A weekend in Vienna, Austria

It would be fair to say that my long weekend trip to Vienna got off to a rocky start. In fact, that’s putting it gently.

Being my first vacation in a new country since moving to Budapest, there were still a lot of things I had to learn about preparing to travel to another country. Despite our short time there, I can look back and say with certainty that many lessons were learned.

Vienna is a popular holiday destination for Hungarians because it’s only a two-hour train ride away. When a close friend from work invited me to accompany her to the city over the long Whitsun weekend in June, I saw it as the perfect opportunity to travel to a new corner of Europe that wasn’t too far from home.

First Day Chaos

The trouble started with a grave underestimation of the distance between my apartment and the train station, and I ended up missing our train altogether. I told my friend I’d meet her there instead and booked the next immediate train, which scheduled my arrival about an hour after hers. I felt gutted and stupid for making such an easily avoidable mistake, but I tried to shake it off as one of those travel lessons you learn the hard way.

Finding the correct platform in the train station was my next feat. It’s worth noting that I had never taken a train before, nor had I ever had to confront the idea of platforms and stations and the like. It’s moments like these in my travelling journey that truly humble me, as I’m not usually one to ask for help – I like to solve problems on my own, and I’m stubborn about it. But, in situations such as these, I had no option but to ask those around me where my platform was and how to get there and, although their looks of “how do you not know this?” made me feel like an idiot, I felt a wave of relief when I did eventually board the correct train. Finally, I was on my way.

I arrived at the Vienna train station at around 4:50 and proceeded to get obscenely lost for – I’m not joking – two hours. What’s even more embarrassing? The Vienna train station isn’t even that big. My primary struggle was finding the correct bus that was heading in the direction of my AirBnB. All the while, my friend had arrived in Vienna an hour before me and was already exploring the city.

(Insert teary meltdown on the phone to my parents in the middle of the station)

When I eventually managed to buy a ticket and board the correct bus, I learned that the AirBnB I had booked was about an hour outside of the city centre. After getting off at the wrong bus stop and walking for 30 minutes in the rain with my luggage, I finally arrived at my accommodation.

(Queue meltdown number 2)

Despite its massively inconvenient location, the AirBnB was lovely. I had a shower, called my parents to update them and have a good rant, and tried to gather myself enough to go out and finally meet my friend back in the city. It was raining by this time and I was tempted to have a night in, but I also felt that I had already wasted my first afternoon and wanted to at least try to salvage some part of it.

I caught the bus back into town, and an hour later I was walking in the drizzle to meet her and her Couch Surfers host at a restaurant for something to eat. I arrived just as they were getting the bill – I think she had given up all hope, by then, that I would be coming at all. Perhaps that first day’s only redemption was the meal I had for dinner – a beef stew with dumplings and a glass of (much needed) white wine. I sat alone and ate, reflecting on the mishaps of my first solo travel experience and promising myself that the next day would turn things around.

St Stephen's Cathedral

I was up early the next morning, determined to catch up on some of what I had missed the previous afternoon. I arrived in the city centre by 9:00 and made my way to St Stephen’s Cathedral. Located in the Stephansplatz, this gothic and Romanesque mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vienna was built upon the ruins of two earlier churches.

(You can swipe through the images below to see both Stephansplatz and the Cathedral)

It is the most important religious building in the city and has become an iconic and instantly recognisable symbol of Vienna. Parts of the building remain from its original construction in 1147, with additional parts having been added later in the years 1304 and 1405.

After trying (and failing) to take some pictures of the beautiful church with the sun peeking out over it at the distinctly wrong angle, I picked up a coffee and a tiramisu at an adorable, bright pink café – a nutritious breakfast, I know. I took a leisurely stroll through the immaculate streets and enjoyed the early morning bustle.

(You can swipe through two images below)

Schönbrunn Palace

Schönbrunn Palace, a must-see for anyone visiting Vienna, was our meeting place that morning. This picturesque residence was the summer holiday home of the Habsburg monarchs, who ruled the Austrian Netherlands for most of the 18th Century. It is possibly one of the most politically, historically, and culturally significant monuments in all of Austria, and it functions today primarily as a tourist attraction – although it sometimes plays host to concerts, theatre and political events.

I also managed to learn a great deal about Hungarian history that I had not previously known while exploring the palace, as the Austrian Hungarian empire ruled over this region for many years and also visited the residence.

