While many visitors to Vienna enjoy a unique bird’s eye view of the city from atop its landmark 200m Giant Ferris Wheel, another unique vantage point can be had on two wheels along Vienna’s 1200km of cycle paths.

This ‘best of’ experience in the Austrian capital gives you access to Velo-city 2013. Held at the impressive city hall, this is the largest international conference on cycling, bringing together some 1000 participants ranging from planners and architects to social marketers, environmentalists and industry representatives. Highlighted themes this year include ‘cycling cities’ and ‘cycling benefits’, along with the newly introduced topic of ‘cycling cultures’.

What better way to toast Vienna’s rich cycling traditions than with a fine award-winning wine! Treat yourself to a spot of wine-tasting at Heuriger Wieninger, a traditional Viennese wine tavern, where your third-generation host Leo Wieninger will guide you through the tavern’s wine cellar and offer you a taste of authentic Viennese wine. And did you know that Vienna is only city in the world that boasts vineyards fully within its boundaries? We say a hearty ‘cheers’ to that!

Enjoy a dinner at Vestibül Restaurant, impressively set within Vienna’s ornate Burgtheater, serving fresh and innovative new twists on well-loved Austrian specialties. Follow with an overnight stay at the Boutiquehotel Stadthalle, the world’s first city hotel maintaining a zero energy balance. Your ‘best of’ experience concludes the next day with a guided cycling tour through Vienna, passing by some of the city’s most celebrated sights.

And this is just one of your choices…

Advent festivities and Christmas Markets on a seasonal trip to Salzburg

Christmas is a beautiful time of year for relaxing with loved ones, witnessing children’s faces light up and immersing in beautiful music and décor. But for many, it can be a stressful time, being busy with holiday preparations or, worse yet, left disappointed because their magical expectations of a joyous season fell below the mark.

If you have felt this way about Christmas in the past, a visit to the city of Salzburg can renew your joy in this enchanting time of year. For the entire Advent season, this city located in SalzburgerLand becomes alive and contagiously spreads the Christmas spirit to every visitor that enters its realm.

Music is a very important facet of Salzburg’s Advent season. The city is not only known as the birthplace of Mozart, but also of Joseph Mohr, a priest who composed the famous Christmas carol “Silent Night, Holy Night”. It was first sung on Christmas Eve in 1818 at a chapel in Oberndorf (just outside of Salzburg). Throughout the lead up to Christmas, the Silent Night Museum in Oberndorf offers pageants, lantern walks and a Christmas Eve memorial in honor of the carol.

Numerous captivating concerts take place right in Salzburg, generally beginning the first week of December or earlier. From the 200 singers on stage at the Great Festive Hall to Advent serenades and carol singing get togethers, there are plenty of musical celebrations to choose from throughout the festive city.

While exploring Salzburg, you’ll undoubtedly feel like a child on Christmas morning again as you take in the streets adorned with lights and the medieval and Baroque architecture of the Old Town, observe the snow-capped trees and roofs and breathe in the crisp, fresh air. Several visual art forms are showcased especially for the holiday season, such as numerous nativity displays and a special Christmas exhibit at the Cathedral Museum. You might even be startled by the mystical Krampus and Perchten roaming the streets or surrounding hills. Krampus refers to the wild costumed characters that punish bad children and accompany St. Nicholas who rewards the well-behaved children. Perchten are frightening creatures and come out on St. Nicholas eve, Winter Solstice and Epiphany to try and scare winter away.

But one of the true highlights of the Advent season are the Christmas Markets in Salzburg. The Christkindlmarkt tradition dates back more than 500 years. Salzburg’s first Christmas Market was set up in the Cathedral Square (also known as “Domplatz”) and is the city’s most popular yuletide bazaar. Named the Salzburg Christmas Market, it generally opens at the end of November. Visitors are tempted by the alluring aromas of Glühwein or roasted chestnuts and the sound of choirs, church bells and brass ensembles. The wooden stalls offer a selection of Christmas treats and gifts, from traditional baked goods like “Lebkuchen” (the German term for gingerbread) to handcrafted items.

