deermr

We're planning a 5-day trip to Vienna in Oct and would like to take one day trip outside of Vienna. Is Brataslava a good choice? If so, what's there to see and do? Would welcome any other suggestions or details for a day trip from Vienna. Thanks.

pears43

We went to Durnstein, where you can climb to the ruins of the castle where Richard the Lionhearted was imprisoned (a pretty strenuous hike unless you're in good shape) and then wander through a charming town to the Richard Lowenherz restaurant for lunch overlooking the Danube, then the litle town of Willendorf, where the Venus of Willendorf was discovered, and then to the monastery at Melk, which is opulent, with a drop-dead gold rococo chapel and the library where "The Name of the Rose" was filmed. We were taken there by car--by a colleague--it took all day, and I'm not sure of the best way to go there otherwise. You can probably do it by boat--there were postings here about how hot and uncomfortable the boat trip along the Danube was in summer (they don't have much air-conditioning) but it may be okay in October. My husband has been to Bratislava on business and doesn't have much good to say about it--much prefers Prague.

Patrick

I think the easiest way without a car to do the trip above is to take the train from Vienna to Melk. Spend some time in the village and the monastery, maybe even have lunch in Melk. Then take the boat (assuming it is running in October and not too cold) on the Danube to Durnstein where you can get off and explore the town and castle. From there you can take another train back to Vienna. It's a great day trip.

donnae_b

How far is Durnstein from Vienna and how do you get there?
Thanks.

metlc

day trips from Vienna
Author: deermr ([email protected])
Date: 07/11/2004, 11:25 am
Message: We're planning a 5-day trip to Vienna in Oct and would like to take one day trip outside of Vienna. Is Brataslava a good choice? If so, what's there to see and do? Would welcome any other suggestions or details for a day trip from Vienna. Thanks.



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Author: pears43
Date: 07/11/2004, 01:03 pm
Message: We went to Durnstein, where you can climb to the ruins of the castle where Richard the Lionhearted was imprisoned (a pretty strenuous hike unless you're in good shape) and then wander through a charming town to the Richard Lowenherz restaurant for lunch overlooking the Danube, then the litle town of Willendorf, where the Venus of Willendorf was discovered, and then to the monastery at Melk, which is opulent, with a drop-dead gold rococo chapel and the library where "The Name of the Rose" was filmed. We were taken there by car--by a colleague--it took all day, and I'm not sure of the best way to go there otherwise. You can probably do it by boat--there were postings here about how hot and uncomfortable the boat trip along the Danube was in summer (they don't have much air-conditioning) but it may be okay in October. My husband has been to Bratislava on business and doesn't have much good to say about it--much prefers Prague.



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Author: Patrick
Date: 07/11/2004, 01:08 pm
Message: I think the easiest way without a car to do the trip above is to take the train from Vienna to Melk. Spend some time in the village and the monastery, maybe even have lunch in Melk. Then take the boat (assuming it is running in October and not too cold) on the Danube to Durnstein where you can get off and explore the town and castle. From there you can take another train back to Vienna. It's a great day trip.



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Author: donnae_b
Date: 07/11/2004, 02:46 pm
Message: How far is Durnstein from Vienna and how do you get there?
Thanks.



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Author: metlc
Date: 07/11/2004, 03:11 pm
Message: deermr,

Bratislava is definitely a good choice. That's what a lot of Viennese do on their day off. (Vienna subway #5 next-to-last stop catches this one-hour train.)

There is an elegant river promenade, a charming carless old town section near the river with interesting shopping and inexpensive cafes. Plus, a hilltop castle and a restaurant atop the Danube bridge, all within walking distance.]

For classical music, Bratislava can't be beat for affordable world-class concerts.

Go visit before it becomes overrun like Prague...

molker

Durnstein is about 80-85 kilometers ( 50 +- miles) from vienna.
you can easily drive there in about 1 hour 15 minutes or take the train from Franz Josef Bahnhof in Vienna to durnstein in about 1 1/2 hours. You change trains in Melk most times although a few go direct depending on the time of day.
A prior poster mentions the rail and boat combination ticket including Melk Abbey. This to me is the best one day trip and very interesting.You can buy the tickets during your stay in Vienna.
For more info try www.ddsg-blue- danube.at
Bratislava is not a good choice- not much more than an inexpensive opera.


I do not know how the " hot and uncomfortable " issue came about regarding the river boat trip .
The two companies that provide this service have good boats with a nice sun deck for warm sunny days that offer a nice breeze to keep cool and good covered seating inside if it is cold or rainy. They sell food and drinks.
Yes, they do not have airconditioninig.
But this is normal in Europe.
They do run in October!










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MaureenB

We recently did the trip from Vienna to Krems, using the "combi ticket" which included train fare to Melk, a tour ticket for the beautiful monastery there, a boat ride to Krems, and then a train back to Vienna. It was an ideal day trip, with nice sights along the river and plenty of time to tour. Just ask at the train station for the "combi ticket"-- I think we paid 39 Euros apiece which we thought was a great deal. Remember that it includes a tour of the monastery (or something else in Melk-- but the monastery is the thing to do, in my opinion). Some folks didn't realize their transport ticket covers the tour, and I think they paid admission fees for it. And the garden at the monastery has a beautiful building where you can sit and enjoy the scenery along with a sandwich and beer. It's so pretty there, you can't go wrong.

tmh

Sopron Hungry is not too far via train (90 minutes?). An different history and culture to be exposed to and a delightful small town to explore

donnae_b

Molker,
I was not able to log on to the web site for Durnstein. Could there have been a typo?
Thanks

Thomas_Milligan

You couldn't log on to the Durnstein web site because of the German Umlaut issue. The web site should be spelled with an e after the u:

http://www.duernstein.at/

molker

message for donnae_b the web site I gave for the boat trip is correct. www.ddsg-blue-danube.at ( be certain to use dash between ddsg and blue and danube) Their fax number is 43 1 588 80 440 e-mil [email protected]

I do not think Durnstein has its own site but rather works with the regional tourist service

Try www.donau-tourismus.at
or www.wachau.at

Travelnick

Have to agree with the pro-Wachau (Durnstein, Melk, Krems) as way superior to the Bratislava option in terms of prettiness - the river trip is one of the nicest stretches of countries I have ever been to. Old town of Bratislava is OK, but Prague is still much nicer as is Vienna town centre.

MaureenB

I keep hearing that Budapest and Krakow are really pretty cities. Are they too far from Vienna for day-trips?

rkkwan

Budapest is 2:45 from Vienna by train, almost hourly, so it's technically possible, though I think Budapest deserves just a few hours. The earliest runs 6:22a-9:03a.

Krakow is over 6 hours and one connection on the fastest train. Definitely not possible for day trip from Vienna.

MaureenB

rkkwan: Thanks for the info. Do you mean you think Budapest deserves more than a few hours?