I’ve become acquainted with the Abraham Hostel chain slightly over a year ago, at a blogger convention in Jerusalem. They held a bar crawl, originating at their hostel, and I was already excited about them. I then found out they had a hostel right next to my house in Tel Aviv, which hosts many events and has working room for people who want to bring their laptop and work from there.
From that time on I got to spend a lot of time at the hostel, either working on my laptop or attending an event or a lecture, such as a Facebook marketing class I took or a blogger panel they hosted.
Since Abraham Hostel offer something I haven’t seen anywhere else in Israel and at very reasonable prices, I thought it would be great to stay with them and write about the experience and honestly – Roman and I enjoyed ourselves a lot. Despite being only a few minutes away from home, we felt like we were on a little vacation abroad and it was simply wonderful.
At the entrance to the hostel is a little yard with places to sit, then upon entering you come across a reception desk, a tour desk (Guests of the hostel get a 10% discount on the tours offered by the hostel) and a few sitting spots. There is also a board listing the week’s upcoming events hosted there.
The hostel’s room
We arrived at the Hostel on Friday, at around 14:00 and our room was already waiting. We got a nice private room. Like every hostel, the room is quite basic, it has a bed, table and chair, clothes rack and bathroom with a shower and a toilet. However, the room is only a small part of what you might find at the Abraham Hostel.
Hostel’s areas
Our room was on the 3rd floor, on which there is also a television room and a lovely balcony where you can sit and enjoy the breeze. You can buy a beer at the bar (on the 1st floor) and bring it along with you to the balcony, and just enjoy the atmosphere.
On the 1st floor is a massive area with seats, a kitchen and bar. At the kitchen you can make and refrigerate food, as well as make coffee and tea. The bar offers food and drink, and guests of the hostel get a 10% discount on them as well.
We sat down there to work.
The bar opens at 16:00 and starting at 17:00 there is food available as well, but on the day we were there food wasn’t served because of preparations for a show about to take place. So Roman ate at a Shawarma place (Map) close to the hostel and I took a coffee and sandwich from the Piece of cake café, in front of the hostel (Map).
Shabbat dinner
We signed up for Friday dinner at the reception (Which costs 50 NIS for hostel guests, or 70 NIS otherwise). Afterwards we sat on the balcony with a beer and at 19:30 came down to the 1st floor for dinner. There are long tables and actually almost all were full.
One of the employees explained what the Sabbath dinner is all about and what the dinner ceremony is. We lit candles, Did Kiddush and blessed upon a Challah bread. Then you may go to the buffet and get food. There was a nice variety of dishes and honestly, I was very pleased.
The food was tasty, low on fat and accommodated both those who wanted meat and vegans/vegetarians.
There was cauliflower in tahini, oven baked yams, pasta, lentils, beet, salad, squash and chickpeas, as well as a station with chicken and potatoes. Everyone got a glass of wine for the kiddush and there was Challah and tahini set on the table. At dinner we met guys from Canada, Germany and India and had a very nice time. At the end of the meal, everyone is supposed to wash the dishes they’ve used. A thing I liked seeing was that the buffet food leftover after the meal was done was offered to hostel guests for free.
Concert at the hostel
Later, there was a performance by the band Quarter to Africa, and it turns out hostel guests could attend for free. So, we popped in for a bit – The show was really excellent and many people came to watch.
Breakfast
In the morning we went to breakfast (Served between 6:30 and 10:00). Breakfast is a buffet, and is quite basic but sufficient in my opinion. There is a variety of spreads, salad, hard-bioled eggs, olives, challah and a coffee maker for cappuccinos.
At 12:00 we checked-out, but stayed at the hostel to work.
A bike tour
At 14:45 we went to the tour desk to fill out papers for the bike tour we signed-up for in advance (Link for booking tours through the hostel). We were a group of ten, not counting the guide – Amir. The tour was light and very interesting. I felt like a tourist in my own city, which was a lot of fun. Read more about our experience on the bike tour.
We came back from the tour in the evening, and that was the end of our cool weekend in Tel Aviv. I’m really glad we got to stay at Abraham Hostel, since I think they make Israel more accessible in terms of price, as well as an authentic experience for both locals and tourists. It’s apparent that they put a lot of thought and effort in the kinds of tours, classes and performances they offer.
Those who come to stay at the hostel should know it isn’t a hotel. The rooms are basic and have no television, for example. After eating, you’re expected to wash your own dishes and the guests at the hostel are quite varied. It’s a mix of tourists and locals, youths and adults, families and couples. It has some of everything and its part of what makes the experience all the more magical.
More details about Abraham Hostel
The hostel is in Tel Aviv, on Levontin street, which is a 2-minute walk from Rothchild avenue (An avenue full of restaurants, bars and cafés). A 10-minute walk away you’ll find Levinsky market – a less crowded market than the Carmel market, but one where you can find fruit and vegetable shops, spices, nut shops and more (Map) and the Florentin neighbourhood (A cool, hipster area with a lively atmosphere and many cafés, restaurants and bars). A 25-minute walk away you can reach Jaffa (Map) and the beach.
There are buses and shared taxis near the hostel (Map), the advantage to shared taxis is that they work on Fridays and Saturdays, and at every hour of the day. Line 5 passes a part of Allenby, Rothschild, Dizengoff and continues to north Tel Aviv). Line 4 covers the entire Allenby street (At the end of which you may get off, before reaching the sea), continues along Ben Yehuda street and arrives at the Tel Aviv harbour. You can catch the taxis by waving your hand anywhere along their route.
