Since the start of the first lockdown, we have discovered hiking for us. When the lockdown started again in November 2020 we continued to explore the area around Vienna on foot again. Most of the hikes have either been recommended to us or we researched them using the “Outdoor Active App”. This app shows you the hike in great detail. You can download the map before you go and it tracks the progress along the course. You can choose hikes, save them for later, share with your friends and families and track your own path too. It comes as an app or you check out their website instead. If you like you can follow our hikes directly in the App too to keep seeing where we go and what we see, click here!
Day Trips from Vienna
March 2021
Austria, Vienna
Carmen Hackmann
Keep scrolling
More from the Vienna Region
In Vienna
c:Vienna
a:Vienna
r:Vienna
a:Vienna
r:Vienna
We moved to Vienna right on time for the lockdown back in March 2020. A strange time to start in a new city and a hard time for the industry I work in - tourism. That means I have had a lot of time on my hands and a new city to discover. We focused on doing things outdoors, first because we didn't have a choice and then because it was summer and there is a lot to do in Vienna without having to go indoors. In my previous post, I collected a few activities to do around the city of Vienna, and with this post, I would like to describe activities in the city. Maybe one or the other tip inspires you to also try it or it goes on your list of things to do when this pandemic is finally over.
Schloss Schönbrunn
c:Vienna
a:Meidlinger Allee
r:Vienna
a:Meidlinger Allee
r:Vienna
Schönbrunn castle lies in the 13th district of Vienna towards the western part of the city. Built as a hunting lodge in the 7th century by Emperor Leopold the first, this stunningly beautiful castle is now one of Vienna´s most visited sights and also is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Naturally, this was our first point of call in our first weeks of living in Vienna. We cycled to the castle, wandered the extensive gardens, and only viewed the castle from the outside, as it was closed due to the pandemic. You can see the city centre from the distance and the gardens and everything there is to see make a great first visit. A must-see in Vienna.
1. Bezirk
c:Vienna
a:Graben
r:Vienna
a:Graben
r:Vienna
The city of Vienna is made up of 23 districts. The 1st district is the inner city of Vienna, the old town of the city. Surrounded by the Ringstraße, which is the route of the old city walls, the 1st district is home to many of the sights the city is famous for. From St. Stephens cathedral to the Opera house, the Hofburg Palace, Spanish riding school, a large number of museums and galleries there is a lot to do and see. Just walking around those famous sights will take you back in time and keep you in awe of the beautiful buildings, the history and the majestic atmosphere.
Naschmarkt
c:Vienna
a:Naschmarkt
r:Vienna
a:Naschmarkt
r:Vienna
Vienna has a great variety of markets in all districts of the city. The most famous and probably well-known one has to be Naschmarkt. It has around 120 market stands and restaurants for a big choice of culinary offerings from many parts of the world. Some restaurants and stalls are permanent and there is a flea market on Saturday mornings too. The market is very popular and locals and tourists all come to visit and spend time. It has a great atmosphere and is perfect for strolling around, people watching, food shopping, eating and drinking!
Prater Amusement Park
c:Vienna
a:Hauptallee
r:Vienna
a:Hauptallee
r:Vienna
The Parter, once only available to nobility but thanks to Emperor Josef II, now available to all since 1766. An enormous oasis of greenery in the heart of the city, the location of the Giant Ferris Wheel, one of Vienna’s most famous symbols, and an amusement park at the same time. Don´t you just love the idea that you can go to an amusement park any time you wish? You don´t have to pay an entrance fee, you just pay for the attractions that you use. And that´s what we did one sunny Friday afternoon. We finished work early, went to the park, and hopped on the chairoplane. Flying around in circles made us feel 10 years old instantly, amazing!! And cotton candy afterwards made it the perfect afternoon out!! Great if you are the city with kids, young and old :)
Danube Island
c:Vienna
a:Wehr 1
r:Vienna
a:Wehr 1
r:Vienna
The Donauinsel (Danube Island) is a 21 km long, narrow island in central Vienna, lying between the Danube river and the parallel excavated channel Neue Donau ("New Danube"). Once made to save the city from possible floods, it is for most people now a fantastic recreation area within easy reach from the city. There are restaurants and bars, a beach and many points where you can go swimming, space for BBQs and so much space for walking, running, cycling, skateboarding picnicking or whatever else you like doing in your downtime. Although you are in the city, you feel miles away once you get to the water and have all this space in front of you. Love escaping to Donau Island every now and then!!
