Vienna; Sunday, 26 January, 2020

Sadly, I got another poor nights sleep due to the paper thin walls of the room and another less than adequate shower and good breakfast later I was ready to check out of the hotel. I had intended on taking the opportunity of the receptionist on checkout asking if my stay had been good to let them know about my less than happy stay, but the receptionist was much more interested in making sure they took payment for my bar bill from my credit card and getting me out of the building to even want to ask how my stay was.

From the hotel I wandered through the Stadtpark over to the start point of the final tour that I hadn’t yet been on – the Blue Route, appropriately enough for the colour of the route it takes you out east towards the Danube and it’s multiple channels.

As I’d got out of the hotel early I was at the bus stop before the first bus of the morning had even arrived so I was once again able to bag the best seat on the bus and take in the good views on the tour. This route starts by heading south down the side of the Danube Canal before doubling back up the opposite bank and then heading over towards the Prater and Messe areas of the city. From there it crosses the Danube propper and stops off at the Danube Tower and Gardens before heading back into the city centre. From the Stadtpark stop I headed back round on a Red route bus to the Opera house and on to the Schottentor stop.

Here I was able to pick up the tram to head back out to Grinzing to have a bit more of a look round this pretty town and then to pick up the local bus – which I found ran every 4-6 minutes on a Sunday (that’s a lot better than every 90 minutes for the hop-on-hop-off bus) up to the summit of the Kahlenberg.

I had a good wander around the Kahlenberg area, including popping into the Polish church that sits at the top of the hill. This is the point where Polish forces rested the night before they helped defeat the Ottomans at the final battle for Vienna, and since then has been a point of Polish as well as Austrian interest.

After having a look around the church, and taking in the views afforded by less than 50m visibility over the city, I caught the bus back down to the end of the U-Bahn and down to Karlsplatz.

I stopped for a quick lunch near the Karlskirche before heading inside to have a look around this impressive church. The inside of which has been painstakingly restored over a number of years, including the amazing frescos that cover the inside of the dome. As part of the restoration there is a lift that takes you to a viewing platform just below the dome where you can take in just how impressive they painting, and restoration, is.

By the time I’d finished looking round the Karlskirche it was time to wander back to the hotel, grab my bags and start my journey back home.

Weather

Misty Misty
AM PM
Cold (-10-0C, 14-32F)
-1ºC/30ºF