Two Days In Vienna, Austria: Our Summer Highlights

Spending two days in Vienna is the minimum you should spend in this capital city of Austria. From the beautiful city landscape, historical buildings, great food and an amazing atmosphere – a must see for all.

We had two words for Vienna on our first day, beautiful and busy! Travelling here by train from Innsbruck was a beautiful experience as we never saw so much lush green grass before! The train from Innsbruck took around 2 hours but that time was well spent researching museums and activities to do on trip advisor.

Two Days In Vienna

I normally take lots of photos but in this city the camera battery was running low sooner than expected. We immersed ourselves in the culture, like eating bratwurst with mustard in a roll on the main shopping street – delicious! We couldn’t sit down anywhere as the whole city buzzing with shoppers and all the locals were drinking coffee on café terraces. We squeezed some time in to do some shopping, but mostly focused on exploring more of the busy streets and open squares of the city.

Facts About Vienna

Here are some fun facts about Vienna to get us started:

• The Wiener Schnitzel and Apfelstrudel are one of the most ordered dishes by tourists when they visit
• The main language is German, with many speaking English as a second language
• Vienna is one of the smallest of the 9 provinces, but has the largest population
• The city had a high amount of damage during WW2, but these days still has the character from before the war.
• Vienna has the oldest Zoo called Tiergarten Schönbrunn, which was founded in 1752

Where To Stay In Vienna, Austria

We booked ourselves into the AllYouNeed Hotel-Vienna2 which was fine for a decent night’s sleep and a fresh well-assorted breakfast the following morning. It wasn’t luxury, but its good for what you need for a city trip. With regards to location and price, plus the free WIFI was good, so we could plan what to see in the following days.

As we only had 2 full days we were limited to what we wanted to do. We were rewarded with warm sunny weather and were able to spend both days out late exploring. One evening did bring some heavy rain and thunderstorms but luckily we had just made it back to the hotel.

Things To Do – Two Days In Vienna

Schönbrunn Palace

Some highlights of visiting Vienna firstly was the Schönbrunn Palace, with beautiful fountains and gardens that you could spend hours walking around in. The whole grounds were free to enter. There could have been more places to buy cold refreshments as the weather was reaching 40°C and most things were selling out to other tourists, but we were prepared and had some snacks and water with us.

The flower arrangements were done beautifully and most statues and water fountains were being restored so once it’s done it will be strikingly picturesque. I took hundreds of photos here so it was hard to choose the best one. A beautiful recommendation for all who visit Vienna.

The Technical Museum In Vienna

The Technical Museum in Vienna was very enjoyable to visit, as they had a wide range of scientific, communications and industrial artefacts which we found interesting. It was not very busy when we visited during lunch time hours so we managed to appreciate all the artefacts on show without having to rush or miss out on some parts of the museum. Not expensive to enter so check it out if you are there!

The Prater Amusement Park

The Prater Amusement Park is also a highlight. Like most amusement parks, they are expensive and full of flashing attractions trying to make you spend all your money to win a teddy bear. But I am positive to say that we had a really good night here. We spent a perfect clear night high above the park by first going in the famous ‘Riesenrad’ Ferris wheel, with views of seeing the whole city.

We managed to keep to our budget, but one ride (that was priced at €5 each!) which we just had to try was the ‘Prater Turm’. Leaving your shoes and bags below you are taken up slowly and half way up to the highest point of 117 meters you start swinging in circles until you reach the top, lasting for up to 3 minutes. It was a great experience so high up but I definitely admit it was a little scary swaying in little flimsy metal chairs, while you’re holding on as tight as possible. Not for those scared of heights!

Tiergarten Schönbrunn

This Vienna Zoo may surprise you as the oldest zoo that is still functioning successfully today, which was founded back in 1752. They have a beautiful collection of animals which are well cared for within the grounds. I never personally visited but hear its a delight to visit for those who enjoy.

Walk The Ringstrasse

This ringed road and walkway is part of the historic city centre. It is a lovely walk during the summer along the whole boulevard, passing iconic buildings and places of interest such as the National Library, Natural History Museum, Opera House and the Town Hall.

Summary Of Our Two Days In Vienna

Vienna was a beautiful city, and we can definitely recommend a trip to the city, as we would love to return in the future. The winter season can be just as pretty as summer, when the city is covered in snow and they have their famous Christmas markets. But summer is great for spending those long summer evenings outside.

It was good to have good warm weather and a variety of attractions and museums to keep us active. However we were definitely looked forward to getting back to the mountains in Innsbruck on our Austria itinerary. We left Vienna with the train and made it back to Innsbruck easily within 3 hours to check in at our new hotel with a swimming pool and sauna.

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