Good places to visit while staying at Abraham Hostel
Kuli Alma Dance bar, Albi café (A hipster café, well suited for vegans), Tenat (A great vegan Ethiopian restaurant), Taqueria (Modern Mexican restaurant), Benedict (A restaurant specializing in decadent breakfasts, as well as lighter ones, open 24/7), and a bit further away you can find Hamiznon (Luxurious street food by the chef Eyal Shani).
Roman and I like bike tours a lot (Which you surely know if you’ve had the chance to follow our other trips), and despite going on bike tours in many places around the world – We’ve never done one in the city we live in (Tel Aviv).
We decided to change this by taking a bike tour through Abraham Hostel (A chain of hostels in Israel, with hostels in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Nazareth, which also offers many types of tours). Link to book a tour through Abraham Tours.
Bike tour in Tel Aviv
Tour route
The tour left the hostel in Tel Aviv at 15:00 (In the summer season).
We were a group of 10 people and the guide. First, we received the bikes (And helmets for those who wanted them) and had a short introduction of names and where everyone was from. Our group had guys from Canada, Australia, Brazil, the Netherlands and the United States, while Me, Roman and the guide, Amir, were from Israel (Tel Aviv).
Amir explained that the tour will be 3 hours long and most of it will be on a bike track. He said we’ll stop from time to time, at which point he’ll tell us more of the place we’re at. Since Tel Aviv doesn’t have much history (Has only existed for 100 years), he’ll talk a bit less about history and more about the current situation and local culture.
We started the tour riding on Rothschild Avenue, from there we rode on to Habima Theatre, Chen Avenue and Rabin Square.
In each area we stopped, and Amir told us of the place’s history and current situation.
At Rabin Square Amir explained, in a very fine way I thought, Israel’s political situation.
We then continued on Ben Gurion Avenue and took a 15-minute coffee break, during which we talked amongst the group.
I really like the Ben Gurion Avenue area and it was nice to have freshen up with some coffee and chit chat. After the break, we kept riding along the promenade towards north Tel Aviv (We didn’t reach the harbour, since it’s very crowded on Saturdays).
Afterwards, we rode back south, our last visit being to the Neve Tzedek neighbourhood, before getting back to the hostel.
Things we liked about the tour
As a local who’s lived in Tel Aviv for many years, I felt that Amir guided the tour wonderfully and that his explanations regarding Tel Aviv were both interesting and entertaining. He incorporated a lot of information about recent affairs and what it’s like to live in Tel Aviv. He explained the political situation in Israel, without taking a stance and just helped the guys in the group get in touch with Tel Aviv without forcing a certain opinion.
The tour was light and fun and I honestly hadn’t previously known much of what Amir told us. He gave us many recommendations for places to visit, as well. Furthermore, the places we visited included most of the central locations worth visiting in Tel Aviv.
Another thing I liked about the tour is that Abraham Hostel allows those who take the tour to keep the bike for the rest of the day, only returning them by 20:30.
Remarks about the tour
*The tour is 3 hours long
*There is a 15-minute break about half way through
*Tel Aviv is quite a planar city, hence riding in it doesn’t require much effort and the tour could suit people not used to riding a bike for long periods
*It’s recommended to bring sunscreen and a hat. The tour is from 15:00 to 18:00, and at the end of May it was hot and moist (As it is for most of the year)
*You should arrive 15 minutes early, in order to sign some forms and receive the equipment
*It’s recommended to sign-up for the tour at least a day in advance, as it’s limited to a certain number of participants and you may not have a spot available.
*Highly recommended tour for those wanting to learn about Tel Aviv through the eyes of a local
*The tour was in collaboration with Abraham Hostel
Before traveling to Poznan, I looked up cool tours I could go on. It wasn’t an easy task, since it turns out Poznan doesn’t offer very many tours, but then I came across City Event Poznan, who offer group food tours and soon beer tastings, as well.
The company left a good impression, so I mailed them to see if I could take the tour alone.
The owner, Piotr, answered my mail and said he’d be happy to offer me a custom tour when I arrive, and gave me recommendations regarding sleeping arrangements, too. We scheduled the tour to 16:00 and met at the center of the old town.
The beer tour
We went to the first bar-restaurant and sat by a large table. Piotr pulled out all sorts of accessories from the days of the nobility, when they used to drink hot beer for breakfast, to set the right atmosphere. And that’s how we started the tour, with hot beer. At first we got small cups of egg yolk and a glass of sugar. Piotr guided me and told me to pour the eggs and sugar into my beer glass and stir well. At one point, we were served a pitcher of hot beer and had to pour it slowly into the glass while stirring. It’s hard to say if I liked the beer or not. It was definitely different from all the other beers I’ve tried. You can’t find this beer on menus at bars or restaurants, they made it especially for us, since Piotr works with them on his tours.
We were then served many traditional and modern polish dishes.
There were goose filled dumplings, duck hamburger and a potato dish and polish mazettes. These dishes are served on the company’s food tours. In addition, we were served traditional polish beer which was relatively bitter, but with an interesting flavour.
The food was delicious and honestly, between it and the beer, I was full quite quickly.
