We fly out of Austria at noon today and leave for the airport at 8 am, as we were unsure about the traffic conditions and the time it would take to complete our VAT refund. There are two train options for getting to the airport from Vienna Hauptbahnhof: the cheaper, slightly longer OBB (costing €4.50) or the faster and costing three times more than the OBB (€15). We took an Uber instead, as we did not want to drag our luggage to the tram station and fumble to find the train platform in Wien Hauptbahnhof. The 30-minute Uber ride from the 3rd district to the airport costs us about €37.

VAT Refund at Vienna International Airport

There are very few resources online on the tax refund process at Vienna International Airport. We were unsure if the VAT refund would be easy, like what we experienced at Paris Airport last year, or complicated, like what we experienced at Catania Airport two years ago. I catered additional time for our VAT refund. We had to complete our VAT refund before reporting to the check-in counters for our flight, as the customs may want to inspect the goods for which we are claiming a tax refund. To get our VAT refunded, we found the VAT refund counters (marked by a bright yellow DEV sign) by the second last door from the rightmost part of Terminal 3. For VAT refunds, we can scan a QR code at the DEV counters on our mobile phones (we need to connect to the airport wifi first) or use the kiosks. My friends and I tried using our mobile phones but found the wifi rather weak. We ended up using the kiosk, which was faster.

After scanning our receipts, we proceeded to the customs counter further down the lane to get our receipts validated electronically. Based on our experience, we found that the customs officer will only inspect the more expensive items. I got a Ferragamo bag for €1,350 and was not required to be inspected, whereas my friend was asked to present the €7,000 LV bag she bought. After getting our electronic stamps, for purchases that do not require inspection, we can either drop the VAT refund forms in the respective VAT refund company’s boxes (bring a pen along or fill up the receipts before coming to the airport) or claim cash from the inter-change counters after the validation counter. A small fee is charged for cash refunds. As for the items that required to be inspected, my friend had to hand carry the bag, clear immigration to the non-Schengen zone and present her bag to the DEV counter near our boarding gate. She only gets her validation stamp after the inspection.

Our Thoughts on Austria

For our 12-day trip around Austria, we thought it was more than Salzburg and Vienna, which most people used as a thoroughfare between Hungary and Germany. It was certainly more than the picturesque Hallstatt, which inspired our trip to the country in the first place. Austria is a country of musical culture, beautiful architecture, and magnificent Alps. The locals we met on our trip were mostly friendly, but some took some time to warm up. We learned a lot from this trip through the guided tours of the Alps and the museums, the different climate zones and the artefacts we saw. Perhaps we came in the low season, the towns we visited were peaceful (except Vienna), and most importantly, they were very safe. We had no problems walking at night. Most of the cities we visited offered some sort of city card that covered most of the sights and all the transportation in the city, but not all of them are worth getting (such as Graz).

Our Summarised Itinerary

During our 12 days in Austria, we visited five towns and cities. Not all attractions are open in winter, so we went with our eyes open, knowing some of the sites would be closed. Winter in Austria is about fun in the Alps, where we see larger crowds skiing, snowboarding, or simply having fun in the snow.

Day 1 to 3: Salzburg

We started our trip from Salzburg, where we visited Schloss Mirabell and the gardens. We spent one full day visiting the sites in Salzburg, including Untersberg, about a 30-minute bus ride from the heart of Salzburg. I felt the sites in Salzburg city can be seen within one day as they are close to each other and the city is highly walkable. Starting from Hohensalzburg Fortress, we visited DomQuaritier, Mozart’s Birthplace, and St Peter’s Abbey and ended the night at Mönchsberg, which offered excellent night views of the city. We spent the third day in Hallstatt. The original plan was to get to Hallstatt before the closing of the Salt Mines and Skywalk. However, these attractions closed for annual maintenance before we arrived in Austria. In replacement, we went to Dachstein Krippenstein, hoping to get a bird’s eye view of Hallstatt and the lake. But the snowfall was too heavy that the attraction was closed. Hallstatt is a small town, and with the Salt Mine closed, I reckon half a day would be sufficient to see the town.

Day 4 to 6: Innsbruck

We visited Innsbruck for the Top of Innsbruck, one of the mountains easily accessible from the town. We started our Innsbruck trip with a visit to the Swarovski Crystal World. I thought the site could be skipped unless one is passionate about crystals or has an eye for art. We spent Day 5 in the Nordkette Mountains, having fun in the snow and getting a great view of the city from Seegrube. We also took the time to visit Alpenzoo, which I felt was a little boring. Before leaving Innsbruck for Zell am See on Day 6, we visited the City Tower and St. James’s Cathedral in the morning.

Day 6 to 8: Zell am See

Zell am See was a stop we visited to break the otherwise long train ride from Innsbruck to Graz. This charming lakeside town was the most enjoyable town we visited. We spent the afternoon of Day 6 strolling in the town centre but missed out on the view of the lake from the promenade (which we never got to visit throughout our stay in Zell am See). Day 7 was dedicated to visiting Kitzsteinhorn, and we felt joining the guided tour was very insightful. Not only did we visit the mountains, but we also got to know Kitzsteinhorn better. We spent the morning on Day 8 on a snowshoe hike on Schmittenhöhe. However, the snowshoe hike with our knowledgeable guide was a refreshing experience; I would think visiting the mountain peak and seeing Lake Zell from above would be ideal (which we did not have time for).

Day 9: Graz

The second-largest city in Austria was often missed by visitors to the city. Graz was charming and compact, with sites within walking distance from each other. The people in the city were genuine and friendly. We thought Schlossberg gave us a great view of the city and the iconic Clock Tower. Joining the Walking Tour through the Historic City Centre gave us a good perspective of the city and the sites we saw. We would have missed out on some of the details if not for our guide. I reckon one full day is sufficient to cover the sites in Graz.

