What happens in Vienna……

Here is the final blog from my mini river cruise and we have reached the beautiful city of Vienna.

We sailed in to the city at lunchtime, spending a leisurely morning having breakfast and taking the opportunity to see parts of the ship that I hadn’t already seen. It was really interesting going through one of the locks during the day where you can really see how close you are to the sides- only a couple of centimetres away! After lunch we were back in our groups ready for the half day city tour. As with the tour in Budapest it was half coach tour and half walking tour with free time to explore the city at your own pace at the end.

We drove around Vienna, taking in the stunning architecture of the many buildings such as the Imperial Palace, the Ringstrasse, the State Opera house and St Charles’ Church. Our knowledgeable guide provided us with lots of information about the history and culture of Austria and Vienna, full of pride for her country.

The walking tour started at the Stadtpark which was a lovely green oasis in the centre of Vienna with a statue of the city’s favourite son, Johan Strauss. This led on the the beautiful Imperial Palace which is huge and incredibly impressive with the ornate stonework. Amongst other highlights was the Spanish Riding School (the only disappointment was it’s only open in a morning, so although we saw some of the horses we didn’t get to see any kind of performance). We also took a walk down the narrow streets passing some quaint little stores and cafes.

The tour ended at pretty St Stephens Cathedral which is an ideal spot to finish right in the centre of town.

During our free time at the end of the tour some of the more cultured members of our group went off to see more of the historic buildings including Mozart’s House and the Sigmund Freud Museum, whereas my free time was spent on exploring the shopping and cake-eating culture of Vienna. The famous sascher-torte chocolate cake is an absolute must and available in many of the quaint little cafes along with other delectable sweet treats. And Vienna is a true shoppers paradise with many local retailers as well as all the designer brands you would expect to find in a big city. Jewellery seemed to be one of the main products on offer, but you will need a very healthy bank balance to shop in Vienna.

It would have been great to have visited a few days later as all the Xmas Markets were just setting up and I can imagine it’s a magical place to be over the festive period.

So as with the rest of the trip everything went smoothly and we arrived back on the ship for a sumptuous dinner then a performance from a local string quartet. I have to say, although not a huge classical music fan it was very special to be sat in Vienna listening to the Viennese Waltz being played. That performance as well as all the rest of the trip will stay with me for a long time to come.

For more info on river cruises click here or e-mail me at [email protected]