We enjoyed one of the most epic Christmas vacations! Given my husband’s family lives in Poland, we alternate where we spend Christmas each year. Last year was a Caribbean cruise with my family, this year was enjoying the magic of Vienna with my husband’s family. Since we were in Europe anyway, we then also took advantage of seeing our dear friends in Switzerland, but this post will focus on part 1 – Vienna.
Over the summer, we found a great deal on flights via SAS. This included a 7 hour layover in Copenhagen, which we certainly made the most of.
Downtown Copenhagen, and specifically Nyhavn, is only about a 25 minute ride from the airport. Our luggage was already checked through to Vienna, so we just had to take our carry-ons with us. I had forgotten that Denmark does not have Uber. However our cab driver was extremely friendly and gave us his number to call when we were ready to head back to the airport.
Though there was a small mist outside, it didn’t take away from my memory of how beautiful and coloful Nyhavn is. There were small Christmas stalls set up along the outer edge of the canal that we perused, keeping us awake.
A couple hours wandering in the mist coupled with a warm lunch, our eyes grew heavy. We made our way back to the airport and within a few more hours, we had landed in Vienna.
The next 5 nights were spent in this stunning city at the Andaz Vienna. The lobby was decorated for the season, and we slept hard that first night.
The hotel had prepared a very cute Christmas cookie decoration kit for our daughter as well – it came in handy in our preparation for Santa’s arrival.
The hotel is a 5 minute walk from the famous Belvedere Palace. The next morning, Christmas Eve, we ventured out to its Christmas Market. It was in full swing – people everywhere, and the delicious smells of sausages and gluhwein were in the air. Our daughter amazed us right away with her use of German by ordering her own stuffy from one of the stands.
One of our dearest friends from our time in Zurich now lives in Vienna. He met us at the markets and gave us a tour of the lesser known parts of the city.
The spirit of Christmas was everywhere to be found in the city. We attended an outdoor re-enactment of the nativity seen at our friend’s local church. While everything was in German, it was such a precious and lovely gathering of the local community.
That evening, we dined atop of Vienna at the Andaz’s rooftop bar. The accompanying drink menu was incredibly flavorful and the view was so lovely. We could see the illuminated Belvedere palace in the distance.
After our dinner, we explored the massive gingerbread house in more detail and took some additional photos on their staircase. The gingerbread house really was huge, and had so much detail included in it. Matilda definitely wanted to take a bite, and I don’t blame her!
Christmas morning soon arrived and Santa found us in Vienna. Matilda tore into her presents and after she was satisfied, we slowly made our way down to breakfast in our Christmas pajamas. We ate to our heart’s content. The plan for the day was to visit another palace and another Christmas market, but this time Schönbrunn instead of Belvedere.
I liked this Christmas market better – it was larger, included a ferris wheel, and had a stunning gigantic star at the entrance.
This palace and the grounds are stunning. One of Austria’s most famous royal couples are Franz I and his wife Sisi, whose face can be seen on my mug and all over the city. After our beverages and ride on the ferris wheel, we visited the children’s museum to warm up.
The museum was awesome. It was an extremely interactive way for kids to learn about the royal history of Austria. I also appreciated how Viennese history is very closely intertwined with Marie Antoinette and she is my favorite royal (besides Kate Middleton). She spent much of her youth at Schönbrunn palace.
We dined that evening at the hotel bar, enjoying standard American food (burgers and pasta) and got ready for the arrival of Tony’s family.
Vienna is a 6-7 hour drive from Krakow, Poland and we met my husband’s family back at the Belvedere Christmas market the next day. All the kids were happy to be together again, and thoroughly enjoyed indulging in hot chocolate (aka heiße Schokolade).
We wandered the palace grounds and enjoyed the gorgeous scenery. We then headed downtown and enjoyed a casual but delicious dinner at Schachtelwirt. It was quite an adventure to get there, though. We attempted to take the trams, and while they were quick, they were not clearly marked. I am so spoiled by the Swiss public transport, that I still can’t wrap my head around places that don’t run things in a similar manner.
Anyway, our casual dining experience meant the food all came in cardboard boxes, but it was DELICIOUS!! It tasted like someone’s grandmother was making everything by hand in the back. Their bottles of sparkling rose wine also had Queen Sisi’s face on them!
Since we were so close to the downtown, we wanted to explore and see all of the gorgeous Christmas lights. I was blown away by how stunning the decorations were. Huge chandeliers were hanging from in between the buildings over the walkways. Coupled with the already stunning historical architecture of the city, it was truly a magical experience.
December 27th is my husbands birthday, and all he wanted to do was take his family out to a steak dinner. I found a truly amazing place called Door No. 8 and they took such great care of us and our very large party. The food and service was to die for, and Tony’s close friend joined us as well. A fun part of the meal included selecting your own steak knife.
After a great visit in Vienna, it was time to say good-bye and be on our way to the next leg of our trip – Châtel, France. Vienna really was the perfect and most magical background for a phenomenal Christmas with my family. I would highly recommend it to anyone considering a European visit over the holidays.
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