After the food and beers, Piotr quizzed me about beers a little bit and I’d be lying if I said I did well 🙂 At that point, we continued to the next bar, where Piotr let me try two really strange polish beers. One was tasty, and I’d be glad to have it again while the other… Let’s just say I won’t be having it again, and not because of it’s taste, but rather because of what it’s made of. I won’t go into detail about the beers themselves, so you can be surprised at the tastings.
Pudding Beer
We then went to the Pastela restaurant to try some beer pudding. It’s not part of the beer tour or the tastings, but Piotr wanted me to try it, because it’s really cool. You can visit this restaurant on your own and ask for this dessert, and they’ll make it especially for you. The lovely chef got all the ingredients and a portable hot plate, so I can film while he makes the dessert for me. The beer is cherry beer, and at first you can’t even tell the pudding is made of beer, only towards the end do you notice a sudden bit of bitterness from the beer itself.
I highly recommend trying this when visiting Poznan.
Notes about the tour
During the tour, Piotr told me a lot about Poznan, about it’s history and its beers. He has extensive knowledge, and he’s really nice and funny as well. He founded the company with his wife and they are both certified guides. What I really liked about the tour is that I got to try special polish beers I probably never would have found otherwise, especially because Poland doesn’t produce many local beers and the ones Piotr chose for the tour were really authentic and weird.
The food tour you may book for a small group or a family, and there’s also a festival-food tour meant for larger groups. Soon they’ll add beer tastings, which will be a get together at a set time and day, which anyone will be able to join and try 3-4 different beers at one place.
If you’d like to have a tour more like the one I had, mail Piotr and I’m sure he’ll be able to arrange something more your style.
I’ve been told long ago that Vienna, and Austria in general, are a highly recommended destination. When I saw relatively cheap plane tickets going there, I decided that’s the next stop for our trip. From the research I’ve done prior to the trip, I discovered that Vienna is a city with rich history, interesting architecture, beautiful palaces offering many fascinating tours, lots of wine and a culture rich with music and art. I can now say everything turned out to be true and exceeded expectations. We visited for a week, but I narrowed it down to a 6-day itinerary for you. During our trip, we took two full-day trips outside of Vienna.
One tour is a bike tour in the Wachau region, while the other is to further away places – Admont and Hallsttat.
Tips before traveling to Vienna
Flight to Vienna
Our flight (TLV to VIE) cost 250 dollars each, but there are also low-cost flights with Wizzair for lower prices. Your best bet is looking for flgiths on a search engine which compares prices amongst all companies, such as skyscanner.com.
SIM card
I personally recommend using an ESIM, which is an electronic SIM, and recommend Airalo. I was very satisfied with their user experience (simple tutorial videos for operating the SIM card) and everything worked without any special problems. I wrote more about them in an extended post on the subject of taking a SIM card abroad and also about other options such as buying a local SIM card.
Blog followers have a 15% discount code for the Airalo company to purchase an ESIM – to redeem the discount, click on this link. The discount code is already included in the link. See it at checkout.
The biggest drawback at the moment is that some devices do not support an electronic SIM. How can you know if your device supports the electronic card? Very simple: go to this link and you can see. Link to which devices support ESIM.
If your device doesn’t support ESIM or if you prefer a local SIM, we discovered the store A1 (store branches) offers the cheapest sim cards. A card only cost 10 euros per person, compared to 20 euros in other places. The sim card worked wonderfully for us during our week there.
Public transport
From the airport we took a cab using the Uber app to the city center, costing us 30 euros. During our stay we used light trains, busses and the metro as our main means of transportation. Vienna’s lovely tourism office supports bloggers who visit the city, and were generous enough to give us 4 city cards (For both of us, for 6 days).
A city card allows for three days of public transportation, and also includes discounts for museums and different attractions. The card itself is very recommended, as it costs 10 euros a day and allows unlimited use of public transport, as well as all sorts of discounts. For example, when we visited the labyrinth in the Schonbrunn palace and the Freud museum, we were given a small discount with the card.
Car rental in Vienna
I think this is the most convenient and fun way to travel. Car prices are low and the roads are easy to drive.
You can search for a car in the search engine Papam Papam. Personally, I really like to search through them because they save me time (instead of going to several websites) and they also have the option of filtering out non-recommended rental companies.
Attractions in Vienna
You can get ideas for other cool things you can do on the various attraction sites and even order through them (sometimes at a discounted price). The first attractions site is tiqets the second is Get your guide and Viator.
Where to stay in Vienna
We started the trip in an Airbnb apartment, then stayed three nights at the boutique Harmonie hotel, which had a modern design and a great organic breakfast. It’s located in a central but less touristic area (Post about Harmonie) . Then, we moved into the charming Beethoven Hotel, with a classic vintage design, a concert on Sundays, a good breakfast and a central location by the local food market (Post about Beethoven). We chose to stay at several places in order to experience different areas of Vienna.
You can search for places to stay in Vienna via Booking.
Vienna trip itinerary
Day 1 – City tour and shopping
Light pretzel breakfast at the Bitzinger stall (Map) at Albertinaplatz.
Free city tour (Tip based)
The tour starts at Albertinaplatz, in front of the tourist information, at 11:00 every day. We took the tour through Prime Tours. It lasted roughly two hours, during which we passed Vienna’s main sites and the guide told us the history and stories behind each one, and about Vienna as a whole. We like taking these tours at every destination we travel to, since they help to view the city and learn about it. This tour wasn’t as good as the ones we’ve been on in other cities (The guide wasn’t interesting enough in my opinion), but it was informative and taught me about Vienna. There are many companies offering free tours.