Day 10 to 12: Vienna

We spent our last three days in Vienna, the capital of Austria. I highly recommend joining the complimentary tour of Parliament Austria, where we learned about the country’s road to democracy and were shown places in the Parliament. We spent the rest of the evening shopping at Graben in Stephensplatz, and we were glad we did that. Shops closed earlier on Saturdays and were not open on Sundays. We had a busy day visiting the attractions on Day 11, starting with Schönbrunn Palace and Gardens, where we learned how the Habsburgs used this palace for the summer. In the afternoon, we joined a guided tour of the Vienna State Opera, visited Karlskirche and rode on the World’s Oldest Ferris Wheel in Prater Park. We started our Day 12 with a visit to the Hundertwasserhaus, followed by the Austrian National Library. In the afternoon, we joined a guided tour of Hofburg Palace; I thought touring the palace with the audio guide included in the ticket price would suffice as the guide did not add additional information about the palace. We ended our day with a visit to St Stephan’s Cathedral, where we went up the north tower, which offered a better view of Vienna from the terrace.

Hundertwasserhaus: The Unconventional Building

We started our final day in Austria with a bus ride to Hundertwasserhaus. The artistic and quirky building uses bold colours and irregular structure, making the building very Instagrammable. A direct bus #4 from our hotel took us to Hundertwasserhaus in under 30 minutes. We were captivated by the bold architectural style that Hundertwasserhaus offered. The building stood out from the rest of the buildings in the neighbourhood, with bright blue, yellow, and maroon colours. Parts of the building were adorned with mosaic-like tiles, although they did not form a picture, they were coherent. The Hundertwasserhaus is a small block of houses that did not take too long to visit. We also visited the Hundertwasser village opposite, an indoor space filled with souvenir shops and cafes. We hoped to get more information about Hundertwasserhaus from the village information centre, but it was closed on Sundays. After snapping a few more pictures, we left the house. Unique it may be, but I thought travelling to this part of the suburb just for the building was hardly worth the time. There weren’t any attractions in the vicinity, and the Hundertwasserhaus is just a block of private residences.

Austrian National Library State Hall: The World’s Most Beautiful Library

We were supposed to head to Hofburg Palace in the Innere Stadt, but I forgot to bring the printout of our tickets to Hofburg Palace. We hopped onto the next Bus #4 and returned to our hotel. After getting our tickets and since we still had some time before our guided tour of the Sisi Museum and Hofburg Palace, we could squeeze in some time for the Austrian National Library. The crown jewel of the Austrian National Library is the Baroque State Hall. I came to know of a guided tour to the State Hall organised by the library, and I wanted to join the tour (the tour booking can be found here). However, tours in English were not conducted in January during our visit; only German tours were conducted during this period. Entrance to the Austrian National Library costs €10, and we got €1 discount from our Vienna City Pass. The guided tour costs an additional €4.50.

People came to the Austrian National Library for its State Hall. Built in the 18th century as part of the court library, the State Hall is Europe’s largest Baroque library, housing over 200,000 books on its richly decorated wooden shelves. Walking into the State Hall is like walking into the library featured in Disney’s animated “Beauty and the Beast”. High wooden shelves filled with books lined both sides of the hall; occasionally, we would spot a marble spiral staircase that led to the mezzanine level of the shelves. The walkway’s ceiling in the State Hall is beautifully painted with frescos alongside the patterned carvings. In the centre of the State Hall is a dome, where the frescos painted here blended in very well with the windows. There are some displays of relics and precious books along the walkway of the State Hall. However, few who came here stopped to read them. Most of us in the State Hall came for that Instagram picture of the library. As beautiful as it may be, the visit to the Austrian Library was only limited to the State Hall. I’d recommend joining the guided tour to understand more about the library or visiting only if one has the time to kill.

Cafe Demel: Experiencing the Viennese Cafe Culture

We had about 1 hour before our guided tour of the Sisi Museum in Hofburg Palace after we visited the Austrian National Library. We had time to experience the Viennese cafe culture. We walked along the street near the palace to hunt for a cafe and chanced upon Cafe Demel, which seemed to be a decent cafe with a crowd. We spotted a snaking queue that seemed to originate from the upper floors of the shop at the back of the shop on the ground floor. This queue is for those who came here to enjoy a cup of coffee and some pastries. We subsequently learnt that the cafe does not accept reservations and only entertains walk-ins. We stood in the line for about 5 minutes, and it did not seem to move. I recalled some empty tables at the front of the shop as we walked in earlier. I went up to a staff and checked on the tables. The friendly staff recommended taking the indoor seating as the cafe’s interior was worth the wait, plus sitting outdoors would be very cold in the middle of winter. The staff also told me the queue would move quickly, as a batch of 20 patrons is being let in at a time. True enough, we waited for the next 10 minutes to be shown to our table.

We were given a table on the second floor of the cafe. The staff recommended we take the table in the corner, as it has more space and would be better for photo taking. The room where our table is located has a rustic and cosy vibe (there seem to be different themes in each room in the cafe). Most of this room is decked with dark brown lacquered wooden walls and the ceiling. The chandelier that hangs from the ceiling adds a luxurious touch. We ordered some coffee and pastries, which tasted very good. I particularly like the walnut cake and the Kaiserschmarrn (an Austrian pancake). The vibe in the cafe was very good, with most people coming here for the Instagram-worthy shot. We left the cafe about 15 minutes before our tour of Hofburg Palace.

Hofburg Palace: The Primary Habsburg Palace

The Habsburgs, rulers of the Austrian-Hungarian empire, used the Hofburg Palace as their primary imperial residence. Today, the Hofburg Palace is the official residence and workplace of the Austrian President. There are two parts to the Hofburg Palace: the Sisi Museum and the Imperial Apartments. The tickets cost €19.50 for a self-guided tour with an audio guide and €24.50 for a guided tour through both the Sisi Museum and the Imperial Apartments. There is a €1.50 discount for both tickets by flashing our Vienna City Card. We went for the guided tour, thinking we might be able to see and understand more of the palace.

Sisi Museum: The Life of Empress Sisi

Our tour started with the Sisi Museum, which is the first part of the palace. The Sisi Museum displays artefacts and objects used by the Empress during her lifetime, from a replica of the diamond stars that we see in most of the pictures of her to her inauguration gown. There is even a replica of her train carriage. From our guide’s narration, we learned that Sisi was not happy in the court and often travelled to escape the politics of the palace. From our guide, we also learned about Empress Sisi’s daily routine and how she maintained her slender figure to maintain her title of being the most beautiful woman in the Austrian-Hungarian empire. In the last room, we were brought to an illustration of a man stabbing Empress Sisi, where our guide retold the story of how the Empress was assassinated by a psychopath in Geneva whose target was not Empress Sisi in the first place. The Sisi Museum was a small place with limited space. More often than not, we were battling standing space with self-guided tour visitors, dampening the museum visit experience. The guided tour of the Sisi Museum took about 30 minutes, and we transited to the Imperial Apartments.

