Austria
Vienna, November 2015
Accommodations
- Hotel König von Ungarn: 4-star hotel located just behind St. Stephen's Cathedral with basic interior room decor. The location is walkable to many main attractions, including the Vienna State Opera House, but if your legs are feeling a bit tired, the U-Bahn is a few minutes away. Overall, I thought the hotel was fine, no issues but wasn't anything exciting. Coming back to the room after a chilly day out in November, I didn't have that cozy feel. It's solid and stable, but I would look for something with a bit more character next time.
Sites/Tours
- Vienna State Opera House: Opera is an important piece of the culture in Vienna. If you can't get tickets to a show while you are there or you'd rather cut off your ear than listen to opera, you can still take a guided tour of the building itself. The tour was a nice respite from cold weather in November as well.
- Volksoper: Another opera house in Vienna (one of many). If you can't get into the Vienna State Opera House, tourist information offices can usually book you elsewhere. Determined to see an opera, I saw one here. A couple warnings: unlike the State Opera House, there is no translation on the back of the chairs. Based on the acting, I was able to pick up what the gist of the plot was, but some may be unnerved by not having a translation. This opera house's location is also not walkable from the city center. I found quickly that I underestimated the public transportation time needed to get there and had to grab a cab. I arrived 15 minutes late to the opera, where I was escorted to the balcony and then had to wait to move down to my seat on the floor until the first intermission.
- Schönbrunn Palace: It feels like the Versailles of Vienna and is beautiful and vast. In the winter, the Christmas market is a lovely addition in front of the palace, and if you are lucky, you'll catch carolers as well that you can enjoy listening to while drinking that Baileys and hot chocolate. Although not in the city center, Schonbrunn Palace is easily accessible by the U-Bahn.
- Christmas Markets: Vienna has these all over the city in late November and December. I highly recommend a miniature boot of hot wine.
Food
- Glacis Beisl: A bit hidden away but worth finding. This restaurant has a very warm, colorful and local atmosphere with upscale Viennese food.
- Gulash Museum: Specializes in gulash and Austrian dishes. This happened to be my Thanksgiving dinner and the gulash was a delicious dinner!