Lunch
Modern local meal at Café Depot restaurant (Map)
A really nice restaurant with a yard you can eat in. They have a changing daily local dish and a menu with options of local food, fish and vegan dishes. Roman ordered the daily special, which was chicken broth and a Viennese dish with cheese. I ordered a vegan dish of curry vegetables, which was particularly good.
After lunch
Shopping
We don’t usually shop during travels, but this time we brought a large suitcase – so we decided to do some shopping for the summer. We went to the main, and largest branch of C&A (Map), which is a clothing and accessories company known for good prices and value.
We found ourselves filling bag after bag ? and were really pleased with the store.
Address: Mariahilfer Str. 96, 1070 Wien, Austria
Not only was C&A a great store, the whole Mariahilfer avenue is a great place to shop, where you can spend hours between stores.
Dinner
By the Harmonie hotel is the 1090 restaurant. It’s a bar restaurant with good food and atmosphere. We sat inside (Outside was a bit chilly). I ordered a chicken breast sandwich with avocado and Roman had hamburger. I must admit it was one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had. I really enjoyed the seasoning, the bun and the mixture of ingredients.
Inside the restaurant is also a bar area (It’s closed off and smoking is allowed in it).
Day 2 – Bike tour in the Wachau valley
Breakfast
We had coffee with a pastry at the train station before our ride to Wachau.
Bike tour among vineyards in the Wachau valley from 08:00 to 19:00
The tour was in a beautiful, pastoralic area with great wines – about an hour away from Vienna by train. We took the tour through Pedal Power company. We rode between cartoonish villages and towns, stopped in two vineyards for wine tastings, had a good local lunch, stopped for an apricot schnapps break (A highly intoxicating, 40% alcohol schnapps, unlike what I’m used to from back home :))
on the beach. Overall, we pedaled 25 km and were constantly blown away by the incredible view. The entire ride is on calm bike trails, with hardly any cars around.
The Wachau area is also known for apricot beverages and really good wines, so it was a good alcoholic experience. We were six people on the tour, Roman and I, a couple from California, a guy from Japan and the guide. Anyone who loves wine, bike riding and breathtaking views will love this tour ?
Read more about our experience on the bike tour.
Dinner
We had a light meal at the train station when we got back
Day 3 – Polaroid cameras tour and Giant wheel
Breakfast at the Harmonie hotel
Polaroid cameras tour – 09:30 – 12:30
I’ve never had the chance to take photos with a Polaroid camera before and when I suddenly came across this tour in Vienna – I decided it as something we had to try. There was a choice between a regular tour of Vienna’s famous sites or an urban tour.
We chose the urban tour, which sounded more unique. We were the only ones on tour that day, so we enjoyed a private tour with our guide, Nora. Nora is a professional photographer, which added a lot to the tour, as she constantly gave us tips regarding special angles or things we could photograph using the camera which we hadn’t necessarily considered before.
Read more about our experience on the polaroid cameras tour.
Lunch
Viennese schnitzel. Of course, if you’re in Vienna, you have to try the flag dish – the Viennese schnitzel. Personally, I don’t favor deep fried dishes, but decided this was worth a try. We tried the schnitzel in two establishments considered the best according to reviews by locals and tourists. One was Figlmüller and the other was Schnitzelwir.
At Figlmüller it was slightly too expensive, in my opinion, and wasn’t that good. At Schnitzelwir it was slightly cheaper and a little bit tastier, but I still wasn’t blown away by it. However, the dishs is really big and can easily be split between two people. Both places were full of customers, and if you feel like trying a schnitzel they might be the places to do so.
After lunch – a walk in the park and the giant Ferris wheel
Strolling in Prater park. It’s a pretty park you can have a walk in and just rest and it also has a large amusement park. It has a giant Ferris wheel with large passenger cars in which, for a symbolic payment, you can view Vienna from above and take pictures – but those looking for something special can rent a private booth with coffee and cake, or cocktails or a large meal. We got the private booth for half an hour with coffee and cake, so we can share the experience with our readers. Read more about our experience at the Ferris wheel.
Dinner
Indian restaurant
We like Indian food a lot and jump on every opportunity to eat at an Indian restaurant.
We went to Tulsi Indian Cuisine restaurant (Map) and ordered two dishes of Tully (Which include several dishes and rice). One was vegan and the other had meat. The food was extremely tasty and did not disappoint. The meal was very filling, and we enjoyed it a lot.
If the owner approaches you after the meal and asks how the food was, and you want to try the schnapps they make – know it isn’t free. We naively thought he was very generous and was offering it on the house and asked for a glass each. When we got the bill, we found out it wasn’t.
Day 4 – Sightseeing
Breakfast at the Harmonie hotel
Move to the Beethoven hotel
Visit to stunning Viennese sites
Beyond the tours and attractions we went to, we also walked around the city a lot and I have to say Vienna has many amazing sites, and is very impressive at night.
Schonbrunn palace (Map) cool maze, a zoo (both have an entry cost) and a beautiful vantage point over the gardens, palace and city.
