Vienna; Thursday, 23 January, 2020

I’d stayed overnight at an airport hotel so was able to get a bit of lie-in before hopping on a bus down to the central bus station and walking over to Terminal 3 to checkin. I had a smooth journey through the airport and, possibly for the first time at a London Airport, headed to Gate 1 for departure.

The flight pushed back early and after clearing some initial bumpy clouds we were soon in a bright blue sky and heading across Europe. The clear skies didn’t let up and we landed into a very sunny Vienna airport. There was a bit of a wait for the luggage to come round, but it still meant I was on the train into the city centre before 3pm and at my hotel 30 minutes later.

After checking in and dropping my stuff off in my room I headed out into town. I caught the tram a couple of stops round the Ringstraße to the Rathaus, where a large ice-rink has been erected for the winter in the grounds. Accompanying the ice rink is a selection of kiosks selling food and drink so I was able to grab a sausage and a cola to fill in for the missing lunch.

From the Rathaus I wandered back down the Ringstraße to the Hofburg, the former Imperial palace of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. I spent quite a bit of time wandering through the different courtyards and buildings of the site.

I eventually found my way out onto the main shopping street of the city – Graben – and wandered the short distance down there to St Stephens Cathedral.

From the Cathedral I continued on wandering until I eventually made it over to the other side of the Ringstraße near the Stadtpark. From there I hopped on a tram back to the hotel where I was able to freshen up before heading back out a little late in search of dinner.

After dinner in a very nice restaurant in the city centre I headed back to the hotel to turn in.