Vienna in November

A weekend in Vienna in November was a real treat for us! Last month we went through the holiday blues coming back from the warmth of Greece with no more sunshine trips on the horizon (having thoroughly spoilt ourselves this year). But this month we had a long weekend visiting friends that live in Vienna – and happily the timing of our visit also coincided with the opening of the Christkindlmarkt’s that are scattered across the city and are quite lovely!

Fortunately Vienna is now only a 2 hour flight!

Vienna is a 2 hour flight from London, although it used to take much longer according to a sign in the BA lounge! Not having looked carefully at where we were going I was surprised just how far east we had gone – quite a difference in daylight hours especially as Vienna is only GMT+1.

Arriving in the evening, our hosts happily introduced us to a fine Viennese sparkling wine – Brundlmayer Brut Rose – a great start! We also had quite a culinary tour of the city, making the most of local knowledge, I’ll come back to that later.

I always think they are quite eery as the loom out of the dark – but very useful!

Vienna is an easy city to get around – there are trams, buses and underground – and it is worth getting a travel card for the day that allows you to use all of these as you please. We spent a few hours seeing the city by ourselves and managed perfectly well navigating around the public transport! We only scratched the surface, but wherever you go there is so much to see in Vienna – such history and elegance.

I had read Edmund de Waal’s ‘The Hare with Amber Eyes’ shortly before we travelled, all about the history of the Ephrussi family and it was fascinating to know about a small part of the history and see the city, and the glorious palace on the Ringstrasse, as it is today. The sky line of the city is entirely different to say London or Paris where one or two very high and modern buildings take centre stage, instead in Vienna there are lower buildings with church spires being the highest points. We climbed the steps to the top of St Stephan’s Kirche to take in this view over the city.

St Stephan’s Platz

Visiting when the Christmas markets are in town makes it a really good city for having a bit of a mooch without having any particular plan – we pottered between markets and gorgeous old buildings and really just took in the culture that we saw. Mr P was also dragged into the Mulberry store to have things pointed out… He wants to #winchristmas! I didn’t have a guide book with me, so no doubt we missed things – but we’ll just have to return!

Vienna is flat and there is such a lot to see in close proximity so we came across these on an afternoon stroll:

Plenty of culture just on a short walk

• The Imperial Palace – this is really stunning and is made all the more interesting by the presence of horses and carriages. A bit like gondola’s in Vienna, it looked like a very regal (if not pricy) way to see the city! There is no shortage of grand buildings in Vienna but this is certainly the one we liked the most.
• The Museum’s Quarter – whether you go here to visit a museum or just to enjoy the simple garden area in the quadrant. The museums have their own quarter of the city and there are plenty of bars and restaurants nearby to break up the day.
• The Opera – if the Imperial Palace didn’t get you, then the Opera building certainly will. Another stunner and I can only imagine how exciting an evening here would be.
• Lipizzaner’s – I love watching these horses and I was pleased to see that their stable areas are as grand and as well-kept as the horses themselves look. Sadly there were no dancing horses to watch!
• St Stephan’s Platz – there are a number of grand churches in Vienna, but this one really is stunning. Inside is sweet smelling and ornate as you might expect, and we stuck our head in during Sunday mass which was a treat. The roof of the building is covered in coloured tiles – something really different and very lively. There is a lovely bustling square around the church. On one evening we took in the night-time view from Do & Co which is just across the square – an intriguing bar, but with a unique view.

Gorgeous Christkindlmarkt’s

• Christkindlmarkt – I was so happy to know that we would be able to see this – they are everywhere, each quarter seems to have its own market and style. There is of course the obligatory mulled wine stall(s) as well as food options, warm aperol spritz’s (the mind boggles – warm Prosecco?!?) and all sorts of Christmas gifts and decorations and foods. The colours and the smells are lovely, probably the nicest Christmas markets we’ve ever found.

We also ate like champions during our visit – led well by our locally living friends! Always good to eat away from the tourist traps (and drink good Austrian wine)!

Definitely something of a bar scene, in the Christkindlmarkt and year round!

• Motto – this is a funky bar and restaurant down on the riverside. It is set in a boat like structure and is a fun place to eat. A good food and wine menu and friendly service. Very hip and fashionable but not pretentious.
• Do & Co – good for the views, interesting clientele – not sure how to put this politely but fortunately the door staff turned away the ‘ladies of the night’ that they spotted…
• Café Français – a bustling cafe, we had brunch here and it was busy with mainly locals and students. Good food and plenty of healthy options in a very airy room with lovely views across to one of the large churches.
• gau Menspiel – a hidden gem that I strongly recommend you visit for a special meal. The food was fantastic – Viennese, but also very arty and modern. Great wine as well and lovely surroundings with ever-helpful staff. Dairy-free here wasn’t an issue and my meal choices were altered without request and with no-fuss.
• Wein & Co – I like the formula here, and only wish Majestic did something similar. A simply set out wine bar that also does bar snacks, most notably the cold meats and mezze which are great to share over a good wine. What is worth knowing however, is that the bar has an adjoining wine shop and you can buy your wine from there rather than from the bar menu – saving money but also giving you a fantastic choice. The bar staff can then rapidly cool the wine to the correct temperature in a matter of minutes!

Prost!

Whilst it sounds like we did a lot, we actually had a long lie in on both our days in the city and really only came across these places on short strolls. A very easy city to spend a couple of days in. I’m pretty sure we only scratched the surface, so I think we’ll be heading back in the spring or summer – there is so much more to see, already we have plans to visit some of the fine vineyards as well as take a trip to the Schonbrunn summer palace. I’d also love to go to Salzburg and into those hills ‘alive with music’ to enjoy the setting of my favourite film…!