VIENNA

Last but not least was our stop in Vienna. It was a perfect ending to a perfect tour. We got to tour the art museums and palaces, explore WW2 sites and the 3rd Man Museum, which was really awesome. We ate great food, and found cafes where we could just sit and read a book for a little. And then we had our last meal together and said goodbye. But our last night we sat by the Danube River and had some schnapps and had great conversations before departing the next morning. One of my favorite experiences was taking the subway to Schonbrunn Palace, the summer home of the Hapsburgs, which is amazing to just walk around and explore the gardens. Our hotel was right across from St. Stephens Cathedral and being in the center of the city was the perfect starting ground for exploring Vienna. Rick Steves always picks the best hotels with top notch hospitality and this one didn’t disappoint!

Hofburg Palace was home to the Hapsburgs for centuries up until Napoleon took over and ended up living here himself. The pope gave a speech from that balcony as well as Hitler when the Nazis took over Austria. The history of these places always amazes me and the architecture is on another level.. Thank you Rick Steves for another amazing tour through Europe. Every hotel was in a perfect location for exploring the sites and also for the good restaurants. My favorite night was when it started pouring and we ran through the rain to find a place to eat under the umbrellas.

Within walking distance of our hotel was the Museum of Fine Arts. Definitely worth a visit if you have the time, and I would suggest not rushing through if possible. Take your time to enjoy the art and atmosphere. It was great to do in the morning after breakfast.

And don’t forget to visit Schonbrunn Palace, the yellow one, just a short train ride away from the center of the city. I personally have never been to a place like this before, so naturally I was blown away.. The fact that this was just their summer home is pretty wild. Gotta love the Hapsburgs. If you ever watched the movie Amadeus, this is where Mozart does that famous scene with the king on piano. He visits him here. Totally over the top, I loved every minute of this tour…

And if you’re interested in film, the 3rd Man Museum is about post war Vienna, when all the buildings are turned to rubble from the bombing and Orson Wells is the main character. The guy who runs it really was passionate about the history of post-war Vienna because he lived through it and he gave us an amazing tour around the city. Stop by his museum if you’re ever in the area, his name is Gerhard! Words can’t explain how much I enjoyed Vienna. I hope you all will do this 14 day tour through Germany, Switzerland and Austria… Thanks Rick Steves!!!