Travel Tips: Austria, Vienna part II

Hunderthasser Haus, named after the artist is quaint village like corner of an area filled with beautifully kept monumental buildings. It is a sudden magnificent change in the surroundings and it was much prettier in real life than any photos I had seen. Tram 1 will get you to Kegelgasse 36-38 or take the underground and walk there along avenues and kilometres of beautiful buildings, past the Concordiaplatz church, and suddenly you will stand before the stunningly designed abstract colourful house architecture of Hundertwasser.

 

 

The  tram on the outskirts of town

  
Walking to Kegelgasses 36-38 

 Catholic church on Concordiaplatz

 Hundertwasser 'village' (He died in 2000)

 Below, a postcard impression in winter

 

The Main Street  in Vienna which leads to Stephansplatz from Karlsplaza is worth a walk. It has designer shops, wide sidewalks, plenty of cafes with terraces in the middle of the pedestrian road. St  Stephans cathedral is similar in design to the Budapest castle with a coloured mosaic roof. If you’re not up for the walk,  U1 has a Stephansplatz stop which lands you right at the cathedral, somewhat Gothic style in comparison with most of Vienna's Baroque architecture.

 Walking the main promenade

 

St Stephans cathedral spires reflect in the modern building opposite it

 St Stephans's Cathedral

 

Modern architecture blends well with the old 

 Vienna by night is also worth viewing

  

As Vienna is so big, one really needs a week to see  everything and I certainly missed things, also wanting to visit Strauss’s house but good weather and time prevented it. Some practical tips: I opted for a 3 star hotel but Vienna is expensive so it might be better to go Air BnB or three star premium as the hotel was quite basic despite a good location, being a 15 minute brisk walk to Stephansplatz.  It was in the Jewish quarter as I saw many dressed in traditional outfits and male and female separating to go to the Synagogue. It was a good area though and naturally, I wasn't at the hotel much, but something to consider if you're out for extra comfort.

 Tabor street church engraving near Schwedenplatz

 The road to Schedenplatz

With my transport card, you can get a free bike, but I never managed to find out where and how so look into that before you arrive. The pedestrian lane is split into two, one half for the cyclists lane so be careful not to wander off. There were not that many cyclists besides tourists and local mostly move around on smart electric scooters.  They take up far less room, are not too fast or slow, and I think I’ve got to get myself one.

Vienna's urban planning is ultra organized. Trams ride on the outside two lanes of main roads, one against oncoming traffic of two of the four car lanes and the pedestrians and cyclists outside of that. At some tram stops, you can also weigh yourself for 20c while waiting which must be a city health action.  I did and the news was good, nothing has changed since high-school.

Tram stop scales and Karl Popper street

The splendor of Vienna is its size and matching monumental building collection, set  around well spaced and landscaped gardens. Think of Budapest and multiply by five! The palaces are extras. There’s so much to see the 72 hour  transport card for 17 euro is a must. Just stamp it once and you’re set, no more hassle.  If you’ve never been to Austria or Europe, Vienna will overwhelm you. If you'd prefer starting off small, then visit Salzburg and Innsbruck.  The former has a small city square and with Mozart's house around the corner and a small castle on a hill with great views. In Innsbruck you have the snow capped mountains in constant view. Here are some vintage photos of  travels there in1990. 

 Innsbruck - suburbs and town 

 Salzburg - view from the castle over the main town square

As Vienna is so big, one really needs a week to see  everything and I certainly missed things, also wanting to visit Strauss’s house but good weather and time prevented it. Finally, do keep some change for the divine airport massage machines. You might need it as I walked a mini marathon, so take good walking shoes. One last tip. Do use the opportunity to hop across to Bratislava in Slovakia. It used to be a neighboring suburb of Austria and is a lovely typical eastern European city. That blog will be next week. Until there happy travel planning....