Imperial Apartments: Where the Habsburgs Lived and Worked

For the next 30 minutes, we were taken through the 16 rooms of the Imperial Apartments of the Hofburg Palace, with our guide narrating the significance of each room. We started with the Audience Waiting Room, where we saw huge paintings hung on the walls, two of which depicted political events during the time and one showing the emperor returning from Bolivia. The rest of the rooms displayed the audience chamber, working space, and living spaces of the royalty when they called Hofburg Palace home. Most of these rooms were filled with furniture that served the required functions and was opulently decorated with crystal chandeliers, paintings and statues. From Emperor Franz Joseph’s Study, we can see how much he loved Empress Sisi, with numerous paintings of her in her long untied hair. Whilst in the bedroom, which Empress Sisi occupied in later years, our guide mentioned how the Empress would eat small meals in her chambers to maintain her figure. The Imperial Apartments also showcased the Empress’s dressing and exercise room, where the Empress spent most of her time. Here, we could see the simple exercise equipment like bars and rings, which our guide mentioned the Empress was very disciplined in spending hours working out daily. We were also shown a passageway being sealed off with brick walls, and our guide told us that behind the sealed-off brick walls was part of the President’s workplace. Our tour ended at the Dining Room, a large room with a long table where the imperial family would gather every Sunday for dinner. This is also where the royal banquet was held. Our guide mentioned that the table setting displayed on the dining table was exactly how they were set up during the reign of Emperor Franz Joseph.

I was a tad disappointed with the Hofburg Palace visit. The palace felt a little small compared to the Schönbrunn Palace, and there were no big halls for Royal events like the Great Gallery we saw in Schönbrunn Palace. The guided tour of the palace felt a little redundant in that the guide did not offer any additional information, nor were we shown parts of the palace exclusive to the guided tour. All the guide did was replace the audio guide. I’d save the additional €5 charged for the guided tour and went with the audio-guided tour (we could have saved at least €15 if we bought the bundled Sisi Pass, which included Schönbrunn Palace, Hofburg Palace and the Furniture Museum).

St Peter’s Catholic Church: A Short Stop to the Artistic Church

After leaving Hofburg Palace, we spotted a green dome church that sat at the end of a quiet side street along Graben while walking towards St Stephan’s Cathedral. We walked past this church two days ago. Since we had some time today, we decided to make a short detour to the church. The church’s facade is adorned with statues above its entrance and on its wall. The interior of the church surprises us. Despite its rather simple exterior, the inside of the church is decked with numerous delicately painted frescos coupled with detailed carvings on its ceilings. Every inch of the ceiling is either covered with paintings or carvings. The golden main altar stood out from the dark sand-coloured marble interiors; its lighting gave it a holy glow. As the church was not too big, we did not stay here for too long.

St Stephan’s Cathedral: The Icon of Vienna

We continued our walk to the final attraction of the trip – St Stephan’s Cathedral. This was the first time we saw St Stephan’s Cathedral in the daytime. Standing by the square on which the cathedral sits, we can see the complicated exterior, as though someone has pasted different patterns on most of its facade. The exterior reminded me of the Duomo di Milano we visited two years ago. The St Stephan’s Cathedral has two towers, with the taller south tower (we jokingly referred to this south tower as the Eiffel Tower of Vienna when we first saw it last night). Legend has it that the original design of the cathedral would have the north tower being the taller of both towers. However, as the south tower was being completed, it was discovered that there was not enough funding and space to complete the north tower. There is no charge for entering the cathedral, but it would cost €7 to scale up the south tower and €6.50 for the north tower. No discount is offered for holders of the Vienna City Pass when going up the towers. The entrance to the south tower is located outside the cathedral, while the north tower is inside. We came to St Stephan’s Cathedral for the bird’s eye view of Vienna from one of these towers. While researching which tower to visit, I saw recommendations for the north tower as there is an outdoor platform on the top of this tower, while we can only look out into Vienna from small windows on the south tower. As a bonus, the north tower is the only one fitted with a lift. We were impressed with the gothic interior of St. Stephan’s Cathedral. Despite not having brightly painted frescos or carvings on the ceilings, the relatively simple interior made the stained glass on the windows stand out. We could focus our attention instantly on the cathedral’s main altar.

We got our tickets from the ticketing counter at the entrance of the lift to the viewing platform on the north tower. A short lift ride later, we were transported to the top of the north tower. The platform is not very large; we were able to walk from one end to the other in under 3 minutes. The first thing that caught our eyes from here was the two eagle mosaics on the cathedral’s roof, symbolising the Habsburg empire. We could see Vienna from a vantage point, from the Stephansplatz below to the Vienna Giant Ferris Wheel afar. The view up here is indeed breathtaking. A giant bell is installed at the top of the north tower. My friend and I attempted to wait for the half-hour mark to hear the bell strike. However, it did not happen. As the winter breeze was cold and we had seen what we had come here for, we headed back down and returned to our hotel to pack for our departure tomorrow.

I initially planned two attractions for today: a visit to Schönbrunn Palace and a guided tour of the Austrian State Opera. As we had some time after visiting the two sites, we also went to St. Charles’ Church, which is not too far from the State Opera and ended our day with a ride on the Vienna Giant Ferris Wheel.

Schönbrunn Palace and Gardens: The Habsburg’s Summer Residence

While Paris has Versailles, Vienna has Schönbrunn Palace, the summer residence of the Habsburg family and the largest of Vienna’s three palaces. The palace contains more than 1400 rooms and a large garden, but only 40 rooms are open to visitors. Schönbrunn Palace is very well connected to the local transit system, and there is a U-bahn Station (Schönbrunn Station) just across the road from the palace. The Grant Tour of Schönbrunn Palace’s ticket price is €32 (click here for ticketing), which includes an audio guide device for visitors to use for self-guided tour of the palace.

