Vienna - August 2000

Vienna was a real bonus either end of a Hungarian holiday. It confirmed my view as one of the most beautiful and spectacular cities of Europe, substantially graffiti-free unlike London, Budapest and Prague.  I stayed three nights in two different youth hostels either end of the eastern travels and saw the boats, huge Hofburg and Schönbrunn palaces, Stephansplatz and the Stephansdom (St Stephen's Cathedral), the Wiener Oper (opera house) and the Kärntnerstrasse (plush shopping area) during five hours+ of walking spread over the time. 

Of course with my transport interest and two 24-hour area passes there were plenty of trams, metros, and trains also, including a first trip on the Wiener Lokalbahn.   The Hungarian-operated Russian hydrofoil TFB 'Vöcsök IV' took me in four very exciting hours from Vienna to Budapest via Bratislava, the return ticket was used on the comfortable morning EuroCity train 'Franz Liszt'.