finished dinner, we had sampled two different reds, both local Austrian wines. While Austria doesn’t export much, they have a vibrant wine culture. In fact like the beer pubs in London and Germany, they have Wine Bars here. Austrians also drink a cider made from a mixture of apples and pear (or only pear). Vienna is the only place – outside India – where I have seen rock sugar offered after dinner with the cheque.

The Drei Husaran is an excellent choice for a special evening in Vienna. The location, the atmosphere and the food are all excellent, as is the service.

Konig Von Ungarn, Schulerstrasse 10

My other fine dining experience was on my final night in Vienna. This time we dined at Konig Von Ungarn at Schulerstrasse 10, just behind the St. Stephens Cathedral. Again, a restaurant steeped in history (this hotel dates back to 1746), orange walls, vaulted ceilings, wrought iron adornments and crystal chandeliers – all of which made for a great ambiance. Dignitaries from St. Stephens once used this place as a guesthouse and horse stables. Of course, these royal visitors also appreciated good cooking. Also, just above this hotel is an apartment where Mozart once lived and composed some of his famous music.

Potato Goulash with grilled turkey sausages

This time, I started with a Potato Goulash with grilled turkey sausages. Please note they also have an interesting hors d’œuvre trolley from which you can select too. I have noticed that goulash is a safe choice in Vienna – I have never been disappointed and tonight was no different. The breads here come with butter and peppers!

Grilled Variation of Fish with truffle oil sauce and almond butter rice.

For my entree I selected the Grilled Variation of Fish with truffle oil sauce and almond butter rice. This dish contained three types of grilled fish – pike, perch, salmon. I loved this dish. The fish was fresh, it was fun to taste the different fillets on the plate at the same time. The sauce complimented the fish and the almond butter rice was wonderful too. All of this with a locally grown ruby red Cabernet Sauvigon that went well with the entree

I chose a Dessert Sampler that had a pudding in vanilla sauce, a chocolate soufflé, and coffee ice-cream with apricot jam. During desserts, they wheel another trolley, this time with a variety of brandies and other digestifs.

At the Konig Von Ungarn, food was good and the ambiance was excellent, but the service was somewhat lacking; the staff was friendly but they kept mixing up the orders. Among the two places I have reviewed here, I would rate the Drei Husaren higher for this reason.

Incidentally, if you enjoy dessert wines, you must try the Austrian Kracher. This wine is made from Welschriesling grapes, which have nothing to do with Riesling, and Chardonnay, which are unusual in a sweet wine. I enjoyed this revered wine, of all places, on my return flight on Austrian Airlines!

Shantanu Ghosh

7 Sept 2008

http://www.shantanughosh.com/2008/09/foodie-in-vienna-part-i.html

Average Rating: 4.9 out of 5 based on 270 user reviews.

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by Roy -

This article is written by Sathish K, a Software Professional and travel writer, based in Bangalore

Sarlszburg, Innsbruck, Vienna are the three main touristic cities in Austria. Of the three, I skipped the first one to go to the second one.

Innsbruck

I have travelled by plane, cruiser across countries. So this time I decided to take the Deutsche Bahn for travel to Austria from Germany and back. The normal fares are pretty high in train but there was a special offer by which I got my tickets for entire journey for less than half the usual price.

The City Night Line

So from the city of Mannheim, I take the City Night Line to Sarlszburg and then change over to the next train to reach Innsbruck.

It was raining when I was leaving Mannheim not that the other days during my stay was any different.
Innsbruck is not a big city. Surrounded by snow covered mountains even during this time of the year the view is just mind blowing. Stand at one point maybe the Bergisel Ski Jump Stadium terrace and take a 360deg turn. From start to end of the turn you will be bowled over by the scenery and the beauty.