Around Vienna
c:Vienna
a:Unknown Address
r:Vienna
a:Unknown Address
r:Vienna
It´s been over five months since we moved to Vienna and it was a weird time to move cities and countries. We arrived in Vienna and everything went into lock-down mode and so did we. We kept to ourselves, stayed in our new apartment and only went out to shop for food in the beginning. As the weeks progressed, we ventured out further, by foot, by bicycle and eventually also by car. We explored the cities surrounding areas a little more than the city itself so far, but now that everything opens up more and more we will also explore our new home further. In this blog post I am sharing some of our excursions with you. Maybe some inspire you to follow our tracks and explore what the countryside around Austria´s capital city has to offer.
Nussberg
c:Vienna
a:Eichelhofweg
r:Vienna
a:Eichelhofweg
r:Vienna
To the north of the city lies the "Nussberg", one of Vienna's most attractive wine-growing areas with a great view of the city, recommended wine taverns and inns in the midst of the vineyards and numerous hiking trails. This sounds like something right up our street and on our first visit we cycled there. Maybe not our smartest move ever as it gets quite steep and I had to get off my bike to get up the mountain. But the view and what we discovered more than made up for it and we came back a few times since. On our first visit, the little vineyard were still closed for wine lovers to enjoy their produce as it was early in the season and the pandemic had just hit. But when we came back we tried a few different places and loved it. I can´t really say which one was best because they all have their own charm and are all lovely, tasty and unique. Do not forget to bring cash, there is no card payment up there. Cheers!
Cycling the Danube
c:Vienna
a:Stephansplatz
r:Vienna
a:Stephansplatz
r:Vienna
The Danube is Europe’s second biggest and second longest river and it also runs around Vienna. It has a great cycling path along its shores and we decided to try it. On a sunny (and windy) autumn day, we took the train from Vienna (with our bikes) to a town called Tullnerfeld to the north west of the city. It took 15 minutes to get there and we started our Sunday cycling excursion from there. We cycled through fields towards the river and then alongside the Danube back to Vienna. It was a tour of 52km and a really great day out. Easy to cycle, spacious path, flat with many restaurants and huts along the way to take breaks and enjoy the view. Our legs were tired at the end, but we thoroughly enjoyed our active outing and can whole heartedly recommend cycling the Danube Cycling path!!
Vienna is empty when it's hot
c:Vienna
a:Unknown Address
r:Vienna
a:Unknown Address
r:Vienna
We both hadn't been to Vienna in many years, and when our friend invited us to her birthday celebrations in her home town we happily accepted. We made a short trip out of this and combined the birthday party with some sightseeing and exploring which I am now sharing with you. Vienna is an easy destination from many European cities and from Berlin, we flew there in just one hour with AirBerlin. The airport in Vienna is big and modern and convenient and is perfectly connected to the city. We bought tickets for the CAT train which brings you to the city center nonstop in 16 minutes. Once you arrive, you can easily connect to your next stop in Vienna. Great and easy start, do read on for more on what we got up to and our personal recommendations!
Cafe Central
c:Vienna
a:Herrengasse
r:Vienna
a:Herrengasse
r:Vienna
On Sunday we chose the legendary Cafe Central at Herrengasse for breakfast. This typical Viennese coffee house opened back in 1876 and was a meeting point for the intellectual elite of the city. It was closed for a number of years between 1943 to 1975 and is today still one of the most popular cafe restaurants in the city. They don't take reservations at weekends so we expected a line. But it moved fast and we were seated quickly. A beautiful oldy worldly Viennese "Kaffeehaus" with a delicious looking cake selection, high ceilings, and marble decoration. The service was fast and very friendly and helpful. You can eat there any time of day, we had breakfast but the lunch and dinner menu also sounded really promising. Food and coffee were delicious and we ended our meal with a typical yummy "Sacher Torte". Although it is a very busy place and lots of tourists come to visit I can wholeheartedly recommend you try it when in Vienna!
Naschmarkt
c:Vienna
a:Fillgradergasse
r:Vienna
a:Fillgradergasse
r:Vienna
Lunch at Naschmarkt is something I can definitely recommend. It is a permanent market combined with restaurants ranging from Austrian classics like Wiener Schnitzel and Palatschinken to Italian and Fish dishes. It is Vienna\'s largest market, was initially opened in1774 and is open six days a week, from Monday through to Saturday to delight gourmets of any kind. We chose the Weineck restaurant for our lunch where you are being served local Austrian and Vienese wines together with delicious cheeses, cold cut meats and bread. I love these institutional markets that are open during the day, caterer for all tastes and smell delicious!!