The Schönbrunn Palace

Passing through the palace’s main gates, we were immediately greeted by a large open space. The palace courtyard gave us a great view of the grandeur and the size of Schönbrunn Palace. Those who did not pre-purchase their tickets can be bought on the spot from a building to the left of the main gate. The entrance to the state apartments in Schönbrunn Palace is on the left of the main palace building. After the mandatory depositing of our bags at the cloak counter, we spotted a small chapel before the turnstiles to the state apartments. This is the Palace Chapel, which has marble interiors and golden statues that make it look grand and fitting for royalty. The chapel looked bright and airy, thanks to the high ceiling and windows fitted here, which let in natural light. The audio guide that came with the tickets to Schönbrunn Palace is very easy to use and can be collected at the counter beside the turnstile. The self-guided audio Grand Tour of the Palace covers all 40 staterooms, starting from the East Wing.

East Wing: Apartments of Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Sisi

The East Wing mainly contains the apartments and office space of Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Sisi, with the first few rooms used as waiting and audience chambers. The Audience Chambers are decked in brown marble, complementing the red velvet chairs. Here, we saw a table that Emperor Franz Joseph used when reading the report submitted by officials. The interesting part about this wing is the contrast between the Emperor and the Empress in the bedroom. Emperor Franz Joseph was a practical ruler and had a modestly decorated bedroom. There were no opulent engravings, golden plastered walls, or decorative furniture. The Emperor merely had a bed and a couch set in his bedroom, as well as portraits of his wife and his family. There was a painting in the Emperor’s bedroom depicting his demise on the bed on display here. In contrast, Empress Sis has three rooms: a dressing room, a study and her private chambers. These rooms were decorated with bright-coloured walls and gold-trimmed plasters on the walls. A statue on display in her dressing room shows guests the length of her hair.

The other significant room in this wing was the Imperial couple’s bedroom, which the Emperor and Empress shared during the initial years of their marriage. The seating and wall panels are covered in a deep blue silk damask with white floral garlands, making the bedroom stand out. The Hall of Mirrors was perhaps the most decorated room in this wing. This Hall of Mirrors was where the Emperor granted Public Audiences, where any subject of the empire could seek an audience with the Emperor. I think this hall got its name due to the numerous large mirrors hanging on the walls of this hall.

North Parade Court Wing: The Place where the Royals Entertain

I thought the Great Gallery would be the most impressive hall in the entire Schönbrunn Palace. This large hall, mainly used as the palace’s ceremonial hall, is decked with gold trimmings on the walls and the ceiling and adorned with three large frescos on the ceiling. The golden chandeliers hanging from the ceiling reinforce the baroque-style decoration in this hall and contribute to the luxurious vibe. This is the most beautiful hall in the entire palace, and we could stay here longer to admire the detailed massive frescos painted on the ceilings. Though not as grand as the Great Gallery, the Small Gallery felt like an extension of the Great Gallery. Here, we could look out into the Schönbrunn Gardens through one of the windows.

West Wing: Chambers of Empress Maria Theresia

The West Wing was the apartments used by Empress Maria Theresia, the great-great-grandmother of Emperor Franz Joseph. The rooms in this wing were equally opulent, mostly painted in white with gold trimmings on the walls. Most rooms here had huge paintings depicting Empress Maria Theresia and her husband on the walls. Through some of these rooms, we can see the love of Chinese-influenced art by the Empress, as seen in the Vieux Laque Room, a reception room used by Emperor Franz I Stephan. The other significant room in this wing was the Rich Room, Empress Maria Theresia’s bedroom. Covered in bright red walls, the centrepiece of this room was the restored bed of the Empress. The lace artwork on the bedframe was intricate and showed the effort that had gone into making the bedframe worthy of the Empress.

The Schönbrunn Gardens

After spending about 1 hour doing the self-guided tour of the state apartments, we went to the Schönbrunn Gardens behind the palace. Visiting the 160ha garden is free, but there are charges for visiting the palm house, zoo and garden maze, all located within the garden grounds. We came to the Schönbrunn Gardens to visit the Gloriette, a pavilion perched on top of a small hill like a crown on the head of royalty. To get to the Gloriette, we first walked through the Great Parterre, a large open space with symmetrical beds. But these beds were under maintenance during the winter time when we visited. Numerous Roman statues aligned both sides of the Great Parterre, which looked like guards welcoming the royalties whenever they stepped foot into the gardens. The Neptune Fountains sit between the Great Parterre and the Gloriette. I feel most people skipped stopping at the Neptune Fountains, where we found some great vantage points at the back of the fountains to take pictures with Schönbrunn Palace. We were nearer to the Gloriette from Neptune Fountains; after a short walk uphill, we arrived at the crown jewel of the Schönbrunn Gardens – The Gloriette. Built in 1775 as the last building constructed in the garden, the Gloriette was built to serve as both a focal point and a lookout point for the garden. It was used as the Emperor’s dining hall, festival hall, and breakfast room. Today, a cafe occupied the Gloriette. On top of the Gloriette sits a lookout terrace looking out into the gardens and Vienna, which was closed during winter. Nonetheless, we were treated to a splendid view of Schönbrunn Palace and the Gardens from the Gloriette.

Vienna State Opera

The Vienna State Opera organised regular tours of the building at €15 per pax in various languages, with more in English and German (click here for booking the tour). We booked our tour about 1 month before our trip to Austria. We arrived at the Vienna State Opera about 15 minutes before our tour and were surprised to see two queues at the entrance, one for those who had booked our slots online and the other for walk-ins (leftover tickets will be sold to walk-ins). There were no signs telling us which queue we should be standing in. Eventually, one of the staff members at the door gave directions to the queuing situation. As several language-guided tours were happening at the same time slot, each group was shown the parts of the State Opera in different sequences. Ours started from the side stairways to transit to the first floor of the building (while some others used the main Grand Staircase). We stopped by the Grand Staircase in the middle of the hallway, where our guide introduced us to the baroque architecture and the paintings we saw here. The marble Grand Staircase was indeed grand. The detailed carvings on the walls, some tastefully ornamented in gold, the two statues, and the paintings beautifully decorated this part of the building, giving it a posh and grand vibe. We were told the Vienna State Opera was bombed during World War II. Fortunately, part of the building survived the bombing. We were then brought to a small room behind the Grand Staircase. Decorated with gold trimmings, elaborate carvings on the walls and ceilings, and a fresco on the ceiling with bright colours, the Tea Salon was formerly reserved only for the Emperor and his guests. Today, anyone with the money can reserve the Tea Salon.