Bergisel Ski Jump Stadium

Bergisel is one of the main tourist spots in Innsbruck. You can either use the cable car or climb the staircase (255 steps approximately) to go up the terrace which is 50mt above Innsbruck. From Bergisel to the Castle there is a route by which one should be able to walk down but I did not try it neither did I go to the castle since I spent more than 2hrs at Bergisel. And it was pretty tiring walking up and down. I went to Bergisel on the second day of my stay in Innsbruck.
Earlier day after reaching Innsbruck station, thanks to couchsurfing I get a space to stay. So I go up to the place for surfing. After pretty good breakfast and a long chat getting to know each other I leave on my journey for next 5hrs. First thing I do is get a map of the city at the Tourist Information Center which is located in MuseumStrasse.
But before I went to the Information Center I walked through the old city and having been updated on the buildings by my host it was much easy. There is also Alpen Zoo nearby but coming from India watching animals in zoo’s don’t excite me!!!

Later I start my walk up the road towards HungerBurg. Having covered most distance and with less than 2kms to cover I do not find any space for pedestrians. I look around and finally give up and start my way down. The best would be to take the tram from Renweg to HungerBurg and that would be really amazing ride up and down. Dont miss it.

Sathish K

17 April 2008

Innsbruck, Austria

Average Rating: 4.9 out of 5 based on 151 user reviews.

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by Roy -

This article is written by Dina Menon. Dina is a hotel management graduate from IHM Mumbai, she loves to network with people. And give her the world map and she is already planning her next sojourn even before her bags are unpacked. Discovering the history and learning all about the local flavor comes naturally to her. She loves her Wandering ways and her hobbies include listening to music, watching movies and partying till wee hours in the morning.

Sitting down to pen my thoughts on Germany did seem a tad bit difficult – simply because the country is so breathtakingly beautiful, I wasn’t sure if I could do justice with a mere blog…

The famous Cologne cathedral

Where do I start …cliched…but true…my love affair with the country started with the famous ‘Sound of Music’ movie; the rolling hills, the tolling bells, the medieval castles which painted a romantic picture; the cathedrals, the endless travel books that I had read –  about the picture perfect villages and the magical forests – and the little phrases that I picked up along the way – Auf Weirdesen et al –  so when a chance came  along for me to experience Germany as part of the German Travel Mart in Cologne –

The city of contrasts – old and new city of Salzburg

I knew it was trip of a lifetime – because from the moment I stepped foot into the country, I knew the travel books hadn’t done justice – simply because as a Wanderer, you have to live the place – see the history come alive, waltz through the fairy tale castles, smile back at the charming people and experience the underlying thread of romanticism humming a tune to the lovers… a flavor which unfolds to every traveler who comes into the country.

Leopold palace in salzburg – sound of music location

Well, luckily, for us lot – when you are a Wanderer, we follow a pretty simple thumb rule  – pack your bags and explore the offbeat. Experience the myriad layers the country has to offer and that’s exactly what I did in my sojourn.

St. Peter’s church in Munich

Freiburg, Salzburg and Munich  was on my agenda after my series of meetings at Colonge…I had to experience the city of Mozart – had to relive my Sound of Music fantasy…had to discover the city of contrasts…and along the way, discover the little towns and the cities – which I now say are stunningly pretty, friendly, traditional, easily accessible, simple to discover, and literally oozing with character. The seduction’s easily explained.

Average Rating: 4.9 out of 5 based on 280 user reviews.

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by Roy -

This article is written by Alka Deshpande

PROLOGUE

The US visas for our co-travellers were not happening which meant that we had a whole week of vacation before proceeding to New York and Columbia University to attend our son’s graduation. With barely 10 days left, getting a visa from the country of our choice (Spain/Portugal/Greece) in time was difficult, if not downright impossible. Our travel consultant, Farah from Wanderers suggested Germany (of course, the Germans would be the most efficient!!) as that was the only consulate that would give us a visa in a week. So we planned to visit Munich (our port of entry), Vienna, Salzburg and Budapest.

AUSTRIAAAAH!!!

Europe is one of our favourite traveling destinations for all the variety it offers…scenic surroundings, history, architecture, art, cuisine and good weather….if you are lucky!!