Visit to the Belvedere palace
The Belvedere palace (Map) was simply hypnotic. The colors of the flowers, the little lake and the palace itself are just wonderful. Next to the palace are botanic gardens, some are free and some aren’t. We went to the free ones and just sat on a bench and enjoyed the quiet ther
Lunch at Vietnamese restaurant
Besides Indian food, we are great admirers of Asian cuisine. By the Beethoven hotel was Bep Viet Restaurant (Map), a Vietnamese restaurant with cheap prices and great food. Roman ordered Pho soup and I ordered a noodle dish with meat wrapped in leaves and eggrolls. For our first course we had mango salad and a type of rice dumplings, and everything was really good.
After lunch
Strolling Kärntner avenue
Kärntner shopping avenue (Map) is a luxurious avenue for shopping where you can find every brand store you could think of.
Dinner
Vegan hamburger (that you don’t have to be vegan to enjoy) at Swing Kitchen (Map). This is a chain but we ate at the restaurant close to our hotel. By the way, they have the most delicious vegan cheesecake ever.
Day 5 – Day trip to Admont and Hallsttat
Quick breakfast at the Beethoven hotel
Day trip to Admont and Hallsttat – A trip from eight in the morning to nine in the evening
This day trip we chose for one clear reason. Halsttat is considered one of the most beautiful places in Austria and in the whole of Europe. Although it’s three and a half hours away from Vienna and we were on a tight schedule, but we decided it’s better to take a day trip there rather than miss it, despite everything.
In retrospect, it would have been better to rent a car and make the trip on our own, then again we got to see other amazing locations along the way, such as a breathtaking lake and the Admont library – With Hallsttat being the crown jewel of the trip.
Read more about our experience on this day trip.
Dinner
Dinner at the Naschmarkt (Map) by the Beethoven hotel
We ate at an Italian restaurant there. It was good but nothing particularly special. The area itself is really fun, even if just for a beer or some wine, or a full meal –
So It’s highly recommended to sit down at one of the bars or restaurants there.
Day 6 – Church and flight back
Breakfast at the Beethoven hotel
Karlskirche church (Map) – a church that looks like a palace, with charming surroundings. Many come there to read a book, listen to music or just relax.
Lunch
Wurst at the Bitezinger stand (Map). Anyone looking for a way to save on food, Vienna’s street food is both cheap and very nice. We really liked the smoked, spicy sausage.
The Happy Noodles stand (Map) offers both really tasty wursts and cheap noodles.
Flight back
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Before going on our Vienna trip, I looked up what sorts of special attractions the city has to offer. I’ve come across many possibilities, but one stood out as especially unique and luxurious, and as something we’ve never done before. That attraction was coffee and cake in a private booth on the giant Ferris wheel in Vienna.
The Ferris wheel is located in Prater park, which houses all sorts of Luna park style attractions – chief amongst them is the Wiener Riesenrad, with 15-person cabins and 10 euros per adult tickets allowing you to see the Viennese views from above. However, there is also a VIP experience of renting a private cabin and the lovely management agreed to let us try it out for half an hour, so we could share the experience with you.
Ferris wheel experience
We scheduled the attraction for 12:30. We put on some nice clothes in honor of the special occasion and arrived a few minutes early. We approached the registers and said we had an invitation, we were then asked to wait a minute – until someone came to lead us through a side passage to a separate entrance (The regular entrance had a line of people waiting for the regular cabins). He asked us what kind of coffee and cakes we would like (Apple strudel, cheese or chocolate). We chose cappuccino, apple strudel and a chocolate cake. A few minutes later he called us, and the door of the private cabin opened.
The cabin was really big, with a table in the center. On it were the coffee, cakes, orange juice and a bottle of water. There was pleasant background music as well. The wheel started moving. It might sound nauseating to eat and drink while the wheel is rotating, but in fact it moves very slowly. A single turn is about 15 minutes.
The wheel offers a city-wide view, which is very enjoyable to watch while drinking a coffee and eating cakes. Of course, we had to document these moments for the blog, so unfortunately most of our time was spent on filming – but the coffee and cakes were of high quality, the view was amazing, and it was honestly quite nice seeing the people in the other cabins looking at our table enviously.
The experience is very exciting, and the price is accordingly high, 192 euros for half an hour. Anyone looking for a marriage proposal idea or to celebrate a special occasion – this is definitely an appropriate attraction.
They also offer other experiences in a private passenger cabin, such as a romantic dinner, breakfast or cocktails. You can book a cabin for more than 2 people or rent one for an hour. There’s even a special wedding package, in which a bride and groom plus eight other guests can rent a cabin for an hour and enjoy champagne, cheeses and snacks.
Austria is known for it’s amazing views, so before going on our trip to Vienna, I searched for a day trip in the region, so we can experience some nature, as well.
Going through pictures of Austria, I came across some photos of the famous town of hallstatt. It looked so beautiful I decided we must visit it. Upon further inspection, I found out it’s quite far from Vienna, a 3 and a half hour drive.
Since we had a tight schedule for our trip, I knew we’d only have one day we could dedicate to this excursion. So, I’ve decided that rather than renting a car and exhausting ourselves driving – We’ll book an organized day trip, which will show us more beautiful Austrian sites along the way.
The start of the tour
On the day of the trip we arrived at the meeting point at 07:50, by the tourist information on Albertina platz. At precisely 8am we headed out on a minibus. We were a group of about 15 people. The group consisted of English and Russian speakers, so the tour was in both languages. The guide switched between English and Russian periodically.
About an hour and fifteen minutes in there we stopped for coffee, food and a bathroom break – all in all for about 20 minutes. Then we continued to Admont.
