Austria: Planning
- Molly Stillwell
- Aug 7, 2019
- 4 min read
A Dream & Some Smart Planning Can Take You Everywhere...
For me, every trip starts out as a distant dream fueled by hope.... and a good travel rewards credit card.
Seeing as this will be my 4th time visiting this beautiful country, I have been lucky enough to have this dream in particular come true a few times. The only problem now is, I have fallen in love (a crazy move halfway across the world for you kind of love) and I can never check this city off my travel list for good.
This time around, I'll be with family...something that makes this experience unique from previous visits and most certainly affects how I am planning this newest adventure.
My #1 Goal - Keep it Fun & Flexible
In my experience, the secret to having an enjoyable traveling experience is....
Do Not Over Book Yourself
Having too many plans leads to stressing about logistics, feeling rushed, and getting irritated.
Instead, I like to take the time to do all the research ahead of time and create a personal list (broken into categories like 'Food & Drink' 'Entertainment' and 'Free') of all the things available that I would want to do.
This leaves me free to choose something from that list....or whatever else may have happened to have come up (like that art party in an artists London flat you could never have dreamed of happening when planning this at home).
Of course, I book the most important things - like opera tickets, flights, or anything I know is a must do, no question about it, take my money...
Less really is more, especially when you're traveling to experience something beyond the world you left behind. As a wise man once said,
"If You Always Do What You've Always Done, You'll Always Get What You've Always Got"
-Henry Ford
So, why not use travel as a way to step out of those patterns and try on something new. If we plan every part of our experience abroad while we are at home, we can miss out on the most valuable things travel has to offer.
And, while I know this to be true, I still must consciously remind myself before planning for any new trip. It's a practice in challenging yourself so it can feel intimidating and...just wrong, but seriously leads to rewards that make you forget allllll about those difficulties.
(Draft) Itinerary
VIENNA
Day 1
-Nice breakfast
-Hop on hop off bus, explore the city
-Brunnenmarkt market & Soho area
-Get coffee and pastries at Cafe Central (Where Freud and many others have hung out!)
-Cake tasting tour through Airbnb!
Day 2
-Naschmarkt
Do Tour of market (10am-12)
Explore this area more
-TBD - Wine tasting? Museum?
Day 3
-Busker festival starts today, goes through 8th
-Tour of Schönbrunn Palace
-Dinner nearby
-Mozart concert here at 8pm
Day 4
-Harvest festival
-Explore the Opera area - shopping and pastries
-Dinner at Das Loft
on the Sofitel Hotel's 18th floor is a glass-walled restaurant and lounge with an amazing bird's eye view of Vienna. Floor-to-ceiling glass windows make it easy to see Vienna’s iconic St. Stephen's Cathedral, the Danube river, and the city skyline. At night the amazing 21,500-square-foot illuminated ceiling swirls like a piece of impressionist art.
-Opera, la Traviata at 7pm
Pack and get ready to leave on the train for Graz the next day
GRAZ
Day 5
-Travel to Graz, leave about 11am and arrive about 1:00pm
-Check into airbnb and head out to explore
-Graz Botanical Gardens (free)
-Graz Cathedral
-Visit The Murinsel bridge
In 2003 Graz was designated the European Capital of Culture, and as part of this honor, the Murinsel was designed and constructed.
The river Mur river runs centrally through Graz and to celebrate this the Murinsel was conjured up – suspended over the river by two bridge walkways, this marvelous glass panelled dome gives the impression of floating on the water. Inside is a café and seating area to enjoy views of the river, there is also a children’s play area.
Day 6
-Eggenberg Palace - see the planetary room and garden
-Kunsthaus Graz, modern art museum
The Kunsthaus Graz is just one institution within a larger system of museums called the Universalmuseum Joanneum. It’s made up of 17 museums in the region in total – and 10 of them are in Graz. The Joanneum 24-hour ticket costs just €13 for an adult (€5.50 for students) and the Joanneum 48-hour ticket is just €19 for an adult (€8 for students). To save time, you can buy it in advance here.
-Hofbackerei Edegger-Tax
A bakery from the 14th century that once had imperial appointment and is worth a visit these days because of its beautiful wooden facade.
-Explore Gries and Lend
Two adjoining districts that are considered to be the coolest in Graz these days
-Kaiser-Josef-Platz Market
This daily market is located in the square originally called Holzmarketplatzor (‘Wood Market Square’), but in the 19th century was renamed Kaiser-Josef-Platz after the Emperor who granted the Protestants religious freedom. All the food is organic and/or is traditionally Styrian. Look out for the local aromatic apples such as Kronprinz Rudolf, Schafnase, or Ilzer Rose, and wonderful unctuous pumpkin seed oil.
-Have drinks on the roof of Graz’s most famous department store Kastner and Ohler
With several floors of designer labels, homeware and cosmetics. Hidden away on the top floor is Café Freiburg – a cafe/restaurant with a huge roof terrace.
Pack and get ready for leaving for Venice, Italy tomorrow!
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