How to Plan Your Trip to Vienna
What are your thoughts on pre-travel research? Love it? Hate it? Many say planning their trip is already half the fun and spend endless hours combing through travel guides, Pinterest, blogs and Instagram. We tend to agree: It’s exciting finding out more about your destination and gearing up for the amazing things you are about to do there, but on the other hand it can also be quite exhausting. The way we travel changed so much in the last decade - some things for the better, some not - and once you come across the 7th couple having a romantic picnic in front of the Eiffel tower with millions of visitors conveniently cropped out of the picture, you tend to feel a little frustrated.
Here’s a handy and practical guide for those who want to visit Vienna, Austria and are not entirely sure on how to plan and where to begin.
Figure out how long you want to stay and when to go.
Are you only in town for a day or two or do you have whole week to see what Vienna has to offer? If your time and budget allows it, we suggest staying for at least 3 days, even better 5. Our tip: Forego the busy summer months and visit Vienna in balmy spring (April/May) or crisp fall (September/October). The queues will be a lot shorter, the temperatures a lot nicer and it will probably be a lot cheaper, too! If you want to experience our truly magical Christmas markets, aim for mid-November (when most of them open up actually) up until the first week of December.
Factor in what kind of traveler you are.
Do you want to see the sights or stay off the beaten path? Are you here for a bachelorette party, a special anniversary or a family vacation with kids? Try to be as realistic as possible with regards to how much you want to schedule for your stay, and don’t forget to allow for free time as well! A little R&R is always appreciated. We like to mix it up on city trips: It’s GO GO GO on the first day hitting a few important sights & places, a little bit more relaxed (brunch, shopping & a stroll through the park) on the second and then GO GO GO again with a guided tour on the third.
Be honest with yourself.
No surprise there: We love food, which is why we often center our trips around places we want to eat at. We also like to travel with our little kid, which often means: more playgrounds, less museums. So be honest with yourself: Is buying that city card which gives you access to all those fancy buidlings and places really worth it? Figuring this out in advance not only helps you save money, it also enables you to focus on the parts you definitely want to experience.
Diversify your research.
Of course TripAdvisor is extremely useful and a great resource. But why not check Pinterest for interesting blog posts, Instagram for the newest restaurants or ask your Facebook friends for personal recommendations? We love covering all our bases when it comes to researching a trip. Fun fact: We once looked up the top 10 restaurants in Vienna on TripAdvisor - turns out we only knew 4 of them. Doesn’t mean they’re not great, just maybe not where the locals would go.
Talk to the locals.
Let us help you! Family reunion, corporate incentive outing, wedding anniversary or teambuilding event - as a licensed travel agency, we can put together a wonderful stay for you tailored exactly to your needs and wishes. We have had the pleasure to organize and accompany exceptional experiences for groups sized 2 to 30 with completely different backgrounds and preferences. If you are looking for something special or out-of-the-ordinary for your stay in Vienna, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.
