Day Trips From Vienna
#1
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Day Trips From Vienna
Hello All,
I will be in Vienna the first week of December. I am wondering what towns/cities you might reccommend for a day trip. My hotel is booked, so no overnights please. I am interested in castles, architecture, scenery, Christmas markets, shopping etc. Also, I will be relying on train or bus transport. Thanks!!
I will be in Vienna the first week of December. I am wondering what towns/cities you might reccommend for a day trip. My hotel is booked, so no overnights please. I am interested in castles, architecture, scenery, Christmas markets, shopping etc. Also, I will be relying on train or bus transport. Thanks!!
#3
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Budapest can be seen quickly in a day trip. We hired a van and driver for a group of 7 and had a wonderful day. Saw the sights, had a wonderful lunch with Hungarian Goulash, shopped, and were back in Vienna about 9 PM. Also, I second Melk, it was beautiful. Enjoy.
#4
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While Melk Abbey makes a nice visit - the boat mentioned above only runs until october.
You must take a guided tour at 11 or 2.
But this is still an interesting place. Not much else to do there however.
access by train from Vienna.
A town that fits your criteria is Krems.
This is an easy 1 hour train ride from Vienna. Trains run about 1 per hour.The train station almost in the town center with most things available to see by foot.
This town first recognized in records from 995 AD.
Beautiful 15-16 th century buildings- local museum, Christmas markets .
The Gozzoburg Castle especially interesting.
A shopping area with pedestrian zone - most buildings along this way also very old . You must walk with eyes up on the buildings .
Good restaurants and cafes.
This is wine country - even a wine museum here.
www.krems.at
www.gozzoburg.at
for trains
www.oebb.at
And not so many tourists.
#6
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Dürnstein is a beautiful town from May - October. filled with boat and bus tours.
In december perhaps one cafe may be open not much more.
with a little moisture ,the stone walkways become slippery. Usually a cold wind along the Danube. Your time much better spent elsewhere.
#7
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I would add Graz to the list. Farther away, but a scenic ride and Graz is a wonderful city to visit. Lots to see and do there and of course, there is a Christmas market. Easily doable as a day trip, but give yourself a full day, don't plan on doing anything in Vienna that night. From the train station in Graz you can walk into the old town or catch public transport.
http://www.christmas-markets.org/aus...z/location.php
http://www.christmas-markets.org/aus...z/location.php
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#10
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Last Jan i did a day trip from Vienna to Bratislava, Slovenia, an hour away by hourly trains
A bit of old Eastern Europe - Bratislava is on the Danube and its compact city centre is all spruced up - i thought it was a great day trip. Bring your passport.
A bit of old Eastern Europe - Bratislava is on the Danube and its compact city centre is all spruced up - i thought it was a great day trip. Bring your passport.
#11
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Bratislava is not great . No longer cheap as before- many places attempt to rip away your money . Only a very small area in the center of the town has any interest at all.Cheap flights from England bring groups for their " Stag Do " never understand the reason to visit, spend all the time in a bar drinking until unable to move or if still able then going outside to leave a trail of bodily fluid in the street.
St. Pölten - well the capital of the federal state of Niederöstereich. Probably only selected some years ago due to its central location in relation to the reminder of the state.
A small area at the Domplatz and Rathausplatz with some old buildings but not much more.
The railroad station now in renovation and a mess.
I only go to this town for an auktion. A very small branch of the Dorotheum State Auction house has several auctions a year or to visit a state office for something. Or perhaps an event at the state sports academy.
Many , Many places much bettr to visit - my opinion.
Graz - a good city compact , nice sights , good restaurants , one of the best arms and armor museums in the world. Worth a visit to me.
#12
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I based in St Polten for some days to do the Wachau Valley and go into Vienna
It is a tres tres ordinaire town IMO - nice and pleasant but unremarkable tourist wise
I did enjoy Bratislava because it was something different - Slovakia - up by the old central train station were a bevy of peasants selling snack food, etc. - had the real old East Bloc feel. Something different. The town center is very pleasant and there is a palace in lower town and an awesome looking fortress on a hill dominating town
depends what you are looking for.
It is a tres tres ordinaire town IMO - nice and pleasant but unremarkable tourist wise
I did enjoy Bratislava because it was something different - Slovakia - up by the old central train station were a bevy of peasants selling snack food, etc. - had the real old East Bloc feel. Something different. The town center is very pleasant and there is a palace in lower town and an awesome looking fortress on a hill dominating town
depends what you are looking for.
#13
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I do not know why anyone would ever use St. Polten as a base to visit the Wachau and Vienna.
St. Polten as mentioned above is not very interesting itself, has poor choice of hotels and restaurants.
It is a 45 minute - 1 hour train ride to Vienna plus the time to reach the train station in St. Polten and the time to reach Vienna sights. The money used in train fare 17-18 per person is much better used to have a better hotel in Vienna and be near and much more convenient to sightseeing, good restaurants.
St.Polten Wachau ( Krems ) by train
30 -50 minutes not convenient.
If by auto think about cost of fuel and parking ees not economic.
Vienna , a much better base.
Regarding Bratislava - I doubt that above poster has been there in December as original poster has planned. Not a great time for this town.
Budapest, Melk , Krems much more interesting.
#15
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Most here know the town as Mariazell and the train as the Mariazellerbahn.
Even taking this trip does not improve St. Polten. Still not a good base for anything except attending the sports school.
#17
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How about Linz? Any opinions? It liiks nice, not a very long train ride. Are sights, shops close to train station? I checked the raileurope sight for trains to Krems and could not figure out the route. Any suggestions Molker, you seem to be very knowledgeable about the area. I leave in a few weeks, a daytrip is not mandatory, just an idea. Thanks!!
#18
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Hello elcon
Krems makes a good day trip .
I would not rely on Raileurope -their schedules veryincomplete and their pricing very high.
Look on the Austrian rail system website
www.oebb.at
trains leave from the Vienna Franz Josef Bahnhof almost every hour.
This Rahnhof - train station is an easy ride on the streetxcar D from city center in about 10 minutes.
The trip takes about 1 hour in a usually modern double decked series of coaches - you can buy your ticket at the Bahnhof at the ticket window or automatic machine. No reservation needed.
Return trip just as easy - the krems station compact.
Krems is a very nice regional town with much history dating from 995 AD.
Numerous buildings from the 15th century.
for good info , town map, sights look to their website
www.krems.at
available in english too.
various Christmas markets in the town during december.
Nice antique shops - pedestrian shopping zone .
Excelent choice of restaurants among the best
Jell
Hoher Markt 8
www.amon-jell.at
on a nice square - austrian specialties
as the owners husband has a respected meat market , excelent meat selections.
Zum Kaiser von Osterreich
Könermarkt 9
not inexpensive but excelent food and wine also on an intersting square near to the wine museum and usually a Christmas market
zone too.
www.kaiser-von-oesterreich.at
Several small nice local resturnat in the pedestrian shopping
Also interesting if you like wine
www.winzerkrems.at
excelent award winning wines-
they have ben selected to travel with the Spanish Riding schol when touring to offer a taste of the good austrin wine.
In my opinion worth a visit - a contrast from Vienna and offers a sampling of more country life.
with frequent train connections to Vienna easy to stay as long as you wish and quickly return .