The next area we were shown was Marble Hall, a large space with relatively simple decor. Our guide told us this hall was rebuilt after WWII as it was one of the casualties of the war. The Royal Box was our next stop on this tour. The Royal Box was reserved exclusively for the royalty, which offered a spectacular view of the stage. We were invited to sit in the Royal Box while our guide narrated the purpose of the Royal Box and the reconstruction of the auditorium. After the Royal Box, we were guided to the Gustav Mahler Hall, a room for intermissions, concerts and special events. This room houses 13 tapestries produced over six years, depicting scenes from Mozart’s The Magic Flute. A short walk from Gustav Mahler Hall, we came to the Schwindfoyer, a small annexe beside the first floor of the Grand Staircase. Our guide told us this room was one of the surviving original parts of the Vienna State Opera. This room was elegantly decorated with paintings and carvings, most covered in gold, that left no empty spaces on the ceilings and parts of the wall. Hanging above each door that leads to the balcony are busts of famous composers. We found the busts of Mozart and Beethoven over some of these doors. Equally impressive is the balcony, which looked out into Ringstraße and served as the facade of the State Opera.

Our final stop at the Vienna State Opera was the Great Hall, the auditorium of the building. The Great Hall, decked with red velvets on the walls, looked grand and elegant. We were led to the front row of the horseshoe-shaped auditorium, where our guide told us about the different seating options and some standing rooms on the uppermost floor of the Great Hall. From where we were seated, we could see the orchestra pit lowered before our eyes (not sure if we were there at the right time or if it was raised and lowered as part of the tour). Our guide also told us that there are different performances daily, so the crew had to constantly change the setting of the stage daily. Our guided tour of the Vienna State Opera ended after the Great Hall, where we were led back to the foyer. Having gone through a guided tour of Parliament Austria, we expected the State Opera tour to be informative and insightful. However, we thought the tour was not as enjoyable. Due to the many tours taking place at the same time and the soft voice of our guide, we missed out on the narrations of our guide most of the time. While the tour of Parliament Austria issued each tour member a wireless headset to hear the guide better, the Vienna State Opera did not.

Karlskirche

As Karlskirche (St Charles’ Church) was very near to the Vienna State Opera, we visited the church after our State Opera tour. Sitting behind a large pit, the 18th-century green domed baroque church with two tall pillars by its side towers over Karlsplatz. As we walked closer to Karlskirche, we could see the engravings on the two pillars. Karlskirche was built after the last great plague epidemic, after Charles Borromeo, who was revered as a healer for plague sufferers. The entrance to the church is at its side. Entrance to the church costs €9.50, and we got a €1 discount by flashing our Vienna City Pass. Besides the church, the entrance fee gave us access to the terrace, the Church model, the Treasury and the Organ. Our strategy was first to make the 120 steps climb to the terrace and work our way down.

Despite being at an elevated point, we could only see part of Vienna from the terrace. The furthest we could see was the towers of St Stephan’s Cathedral. The park (Karlsplatz) and the pit we were on a while ago in front of Karlskirche dominated our view from the terrace. However, as we were rather close to the pillars, we could see the parts of the pillars that were being restored on top of the detailed carvings on them. Since there wasn’t much of a view, we left the terrace for the other parts of the church. We next headed to the treasury, where a small collection of relics and clothing of Charles Borromeo were being displayed. We did not stay at the treasury for too long and headed to the organ loft. Here, we were up close to the organ but were more attracted to the view of the church’s interior from the loft. Up there, we could see the carvings and the frescos on the inside of the dome clearer. Next, we headed to the ground floor of the church. The amount of artwork spread across the ceiling and the pillars made the church’s interior feel more like an art museum. Countless life-like angel statues were mounted on top of the pillars inside the church. Even the altar was a masterpiece. We did not stay in Karlsskirche for too long, as it was still early and Karlskirche was next to the U-Bahn station, so we took the U-Bahn to Prater Park to ride the world’s oldest Ferris wheel.

Prater Park: Home to the World’s Oldest Ferris Wheel

Prater Park is one of the oldest amusement parks in Vienna and opens till late at night. The park is easily accessible by the U-bahn, with Prater station being the closest to the park. Admission to the park is free, and visitors only pay for the rides they want to take. At the time of our visit, most of the outdoor rides were closed, and only a handful remained open. My friend and I first went on the haunted house ride, which is entertaining (rather than scary) at best. Our purpose for coming to Prater Park is to ride the iconic Viennese Giant Ferris Wheel. There are two Ferris wheels in Prater Park, a newer and taller one next to some roller coasters and the older one near the entrance. The 65m Vienna Giant Ferris Wheel is the world’s oldest ferris wheel, operating since 1897. Tickets cost €14 per adult (Vienna City card gave us €1 discount). Before the ride, we were made to walk through a small exhibition using the wooden cars on the ferris wheel. Sitting in one of the wooden cars, as we were slowly being hoisted up to the top of the wheel, the view of the park slowly became smaller, and views of Vienna City in the distance occupied our attention. We were treated to a great night view of Vienna at the top of the wheel. As we did not want to ride on the roller coasters in the winter, we left Prater Park after the Ferris Wheel ride.

Night View of Vienna

Vienna has a lot of beautiful buildings. As the night was still young, my friend and I wanted to see these buildings at night. There used to be a complimentary tram service around the Ringstraße, where most sights are located. However, this service has since ceased when we visited the city. A Google search revealed alternate trams around Ringstraße, which involves changing trams halfway through the Ringstraße. We took Tram #2 from near our hotel and somewhat missed the stop to change trams. The tram turned in from the Vienna City Hall and went further into a residential area. At the end of the line, we hopped onto the next tram and alighted at the City Hall. From here, we walked around to see some of the buildings further from the main Ringstraße. We called it a night and returned to the hotel after seeing these buildings.

Being Austria’s second-largest city, the sights in Graz can be seen within one full day. We started our day by visiting the Schlossberg in the morning and joined a guided tour of the city in the afternoon to understand more about the city. Like the other cities in Austria we have visited so far, Graz also offers a city card that covers all attractions and transportation within the city. The Graz card costs €30 for 24 hours, €39 for 48 hours, and €44 for 72 hours. However, we did not get the Graz card for this trip as the cost of the attractions we will be visiting is less than the cost of the card.