We toured around the grounds and marveled at pristine flower gardens, historic statues, and the incredible stories of the palace itself.

We walked up the hill behind the palace and enjoyed a drink at the beautiful gloriette, which provides jaw-dropping views of the grounds and the city surrounding it. From rose gardens, to parks, to fountains, to orchards, to the Vienna Zoo – you could wander around this space for hours.

Meandering through the city

Travelling to our next destination on foot allowed me to take note of Vienna’s simple admirable qualities.

I thought Budapest was clean, but Vienna is on a whole other level – their street sweepers better be making a hefty wage. It has the same old-world architecture that Budapest has, but with more sophistication, making itself comparable in my mind to Budapest’s rich, snobby aunt.

I found it much quieter than the party-hub city I’m used to, but, then again, we were there over a long weekend.

Another thing that struck me was the open and obvious acceptance of LGBTQ+ individuals – pride flags are attached to the top of every tram, waving their rainbow colours in the wind, and signs portraying messages of love and acceptance with pride colours are hung from windows and balconies. Hungary could learn a thing or two from their progressive neighbours.

Belvedere Castle

After a light lunch at a cute, quaint café beside the channel, we travelled on foot toward the city centre and eventually reached Belvedere Castle, another majestic palace that is hailed as one of the most stunning Baroque architectural ensembles in the world. It consists of Upper and Lower Belvedere and also houses the Belvedere Museum.

Constructed as a summer residence for Prince Eugene of Savoy, this castle was built during a time of great architectural improvement and construction in Vienna.

We walked through the meticulously maintained gardens and past majestic fountains, and we tried to explore the neighbouring orangery and Botanical Gardens, but sadly an infectious kind of tree fungus had closed this area down temporarily.

At both of these pristine palaces, I was impressed by the exact symmetry of the architecture and the garden arrangements – if you walk down the centre of the gardens toward the palace, you feel as though you’re in a Wes Anderson movie.

The Kunst Haus Wein (Hundertwasser Museum)

Having quite enough of palaces for the day, we decided to meander in the direction of the Hundertwasser Museum, a bizarrely constructed building that attracts many art-loving tourists to Vienna. Designed by Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser, this museum, which was also his home, is the only permanent exhibition of the artist’s work in the world.

This museum is famous for its distinct architecture that is typical of Hundertwasser: wavy, undulating floors, bright and bizarre colours and a notable lack of any straight lines or right angles. The building is also intertwined with foliage, as the whole concept behind the structure was a coexistence between nature and human living.

Drinks along the Channel

We ended off our long and busy day of sightseeing with some lemon-flavoured beer and a walk along the channel, which is decorated with elaborate graffiti artworks.

Many locals spend their late afternoons and evenings perusing the numerous bars and restaurants along this body of water, chatting and watching the sun light up the Channel as it sets.

The Schmetterlinghaus (Butterfly House)

Our third and last day was another early start. Although we had seen so much the day before, there was one more important stop I wanted to make before we headed home – the Schmetterlinghaus, or ‘Butterfly House’ (translated directly).

This flora-filled oasis is located right in the centre of the city, very close to the opera house, and houses over 400 live, free-flying butterflies from 150 different species in one of the most beautiful Art Noveau palm houses in the world.

Complete with waterfalls and exotic plants, this environment attempts to be as true to their natural environment as possible. Although the interior was quite warm, as the temperature inside the building needs to be kept at 26 degrees Celsius and 80% humidity, it was quite a beautiful experience to behold.

I had a bit of time to kill after my visit to the butterflies, so I lay down on a grassy patch in the neighbouring park and reflected on the highs and lows of our short trip.

Although my emotional meltdowns on that first afternoon weren’t pretty, I felt like they were needed. It’s so easy to underestimate everything your mind and body is going through during a transition such as the one I’ve experienced over the past few months, and you forget the toll it can take on your mental well-being. I think the explosion caused by this build-up of emotions forced me to pay more attention to my inner thoughts and feelings and go a little easier on myself.

My friend and I met up for a last lunch and enjoyed it so much we almost missed the train home (you’d think that’s a lesson you only learn once).

It’s funny – I haven’t lived here for that long, but I felt relieved and heart-filled to be returning to Budapest. When we arrived back at Keleti railway station, as the grand building with its massive clock face front stood glinting in the setting sun, I felt like I really had arrived back home.