After a planned group tour--across northern Italy, bit of Switzerland and ending in Innsbruck--we have a flight connection in Vienna and are considering adding a few days on our own.

Wondering if Vienna is interesting enough to visit for 3 or 4 days. Since we'll be very active on the tour, we're looking more for a place to exhale rather than rushing around. Enjoy outdoor spaces, walking/hiking, photography, observing and engaging in local culture, food and wine. Not particularly interested in museums and history at this point in trip.We would be arriving on a Friday afternoon, mid-September so wondering if being there on a weekend would provide more or less opportunities.

Thinking of doing a day trip to Bratislava using public transportation. Good idea? Safe? because of proximity to Ukraine?

A day trip to Melk and Wachau Valley have also been suggested. Is there much to see/do in Melk besides the Abbey? Would that be a good enough reason to visit? Without a car, is it possible to see much of the valley?

Any other suggestions for Vienna and surrounding area appreciated. Still deciding how many days to extend trip. Five would be maximum.

There is more than enough to do in Vienna for three or four days. I have been three times, for around a week each time. For my last visit see: https://mytimetotravel.wordpress.com...y-busy-vienna/

I did the Melk abbey and the valley by public transport - train to Melk, a boat to Krems and a train back to Vienna. I wasn't impressed by Bratislava, but it was nearly twenty years ago...

I don't know why you are worrying about Ukraine, Bratislava is over three hundred miles from Ukraine's western border, and Vienna is not that much further.

>> Safe? because of proximity to Ukraine?
interesting question

30 miles, Vienna to Bratislavia
327 mi Bratislava to Lviv, Ukraine
311 mi Lviv to Kiev

The war in Eastern Ukraine and the drone attack in Kiev are over 600 milez from Bratislava

A person from New Jersey could compare that to;
Trenton NJ to Asheville NC is 538 mi
Trenton to Richmond 234 mi
Trenton to Toronto 341 miles

Okay...no worries about Ukraine.

I know you said it was crowded in the center of town, but would staying there make site-seeing easier? Is the Spanish Riding School an interesting place to visit or just very touristy?

Public transport is fine, you don't need to stay in the center.

If you go to the Riding School make sure you're there for a performance, and not for a rehearsal. You should also consider visiting Schonbrunn - I did that the first time I was there.

Also the Belvedere if you like Klimts, the Kuntskammer if it's open, and one or more of the wineries (heurigen) if the weather is good and they're open.

Vienna is one of the great cities of Europe. Beautiful, stately. The gardens at Schonbrunn Palace are a city unto themselves. They contain a zoo, a farm, historic buildings, and acres of greenery. The garden between the upper and lower parts of Belvedere Castle (now museums) are also a treat, affording an unmistakable vision of Vienna.

I wouldn't take a day away from Vienna to visit Bratislava. Slovakia has wonderful mountains and castles to offer, but Bratislava is not it.

I spent two two week stints in Vienna doing research, and on one of my free days my family and I visited Bratislava. It is OK, just a little underwhelming. We also visited Melk for a day. As we had our then 4-yr-old daughter with us we did not try to get too ambitious, hence we only stayed in Melk. Melk is pretty small, but the abbey is enormous and we probably could have spent longer exploring it. We also had lunch at the abbey and stopped in several cafes outside the abbey as we were in town for much of the day. There are also some small tourist shops where you can buy Marillengeist (apricot liqueur), as apricots are the main crop of the Wachau Valley. I think if you were in a hurry you could be done and dusted there in half a day, but we were there from early, until about 3pm. We caught the train from Vienna, but I believe you can also cycle the Wachau Valley, which would have been lovely but unsuitable for us. We did come across an American couple who were on recumbent bikes, clearly on a longer trip through the valley. There is also a boat, look into that for Krems and Durnstein.

Lavandula

Minority opinion here, but we loved our afternoon in Bratislava. Took the hydrofoil from Vienna and were enthralled by the old castle and the historic town center.
Take your passport ~ it’s a whole ‘nother country!

Just to the West of Vienna (like a suburb, you can take public transportation) is a wine growing area famous for their heuirgen, taverns that have an unmistakable rural character that features the host vineyard's wine. Some have music. Go and explore!

https://www.vienna-unwrapped.com/vienna-wineries/

take your passport everywhere. 'tis the law.

Anywhere in Slovakia and in particular Bratislava are totally safe, despite the far eastern edge of the country bordering the Ukraine.

Bratislava has a new mayor who is trying to improve the design of the city which is not great. The old town is not so bad but there is more than enough to do near or in Vienna.

In Vienna I'd try and stay at least close to the ring to use public transport more easily. Inside it is more expensive but get close.

Oh, the post about danger relative to geographic distance (had to check on what I posted on this thread). Safe from a drone attack in Bratislava was my point but I could have added: "OTOH a tactical nuclear weapon could destroy Bratislava minutes after launch from Russia". That might have helped to worry someone who wanted to worry.

I was in Bangok when I had to explain to worried folks in D.C. that the tsunami was as far from me as a tsunami in Boston would be for them.

Take a public bus to the top of the northern hills of Vienna and walk down through the vineyards to a heurigen.


https://www.virtualvienna.net/heurigen/

Two or three days in Vienna would be more than enough if you are not particularly interested in history. Smaller museums are now housed in the Museum Quarter behind the two national museums, worth a stop.. St. Stephens is worth the climb on a clear day. I would pass on Schonbrunn frankly. It's tough to get to an opera, but a concert in a magnificent hall was a great evening -- 9 piece orchestra, pair of ballet dancers, and pair of vocalists -- fantastic two hours of entertainment. We loved an overnight in Bratislava, it can be covered in a full day, just a short walk from the Danube. Melk was definitely Meh, as the Abbey is the only attraction and by that time, definitely can skip that in favor of Bratislava.

I think anyone can be dazzled by Vienna even if history holds no interest to them. All they need is an interest to see beautiful things, of which the gardens at Schonbrunn well qualify in my book.

Most useful post as we will be in Vienna next weekend for a long 4 day weekend getaway / Milage run to keep our Airline status. Last time in Vienna was over 40 years ago and all I remember was staying in a pristine student dormitory, not blue Danube and great pastries.

Vienna is an awesome city. I have been there twice, once many years ago on a Europe on $5 a day trip when I graduated college and then to visit our daughter during semester abroad. Yes to visiting Schoenbrunn. I've been there twice, so beautiful as well as so interesting. So many great museums to visit as well as the Hapsburg palace and St Stephens. Love the cafe culture and nice to sit in a coffee house and enjoy an apple strudel or in the case of Cafe Sachar, a sachar torte. We had standing room tickets for the Opera and again this was in the fall. Visit the Naschmarket. Easy to get around by subway and bus.