Vienna & Innsbruck
WHO
Our family of four went on this trip in March 2024, when Averhy was 20 and Eden was 17 years old. The last time Sky and I visited Austria was in 1999, but this was our first time skiing in the Alps!
WHAT
For this trip, we used three Motherlode Backpacks and Sky’s “magic backpack” as our carry-on bags, as well as an oversized purse that Allyson used as a camera bag. This allowed us to bypass the long checked-luggage lines at airports. We used packing cubes to condense our bulky ski clothing, and wore our snow boots on the plane rather than packing them. We did not do laundry during this trip.
Remember to bring a power adapter for charging phones and other electronics.
WHEN
We took this trip over spring break in March 2024, and we booked our flights about 4 months earlier. The weather was a bit cooler in Vienna than we had expected, and the umbrellas we packed came in handy! The weather in Innsbruck was lovely and springlike, but up on the ski slopes there was still plenty of snow - Stubai Glacier is usually open for skiing until June!
WHERE
For this trip, we stayed at the Living Hotel an der Oper in Vienna, and an AirBnB in Innsbruck. We chose each one based on their location. The yellow stars on the map show the locations of the sites we visited in Vienna.
WHY
The main reason we traveled to Austria was to visit Averhy’s boyfriend who was spending the semester studying in Vienna. We also wanted to try skiing in the Alps (a bucket list item!) so we spent the second half of the week in the mountains.
HOW
Day 1: Rathausplatz & Votivekirche
We had a direct flight overnight from O’Hare to Vienna on Austrian Airlines. We arrived in Vienna at 8am and took the train into the city. After dropping off our bags at the hotel, we began exploring. We walked past Parliament to the Rathausplatz, where they were uncovering rose bushes and dismantling an outdoor ice skating area, to get ready for spring. Sky and Allyson remembered visiting the rose gardens in 1999 - they are huge and beautiful in the summertime! Nearby was Votivkirche. The intricate design of the roof and gothic spires were impressive. We met Averhy’s boyfriend for lunch at Cafe Central, then continued exploring the city in the rain.
Day 1: Palais Daun-Kinsky
Our next stop was Palais Daun-Kinsky, an 18th century palace that is now an auction house. The stairway and painted ceiling were so fancy!
Jet lag was catching up to us, so we went back to the hotel for a nap before a delicious dinner at GRND.
Day 2: St. Stephan’s Cathedral
We started the day by taking the metro from Karlsplatz to Stephansplatz, to have breakfast at Aida cafe and then see St. Stephan's Cathedral. It was beautiful but a bit crowded inside, so we decided not to climb the towers. We hopped back on the metro to go to Palmenhaus for a drink, and Schmetterlinghaus to see butterflies!
Day 2: Weltmuseum Wien
Our next stop was Weltmuseum Wien. We especially enjoyed the rooms filled with different types of knights’ armor. There was also a large display about musical instruments that were invented in Vienna. At the end, Eden found a section where we could play different types of instruments and see the mechanisms working!
Day 2: Ankeruhr Clock
We got back on the metro to Stephansplatz to find the Ankeruhr clock. We were there in time to see it change to 4:00 which included chimes! Next it was time for a snack: Wurstel - a cheese-stuffed sausage shoved into the middle of a baguette with ketchup and mustard. It hit the spot!
Day 2: Vienna State Opera House
After a tasty dinner at Restaurant Bier & Bierli, we quickly walked to the Vienna State Opera House for an evening of music. We got there just in time (latecomers are not admitted... whew!). Our seats were in the first row of the very top balcony, with screens in front of each chair to display the song lyrics... in German or Italian! The 2-hour performance by Vittorio Grigolo was just the right amount of opera. He was very entertaining, and the pianist played solos between the vocal pieces.
Day 3: Schonbrunn Palace
Today we took the train to Schonbrunn Palace for the morning. We took the 1-hour self-guided audio tour to see the great hall and residence rooms. So much gold, and so many chandeliers! After the palace tour, we went out to explore the grounds. They are HUGE and include gardens, fountains, and a zoo!
