Hiking the Viennese city trails is not only the Viennese´s pleasure, but also mine. Because: Can one return home from a holiday in Austria without a hiking badge? Of course! No! But one after another…
” Wanderbares Wien” – What are the Vienna city hiking trails?
The Vienna City Hiking Trails are hiking trails that may be hiked in Vienna or on the outskirts of Vienna. There is also a brochure in which the hiking trails are excellently described. In this brochure are also imprinted the stamps for the successful hiking completion of the individual hiking trails. The stamps are usually available in inns along the route. Wonderful for a beer lover like me! If you have successfully completed three out of eleven hiking trails, you will be rewarded – no, unfortunately not with beer, but – with the hiking pin in silver. For seven stamps there is the golden hiking pin and the hard-working ones circle Vienna once and get the “rundumadum” hiking pin.
The first challenge : The brochure
The first challenge was to get the brochure at all. Unfortunately, the brochure is not available in the tourist information office. And the tourist information is usually my first port of call on each city trip. I had to go to the Vienna City Hall. But the man at the counter – no, not at the beer counter, but at the info counter – he was very pleased that also a tourist was interested in the hiking trails. It’s nice when you can make people happy with so little things.
The second challenge : 99 floors
Hiking trail No. 1a – Leopoldsberg
Starting in Nußdorf, the hike led along the beautiful river Donau to the first vineyards on the outskirts of Vienna. Through the vineyards I climbed the steep ascent to the Leopoldsberg. There I polished my handstand skills a bit. Afterwards I was quite exhausted and felt the urgent need to drink a beer…
Further up I went to the Josefinenhütte, the stamping place. Did someone say there were no mountains in Vienna? Not at all. My watch was also enthusiastic about the climb. A new personal record: 99 floors! That had to be rewarded, of course. With a beer (finally!) in the really very lovely furnished Josefinenhütte. Absolut recommendation! And if you don’t want to hike – you can also get there by car.
Via Josefsdorf and the Waldbachsteig the trail led down again to the Kahlenbergerdorf. There you can stop for a bite to eat. There was a tasty real Wiener Schnitzel for me (no, not with beer, here you must drink “G-spritzter” – also very tasty!) before my tour ended with the last meters back to Nußdorf.
The third challenge : Europe’s highest chain carousel
Hiking trail No. 9 – Prater
Can you go to Vienna without looking at the fun fair “Prater”? Of course not! Since 1766 the Wurstelprater has been open to the public fun. And I also had fun. With the looping roller coaster. Unfortunately, my adrenalin wasn’t high enough to ride Europe’s highest chain carousel, the 117 meter high Prater Tower. But postponed is not cancelled. At some point I will also defeat my fear of heights.
If you leave the colourful, crazy and rather full amusement park behind you, trail No. 9 leads through a quiet and wooded city park. It is hard to believe that you are still in the middle of Vienna. After a few kilometres of comfortable walking, the destination was reached. But the Gösser Bierinsel in the Freudenau) had no stamp (you had to get one next door at the kiosk “Freude Now”), but a funny and friendly waiter. He recognized immediately that it is not enough with one beer for me…
The Prater hike is not only an enjoyable experience, but also a relaxing hike through nature. That’s what I call work-life balance!
The fourth challenge: There is no beer at the stamping place
Hiking trail No. 4 – Jubiläumswarte
My third tour led me through the beautiful Dehnepark through forests and over “plateaus” past the Jubiläumswarte to the Waldschule Ottakring. I skipped the ascent of the Jubiläumswarte. Unfortunately, my adrenaline was still not high enough to climb the observation tower. But I did some yoga on the way there. That was also bitterly necessary, because at the stamping place I had to find out that there was no inn there. Which was tantamount to: No beer. That’s why I quickly made my way home. It went through a picturesque suburban settlement with beautiful little houses. Maybe I got lost, too. That was the only way that was not clearly signposted. But in the end, I found my way home again and could reward myself with a delicious cool beer.
Concerts are the Viennese’s pleasure
Not only hiking is the Viennese’s pleasure. Obviously also metal concerts are the Viennese´s pleasure. Unbelievable luck, as I always have it in my holidays, I had also again in Vienna. So I was able to visit four concerts in one week! There comes festival feeling! One day I even had two concerts to choose from. And I had to skip Marduk on Wednesday because I came home so late from Forchtenstein Castle.
Saturday: METALNIGHT OUTBREAK
Sunday: BATTLE BEAST & ARION
Tuesday: EKTOMORF, APEY&THE PEA
Friday: ELVENKING, FROZEN CROWN & DESERT
The last challenge : The hiking pin
I always tend to have a somewhat too detailed holiday programme. That’s why nobody wants to go with me anymore. What I don’t find really too bad now.
So, because my days and nights were so busy, I did the last hike just before my last holiday day, on Good Friday. Good Friday is not a holiday in Austria. But the Austrian federal offices still seem to belong to Germany. Because the town hall was closed on Good Friday. Which meant to me: No hiking pin!
Can I return home from a holiday in Austria without a hiking badge?
Of course. I made it. But I still have the hiking pin! Because I am also very creative in finding solutions. In addition, I usually book with AirBnB. Therefore, once again a very dear thank you to the good spirit who picked me up the hiking pin at the Vienna city hall!
My message for you today
Vienna is worth a visit. No, not just one visit. Several visits, because:
First of all, very nice people live there.
Secondly, there are cool concert locations with a comparatively large number of concerts.
Thirdly, the Viennese hiking trails motivate you to walk a few kilometres before ordering a beer.
Fourthly, if you don’t feel like hiking, take a guided tour to the Ottakringer brewery. After the tour you can get as much beer as you want.
And fifthly, there is an extremely beautiful yoga studio in Vienna. In this studio I deepened my love for Yin Yoga. But another time more of that.
So: stay tuned!