Admont
We climbed to a height of 1100m and stopped at Admont’s national park for a few minutes to take pictures of the astonishing lake.
We then drove on to the abbey, which hosts a museum and to Admont’s library. The library – Admont Abbey library, is the world’s largest library to be found in an abbey.
I have to admit that beyond just being large, it’s also the most impressive library I’ve had the pleasure of seeing – with stunning baroque architecture and beautiful wall paintings and statues. The coolest part about the library is that it has a second floor, but no apparent stairs to get to it.
At one point an employ came around and pulled on a “fake book”, suddenly – a mysterious door opened and the disappearing stairs were revealed. Just like in the movies 🙂
To take photos within the library, a special pass is required costing 5 euros.
The abbey itself exists for 1000 years already, but the library was only completed in 1776.
Afterwards, we had a tour of the book museum. The books are exchanged periodically, and there are some really ancient books contained there.
The view by the abbey is amazing as well, so after the tour inside was done – the guide gave us a few minutes to walk around the perimeter and take photos.
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Hallstatt
We then continued our journey and arrived at the crown jewel: hallstatt.
We had two hours at hallstatt. There was the option of doing a tour and then having lunch or instead opting for two hours of free time. We decided on the free time, so we could properly photograph and videotape, as well as enjoy, this amazing town.
There’s a reason it’s considered one of the most beautiful towns in Austria and possibly the world.
First, we went to get lunch. There’s a relatively large variety of restaurants. They are all touristic and comparatively expensive, as it’s a very famous and touristic town. We went to a fish restaurant and waited in line for a bit.
From the moment we sat down, service was very quick and efficient. The food was good and sitting outside allowed for an amazing view.
After finishing lunch we decided to go and rent a motor boat for an hour and enjoy the view from the center of the lake. We had a small picnic in the boat and took many photos.
Time flew by so quickly we didn’t get to sail all that much. We paid 20 euros an hour. There’s also the option of renting for half an hour, and pedal boats. There are several locations at which you may rent a boat to be found along the lake.
The town is also known for it’s salt production, in fact, the name hallstatt is comprised of the word for salt – Therefore, you’ll find many stores selling salt related products, as well as many varieties of salt.
Back to Vienna
From hallstatt we drove a bit further and stopped at another nice town for a 15-minute break. There we found coffee and ice cream, as well as restrooms and photo opportunities. Afterwards, we began the ride back to Vienna.
About an hour and a half prior to arriving in Vienna we had another 15-minute break for bathrooms, food and drinks. We arrived in Vienna at 9pm.
More information regarding the trip
The trip itself includes gorgeous sites and so is a good choice for people looking to see many of Austria’s most beautiful places in a single day
* The trip’s price does not include lunch
* It’s a full-day trip, morning to night
* The guide was very nice and knowledgeable about Austria’s history
* If your schedule isn’t as busy, I’d recommend renting a car and driving to these locations independently, perhaps spending a night or two in the hallstatt area. These areas are so beautiful we regretted not having more time to enjoy them.
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While planning our trip to Vienna, I came across the polaroid cameras tour. I’ve done some research into the companies offering the tour and found Instant Tours – Who, in addition to offering a tour of the regular sights, offer a more urban tour of cooler, hipster areas. I was immediately captivated and booked their tour.
Polaroid cameras tour
Explanation of how to operate the camera
Upon arrival to the meeting point, we met the guide, Nora, and found out we were the only ones on that day’s tour – So we ended up getting a private tour and enjoyed ourselves very much. At first, Nora took us to a comfortable place where we sat down, learned about the history of the camera and were instructed by her on how to take photos with it.
The camera isn’t difficult to operate and ultimately only requires a single button push to shoot a photo – But when the photo comes out, it needs to be pulled out in a certain way so as not to expose it to light.
Nora brought a trial film for us to practice photographing and taking the photo out properly. The tour’s price includes an 8-photo film. You can buy additional film at the price of 20 euros. I thought a part of the fun was the need to think a lot before taking a photo and considering whether it’s worth taking a picture or not. Nora also told us not too look at the pictures we took, so we could unveil them at the end of the tour. So, we were curious how they turned out for the duration of the tour.
Stopping points for picture-taking
After the explanations were done, we started the tour. At first, we went to a cool, hipster place and looked for unique things to take a photo of. Roman had taken the first photo within 5 minutes, but I was greedier with the photographs and held off.
One of the stops we had was in a lovely garden where, in the summer, movies are shown on a projector. It also houses a little circus. It’s a colorful area and had many cool features worth taking a picture of. There we asked Nora to take a picture of the two of us with the camera. Nora is a professional photographer, which added to the tour as she not only took really pretty photos of us but also gave us tips of what we should photograph and at one angle.
From the garden we moved on to a local market which is open on weekends, but when we arrived there were a few stalls open as well. Roman insisted on taking a picture of potatoes there claiming it’ll be artistic and unique. Hint: It turned out ugly!
After the market, we went on to an area with graffiti and street art by a water canal. This was my favorite area, as it has a ton of graffiti and interesting statues and is where we took most of our photos and thought of created and original ideas.
The tour was approximately three hours long, at the end of which we sat down and unveiled the photographs we had taken. Most turned out unique and beautiful, and we photographed a collage of them. Using the polaroid camera had reminded me of the film camera we used to own – It was truly a special experience using it in place of a digital camera. The fact you only have a single try to take a photo emphasizes the thought and creativity in taking a photograph, which I liked very much.
