Tight Planning?
Mar 1st, 2014, 09:20 PM
#1
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Tight Planning?
Hello =)
So I'm planning for a trip to Vienna this summer. It's the typical Prague-Vienna-Budapest in 10 days route but I'm having trouble figuring out an itinerary for Vienna for the following reasons:
1) The original plan was to leave for Budapest on August 20th night. Turns out that's St. Stephen's Day so I thought maybe we could leave Vienna in the evening to make it in time for the fireworks. That leaves me with 2.5 days.
2) We want to take a day trip to Wachau Valley/Melk Abbey, getting back in the evening. That leaves the rest of the day to explore District 1/Inner City/Ringstrasse but all the museums/attractions will be closed.
That means we have 1.5 days to visit the following places;
St. Stephens Cathedral, Austrian National Library, Belvedere Upper Palace, Leopold Museum and Schonbrunn Palace. I figured Hofburg Palace would be very similar to Schonbrunn so we could skip it.
If we did Schonbrunn Palace on the 20th before we left, is there still enough time to do the rest in one day? My plan looked something like this:
1) Morning tour (to learn about Viennese history) (2-3hrs)
2) St. Stephen's observation deck (1hr)
3) Austrian National Library (1hr)
4) Belvedere (2hr)
5) Leopold Museum (2hr)
6) Explore District 7 into the night
Are there any passes that'll allow us to bypass lines for the entire city?
There's just not enough time in the world. There's no way we can fit Kunst Haus Wien, House of Music and naschmarkt. And forget concerts because we're there in the middle of the week. I think I'd need a lifetime for this!
Anyway, thank you for your time!
So I'm planning for a trip to Vienna this summer. It's the typical Prague-Vienna-Budapest in 10 days route but I'm having trouble figuring out an itinerary for Vienna for the following reasons:
1) The original plan was to leave for Budapest on August 20th night. Turns out that's St. Stephen's Day so I thought maybe we could leave Vienna in the evening to make it in time for the fireworks. That leaves me with 2.5 days.
2) We want to take a day trip to Wachau Valley/Melk Abbey, getting back in the evening. That leaves the rest of the day to explore District 1/Inner City/Ringstrasse but all the museums/attractions will be closed.
That means we have 1.5 days to visit the following places;
St. Stephens Cathedral, Austrian National Library, Belvedere Upper Palace, Leopold Museum and Schonbrunn Palace. I figured Hofburg Palace would be very similar to Schonbrunn so we could skip it.
If we did Schonbrunn Palace on the 20th before we left, is there still enough time to do the rest in one day? My plan looked something like this:
1) Morning tour (to learn about Viennese history) (2-3hrs)
2) St. Stephen's observation deck (1hr)
3) Austrian National Library (1hr)
4) Belvedere (2hr)
5) Leopold Museum (2hr)
6) Explore District 7 into the night
Are there any passes that'll allow us to bypass lines for the entire city?
There's just not enough time in the world. There's no way we can fit Kunst Haus Wien, House of Music and naschmarkt. And forget concerts because we're there in the middle of the week. I think I'd need a lifetime for this!
Anyway, thank you for your time!
Mar 1st, 2014, 09:43 PM
#2
I live in Vienna and so can make all the time I desire to see this beautiful city, so consider my suggestions with that grain of salt in mind.
Perhaps swap the 3 hour tour of Vienna with a 1 hour Ring Tram tour that provides audio commentary on the city sights. There won't be as much historical context, but you will get a better sampling of the city's beautiful sites. Plus, the Ring Tram is air-conditioned, which could be a huge plus in August.
Hofburg and Schloss Schönbrunn are different, but each can take an entire day if you wish to "do" everything. If all you desire to see at Schönbrunn are the state rooms, then pre-purchase your ticket, pick up the audio guide, and you can move through the palace in less than two hours. If you add the garden, the Gloriette, the maze and labyrinth, and time for lunch, then factor in most of the day. Same for Hofburg. If all you want to see is the Imperial Treasury, that can be seen in a couple of hours. Add the Empress Apartments and the silver/china collection and you're looking at least a full half day.
