Vienna 2026

We arrived by train into Vienna and found our lovely accommodation 350 m from the station. Adina hotel apartments with pool, washing machine, kitchette and a lovely but smallish room.

Disaster stuck when we got to the hotel as I realised I’d left my handbag with passports and credit cards on the train. ! John and I raced back but the train had gone to the shed for cleaning and being a Sunday there was nothing we could do till Tomorrow. The cards were locked, hotel paid first by phone. A restless night.

Day 1 First job back to the station to find a rude lady in lost and found who said nothing will come from the shed for 2-4 days and wouldn’t given look.

We found that the Australian Embassy was on the 23rd floor of the station, so after passport photos we got an appt and where told a temporary passport only takes 12 hours come back in 2 days, we had 5 nights in Vienna so if the bag doesn’t turn up we would go back.

Saga over the next day as bag obtained from Lost and found, cards and passports intact, cash 100 euro stolen plus my phone battery charger gone. We were just so happy to have the cards and passports the money didn’t matter!

After all the drama over we caught the tram just 50m from the hotel, into town.

We viewed the Volik church, beautiful from the outside but closed today inside.

continuing along Viennas outer ring road we walked to the Rathaus, town hall, which was all under Reno for a upcoming festival

next we walked to the Parliament, also closed

the House of Justice , closed for lunch

Past the opera house

we’d picked the wrong day as everything was closed but happy to see from the outside we found a beer and then strolled over the road to the Natural museum and then found a park area with the monument of Marie Theresa.

Then hot and tired we took the tram back to the hotel for a swim. We are here in a heat-wave so the swim was lovely.

Vienna what a lovely city, clean and so many lovely buildings.

Day2

We did a guided tour of the Hofburg Palace 18c to 19 c, it included the Sisi museum and apartments and gardens.

The Hapsburg family ended with Ww1 and prior to this was mostly notable for Franz Joseph and his wife Elizabeth known as Sisi when in 1854 as 16 yr old duchess Elisabeth entered the world of the Austrian imperial dynasty as its new empress. They spent time at the Habsburg palace.

Francis , Franz Joseph married Elizabeth, Sisi when he was age 22,he died 1916.

She died, murdered at age 61 she had already left the monarchy. She had 4 children.

the white gown above her coronation gown

We saw where the spanish horses sometimes live.

The burg garden butter fly place and library , Hero’s garden , below,which no one uses due to its history of Hiltler giving a speech on the balcony . It was designed for princes to speak on and they never have

Then after a great schnitzel at Doms schnitzel and apple strudel we visited and heard a choir in St Peters kirche which has a stunning dome and ornamentation.

Then went to a time travel 5D on the history of Vienna it was ok ,good history but a little wanky.

In brief.

1477- 1918 The Habsburgs emerged as an important dystasty of Austria and 30 countries were part of this Dystary at this time, all now independant of Austria..

The years of Liberation were 1914-1955 stasrting with WW1, the habsburg monarchy falls apart leading to a civil war in 1934. Then WW2, hHilter declared Austria was part of the German Reich. Finally after the war, Vienna got its independance back in 1955,

Then down the Graben shopping precinct to St Stephens church which we just did a peak inside , more interested in its tiled roof

Then down Karntner street street to the opera house and a tram home.

so many ststues and ornate buildings are everywhere in Vienna.

We had bought Kaiser sausage and a bread roll for dinner.

day 3

Today we visited

Schonnbronn Palace which means beautiful fountain. It was built as a hunting lodge and because the winter palace, the Hofburg palace and the city smelt in summer.

Above is Marie theresa’s portrait

Leopold, the king of time wanted something like Versailles as a statis symbol but because it was the times of Ottoman Empire and wars were costly, this palace was scaled back but still very impressive and designed on baroque style, except the red room which was rocco style.

The palace was loved by Marie Therasa and she extended the palace from 1746 finished 1748 She was the unofficial empress of Austria, this was as she was a women and women didn’t rule. However, this women did rule under her husband despite the fact that she had 16 children. The extension of the palace squeezed in a childrens floor for all these children. Theresa Marie died 1780.

Most of these children were married of to Princes etc from other countries to expand the domain of power in Austria.

The palace was used by her grandchild and Napeleon also used this palace and then later Franz and Sisi.

Prior to Ww1 the Habsburg monachy was 30 countries and after the war Austria went back to one country and no monachy.

A Brief monarchy history

Francis was grandson of Theresa Marie and son of Leopold and their second son of his was Franz joseph who married Sisi

The gardens are baroque style from 1700 -1770 and an amazinfg fountain.

A lovely lunch of schnitzel and apple strudel was had again but not as good as yesterday.

Back to the unit to rest.

Day 4

We caught the tram into the city , got off near the opera house and walked across town.

Stopping at the famous Sacher cafe for its saher torte a chocolate cake with a marmalade filling, nice very rich but not amazing I thought it was a bit dry even maybe a little stale, prefer a coles cake with a price tag 1/4 off the sachertorte

We tried the vienna coffee, Melange, it comes with cream making the coffee cold but once heated was lovely. The cafe very ornate with its red theme.