However, this is not the only Christmas Market in Salzburg. There are numerous others that take place during or for the entire season of Advent. For example, the Advent Magic market at Hellbrun Palace allows visitors to wander the romantically lit courtyard and feast their eyes on a gigantic advent calendar. Children adore attending this market where they get to meet reindeer and other animals face to face.

Another market situated within royal splendour is the Mirabell Square Market situated in front of the palace by the same name. With Christmas performances three or four times a week, patrons will marvel at the sheer variety of items the stalls offer. From jewellery, wool products and fragrant oils to chocolates, liqueurs, nativity carvings and toys, Mirabell Market seems to have it all. Whether you prefer seasonal music, vibrant decorations or holiday magic that stimulates all of the senses, you are sure to experience a Storybook Christmas in Austria’s Salzburg.

For more information on SalzburgerLand and walking holidays in Austria (including winter walking ideas), visit: TouchingNature.co.uk

Guest blogger Emsal Leo wants to know what all the fuss is about over Viennese coffee, so heads to the Austrian capital for the World Barista Championship 2012.

“Full bodied, bright, with a grapefruity finish” is my verdict for what could be my 6^th coffee of the day. In front of me is an assortment of brewing equipment. The barista describes the method of brewing and the beans she’s using as she pours another sample, this time from the central highlands of Kenya, for me to taste.  Around me, music is pumping. A cheer goes up from the crowd in the seats to my left, as they watch a contender vie for the title of World Barista Champion 2012. A chocolatey aroma from the coffee roasting competition tickles my nostrils. Another cheer goes up from further down the hall, where contestants are competing in the Coffee Tasting Championship.

We’re at an exhibition hosted by the Speciality Coffee Association of Europe, which aims to bring the coffee community, including farmers, roasters, brewers and drinkers, together. This year the event is being held in Vienna, a fitting city for it. This is where the first western coffee house is alleged to have opened a few hundred years ago, after a defeated Ottoman army left sacks of unroasted beans behind as they fled following the Battle of Vienna. From this unassuming beginning, grew what is now an integral part of Viennese culture.

As the exhibition closes for the day, we take the metro into the city centre, emerging at Stephensplatz. “Tickets for tonight’s opera?” says a man dressed as Mozart. A pair of grey horses trot past, pulling a traditional open carriage. In the shadow of St. Stephen’s Cathedral, two couples in evening dress stand at a bar table sipping champagne.

We stroll along Kärntner Strasse to the Vienna State Opera House. In the square outside, people are gathering for the evening’s performance. From bow tie to backpack, everyone is welcome. In the foyer we squeeze past the queue for pre-booked tickets and head for the cloak room, at the back of the Opera House. In contrast to the opulent foyer with its sparkling chandelier, thick carpets and heavy drapes, this room is purely functional. Just a long white marble counter to serve the audience and a discreet kiosk in the corner selling last minute, standing room only tickets.

For €3 per person we are expecting severely restricted viewing, however, from our vertiginous position we can see most of the stage, the orchestra pit and nearly all of the audience. The buzz of conversation and the cacophony of instruments being tuned rises up to us. There are no empty seats, and only a few spaces left in the standing room section. A hush descends as the opening notes of Puccini’s Tosca sound and the curtain rises. For two hours we are captivated by a mesmerising performance, and as the curtain falls, the audience rise to their feet, thunderous applause filling the auditorium.

We make our way down flights of marble steps back to the square. As we walk to our hotel, uplifted by the evening’s entertainment, an assortment of cakes catches our eyes and we are drawn into the café. This is Vienna after all, and there’s always time for one more coffee.

by Emsal Leo

If you have already watched our video Matt Carroll’s Hidden Treasures: Episode 2 – Graz, Innsbruck, Salzburg
you probably know that Matt’s favourte city is Salzburg.

