Виена преди Коледа – студен полъх с аромат на горещ плодов пунш

Looking for the Christmas spirit, my most favorite companion and I decided to visit the two pearls of central Europe - Vienna and Budapest. With their wonderful Christmas markets and remarkable decorations, they proved to be a great choice for a short but extremely fulfilling pre-holiday stroll. Being adventurous, we chose to travel by car. This of course has its pros and cons and is entirely up to individual preference. Certainly, the journey as a duration lasts many times more than by plane, for example, but we don't think about airport transfer or how to get from the airport to our hotel, nor do we have to consider flight hours. If you have also chosen the car option, make sure that the hotel offers a parking lot where you can leave the car during your stay, especially if it is in or close to the downtown. So, with a full tank, a few sandwiches, a backpack each and the navigation set, we boldly headed west.

Vienna was the first destination of our pre-Christmas trip. From Sofia to Vienna there are about 1000 km, which could be easily taken in nearly 12 hours with a few short stops for toilet and coffee. The road was quite pleasant - most of it was highways, except for a small section in Serbia (from Pirot to Niš). It is important to match your departure time with your hotel check-in time so you manage your time well. Also, to avoid the traffic in Belgrade, it's better to go late in the evening or at night. We passed the borders relatively quickly, since we were traveling at night and there was no traffic at all. Another important thing is to anticipate the tolls in the different countries, in this case tolls in Serbia and vignettes for Hungary and Austria. Quite well thought out, crossing the Serbian-Hungarian border, you immediately come across several shops where you can buy any type of vignette you want. The most suitable for us was a vignette valid for 10 days for both Hungary and Austria. We calculated that if we paid in forints (the Hungarian local currency) it would have cost about 4 euros less. This also applies in general to the stay in Budapest. We managed to cross Hungary in just under 4 hours, driving on M5 and then M1 after Budapest. So, next stop – Vienna!

The capital of Austria welcomed us with sunny but quite windy weather. Apparently, the wind is a constant phenomenon there, judging by the numerous wind turbines placed at the entrance of the city, which were constantly catching the gusts of wind. Entering the city was smooth, we were very impressed by how cultured and attentive the local drivers were. Both of the days we were there, we hardly heard a car horn on the streets. We quickly reached the hotel, but had to wait about two hours before we could check in. In Vienna, it is quite difficult to find a hotel with parking in the downtown at an acceptable price, so we chose a hotel a little further, but close to a metro station. We left the car in the parking lot of the hotel and headed to the nearest attraction, because we didn't want to waste a single moment of our time there. We walked to "Wurstelprater" - one of the oldest amusement parks in Europe, created more than 250 years ago on the territory of the "Prater" city park. That is where one of the most famous symbols of the city is located - The Giant Ferris Wheel. It is named after the creator of the project on which the wheel was built in 1897 - George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr. The occasion for its construction was the 50th anniversary of Emperor Franz Joseph I. The amusement park is one of the city's biggest attractions for young and old with its over 250 amusement facilities. A rather pleasant part of our walk in the park was the stop for a warm cup of orange punch. And the smell of those sausages, currently being baked, filled the entire park with the ability to seduce even the most satiated person.

After our hotel check-in, we needed a short break to partially recharge our batteries, then headed into the downtown. The subway took us straight to Stephansplatz square and we ended up in front of the biggest landmark and symbol of Austria - "St. Stefan" cathedral. The emotion that the bells evoke when they play their tunes is just so incredible. The whole square is echoed by the magical sounds and closing my eyes on one hand, I had the feeling I was taken to a fairytale. On the other hand, we didn't want to close eyes, because the cathedral was absolutely fabulous - colorfully painted, it had towered over the Christmas market in the square and the feeling was totally magical.

Our walk continued along the most luxurious street in Vienna - Kohlmarkt. It houses glamorous stores of the most famous brands such as Gucci and Armani.

Following the fabulous Christmas street decorations, we ended up in front of the Hofburg Palace, which was used as the winter residence of the Austrian Imperial Family, and nowadays it is the official residence of the Austrian President.

It turned out that we had passed around the back of the parliament and reached the town hall (Rathaus), but we decided not to go back because it was getting quite late and we were feeling pretty tired. We were impressed by yet another Christmas market, this time placed in the square in front of the town hall. We quickly warmed up with a glass of mulled wine (Glühwein), ate delicious sausages (Wurst) and super exhausted headed to our hotel, again by subway.

Day #2 in Vienna was dedicated to Belvedere and Schönbrunn palaces. We hoped that there would have been an opportunity and time to get to the parliament building as well, but this time at the front side ☺ and the well-known Vienna Opera House.

Belvedere palace

The second day of our stay in the city of the Viennese Waltz also started with a sunshine and cloudless blue skies. We took the U1 subway again, but this time to Karlsplatz and from there tram #71, which runs along the length of the Belvedere Palace. We entered through the nearest gate into the palace gardens and found ourselves in front of the "Lower Belvedere", which was the first building of the Baroque ensemble, consisting of the two magnificent palaces, conservatory and stables. This magnificent architectural wealth was built in the 18th century at the behest of the then Prince Eugene of Savoy, who was the commander-in-chief of the Austrian army, and it became his personal residence. Standing with our backs to the building, we had a beautiful view of the "Upper Belvedere" and the terraced gardens between the two palaces. Surely, the gardens would have been even more delightful in the spring or summer when all the colorful flowers and grasses color the landscape creations. We reached the upper palace, situated on a hill, from which the view of the gardens and the lower palace was even more stunning. This vessel was visibly larger and much more presentable. It is where the prince welcomed his important guests and the ceremonial events took place. Lots of statues and fountains impress the palace's visitors and touch up the magical feeling.

Our walk in the Belvedere lasted about an hour and a half without entering the palace itself. We took the exit and walked to Schwarzenbergplatz, where we caught the green subway line U4 and it took us to our next destination - Schönbrunn Palace.

Schönbrunn Palace

The subway drive took around 15-20 minutes. There was another Christmas market at the entrance. They had a stage built, on which a mixed choir was performing Christmas carols. We had a quick walk around the market and eagerly headed for the palace. Schönbrunn is one of Vienna's biggest attractions. It was built more than 300 years ago as a summer residence of the Habsburgs and it was named after the area on which it was located. Over the years, each emperor had changed and added something to the interior and exterior, according to his taste. To date, the Baroque palace has 1,441 rooms, but only 45 of them can be visited by tourists.
The Palace's yard - the gardens, fountains, statues and monuments can be visited all year round for free. The access to Gloriette hill terrace is also free of charge. It was built with the idea of being an observation deck. And indeed, climbing the hill and looking out from the terrace, there are stunning views of the palace and the city from all sides.
Имайте предвид, че ако искате да посетите и залите на двата двореца, ще трябва да си отделите цял ден.

Fulfilled with an aristocratic spirit, we headed back to the square of the town hall to take some daylight photos and to see the Parliament and the Vienna Opera House.