Vienna and Budapest

We had the opportunity to explore the cities of Vienna, Austria and Budapest, Hungary. We took an evening flight into Vienna and stay at a hotel located at the airport. ​The next morning we headed into Vienna or Wien. ​

We took the City Airport Train (CAT) into city center. It was a quick 16 min non stop train. From there we decided to get a 24 hr Vienna transportation pass where we could use all public transportation unlimited for 24 hrs, which came in handy. We arrived at our hotel around lunch but was unable to check in until 3, so we were able to leave our backpacks while we explored.  From there we started our adventure of Vienna using the Sbahn underground train and the Ubahn trams to get around. The weather was cold with a bit of rain and snow but it’s February so we dressed warmly.

Our first stop was Schonbrunn Palace. We took a few pictures of the palace and walked around the garden which we decided would be pretty in the summer.

From there we headed into the museum district where we saw the Opera House, Parliament and Rathaus. In front of the Parliament building they had a ice skating run which was part of the Vienna ice dream festival which reminded me of a Christmas market. They had a few food tents and of course we got some kasse spatzle one of my favorites!  

From there we headed to the Danube River and then to the Wiener Prater. According to their website it is a large public park which is also known as Wurstelprater which is the oldest amusement park the world. It was first metioned in 1162 documentation. It is open 24/7 and entrance is free with each ride charging their own amount. Since it was winter most of it was closed except for a few indoor rides. It was kinda creepy, reminding me of the movie Zombieland, except for the zombies of course. You could walk down the middle of it. The website says peak season is March-October.

From there it was time to check in so we headed back to our hotel. After resting a bit we headed back out to explore Vienna by night. Our first stop was St. Stephen Church and then headed to see the Ankeruhr Clock. Before heading back to our hotel we took another view of the Danube River. Since it was a nice night we figured we walk the 20 minutes back to hotel.

The next morning we got up early and headed to the Vienna's main train station or Hauptbahnhof. From there we caught our train to Budapest, Hungary. It was around 2.5 train ride. I enjoyed watching the country side passing by. Another country crossed off my list, I'm up to 14 European countries! We arrived at the Budapest Keleti train station and walked the few blocks to our hotel. We were able to check in so we dropped off our stuff.

After relaxing for bit in our room we first needed to get some money at an ATM. The Hungarian Currency is Forints. So 3500 Forints or FT was around $14 US.  The hardest part for me was overcoming the amount of zeros when a total come up. Then we head to the metro station which was right next to our hotel. We decided to get a 24 hr pass so we could ride unlimited. Our first stop was the Hungarian Parliament Building which is the seat of the National Assembly and a popular tourist attraction. It was a little chilly since it right by the river. We took some pictures and then enjoy the views across the Danube River. 

Next we saw the Shoes on the Danube Bank which is a memorial for those killed during WW2. Then we hopped on to tram 2 with according to National Geographic is the most scenic route in Budapest, it runs right along the river. We then got off at Vigado stop and saw the Concert Hall and the Little Princess statue. We walked down Vacci St which is a shopping street and then headed towards St. Stephens Basilica which is a Roman Catholic and honors the first king of Hungary.

We headed back to the hotel to warm up and wait for dark to set so we can see the city at night. Later that evening we took the train and bus to Matthias Church and Fisherman’s Bastion which offer wonderful views of the city. From them we wandered and saw the Buda Castle. As we were walking down the hill and across the Chain bridge it started to snow. An beautiful ending to a great day.

Our final day in Budapest permitted us a few more hours to explore before taking the train back into Vienna. We took advantage of late check out so  we didn’t have to carry our bags. It had snowed over night so everything was slushy and wet. We took two trains to see the Hero’s Square and Vajdahunyad Castle. It was petty to see the castle in snow, got some good pictures.

We left Budapest late afternoon and headed back into Vienna. We took the city airport train back to the airport where we would be spending the night. Our flight left late the next morning. Another great trip in the books.