Prater
c:Vienna
a:Hauptallee
r:Vienna
a:Hauptallee
r:Vienna
Vienna has a permanent amusement park located in the inner city, which is called Prater. It is surrounded by a park with the same name. There is no entrance fee to get into the park, you only pay for individual rides at the amusement park. You can buy a combi ticket which gets you to try out all rides but we only wanted the Ferris wheel which is one of the famous sights associated with the city. It costs 10€ per person for the ride once around. It was really warm in Vienna when we were there, so there was no queue and we got into our gondola quickly. There is seating in the middle of the gondola but can also walk around. It goes slowly and you have time to enjoy the views and take lots of pictures. My last ride in this Ferris wheel is over 25 years ago and I loved being back... a must-do in my opinion if you are a tourist in Austria's capital and not scared of heights.
The Classics
c:Vienna
a:Burgring
r:Vienna
a:Burgring
r:Vienna
We only had 48 hours in Vienna so there was not enough time to visit the classic sights of the city in much detail. But we took a walk from our hotel through the pedestrian area of Vienna, past the huge and impressive Stephansdom, the Spanish riding school, the beautiful Hofburg, and Sissi Museum. There is also a huge variety of shops and coffee houses to enjoy the typical Austrian delicacies. So much to see and discover and so little time on this occasion...
The Hotel - Ruby Lissy
c:Vienna
a:Postgasse
r:Vienna
a:Postgasse
r:Vienna
In Vienna, we tried out another (link: http://rubyhotels.com text: Ruby Hotel) and it didn't disappoint. It is located at Schwedenplatz, directly at the Underground station and walking distance to the inner city sights and shopping area. The reception of the hotel is on the first floor so you take the elevator up. Reception is part of the bar and lounge area. It is decorated in a funky retro urban style and everybody is quite casual and young. Check-in is fast and we got our room key even though we arrived prior to the official check-in time. The room is small, bright, and modern with a big Marshall music box as the room's main gadget. The bathroom is integrated into the room, the shower has glass windows into the room. I liked the style and setup of the room, it was everything you need for a few nights' stay. I like this kind of hotel, their style, and approach but it felt like something was missing. As reception is not on the ground floor where you get in you went straight to your room. This is fine but you don't have any interaction with the hotel. We had breakfast elsewhere so we felt like we stayed in serviced apartments. It is totally fine but for someone like me who likes hotels and their service and hospitality I missed something... nevertheless, the Ruby Lissy was a great value for money choice with hip design in a great location.
Unknown Region
My Austria Bucket List
c:Unknown City
a:Unknown Address
r:Unknown Region
a:Unknown Address
r:Unknown Region
Over the past weeks, I have done some research into the must does in Austria to create my own Austria Bucket List. I read other Travel Blogs, I asked my Instagram community, I checked the website of the Austrian Tourism Board and read many other articles and recommendation pages, to come up with a list of at least 10 things I feel we really must do in Austria. Some are obvious and I found them on nearly every list I looked at. And some are a little different and I am really excited to start planning and doing all things on my list. I will update this article as we work on experiencing our bucket list and maybe a few of them are for you too: - **Hallstatt** - Visit this town for the scenery, the cobblestone streets, the salt mines, the cafes on the lake. It is a must-do, it´s on many lists and I so look forward to seeing it for myself! - **Salzburg** - I landed at Salzburg Airport to go skiing a few times in the past but I have never visited the city. So Salzburg is definitely a to-do to explore the city along with the (link: https://www.salzburg.info/en/salzburg/the-sound-of-music/shooting-locations text: “Sound of Music”) filming locations. Thank you Sarah Post for the hint, love it!! - **Wine Picnic** - There is such a lovely wine culture in Austria and I want us to get a picnic with accompanying wine from a local winemaker and enjoy the delicious products sitting in the grass! - **Walk a treetop path** (Baumwipfelpfad Salzkammergut or maybe Baumwipfelweg Althodis im Burgenland, I am still deciding) - **Visit the “(link: https://www.hotel-hirschen-bregenzerwald.at text: Hotel Hirschen)” in Schwarzenberg / Vorarlberg** - a tip from my Travel Industry friend Camille Cutrone Holubar, President of Vista Travel Consultants Inc. She has wholeheartedly recommended this very historic hotel (a hotel since 1755) and the full gastronomic experience that comes with it. So this definitely goes my Austria Bucket List, thank you Camille this is exactly what I was looking for! Can’t wait to go!! - As recommended by the “(link: https://miavia.com text: MiaVia)” Team in Vienna, visit **Burg Bernstein** in the Burgenland area for a historic and quiet weekend away - **Lake Hoping in (link: https://www.salzkammergut.at/en/lakes/artikel/detail/3029/lakes-salzkammergut.html text: Salzkammergut)** - pick a few of the 67 lakes and explore a handful at a time. Buy or rent a SUP and explore from the waterside. Cannot wait for summer to start! - Spend a night in a **mountain hut**! - Ride an **Alpine Slide ** - **Coffee House Hoping in Vienna** - so many great Cafes in the city, so many different experiences