Points regarding the polaroid cameras tour
* This is a light and fun tour which really invokes your creative side
* We had a very pleasant time with our guide, Nora, who was lovely and helped us take wonderful photographs
* During this urban tour, we enjoyed seeing places in Vienna which we wouldn’t have otherwise
* Taking pictures using a polaroid camera is really a special experience
* You may purchase a polaroid camera
* You may purchase an 8-picture bundle for an extra cost
Roman and I try to go on a bike tour at every destination we visit. It’s one of our favorite activities when traveling, and to be honest – the tour we booked in Vienna has outdone every bike tour we’ve been on thus far.
We booked through Pedal Power company and chose the Wachau vineyards tour. We chose this tour because we love wine tastings, the route is long (26 Km) and we wanted something challenging and because the Wachau valley photos looked really beautiful.
The bike tour
The tour started at the company offices at 8am. Grant, our guide, explained the route and had us sign a safety form for the trip. We were a group of five, plus Grant. From their offices, we took public transport to the train station where we had time for coffee and pastries. Then we boarded the train to Wachau. The ride was just over an hour.
The bike itself
Upon arriving at the destination, the town of Krems, we went to their office to get our bikes. Roman was pleased to know they had bikes for very tall people. The bikes are well maintained and were comfortable to ride. This is very important, especially when you need to pedal a lot.
The bike tour route
Grant showed us the route we were about to take on a map before we headed out. The scenery was beautiful from the start, but he told us to hang on with the photos – as the real beauty hasn’t started yet, and he turned out to be right.
Wine tastings
Every 2.5 Km or so we stopped to take photos and listen to a short explanation about the area. We passed cartoonish little towns and vineyards and at one point stopped at Dürnstein and had a wine tasting there.
We tried white wines and one of them was truly excellent, so we bought it to take back home with us. Anyway, after the wine tastings we had the option of going up to a vantage point or walking around the town. Roman and I split ways.
He went up to the vantage point to take pictures from up high and I took photos of the lovely town itself.The Wachau region is known for it’s apricots, hence there are many shops selling apricot products and offering very good liquors.
Lunch
After some free time, we sat down for lunch. We visited a local restaurant in town and everyone ordered a different dish. Roman ordered goulash with potatoes, the other guys ordered Schnitzel and I ordered a vegetarian dish of cooked vegetables with an egg, sunny side up.
The meal isn’t included in the tour’s price but is a reasonable 11 euros each. Those who’d rather skip the restaurant can buy a little something at the bakery – But I recommend eating something filling, as the tour is long and a bit intoxicating, so you’ll want to charge up your energies.
More wine tastings
After lunch, we continued riding and arrived at a lovely village. There, we held more wine tastings, this time in a small vineyard owned by a local family. We drank the wine on a balcony with a stunning view. We tried sweeter, white wines as well as some red. I must say the wine, along with the view, were a perfect experience. We enjoyed the view, talked a bit about the wine and Grant told us more about the region.
The way back
From there we got on a shuttle which transported us to the other side of the valley. The cool thing about the shuttle was that it wasn’t motor-operated. Rather, it was propelled by a jet of water and guided along a cable, to prevent going off course. Upon reaching the other side, we started making our way back to the train station. At some point we stopped to sit on a small beach and Grant let us try some apricot schnapps. It’s a highly intoxicating schnapps with a 40% alcohol content and it got to me straight away 🙂
Because of some delays during the trip, we ended up being late to the 5 o’clock train. However, this turned out to be for the best – as it allowed us more time at an area by the train, which has a good ice-cream shop as well as some other places to eat at.
We boarded the train at 10 minutes to 6pm. We returned to Vienna exhausted and very pleased. Grant was a charming guide, who was fun and patient. The combination of wine, beautiful landscapes and a laid-back ride on a bike trail were a winning combination as far as we’re concerned.
Several points regarding the bike tour
- Most of the ride is planar, but you still need to be fit enough to ride 26 Km.
- The tour is a good choice for families with teenagers as well. The vineyards offer non-alcoholic wine.
- It’s best to have breakfast before going on the trip or buying something to eat at the train station.
- You can also get water bottles at the train station, as well as cash from an ATM.
- The price of the tour includes the price of the train and public transport from the offices to the station, as well as the wine tastings. It does not include lunch.
- The tour is great for anyone who loves riding a bike, natural views and the outdoors and wine
- You need cash for lunch, as well as wines or other souvenirs should you wish to purchase them
The last two nights on our trip to Vienna we spent at the gorgeous Beethoven hotel.
Hotel prices comparison and additional reviews.
The hotel’s location is excellent, a central area by the open Naschmarkt (a local food market with many restaurants, cafés and bars). The hotel is near public transport and within walking distance of Vienna’s main attractions.
We arrived at the hotel around 11AM and were immediately impressed by it’s design, which was classy and elegant and made you want to put on your best clothes ?
We were greeted with a smile at the reception and within ten minutes our room was ready and of course we went straight to it.
The room itself
We got the room named “Salon” on the second floor. Every floor has a different style, and every room – a different design. We got Beethoven’s room (At least, that’s what it said on the door :)). A big, spacious room, but what excited us the most was the corner sofa area that had large windows overlooking Vienna’s beautiful buildings. The room’s design matched the design of the hotel, a super elegant, 19th century look.
