Unexpected Turns: Weekend Trip to Vienna

What a giant fiasco of a trip this was! I mean none of my trips are exactly perfect and something always goes unexpected, but not usually to the extent of this one. It was fun regardless, but you’ll see what I mean once you continue reading!

Austria is a beautiful country I’ve been able to visit on a couple occasions and I thought it was high time I visited the capital! So I started on booking my trip to Vienna! A couple of my friends were also joining and so an Airbnb seemed like the smart way to go. As we are students, we looked for an affordable option that still had decent ratings. Once we found something following this criteria, we booked it: check!

Then we moved on to getting there. Our departure was for that coming weekend and so with it being such short notice trains and flights weren’t good options. FlixBus made the most sense financially and timewise and so we booked through them. Transportation also check! Now off towards a rainy weekend of “fun” events!

Day of travel:

We woke up on Thursday morning and met at the central bus station in Nuremberg. We were early, especially considering the bus was already announced as 15 minutes late. Normally that wouldn’t have been too bad, but it was cold. Luckily, chatting with each other helped pass the time.

Too caught up in conversation, we didn’t even notice when our bus pulled in, loaded passengers, and left. We only realized once it literally drove right past us. No joke, we missed it just from talking! How does that even happen?

Frantically, we chased after it for a moment before quickly changing course. We sprinted to the main train station, hoping to catch anything that might put us back on its route. Without thinking much, we hopped on a train to Munich. Probably not the smartest move in such a frantic situation. While on board, we started researching and discovered that the better choice would have been to wait in Nuremberg for the next FlixBus an hour later. But by then it was too late.

Not wanting to backtrack, we came up with a new plan: intercept the bus at its next stop. So, once we arrived in Munich, we jumped straight onto another train heading to the second stop on its route: Passau.

Side note: the Germany Ticket is amazing! For €59 a month, you can ride any regional train across the entire country, and as a student, it’s only €49. So in the end, taking all those trains didn’t really cost extra… it just ate up a lot of time!

Hours later, we finally made it to Passau. Since we had about an hour to spare, we decided to make the most of this unexpected stop. The small city was so charming, right on the Danube River.

Still, we were way too anxious about missing another bus, so we made sure to get to the stop early. When it ended up being 20 minutes late with no updates, the panic set in and we were convinced we’d somehow miss it again. But then it finally arrived, and the wave of relief was very real!

Arriving in Vienna:

We finally made it five hours later than planned. But hey, travel doesn’t always go smoothly. After such a long day, all we wanted was to get to our Airbnb, take a nice shower, and then start exploring the city.

Instead, we walked into a nightmare. The moment we opened the door, the smell hit us—rancid and suffocating. The place was humid, with puddles still left on the floor from a mop job that must have been hours old. Every mirror and window was fogged with condensation, and to top it off, mold covered the walls.

As if that wasn’t enough, one of the beds we were supposed to use wasn’t even functional. Its inner leg was broken, and it was literally caving in on itself.

The stench was unbearable. It felt toxic just standing there. We snapped photos and videos for proof, then got out of there as fast as we could.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen an Airbnb that bad in my life. Lesson learned, and one I already knew but clearly needed to relearn, is to never go for the absolute cheapest option. After I told my mom the whole story, she just shook her head and said, “Abby, I taught you better than that.” The shame I felt in that moment was real… mostly because she was completely right.

Even if you’re traveling with a group, trust your gut and don’t be afraid to speak up about concerns. At the end of the day, safety and comfort are always worth the extra money.

To make matters worse, the moment we left the Airbnb it started raining. We rushed to a nearby café, hoping to grab a coffee while figuring out our next move, but just our luck, it was closing as we walked up. And of course, it was the only one around.

Luckily, the rain eased into a light sprinkle, giving us time to search for other accommodations. After scrolling through countless websites (definitely not Airbnb this time), we finally found the Florum Hotel that looked promising. We booked it on the spot and headed straight there.

Since it was such a last minute reservation, we had to wait a while before the room was ready. But once we were finally handed the key, it was instant relief. It was clean, it didn’t smell toxic and the bed looked real comfy!

First Night:

A couple of showers and a bit of relaxing later, we were finally ready to head into the city! By this point we were starving after all those debacles and craving some authentic Austrian food. And yes, it was already dinner time thanks to all our delays.

We found a traditional spot called Schöne Perle and headed straight there. When my salad and schnitzel arrived, I couldn’t have been happier, it felt like a literal lifesaver. The food was delicious, my mood skyrocketed, and just like that, we were ready to start exploring Vienna.

Heading to the inner part of the city, it was buzzing with life! It was a little chilly but definitely manageable. After walking around all of the streets with shops everywhere, we were wanting to go to a bar. We headed back towards the water and stopped at a bar called Ron con soda that was having ladys night. The street it was on was full of other bars and restaurants and since the weather was nice, we sat outside. A cocktail was a nice way to end the crazy day!