But also Heather seemed to have enjoyed her stay there. She visited the city in April with her family. You will find her stories on her blog.

ANTO MJ

More things to see in Salzburg
Riding the Unicorns in the Mirabell Gardens
Podcast from Salzburg and Lake Wolfgang in Austria
Cars, Planes and Smart Food at Hangar 7 in Austria

For food, history and culture, you can’t beat the Austrian cities of Graz, Innsbruck and Salzburg. In our video Matt meets ‘slow food’ pioneer Andi in Graz, who takes him shopping; in Salzburg he soaks up some culture at a classical concert; and in Innsbruck a local guide walks him through the ancient streets.

Here is Matt Carroll’s Hidden Treasures: Episode 2 – Graz, Innsbruck, Salzburg 

ANTO_MJ

That is our view, but to get an objective / non-Austrian view we also asked Andy Jarosz – www.501places.com - to visit the cities for us. Here are some of is highlights in Graz.

“I didn’t know what to expect from Graz. Although it is Austria’s second city in terms of size, it is very much overshadowed in terms of tourism by both Vienna and Salzburg, not to mention the winter sports resorts to the west of the country. Yet in a little under 24 hours in this pleasant city I found plenty to attract a visitor to Graz, the 900 year old capital of the southern province of Styria. Here are just a few of my highlights of a city that is blessed with many sites of historical interest.

 Schlossberg
High on the hill overlooking Graz is Schlossberg, the city’s dominant fortress. Its clock tower is visible from almost anywhere in Graz, while the collection of buildings and monuments tell a story of the battles fought and the many heroic defences of this strategically important part of Europe. One of the highlights of the Schlossberg is a look inside the Kasematten, once a building that housed hundreds of prisoners within its walls and now a large concert venue.

You can reach the Schlossberg in three ways: using the funicular railway, by means of a spectacular glass lift that ascends through a gaping hole in the rock, or on foot via the 260 steps that wind their way up the hill.

 Styrian armoury
I’m not normally a fan of visiting armouries and seeing a collection of suits of armour and rifles, but this one is quite different. Rather than having one example of a particular weapon or piece of armour here they have displayed every artefact that has been found. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of pikes, daggers, guns, armour plates. It looks more like a warehouse than a museum and there is enough material here to fully equip a re-enactment of a major battle. 

 Kunsthaus Graz
The museum of modern art is full of the quirky and weird exhibits that you would expect, but the real star of the show is the building itself. Something akin to a lumpy blue submarine, this bold structure comes to life at night when the LEDs on its surface create a mesmerising pulsing effect.

 Murinsel
 An eye-catching sight whichever way you look at it, this artificial island on the river was created as part of the city’s celebration of being the European Capital of Culture 2003 and has never been removed. Now home to a pleasant café Murinsel is likely to remain a permanent fixture on the river Mur. It looks most striking at night when it is bathed in blue light. 

 Glockenspiel
It is not uncommon to find an animated clock in Austria and the one in Graz is indeed a fine specimen. With the first performance of the day at a very civilised 11am and a fine café directly underneath, it is the perfect excuse to sit back with a slice of cake and a coffee and watch the 5 minute show.

 Double spiral staircase
A description can’t really do this justice, but it is well worth a look to see this masterpiece of Gothic architecture. It is also probably one of the most difficult things I’ve ever found to photograph.

 Eggenberg Castle 

A 40 minute walk, or 10 minute tram ride out of the city is Eggenberg Castle, a grand 17^th century palace commissioned by Prince Hans Ulrich von Eggenberg. The house is built around the concept of the universe: four towers representing the seasons, 12 gates for the months and 365 windows for the days of the year. The grounds are very attractive and if you arrive early in the morning the only noises to break the silence are the cries of the preening peacocks within the park.

More on Andy’s experience in Austria you will find here.