Murinsel: The Shell on the River

Most of the attractions in Graz lie east of River Mur, the river that divides the city into the old town and the modern town. As our hotel is west of River Mur, we had to cross the river to visit the sights in Altstadt. Several bridges along the river link the old and the new, and Murinsel is one of them. Murinsel is a landmark in the middle of River Mur, taking the form of a shell linked by footbridges. As it was near our hotel, we crossed the River Mur via the Murinsel and took the opportunity to visit this site. There doesn’t seem to be anything happening on the bridge. We saw a cafe and an amphitheatre, but the cafe was closed (it felt like it was abandoned). As the Murinsel sits near the water level of River Mur, looking out into the river, it feels as though we are directly on the river’s water.

Schlossberg: Above the Roofs of Graz

While Salzburg has Festung Hohensalzburg, Graz was watched over by the Schlossberg over 1,000 years ago when a small fortress was built on this hill. One cannot miss Schlossberg, the hill with the clock tower that dominates the city’s skyline. There are several ways to get to the top of Schlossberg: funicular, walking or using the lift. We took the funicular up Schlossberg. The ticketing was a little different from the other funiculars we have taken. Instead of charging per use on the funicular, the ticket goes by the hour, including all public transport in Graz. There are only two options for the ticket: €3.10 for one hour or €6.80 for 24 hours. We got the 24-hour ticket, as we wouldn’t want to drag our luggage 15 mins from our hotel to the train station tomorrow. We appreciate the staff’s patience in explaining the different pricing to us when selling the tickets (she was also the funicular operator). She also mentioned that the tram line stopped in front of the funicular station, which was free, even without tickets. The ride on the funicular took about 2 min.

The sights on Schlossberg are very close to each other. We originally allocated the entire morning to visit the sites but finished seeing them all in 1 hour. We skipped the Graz museum, as we thought it did not make sense to pay for the museum to see four cannons. Exiting the funicular station, we first saw the Bell Tower, home to the city’s famous 5-ton bell. We did not see the bell as this four-storey tall white tower that greets visitors coming up the hill was locked during our visit (not sure if it will ever be accessible). We followed the footpath and came to the Hacker Lion, a stone lion on the western part of the hill. The lion was installed here to honour the commander who led a handful of soldiers to defend Graz Fortress against the French invaders. The viewpoint at the Hacker Lion treated us to the “modern” part of the city. After the Hacker Lion, we walked along the path and came to the Chinese Pavilion, a shelter with vaguely Chinese architecture. There was nothing much here besides a resting point, but we could see the Clock Tower and Turkish Well from here. Our final site on Schlossberg was the Clock Tower, the symbol of Graz and the oldest building in the city. The Clock Tower was built as part of the fortification of the fortress in 1265, possibly serving as a watch tower. The tower was given its clock function in 1569 and also served as a fire alarm tower in 1645. The clock today still retains its medieval structure with a wooden corridor perched near its roof and the golden clock arms look as if they were polished every day. The view of the old town from the Clock Tower terrace was magnificent. We could see the City Hall and standing tall amongst the buildings from here. We originally planned to take the world’s tallest underground slide down to the Altstadt. However, the entrance was to be shut, and Google suggested that the slide only open at 1 pm during winter. No way we were sitting around for 2 hours to wait for the slide to open, so we opted to walk down the hill from the Clock Tower side.

Graz Historic Centre Walking Tour: Getting to Know Graz from Our Guide

Graz Tourism organised a two-hour Historic Centre Walking Tour of Graz, in English and German, at 2.30 pm daily. The tour costs €16 per adult and is covered under the Graz Card (tours can be booked here). This tour took us to the important landmarks in Altstadt, and the guide’s explanations gave us a good understanding of these sights in the city. As there was some time before the start of our tour, we headed into the city centre for lunch and had a leisure stroll of the city after picking up our tickets from the Graz Tourism Information Centre.

Landhaus Courtyard and Schlossberg – Houses of Power Now and Then

We met our guide at 2.30 pm at the Graz Tourism Information Centre. Our tour started from the Landhaus Courtyard behind the Graz Tourism Information Centre. Our guide directed our attention to a painting of a white dragon on a green wooden door in the courtyard. She explained this is the symbol of Styria, and Graz is the second largest city by population in Austria, after Vienna. She then guided us to the architectural style we saw in the courtyard behind us. Graz is very close to Italy, so we would find mostly Roman-influenced architecture in the buildings there. We were also told the Graz Parliament was housed in one of the buildings we see in the courtyard.

We were brought round the corner to the main square of Graz, in front of the City Hall, a large baroque-style building that one cannot miss. Looking towards Schlossberg, our guide narrated how there was a fortress up Schlossberg and how this fortress defended the city of Graz. For centuries, no one managed to conquer the fortress. Even Napoleon failed to conquer the fortress with 4,000 soldiers, which 800 men defended. The fortress was destroyed due to a condition in a peace treaty signed with Napleon when he captured Austria. Our guide then jokingly said the fortress was not destroyed in war but in peace. Today, we do not see the fortress any more.

Painted House and Glockenspiel – Houses of the Citizens

After the story of the fortress and looking at the City Hall in the main square, we were brought in front of the Painted House. Our guide told us this is one of the few houses in Graz with a painted facade. Our attention was drawn to a man with wooden sticks on a black horse, who was supposed to be Zeus. Our guide said that originally, thunderbolts were painted in his hand. However, during a restoration in ancient times, the painter couldn’t make out who the man was and painted a bunch of wooden sticks, replacing the thunderbolts on Zeus’s hands, which is how Zeus got wooden sticks instead. An interesting story. We winded through a few small streets and arrived at our next stop – Glockenspiel. We were in time to watch the clock performance. When the clock struck (it would strike at 11 am, 3 pm and 6 pm), the windows opened to reveal two wooden carved figures in traditional Austrian clothing dancing. Our guide told us this clock was made by a merchant who owned a booze shop in medieval times as a marketing tool to attract the locals’ attention to his shop to buy booze. After watching the figures dancing, we thought it was the end, but our guide again brought our attention to the golden chicken above the two figures. We saw the chicken flap its wings. Our guide then told us this is done to call the two figures “home”. Indeed, after flapping wings, the two figures retreated into the window, and the doors closed. Pointing to the green tower behind the clock, our guide told us the music we heard came from the tower and that different songs would be played at different times of the year. We would have missed these small details if not for our guide.

Graz Cathedral – The Royal Cathedral

Our walking tour continued to the Mausoleum of Emperor Ferdinand and the Graz Cathedral. Our guide told us that Emperor Ferdinand, the ruler of Austria in the 1800s, was called to Vienna to take over the throne when his uncle passed on. The Emperor wanted to be buried in Graz and built this mausoleum for himself. Today, Ferdinand was the only Emperor in Austria with his own tomb instead of burying together with the other royalties. It is a shame that the mausoleum was not open to the public during our visit, and we can only see the green roof of the mausoleum popping out of the surrounding buildings. Our attention was then turned to the cathedral next door. The Graz Cathedral was built as a court church for the dukes and looked plain from the outside, other than the colourful fresco on the wall next to its entrance. Our guide told us that this cathedral was built with a Gothic style of architecture similar to what we would see in Notre Dame in Paris. We were then given some time to look around the cathedral. The cathedral looked grand and elegant on the inside, a stark contrast to its facade. The ceilings of the cathedral were painted with flowers, and pillars were donned with dark brown wooden staircases ornated with gold. Stained glass panels were used in every window opening.

Double Spiral – The Unique Staircase

Exiting the Graz Cathedral, we took a short walk opposite the road to our next stop, the Graz castle. Unlike most palaces we have seen on this trip or any other European building, the Graz Castle looked like any other building. It can be mistaken for a normal office building as there are no guards standing outside, nor is it barricaded. Our guide told us this castle was where the dukes ruled Graz from; today, it is the office of the Mayor of Graz. We spotted a glassed-up panel and were told this was the original artwork since the castle was built. No one knows what this panel is used for and what it symbolises. The whole point of coming to this castle was the double spiral staircase. This unique structure comprises two spiral staircases that meet in the middle before every floor. Our attention was brought to the pillar, which our guide told us only the ground floor set of stairs has a pillar, and the rest of the levels do not have pillars. We spent some time walking up the staircase and taking pictures of it.

The Streets of Graz

After the double spiral staircase, we walked towards the Mur River through the oldest street in Graz. Covered with cobblestones and medieval-looking buildings, this street reminds me of Italy. We spotted a bakery with an elaborate wooden facade and a double-headed eagle crest hanging above the main entrance. Our guide told us this bakery was visited by one of the emperors of Austria once, and since then, they were qualified to use the “Hof” title in the shop name. She recommended that we try out the bread from the shop. Our guide pointed out some of her favourite shops and eateries along the street as we walked past them.

Our last stop on the tour was a bridge over River Mur. Here, our guide explained that the area we had been walking in was the old town, and the district across River Mur was the new town. In medieval times, the river was used as a defence mechanism. The duke protected people living in the old town, while the area across the bridge was left to their own defences. As such, that was where the poorer people stayed. As a result, it was filled with red-light districts with poorer living conditions. In an attempt to change the image of the new town, the government pumped in money and developed arts and culture in this new area. Most of the art museums are found in the new area. This is where our tour of the old town ended, and we bid our guide farewell. After the tour, we returned to the shops that our guide mentioned to do some shopping before returning to the hotel early. We had an early train to catch up tomorrow to our final destination for the trip – Vienna.

The Top of Salzburg kept popping up as I researched what to see in Zell am See. Pictures online of the breathtaking mountain ranges from the viewing platform perched 3,029m on top of Kitzsteinhorn attracted me to this mountain. We can take a cable car ride to the Top of Salzburg in Kaprun from Maiskogel Talstation or Kitzsteinhorn Talstation. Getting to the Top of Salzburg from Kitzsteinhorn Talstation is faster as it only requires three cable car rides instead of four from Maiskogel Talstation. While planning my trip, an email correspondence from the visitor centre informed me that an Explorer Tour (costs €13 per adult) is held every Tuesday during the winter. I thought it would be interesting to understand more about the mountains rather than simply going up and looking at the view. We signed up for the tour two months before our trip to Austria (click here for the link to sign up).

Kaprun: Gateway to Kitzsteinhorn

The Explorer Tour started at the Kaprun Centre in Kaprun village, about a 15-minute drive or the ½ hourly 25-minute bus ride on Bus #660 (€4.50 per pax one way) from Postplatz, the main bus terminal in Zell am See. We could also catch Bus #660 from the bus stop in front of Zell am See Bahnhof. We alighted at Kaprun Maiskogelbahn, where Kaprun Centre is about a 2 min walk from the main road. This part of Kaprun village looked lively; numerous accommodations, restaurants, and shops (mainly selling ski-related stuff and winter clothing) dotted around the village.

Explorer Tour: Getting to Know Kitzsteinhorn

The 3½ hour guided Explorer Tour meeting point is at Kaprun Centre. During the tour, our guide introduced us to the flora/fauna and their features in the four climate zones, from the temperate to the arctic climate zones in Kitzsteinhorn, as we made our way up to the summit of the mountain. We were in the temperate climate zone at Kaprun Centre, seeing more animal species and lush green vegetation. The tour group comprised mostly German-speaking visitors, and we were the only English-speaking participants. Our guide had to explain the information in two languages. After the short brief, we were led to the cable car station and took the first of the four cable car rides up to the mountain.

Maiskogel: View of the Valley and Lake Zell

The MK Maiskogelbahn took us up to 1,570m from Kaprun Centre. On the ride, we saw the alpine coaster track and people skiing down the slope below the cable car. As our guide had previously told us that we were still in the temperate climate zone, we saw a lot of needle-leaf pine tree forest. Our guide continued to talk about the vegetation that we saw around. He then brought the group to a nearby slope with a set of footprints and explained that hares and foxes inhabit this area and will only come out at night. We were then brought to the Panorama Maiskogel viewing platform, where we got an impressive view of the valley covered in snow and Lake Zell in the distance between two mountains. We could see a sea of white snow covering most of the land, with villages and towns sparsely covering parts of the land, mainly near Lake Zell. Our guide brought our attention to the river that cuts across the land. This is the Salzach River, the same river we saw in Salzburg City days ago. He explained how the river was straightened decades ago to facilitate farming activities and how this human intervention created flooding. To fix the problem, the river is now bent. We walked to the next cable car station after being given some time to take pictures at Panorama Maiskogel.

