Mapwork by @Slalice_Draws
This week our virtual travels bring us to the most popular European destination yet: Austria! There's an extensive and exciting list of fun and exciting things to do and see in Austria, so we should get right to it. Let's go!
Travel and Fun Attractions
Travel from Berlin to Vienna - the capital city of Austria - will be pretty straightforward. A direct flight will take only 1 hour and 20 minutes and will cost under 200 Euros. Alternatively, if we decide to take the train, it will take 8.5 hours, but will only cost 20 Euros!:
We will spend part of the trip in Vienna, and part of the trip in Salzburg. We should be able to reach most of our destinations from either of those locations fairly easily. Let's go!
Accomodations
Vienna
During our virtual stay in Vienna, we will be lodging at the 5-star Hotel Imperial. We will be enjoying a residence in the heart of the action, and our own balcony to revel in the sights and sounds of downtown Vienna at night after we've enjoyed the days adventures. The Hotel Imperial was built as a town residence for royalty in 1863 and converted into a hotel for the Vienna World's Fair in 1873, and this week will be our home base!
2. Salzburg
When we head to Salzburg for our virtual visit, we will be staying at the Hotel Stein. The Hotel Stein is a beautiful and well located hotel that has been around since the Middle Ages, and received an extensive renovation in 2018 to bring it up to today's luxury standards.
Attractions
Vienna Boys Choir
It's hard to think about Vienna without the Vienna Boys Choir coming to mind! While we are in town, we can catch a performance. In the meantime, we can watch this performance online of "Ave Maria" Angelus Domini.
We love adventurous excursions in our family, so the Prater will definitely be on our list. This amusement park in downtown Vienna has been entertaining families for generations, and now it can entertain us!
3. The Village of Hallstatt and the Salt Mines Tour
Next, we will take a trip to the gorgeously picturesque village of Hallstatt, and while we are there, take a thrilling ride down the wooden slides into the Salt Mines!
4. Nonseum
Next, we will take a day trip from Vienna to visit the Nonseum, the world's largest collection of intentionally useless innovations!
5. Schloss Schoenbrunn and its Lost Garden Maze
The Habsburgs had a Summer Palace in Vienna - Schloss Schoenbrunn - that had more than 1,440 rooms! We will visit this royal home and spend some time in its back gardens, which are constructed into a large hedge labyrinth which is supposedly pretty challenging to navigate!
6. Visit a Heuriger
After all of our adventure so far, we will be ready for a bit of relaxing! Heurigers are a very uniquely Austrian type of gathering and socializing experiences. Often opportunities for small family wineries to show off their latest wines, they usually will also offer hot and cold buffets of food as well. Yum!
The Riegersburg Castle sits atop a hill and will satisfy our itch to visit a traditional European Castle. Within the castle are museums to women and witches, with rotating exhibits.
Next, we will take a train from Vienna to Salzberg - world famous for both the Salzberg Festival, as well as being the setting of The Sound of Music - where we will enjoy visiting several more exciting spots!
First, we will be taking a bit of a day trip and visiting the world's largest ice caves. There will be some hiking to get up to the caves as well as to get through them, but it seems worth the trek. In the meantime, we can take this virtual visit that will require no hiking at all!
After all of our physical activity, we will welcome a chance to sit back and enjoy a show! The Salzburg Marionette Theatre is more than 100 years old and will transport us to magical dreamscapes with their artistry.
Of course, we can't leave Salzburg without checking out all the filming locations from the Sound of Music!
11. Haslauer / St. Peter Stiftskulinarium - Oldest Inn/Restaurant in Europe
Established in the year 803, St. Peter Stifskulinarium is not only the oldest inn and restaurant in Europe, but is considered to possibly be Europe's oldest continuously operating company. We can't leave Salzburg without enjoying the dining experience!
12. Participate in 'Jause' each day at 3:00pm
Throughout our trip to Austria, each day at 3:00pm, we will break with the rest of the population, and enjoy "Jause" or a coffee or drink break with a hearty snack. Austria knows how to beat those afternoon lulls!
13. Borrowing a little luck to bid farewell to the Plague
As we return to Vienna, before heading home after a wonderful virtual trip, there are a couple of last monuments we should visit: The Vienna Pestsaule, and the Karlskirche. Both were built in gratitude from those who had survived a plague in the past. We could certainly use a little of that good fortune these days!
Phew! Lots to see and do in Austria during our virtual visit. What has piqued your interest the most?
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