Next Day:

The following morning, we woke up to rain! I got ready before the others, determined to make up a little of the lost time from yesterday, and headed out on a walk alone. I went to the Stadtpark and enjoyed the statues and pond inside. But the rain was starting to soak through my jeans, so I decided to get a coffee at a café that looked cute as I was walking by.

It’s called Elias Coffee Shop, and it’s right next to the park! The place had a super nice vibe with white tiles, a central service counter, and a slightly old school feel.

What really caught my attention, though, was their subscription program. €365 for a yearly pass or €50 monthly, which gets you a coffee of your choice every single day. Probably not the smartest deal for someone who travels as much as I do, but still, I thought it was such a neat idea.

Afterwards, I met up with my friends for breakfast at Parémi, a very fancy bakery right in the heart of Vienna. There were tons of tempting, sweet pastries, but I’m more of a savory breakfast person, so I went for a ham and cheese croissant with an Americano.

Americano is usually my go to, but they normally serve it already ready and mixed together. This time, though, they brought the espresso and water in two separate fancy glasses, and I had to mix it myself. Not a huge deal, but for some reason it felt really fancy. It also made me realize… that’s literally all an Americano is!

Afterwards, we headed to the Museums Quartier, where we admired the incredible architecture all around us, absolutely breathtaking. At Maria-Theresien-Platz, we saw the Art Art History Museum and the Natural History Museum, and just a little further, the Hofburg Palace. I definitely recommend visiting this area if you’re in Vienna. Even if, like us, you don’t go inside, the buildings alone are stunning!

Next, we hopped on a tram to the Belvedere Palace. Unfortunately, that’s when it started to absolutely pour. Only two of us had umbrellas for the four of us, and the wind was relentless. The walk up to the palace was long and couldn’t have been more chaotic. Our umbrellas kept flipping inside out every couple of minutes.

Once we finally made it to the top, we huddled under the palace’s tiny overhang to wait out the rain. And we weren’t the only ones with that idea!

As the rain let up to a drizzle, we decided to head back out. Time for Kaiserschmarrn, an absolute must when in Austria! It’s kind of like shredded pancakes, but so much tastier. We found a shop just for it and shared a couple of portions while warming up.

By then, the rain had nearly stopped, so we started hopping from place to place for a little thrifting. We visited about four different stores and had a blast trying on outfits. I think each of us found at least one gem to take home!

Afterwards, we headed back for a quick nap since we had plans to go out in the evening. One of the friends we were with is from Vienna and knew all the best spots.

Last Evening:

With our main goal for the night being a student bar called Loco Bar, we started looking for restaurants nearby. Not actually that close, by the way, but we ended up at Ying, a small but cozy Asian restaurant. I ordered a yellow curry, and it completely hit the spot, definitely filling and satisfying!

Then we made it to Loco Bar for some drinks and were surprised by how insanely cheap they were! They have a couple sets of happy hour deals. From 7–8 pm, drinks cost €2.40; from 8–9 pm, €3; and so on until ending at about €6 for the evening. Such good deals!

It was pretty empty when we arrived, but by midnight the place was packed. We ended up chatting with a table next to us who were locals, and it was really fun talking to them. Later, they invited us to join them at a club called Praterdome.

I’m not even kidding when I say this club is right in the middle of an amusement park called the Prater! Imagine walking through a Disney-like park after hours, completely empty, not having to pay an entrance fee, and then stumbling across a massive club in the middle of it. It was a little eerie walking through the dark, quiet park, but also so cool since it’s not something you usually experience!

The club itself was huge, with multiple dance floors spread throughout. We stayed for maybe an hour since we were pretty tired, but the night was an absolute blast!

Following morning:

The following morning we checked out and headed into the city center for some brunch. We went to Kaffee Alt Wien. I got eggs benedict and it hit the spot after a night out. They even gave us a couple easter chocolates upon arrival! We laughed so much just recalling all that had happened over the span of 2 days!

To wrap up our time in Vienna, there was one last staple we wanted to try: the Sachertorte. We took one final stroll through the inner city and found a café that served it, stopping for a slice and some coffee.

Honestly, if you’re ever in Vienna, you can probably skip this “must try.” It wasn’t good at all and we couldn’t even finish a single slice that we shared. We’d all been excited to try it throughout the trip, so for it to be so disappointing felt like the ultimate cherry on top of the whole trip!

What a whirlwind of a weekend! I don’t think I’ve ever had so many mishaps on a single trip, but they definitely made it memorable. Honestly, it reminded me how lucky I usually am that most of my travels go as smoothly as they do. Of course, there are always hiccups, but that’s just part of the adventure.

I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. It was so much fun to look back on everything that happened!

Highlights: