bumbleb

Hi all,
We have extended our stay in Vienna in the early part of May, and my husband really wants to visit Schloss Eggenberg and the armory in Graz. Has anyone taken the train to Graz from Vienna? If so, is it a pretty train ride and would this be too much to do in one day?

I appreciate any and all advice/ideas/opinions!

thursdaysd

Yes, it is quite a scenic trip. I spent a couple of days in Graz, and thought the time well spent - and I never went near the Armory! Only you can decide whether the time on the train is too long or not - see bahn.de for schedules.

lauren_s_kahn

I think it's a rather long trip for a day and there is so much to see in Vienna. When I home exchanged in Vienna, I did not go to Graz. If I ever return to Austria, it is one city on my list to see.

spaarne

<i>Would Graz make a nice day trip from Vienna?
Posted by: bumbleb on Apr 3, 14 at 10:03pm
my husband really wants to visit Schloss Eggenberg and the armory in Graz. Has anyone taken the train to Graz from Vienna?</i>

I took the train years ago but don't recall it being noteworthy. It's about 2-1/2 hours each way.

On the other hand the armory is one of the most fascinating exhibits in all of Europe. There is nothing like it that I have heard of.

Graz is a very pleasant city. You will like it.

bumbleb

Thanks so much to all of you for answering!

We're debating now, and not sure why we didn't think of this before, driving our rental car from Salzburg to Graz and dropping it off there, spending one night and taking a late afternoon train the next day on to Vienna. This gives us more time in Graz and the pretty train ride as well!

Does this make more sense? I realize someone on the forum would probably have suggested this to us if I had said that we would be in Salzburg before Vienna!

thursdaysd

Sounds good to me! I stayed here: http://www.pension-graz.at/ - very nice pension, but not a hotel.

For my visit to Graz see: http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...omment-5282285 or for pix: http://kwilhelm.smugmug.com/Travel/E...-and-Kufstein/

bumbleb

thursdaysd-you're the best! Thanks for the links. I read through your whole trip report(not just the part on Graz)and it was so informative and entertaining. Sounds like you had the most of your foot troubles in Graz, unfortunately. The pics are beautiful! I will check on the pension if we decide to definitely make time for Graz in our plans. I really think we would enjoy it though-the architecture, the cathedral-just perfect for us!

Noticed in one of your posts that you said you reside in NC now. I am a southern "girl", born in SC but spent the past 15 years in Florida and now Georgia. Wouldn't you just love to live in one of these amazing places? It is my dream...

thursdaysd

bumbleb - glad you enjoyed it! I am a dual national - UK/US - and have been seriously considering moving back to the UK, but unfortunately I can't take my house with me, lol.

bumbleb

I know what you mean, thursdaysd. What we dream of and what we can make happen aren't always the same. But it doesn't hurt to think of all the possibilities, does it?

Thanks for all your help! I will let you know how Graz turns out!

fourfortravel

Graz makes for a pleasant and easy day trip from Vienna; we have done it on two occasions now (by car). The drive through Styria can be scenic, season depending, but wouldn't make a list of "Top Ten" Austrian road trips. Your drive from Salzburg to Graz if you go that route will be more scenic.

Schloss Eggenberg is fascinating (I love the peacocks); my boys (DH and DS) appreciated touring the armory, too. We've eaten lunch on both trips at Jana and Galina, a Russian restaurant in the AltStadt. We stumbled upon it on the first visit, and returned on our second trip; being surrounded by Austrian food, we like to find other interesting places to eat when we travel.

bumbleb

Hi fourfortravel! I was hoping you would answer. Thanks for the recommendation on the restaurant . We're always looking for something new to try.

We had originally thought to leave Salzburg and make our way to Vienna via the Wachau Valley but now we're tempted by Graz. So we may just have to do the Wachau as a day trip from Vienna while there and satisfy both of our desires! I appreciate, too, your opinion on the more scenic being the drive from Salzburg to Graz(something you don't know until someone who's done it or knows the area can tell you).

We're getting so excited but the time is passing quickly! Thanks again.

fourfortravel

bumbleb, thanks! Although, now that you've tossed Wachau Valley into the mix, especially in early May, I would reroute through there and take a long train day trip to Graz from Vienna instead. Late April/early May is the perfect time to see the apricot trees in bloom, and the valley is so pretty that time of year. The vineyards are greening up, and the heuriger (wine taverns) will be open. After leaving Krems heading toward Vienna, consider stopping in Tulln for their city garden (one of Austria's best) and dinner in the AltStadt before driving the last half hour into Vienna, as well.

I know, I know, so many choices, so little time.

bumbleb

Oh my gosh, fourfortravel, another great suggestion! You could be a travel planner!

I had no clue that the apricot trees would be blooming, so that makes the choice so much easier. My husband and I actually took a few minutes last night to discuss this portion of our trip and came to the conclusion that we would rather leave Graz for another trip, so your idea and the timing is perfect. We're thinking our time would best be spent in Vienna and maybe take a day trip out to someplace not quite so far away such as Bratislava. Would you happen to have a restaurant recommendation for Tulln?

Now if you could just help me plan our time in Vienna! thanks again for "guiding" me-trying to make this a special 25th anniversary trip is so much easier with help from people like you!

fourfortravel

bumbleb, I'm happy to offer logistics input on your Vienna itinerary, so ask away!

Bratislava would be a nice day trip, too, although don't be surprised if some tell you that two or three days is necessary to fully appreciate the city. There is a Wien-Bratislava boat, and the Danube cruises begin this week or next, too.

Our daughter rides in Tulln in the late morning on weekends, so we sometimes have lunch at Grappa di Norma before carrying on with the day. Pleasant, simple Italian fare (with a couple of expected Austrian options). We've also eaten at Lime, on the Hauptplatz (also Italian). The outside seating makes for enjoyable people watching, and the food is good, as well.

Happy Planning!

bumbleb

Hi fft-thanks for the dining ideas! I'll look into those in the event that we need them.

I have read so much on this and other forums and know that the consensus is that the more time allowed for Vienna, the better, and we may just end up spending all of our time in the city without a side trip. I feel like we need to stay flexible with this whole trip and have ideas for days when the weather is not ideal wherever we are at the time.

One day that I could use your ideas for is the last day that we are in Vienna. It will be a Sunday and just happens to be our 25th wedding anniversary also. We are classical music fans and have purchased tickets for a concert at Musikverein on that Sunday at 11:00. Could you suggest some other activity or sight that we could pair with the concert to make for a special afternoon and also a nice restaurant for a celebratory meal that evening? Our hotel is on Parkring.

Thank you again for helping me out-it is greatly appreciated!

spaarne

A visit to Vienna would not be complete without a repose in one of the coffee houses mid afternoon. Sunday would probably be best.

The wine bar Wein & Co. is a great place to enjoy a beverage and a chat with locals.

bumbleb

Gee, thanks, spaarne, for the great suggestion! After posting last, I had read some other posts and wondered if a cafe/coffee house might be just the right thing and the wine bar sounds fun. Would love to chat with some local folks!

Cowboy1968

If you want to sample some decent local cuisine in a nice historic but non-disneyesque setting, you could try the Zum Weissen Rauchfangkehrer restaurant.
http://www.weisser-rauchfangkehrer.a...eite/index.php

If you want a special location at night with a view:

Donauturm restaurant (danube tower) - I'd "rate" the cuisine sort of okay, middle of the road, but the views of the rotating restaurant are stunning
DC Tower - 57th floor restaurant - have not been there yet, and even though this panorama restaurant is part of the Melia hotel also in the tower, the reviews of the food have been surprisingly bad.
Kahlenberg Hotel and Restaurant - also a nice view over (almost) all of Vienna

For a more folksy setting without the tour buses that invade Grinzing, the Pfarrplatz (Pfarr square) is a good location for sampling the "Heurigen" restaurant atmosphere.

Depends a bit on what you consider "special" for that special night.. special location, upscale dining, etc

If you really want to dig deep into your pockets (we're talking about €400 for one evening), this would probably be the most romantic place in all of Vienna:
http://www.wienerriesenrad.com/en/ro...crystal-dinner

fourfortravel

For our 20th anniversary last year we had dinner at Le Salz Gris, a simple French brasserie with excellent food. I don't know if that constitutes special, though; I was simply in the mood for French food. (And, we can eat Viennese cuisine whenever we choose.) As we were suitably dressed, we enjoyed an after dinner drink at the Blauer Bar in the Hotel Sacher.

Sunday afternoons in good weather usually finds us hiking in the vineyards along with a good number of Viennese, and stopping in at any number of heuriger along the way. Again, probably doesn't constitute "special," but is unique to Vienna. Mayer am Pfarrplatz, the heuriger Cowboy suggested, is very popular, though I have to say they've become a little too full of themselves lately; both the service and the food have been inconsistent. Same goes for most of the heuriger in Grinzing. Of our two favorite heurigen, Schubel Auer and Kierlinger, Schubel Auer has the prettier garden, but we prefer the food at Kierlinger. Both are in Nußdorf and easily accessible via public transportation.

As for coffee shops, everyone has their favorite. I, on the other hand, have a short list of coffee shops that I avoid. Cafe Central (they have their logo on each desert, and the food is unremarkable); Cafe Landtmann (tourist trap on the ring that serves the same tortes as the cafes at Hofburg and Schönbrunn because it's a chain, and where they now charge for tap water); and Cafe Hawelka (dingy, touristy, and smoky--not for me).

spaarne

I've been to Vienna several times but can't recall a memorable restaurant. The coffee house I sipped in was an older place with comfy stuffed seats and broad coffee tables scattered with newspapers. Very down home. I was led there and can't remember the name.

I suggest that you start a new post asking for eating and coffee house recommendations for Vienna. The title should bring in more replies like those of Cowboy1963 and fourfortravel.