Munich, Germany

We landed at Munich and were pleasantly surprised to find ourselves upgraded to a suite at the Le Meredien – what a nice start to our holiday! We wandered around the city on a Hop-on Hop-off tour that allowed us to spend as much time as we liked at any of the spots or skip ones that did not interest us. The problem, however, is that sometimes by the time the guide finishes his explanation in three languages the object of his verbosity is left far behind!!! One of the MUST SEE places in Munich is undoubtedly the BMW Museum. This ‘Mecca’ for automobile fans, it impressed and intrigued even a casual visitor like me. The sprawling Scloss Nymphenburg spread luxuriantly amidst acres of well laid gardens is beautiful too. Munich seemed a friendly city and it is a relief that English is more widely understood now than it was during our first trip to Europe in the 1990’s.

BMW Museum,  Munich

One of he highlights of our trip was the train journeys between destinations. Farah did not have to work too hard at encouraging us to splurge and travel first class. It may have cost us an arm and a leg, but it was worth every penny. The trains are clean, fast, and efficient and our seats were booked and marked out with our names. We were met promptly at all the stations by distinguished looking and extremely courteous chauffeurs and many of them were quite knowledgeable about the city and its history. To our astonishment we also encountered a couple of them who had traveled to India!!

Kursalon theatre, Vienna

Austria is beautiful…probably as good as Switzerland. We spent 2 days at Vienna which is a huge bustling city full of the most beautiful old buildings. On our first evening at Vienna we visited the Kursalon theatre for a musical performance of Strauss melodies. It was very entertaining and the female lead vocalist irrevocably reminded one of the famous Bianca Castafiore (of the Tintin comics fame) even though this lady was pencil slim and very pretty!!

The Danube by sunset

An evening city tour took us up a TV tower from where we could get a beautiful view of Vienna and the Danube by the light of the setting sun. The highlight of the tour was a visit to a little tavern with live musicians and a warm and cozy ambience. We spent a lovely evening chatting with tourists from around the world, sipping wine and enjoying the lively melodies – waltzes, folk music, and even the theme from ‘Titanic’!

The Imperial hunting lodge at Mayerling, Vienna Woods

A day trip took us through the beautiful countryside to the Mayerling hunting Lodge with its haunting history of the tragic romance of Crown Prince Rudolf and his mistress Baroness Vetsera. The lodge has now been converted into a church and nunnery and incredulously the bedchamber where the lovers were found dead is now the chapel!!!

Following the Danube further south brought us to Budapest (Hungary), another old and historic city with a huge rambling castle and grounds sitting atop a hill. Our guide, Catherine took us on a 4 hour walking tour around the city and yes, up the hill to the castle as well. Because their economy is in a shambles, the city seems a bit run down but it is very beautiful nevertheless. The city has a lot of history of invasion and influences of different cultures as, pretty much like Rajasthan in India, it bore the brunt of invasions into Europe. One of the advantages of the walking tour is that one gets to see curious and interesting little known places, charming inns and buildings which would otherwise be lost in a group tour. It was also lovely talking to Catherine as she was really knowledgeable and was quite easily the best guide we had. That evening we went for a performance of Hungarian Folk dances which was exhilarating. The dances were energetic and intricate, the music foot-tapping and the costumes gorgeous.

Hungarian Folk Dance

The Danube at Budapest is broad and majestic and divides the city into its two original quarters, Buda and Pest. The evening river cruise on the Danube beckoned… and watching the lights come on and light up the elegant and historic buildings and bridges on either side of the river was a sight worth seeing. Hungary is also famous for the delicate porcelain and dainty lacework …but it is prohibitively expensive!

Salzburg-Fortress

And finally we reached Salzburg….Salzburg is probably one of the quaintest and most charming places we have seen. Right from our heritage hotel, the Aldtstat Radisson Blu to the Salzach river, its just picture perfect. The hotel is housed in a 600 year old building and has been renovated most tastefully. The coffee shop, called Picnic, had delicious food and we found ourselves eating there almost every day.