There are no city passes that will bypass lines for what you want to see. The Vienna Card may be of some help (and discounts), but you'll have to determine its worth.
It is only possible to tour the State Hall of the National Library. Barring a special exhibit to view, factoring an hour is about right.
The other, and most important factor to consider is your movement between all of the sights on your proposed agenda. There is no way you can achieve all of that in 9 hours and enjoy it, given transit time, the early closing hours, lengthy entrance lines, the potential heat of August, and little extras like food and water.
Perhaps swap the 3 hour tour of Vienna with a 1 hour Ring Tram tour that provides audio commentary on the city sights. There won't be as much historical context, but you will get a better sampling of the city's beautiful sites. Plus, the Ring Tram is air-conditioned, which could be a huge plus in August.
Hofburg and Schloss Schönbrunn are different, but each can take an entire day if you wish to "do" everything. If all you desire to see at Schönbrunn are the state rooms, then pre-purchase your ticket, pick up the audio guide, and you can move through the palace in less than two hours. If you add the garden, the Gloriette, the maze and labyrinth, and time for lunch, then factor in most of the day. Same for Hofburg. If all you want to see is the Imperial Treasury, that can be seen in a couple of hours. Add the Empress Apartments and the silver/china collection and you're looking at least a full half day.
There are no city passes that will bypass lines for what you want to see. The Vienna Card may be of some help (and discounts), but you'll have to determine its worth.
It is only possible to tour the State Hall of the National Library. Barring a special exhibit to view, factoring an hour is about right.
The other, and most important factor to consider is your movement between all of the sights on your proposed agenda. There is no way you can achieve all of that in 9 hours and enjoy it, given transit time, the early closing hours, lengthy entrance lines, the potential heat of August, and little extras like food and water.
Mar 1st, 2014, 10:07 PM
#3
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So this "full day" would be Tuesday, August 19th?
If so, this eliminates #5 from your list as the Leopold Museum is closed on tuesdays.
Do you know where the history tour (#1 on your list) will take you?
If it's a walking tour chances are that it will more or less duplicate your own walking tour of the 1st district and Ringstrasse.
If that morning tour was a must and takes you to the 1st district, you could spend your evening of the 19th elsewhere, though.
If so, this eliminates #5 from your list as the Leopold Museum is closed on tuesdays.
Do you know where the history tour (#1 on your list) will take you?
If it's a walking tour chances are that it will more or less duplicate your own walking tour of the 1st district and Ringstrasse.
If that morning tour was a must and takes you to the 1st district, you could spend your evening of the 19th elsewhere, though.
Mar 1st, 2014, 10:37 PM
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I don't think you can visit all those places in the time you are allotting, or at least, I don't think you can experience them in a way that would be pleasant. And as fourfortravel notes, Hofburg and Schloss Schonbrunn are quite different and each easily merits a substantial chunk of time. If you are committed to fitting Vienna into a 10-day trip that also includes Budapest and Prague, then I think you will need to be much more selective than this plan suggests. Good luck!
Mar 2nd, 2014, 09:20 AM
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I really appreciate your replies! Unfortunately I expected as much <_<
One thing I really want to know- would all the things I want to do be possible if we had two full days? If not, then I'd feel much better about leaving early to Budapest.
We actually plan on doing the cruise on the 19th, so the 18th would be the full day.
@fourfortravel
The maze/labyrinth sounds fun! If we arrive at Schonbrunn by opening time and do all the things you mentioned do you think we'd be done by 3:00 the latest?
I actually really want to do the walking tour first thing in Vienna because the tour guide is a local and so can give us tips that to see the city more "authentically" so to put it- and as my parents don't know much about European history I think putting the city in context would be really helpful for them to enjoy to it's fullest as opposed to just going "ooh, look at all the pretty buildings!"
Also, I wanted to see St. Stephen's Cathedral because it would give us a view of the entire city. Danube Tower is out of the question because it's much further away (Our hotel is on Parkring).
I'm curious about the Leopold and my sister wants to see Belvedere. If we do both in the same day, does that leave no time for anything else?