Day 3: St. Charles Church & Belvedere Palace
We took the train back to our hotel, then walked to St. Charles’ Church and a Soviet army memorial fountain. Then it was a walk of several blocks up a hill to reach Belvedere Palace, which is now an art museum. Inside, you can find “The Kiss” by Gustav Klimt, and outside there are statues that look like men punching horses!
Day 3: Austrian National Library State Hall
After Belvedere Palace, we hopped on the tram and rode back toward our next stop, the Austrian National Library State Hall. It was incredible! So many books on tall shelves, with each section labeled with Roman numerals. Definitely the most impressive library we’ve ever visited.
Day 3: Naschmarkt
We ended the afternoon by strolling through the Naschmarkt - a market with produce stands, restaurants, fishmongers, spiced nuts, baklava, and some touristy stuff. Eden bought a huge pomegranate and an orange. Dinner tonight was at Bauernbrau, with tasty local cuisine.
Day 4: Train to Innsbruck
This morning we said goodbye to Vienna and hopped on a high-speed train to Innsbruck. We got some pastries for the ride and enjoyed the changing landscape as the train sped across Austria, into Germany, and back into Austria - hitting 225km/hr! We arrived on time to Innsbruck, a picturesque city surrounded by the Alps.
Day 4: Innsbruck
After dropping our bags at the AirBnB, we got delicious pizza for lunch at Mamma Mia, then wandered the cute city streets. The views from the river bridge were lovely! Some interesting places were the Goldenes Dachl "Golden Roof" and the Dom St. Jakob with a beautiful interior and impressive pipe organ (but photos inside cost 1 Euro and we didn't have any cash!)
Day 4: Innsbruck - Nordkette
It was an easy walk to the Congress Station entrance where we got on the Nordkette - a funicular and cable car that took us all the way to the top of the mountains by the city. The stations had cool architecture, and the views were incredible! We should have worn our snow boots because it was icy up top.
Day 5: Stubai Glacier
Up early today because it's time to hit the slopes! Walked to our bus stop at 7:30am and got the last row of seats on the bus (4EUpp) for the scenic 1.5 hour ride to Stubai Glacier. The ski area is HUGE. There are two base station areas, one mid-mountain station, three upper-mountain stations, and then the summit!
Day 5: Stubai Glacier
We got our gear and headed to the top of Tyrol at 3,210m. We think we could see the Dolomites and Tres Cime from here! A beautiful day with challenging slopes. No green runs here - just blue/red/black. We did our best, slid on our butts, and Eden tweaked her knee... but the views were amazing! The lifts closed promptly at 4pm. Back in Innsbruck, dinner at Farina Pizza was a delicious way to end the day.
Day 6: Stubai Glacier
Our AirBnB host allowed us to do a late check-out at 8pm tonight, so we were able to enjoy another full day of skiing before packing to go home tomorrow! Today we ate lunch in the bustling cafeteria, and finished the day around 3:30pm. We returned our gear to Intersport rentals and were very impressed with the service - they gave us a refund for Eden’s equipment today since she didn’t ski!
Day 7: Travel home
After cleaning up and packing our bags, we stored them in a CityLocker while we got dinner and waited for our Night Train at 12:45am. The coachettes on the train were little stacked bunks that we could lock from the inside, with color-changing lights and lockers between. We all got some sleep during the 6-hour train ride, and the direct flight home was easy too!
Final Tips
Most places accept cards, but you will need some cash for the Stubai bus, Wurstel food trucks, and some bars/restaurants.
The Norkette tickets are cheaper after 3pm, and that’s still enough time to enjoy the views before the last ride down.
Wear good walking shoes! Both Vienna and Innsbruck felt more condensed than US cities, so it was easy to walk everywhere - but the public transportation was great too!
The OBB train ticket app is easy to use. If you purchase train tickets in advance, you can reserve seats, but people will often sit in any open seat when they get on the train. If you have a reserved seat, show your ticket politely and people will move.
What questions do you have? Let me know in the comments below!