Langwied: Riding 3K K-onnection, the Longest Continous Gondola Axis

Our second cable car ride on the 3K K-onnection is the longest ride during this tour. The scenic cable car ride took us across the mountains. We could see fewer trees on the mountain, mostly bundled together, from the cable car. On one side of the cable car, jagged rocky mountainside occasionally popping out of the snow to reveal the true form of the mountain. Our guide explained that skiing is prohibited in this part of the mountain due to the high risk of avalanches. He even pointed out a part of the mountain where a recent avalanche activity was detected. On the other side of the cable car, we saw the towns sitting at the base of the mountain ranges below in the valley as though they were seeking protection from the mighty mountain ranges. The cable car ride brought us to Langwied at 1,975m above sea level. From the station, our guide led us on a short hike up a slope to a viewpoint where we could see the plains from an elevated perspective. Before his brief on the geological makeup of this area, our guide focused our attention up in the mountains and exclaimed, “That is the peak of Kitzsteinhorn”. He explained that we were in the tundra climate zone where frigid temperatures and short growing seasons hinder tree growth. We were also educated on the glacier activities in the mountains.

Alpincentre: Entering the Arctic Climate Zone

We headed back to the cable car station and walked to the next cable car station. The third cable car, Gletscherjet 2, took us from 1,975m to 2,450m. On this ride, we saw vast areas covered in snow and a couple of buildings sitting on the mountainside. Our guide brought us to another viewpoint at the end of the cable car ride. Here, he announced that we are officially in the arctic climate zone, where no tree growth and covered in snow and ice all year round. This is the same climate we will experience if we go to the North and South Pole. From this viewpoint, we got an even higher view of the villages near Lake Zell. Here, we felt as if we were on the same level as the peak of the mountain ranges before us. After a brief stay here, we headed for our final cable car ride on the Gipfelbahn to the Top of Salzburg.

Top of Salzburg: Magnificent Views of the Mountain Ranges

The final stop of the Explorer Tour is at the Top of Salzburg, perched at 3,029m. Our guide brought us to the Top of Salzburg viewing platform, where we were treated to a magnificent view of the mountain peaks and the glaciers below. Our guide explained the glacier activities on the mountaintop and how to differentiate between live and dead glaciers. He even pointed out Kitzsteinhorn’s peak, explaining that it is only open to very experienced climbers. We were dispersed at the platform and were told to gather back here for the National Park Gallery Tour 1½ hours later. After the dispersion, we wanted to get a picture with the “3029 Top of Salzburg” sign, but as many people from the tour were trying to snap pictures with this sign, we went for lunch in the only restaurant up here. After lunch, we returned to the viewing platform and took pictures with the sign (thanks to a Russian family queuing behind us, helping us chase people away from jumping the queue and those who tried to photobomb us). After taking some pictures, we finally had a good look at the view from the Top of Salzburg platform. The view here is out of this world! We saw mountain peaks after mountain peaks, covered in snow, that seemed to stretch forever into the horizon. We were at a point that was higher than any of the mountains before our eyes. It felt so surreal. Before, we could only see these majestic mountains like giants, but today, we see them as dwarves as we tower over them from the top of the Salzburg viewing platform. I reckon the best view would be that taken from the pointy corner of the platform. Here, we felt as if we were floating in the air, looking down into the peaks of the mountain ranges.

NationalPark Gallery Tour: The Tunnel in the Mountains

Our tour continues with a guided tour of the NationalPark Gallery on the top of Kitzsteinhorn. This tour is complimentary, even to those who did not join the Explorer Tour. The tour took us through a 360m tunnel used in the 60s for those who ascended the mountain to ski. We made five stops along the downslope tunnel. Our first stop was some artificial concrete slabs, which our guide explained only served to anchor the cables that the cable cars that ran up to Kitzsteinhorn. Our next stop was a crystallite, where our guide educated us on the formation of these crystals, mainly quartz, and how they were mined. These days, the mining of quartz was no longer a thing in Kitzsteinhorn.

At the third stop, our guide explained the formation of mountains, particularly Kitzsteinhorn. The fourth stop showcased the mining of gold in Kitzsteinhorn. Our guide explained gold mining has ceased because the cost of gold outweighs the amount gained. He also narrated the purpose of the chest we saw on the ground. This chest used to contain part of the gold mined on this mountain, placed outside the mines. The miner’s wife could take an amount of gold from this chest if the miner met with a mishap during work. This is perhaps the earliest form of insurance. At our last stop before the viewing platform at the end of the tunnel, our guide explained the formation of glaciers and how these glaciers are melting due to man-induced pollution. After the brief at the final stop, we were dispersed and told we could stay at the NationalPark Gallery Platform as long as we wanted.

After bidding farewell to our guide, we were free to roam onto the outdoor viewing platform jagged out of the cliff that gave us a closer look at the mountain ranges. We can see the highest mountain in Austria, the Grossglockner. We could also see the “dead glaciers” nearer to the viewing platform and the “living glaciers” in the distance. The view here is as magnificent as we saw at the Top of Salzburg. We stayed here for the next 20 minutes, looking out into the snow-covered mountain peaks and listening to the whispers the mountain breeze brought. Soon, it was time to descend the mountain (the last ride down was at 4 pm). On our way down, we did some window shopping in the sports shop at Alpincentre and caught up on the photo ops we had missed out on earlier. At Langwied, we had the choice of taking the longer 3K K-onnection or the shorter Panoramabahn route. Both routes will land at different parts of the Kaprun, and since we wanted to try out the Alpine Coaster at Kaprun Centre, we took the longer 3K K-onnection route.

Alpine Coaster Fun

It was about 5 pm when we arrived back at the Kaprun Centre. Fortunately, the Alpine Coaster was still in operation. We got tickets (which cost €15 per adult) from the ticketing counters at Kaprun Centre to ride the Alpine Coaster. Entrance to the Alpine Coaster was just across the road from the ticketing counter, behind a bar. The Alpine Coaster started from the ground level. We sat on the coaster and hoisted along the tracks to the starting point, about 300m higher than the starting point. With a loop at the top, we were driven down the slopes at 40km/h by gravity. The Alpine Coaster was a fun activity to end our day.