To be honest, I'm not so concerned we see inside all the buildings. The reason why I don't mind walking around inner city after doing the walking tour is because I want to experience the shops and cafes more than anything else (hence Neubau). The reason the Belvedere and Leopold are important is because my sister loves art, but we would pick the Belvedere if it came to it. I thought since I want to walk around Neubau we could see Leopold while we're at it.
We're seeing Schonbrunn for obvious reasons, so that leaves St. Stephen's, the National Library and Hofburg dangling. Oh well.
If you had to choose the must-sees between these places, what would they be?
I don't want to spend 3 days in a city and leave without any understanding of it's history and daily life. That's my biggest priority.
Thank you for your patience.
One thing I really want to know- would all the things I want to do be possible if we had two full days? If not, then I'd feel much better about leaving early to Budapest.
We actually plan on doing the cruise on the 19th, so the 18th would be the full day.
@fourfortravel
The maze/labyrinth sounds fun! If we arrive at Schonbrunn by opening time and do all the things you mentioned do you think we'd be done by 3:00 the latest?
I actually really want to do the walking tour first thing in Vienna because the tour guide is a local and so can give us tips that to see the city more "authentically" so to put it- and as my parents don't know much about European history I think putting the city in context would be really helpful for them to enjoy to it's fullest as opposed to just going "ooh, look at all the pretty buildings!"
Also, I wanted to see St. Stephen's Cathedral because it would give us a view of the entire city. Danube Tower is out of the question because it's much further away (Our hotel is on Parkring).
I'm curious about the Leopold and my sister wants to see Belvedere. If we do both in the same day, does that leave no time for anything else?
To be honest, I'm not so concerned we see inside all the buildings. The reason why I don't mind walking around inner city after doing the walking tour is because I want to experience the shops and cafes more than anything else (hence Neubau). The reason the Belvedere and Leopold are important is because my sister loves art, but we would pick the Belvedere if it came to it. I thought since I want to walk around Neubau we could see Leopold while we're at it.
We're seeing Schonbrunn for obvious reasons, so that leaves St. Stephen's, the National Library and Hofburg dangling. Oh well.
If you had to choose the must-sees between these places, what would they be?
I don't want to spend 3 days in a city and leave without any understanding of it's history and daily life. That's my biggest priority.
Thank you for your patience.
Mar 2nd, 2014, 10:23 AM
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"would all the things I want to do be possible if we had two full days?" -- IMO, no, but we all travel at different paces, so I can't speak for you. I would find trying to do all that you list in 2 days truly frustrating.
BTW, if your sister is interested in art, I'm surprised that you aren't considering the Kunsthistorisches Museum or the Secession -- not that you have time for them ( ;-) -- but they really are outstanding.
BTW, if your sister is interested in art, I'm surprised that you aren't considering the Kunsthistorisches Museum or the Secession -- not that you have time for them ( ;-) -- but they really are outstanding.
Mar 2nd, 2014, 08:37 PM
#7
"I don't want to spend 3 days in a city and leave without any understanding of it's history and daily life."
With one of your days taken by Melk, that leaves 2 days to understand Vienna's history and its daily life. What part of Vienna's history do you want to understand? Imperial history? Post WWI? WWII? The city began as a camp under the Roman Empire, so there's a lot of ground to try to cover in 2 days. As for daily life, most of that doesn't happen at the museums and InnerStadt cafes or the Naschmarkt, understandably. Cafe Central, for example, is so touristy that the tortes are topped with chocolates bearing their logo; and Cafe Landtmann is part of a chain.
Your plan to walk around Neubau only works during the day; most stores in Vienna close by 18:00 or 19:00 on weekdays and often earlier on the weekend. And to be honest, while there are some trendy parts of the district, Mariahilfestraße is just one long street filled with Europe's chain retailers and few interesting places to eat.
If I had two days to choose between Schönbrunn, Stephansdom, Belvedere, Hofburg and the National Library…I would tour Stephansdom but skip the tower (Vienna is better viewed from the vineyards above the city), spend several hours at Schönbrunn and perhaps some shopping on the first day. Given that your sister likes art, the second day should start at Kunsthistorisches Museum, with the rest of the day given over to Hofburg (they're in close proximity) and perhaps the library. Belvedere is pretty, but there is more art at KHM.