Sound of Music tourbus

There are many well organized tours to see every part of Salzburg including the hugely popular ‘Sound of Music’ tour (and, NO, we did not take that tour. Its like one of our chauffers said, “The movie was made 40 years ago and people still want to run around like Maria Von Trapp!!”). One highly recommended trip is the one to the Salt mines and another to Eagles nest and the Nazi bunkers. The latter is a chilling experience.

Also, not to be missed is the Lakes and Mountains trip that stops at the tiny village of St.Wolfgangsee. Yes, its all very touristy and recreates the ambience of tiny picturesque village with hazaar quaint shops selling zillions of overpriced souvenirs, but its fun as long as you don’t think this is the real Austria. What is worth seeing at St.Wolfgangsee, however, is the winged Gothic altar by Michael Pacher (one of only 2 that he made). Pacher’s masterpiece is considered one of the leading and most remarkable carved and painted altar shrines in all of European art. Do not forget to pick up your supply of ‘Mozart Balls’ before you leave Salzburg, they are available everywhere!

EPILOGUE

So what did I enjoy most about the trip to Austria? Undoubtedly the lavish breakfasts that were spread out each morning no matter where we stayed. Nothing like starting a day with a King sized repast and then walking it all off exploring the fascinating and engrossing cities and countryside.

Alka Deshpande

18 Aug 2011

http://www.thewanderers.travel/blog/

Average Rating: 4.5 out of 5 based on 269 user reviews.

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by Roy -

This article is written by Sneha Divakar, an Indian internet professional based in Boston, USA

As I arrived in Vienna totally unprepared with travel agenda or activities, I told myself, this will be the only chance to explore whether or not I planned to. The hostel clerk handed me some sight seeing brochures as I headed to feast on the breakfast spread. The hunger and previous night’s hangover took better of me and I feasted away matching up to the Caucasian appetite and dozed off on the same dining couch. So much for the new country I was set to explore.
Reaching Melk

The stunning Baroque Melk Abbey

Woke up in an hour, showered and started to read the sight seeing brochure when I was waiting for the rest of my group to get going. That’s when I spotted the Wachau valley, a half hour ride away from the main city of Vienna, very green and pristine. Happily announced to the group that Melk and Krems, the two towns that nested in Wachau valley would be the most suited for our day trip., and I was obliged. Train is the easiest way to get to Melk, though change of trains does call for at 2 junctions, the journey is pleasant through the country side with overlooking Alps.

Like Shahrukh Khan exclaims in the famous Bollywood flick DDLJ , this is the asli Europe . The real Europe, with clear blue skies and far extending green fields.

The toy town

The town of Melk as seen from the Abbey

For the small town it is, Melk is easily traversable by foot and the walk through is good enough to put a smile on the tourist’s faces. I walked down the big road and the first thing to show up was the Abbey. This Abbey is the biggest structure in Melk and can be seen from all directions. Inside the Chapel are stained glass windows and mostly usual Church stuff. The entire village looked like a toy town, so perfect and clean.

The village has graveled roads and small shops that line alleys give a nice perspective to the small town’s self sufficiency. Typical European architecture!

As you walk through the town, a bridge crosses you to the other side of Danube’s arm. Rest of the walk to the real Danube is through an environment synonymous to a National Park. Well kept and gated community. There is one restaurant on the banks of Danube (Donau as it is called in the local language) and on the Saturday we visited, there were some senior citizens enjoying the sun and pizzas.
Danube


Donau, in mid May has just the right amount of sunlight to melt ice and get its swift flow all the way down from the Alps. Getting in the water was a strict no-no. The temperature was obviously that of Alps, icy cold.
A cruise shuttles between Melk and Vienna for tourists. Eurail pass that I used for free train travel would have also fetched me a discounted Cruise fare to cruise back to Vienna, if I had the time. I suggest this option to anyone who has ample time on hand.

Sneha Divakar

1 Apr 2011

http://tra-well.blogspot.com/search/label/Europe

Average Rating: 4.4 out of 5 based on 273 user reviews.

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