There was a bathroom, a separate stall shower, a television, bed, dresser, living room corner, large closet and a coffee and tea corner with a kettle.
What does the hotel have?
The hotel has a beautiful lounge where you can sit down and enjoy coffee or tea with small snacks, such as cakes and cookies, throughout the day. The hotel also has a nice porch with colorful sitting spots.
We arrived at the hotel on a Sunday and as it turns out, it hosts a small concert (with free entrance) each Sunday, also serving bubbling wine at 18:00 o’clock. So, naturally at 18:00 we went down to the concert.
The hotel concert
The concert was held at the hotel lounge.
We put on some fine clothes, and it was really nice – there were rows of chairs and we just sat there and enjoyed the classical music, played on a cello and a piano. The players were amazingly skilled, and we felt ourselves get swept away by the music. 25 minutes in was a short intermission during which we were served bubbling wine.
The hotel’s breakfast
Breakfast is served on the first floor. It’s a varied meal with a large selection of different dishes. Fruit, vegetables (There were pineapple and fresh figs, which was really nice), different types of corn flakes, dry fruit, porridge, good hard cheeses, sausages, dips (There was, for example, Guacamole dips and an egg paste), a selection of breads and desserts. There were also different tea infusions and the option to ask for a coffee, such as a cappuccino or latte.
The hotel has a bistro with local food and a bar. On our second night at the hotel, we sat in the lounge and ordered cocktails from the bar (I ordered a grapefruit Campari). The view of the city made for an excellent hangout.
What is there in the hotel’s area?
That same night, we went out to an Italian restaurant in the Naschmarkt food market by the hotel. Additionaly, close to the hotel is a vegan burger joint – Swing Kitchen, one of the best I’ve eaten at and they also serve the best vegan cheese cake. Highly recommended to non-vegans as well.
A 10-minute walk away from the hotel is the stunning Karlskirche church (Map). It’s very beautiful there, I’d recommend bringing a book or headphones along and just sitting by the church’s small lake and relaxing.
Walking distance from the hotel is also Kärntner street (Map), which is a great street for shopping, bars, restaurants and cafés.
In conclusion, the Beethoven hotel is a high-class hotel with excellent service, a fun, central location, luxurious rooms, offering a classic, musical, European experience ?
We spent a week in Vienna, staying at two different hotels – One was The Harmonie Hotel, a boutique hotel we spent three nights at and had a wonderful experience.
Hotel prices comparison and additional reviews.
The hotel itself is in the Serviten quarter, a central but not overly touristic area, housing many modern restaurants, bars, cafés and easily accessible public transport.
We arrived at the hotel in the morning and were impressed by the beautiful lobby, the flora climbing the sides of the building and the nice sitting area outside.
and our room was already prepared for us! We were very excited by the early check in and went up to our room.
The room itself
We got the upgraded room, which was large and spacious – with a bathroom, a sofa, and bed with a small writing desk by it, a dresser with a mini bar, a kettle and tea set and a TV.
Two chocolate candies and a “welcome” greeting were waiting for us on the bed and above it hung a Luis Casanova Sorolla picture, which added a lot to the artistic design of the room and the hotel.
The bed was super comfortable, so much so that it was difficult to leave in the morning – But knowing we had an excellent breakfast waiting for us, we found motivation enough to leave the bed ?
Breakfast at The Harmonie hotel
Breakfast is an organic buffet with a really pretty presentation and a large variety of high-quality foods. Gourmet hard cheeses, sausages, smoked salmon, vegetables, dips, appetizers, breads, eggs, many healthy treats such as granola, dry fruits and more, natural juices and different desserts every morning.
You can order eggs done to your taste, such as poached eggs, from the employees, as well as tea or coffee. Breakfast was amazing, and we enjoyed it very much. Moreover, the dining area was very pleasant and inviting. The design is a modern retro in red, white and black colors. On one morning we were in a rush for a tour and didn’t have time for coffee, so the employee suggested we take the coffee as takeaway, which was very nice.
Tea break after lunch
Everyday, from 15:00 to 18:00, tea and cakes are served in the hotel’s lounge. The cakes are different each time and are all really good, there was a plum cake, a Nutella cake, a cream cake and more. We got to have tea and cake there twice, I ordered coffee off the menu since I wanted more coffee :)). There is also a food menu you can order from.
The lounge holds many books, pleasant music and it was very nice to spend the afternoon there and get some rest from running around the city.
Additional information
The hotel is close to the Freud museum, which we visited on one of our days there. The museum was founded in 1971 and tells the life story of Sigmund Freud.
The museum holds the world’s largest psychoanalytic research library, with over 35,000 volumes. The exhibit includes original items belonging to Freud and parts of Freud’s vast ancient collection. If you’re fans of philosophy and psychoanalysis, I believe this museum will interest you.
The hotel’s website offers the “Freud package”, including tickets to the museum and two vouchers for coffee in Vienna’s famous “Café Central”.
Close to the hotel is a restaurant-bar named “1090” which is really fun to spend the evening at and have a drink or a meal. I ordered a great chicken and avocado sandwich and Roman ordered a hamburger. It’s a vibrant place with a fun atmosphere and great food.
The hotel also has a small gym and conference room. In conclusion, if you’re looking a beautiful boutique hotel with great service, a central location that isn’t too touristic, with excellent organic breakfasts and a luxurious bed – This one will fit you well ?