With one of your days taken by Melk, that leaves 2 days to understand Vienna's history and its daily life. What part of Vienna's history do you want to understand? Imperial history? Post WWI? WWII? The city began as a camp under the Roman Empire, so there's a lot of ground to try to cover in 2 days. As for daily life, most of that doesn't happen at the museums and InnerStadt cafes or the Naschmarkt, understandably. Cafe Central, for example, is so touristy that the tortes are topped with chocolates bearing their logo; and Cafe Landtmann is part of a chain.
Your plan to walk around Neubau only works during the day; most stores in Vienna close by 18:00 or 19:00 on weekdays and often earlier on the weekend. And to be honest, while there are some trendy parts of the district, Mariahilfestraße is just one long street filled with Europe's chain retailers and few interesting places to eat.
If I had two days to choose between Schönbrunn, Stephansdom, Belvedere, Hofburg and the National Library…I would tour Stephansdom but skip the tower (Vienna is better viewed from the vineyards above the city), spend several hours at Schönbrunn and perhaps some shopping on the first day. Given that your sister likes art, the second day should start at Kunsthistorisches Museum, with the rest of the day given over to Hofburg (they're in close proximity) and perhaps the library. Belvedere is pretty, but there is more art at KHM.
Mar 3rd, 2014, 02:10 PM
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You're right, it's just two days 
As for the history, let's put it this way- walking around Vienna, would learning about the Roman empire help me understand the buildings around me? I have no clue. This is my first time into Europe so I have no idea what to expect or what to look for, or how to enjoy my trip the best. Up until now the way my family has done things on vacations is to see as many things you can in the amount of time you have. Maybe that works for national parks, but I'm getting the impression that that kind of mentality will only spell disaster for Europe,
Looking around the internet, someone will tell me Neubau is a good place to explore. Someone else will tell me otherwise. Someone will tell me the palaces are similar, someone else will tell me otherwise. It's not that one person is wrong or right, it's just down to personal preferences...there's no way of knowing what we'll enjoy until we see Vienna ourselves. That's the way I see it.
I'm grateful that you took the time to respond. I guess I should stop stressing out about where to go and what to see (getting from point A to point B), or my enjoyment of the trip will quickly deteriorate before it even starts!
As for the history, let's put it this way- walking around Vienna, would learning about the Roman empire help me understand the buildings around me? I have no clue. This is my first time into Europe so I have no idea what to expect or what to look for, or how to enjoy my trip the best. Up until now the way my family has done things on vacations is to see as many things you can in the amount of time you have. Maybe that works for national parks, but I'm getting the impression that that kind of mentality will only spell disaster for Europe,
Looking around the internet, someone will tell me Neubau is a good place to explore. Someone else will tell me otherwise. Someone will tell me the palaces are similar, someone else will tell me otherwise. It's not that one person is wrong or right, it's just down to personal preferences...there's no way of knowing what we'll enjoy until we see Vienna ourselves. That's the way I see it.
I'm grateful that you took the time to respond. I guess I should stop stressing out about where to go and what to see (getting from point A to point B), or my enjoyment of the trip will quickly deteriorate before it even starts!
Mar 3rd, 2014, 08:25 PM
#9
I think there is a natural tendency to want a European vacation to have a high ROI, but trying to see "everything" is near impossible. What you've proposed for Vienna is too much, in my opinion. Presumably Vienna will be visited between Prague and Budapest, so you really have to think about a sustainable ten day pace across three places with different languages, currencies, cultures, logistics, and so forth.
Your plan to stop stressing is a good start. Happy Travels!
Your plan to stop stressing is a good start. Happy Travels!
Mar 3rd, 2014, 08:33 PM
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Have you definitely ruled out visiting ONLY Prague and Budapest? There is more than enough to see in those two places (with, perhaps, a day trip from each) without trying to wedge Vienna into the mix, and in fact, if you do try to visit all 3 of these cities in a 10-day trip, there's a good chance that you will be running about like the proverbial headless chickens. Just something to consider....
