VIENNA in 48 Hours: Searching for Old World Charm
Zeke and Terri at Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria (October 2025)
Sometimes the most memorable travel moments come from the gap between expectations and reality. Our 48-hour adventure in Vienna proved exactly that, a delightfully honest journey through a city where imperial grandeur meets modern life, and where jet lag occasionally wins the battle but never the war.
Picture this: dozing off during what we're absolutely certain was a beautiful organ concert at St. Stephen's Cathedral. Not our finest moment, perhaps, but a perfectly real one that every traveler can relate to. Vienna, it turns out, doesn't just offer picture-perfect postcards of Habsburg splendor, it serves up a fascinating blend of old and new, where McDonald's golden arches coexist with baroque architecture, and high-speed bikes zip past horse-drawn carriages.
The magnificent Schönbrunn Palace delivered the Old World charm we were seeking, especially from the Gloriette viewpoint (worth every step of the climb!). Here, overlooking the city, we finally found that perfect Vienna moment we'd been chasing. The autumn colors and imperial gardens helped us forget all about our near-misses with the city's enthusiastic cycling community.
Our art expedition through Vienna's museums proved that this city takes its culture seriously. From the Leopold Museum's exceptional collection to MUMOK's modern provocations and the special Rembrandt exhibit at the Kunsthistorisches Museum, we discovered that Vienna's artistic soul extends far beyond classical compositions.
For fellow empty nesters planning their own Vienna adventure, here's our real-talk advice:
Don't fight the jet lag – embrace those impromptu naps between sights
The historic Graben area rewards aimless wandering
Watch out for bikes – they have right of way and they know it
Save Schönbrunn Palace for when you're fully awake
Modern Vienna is just as interesting as its imperial past
The highlight of our Vienna stay? Reuniting with our college kid who's studying abroad. It turns out that seeing this grand city through the eyes of a younger generation adds an entirely new perspective to those historic streets.
Vienna taught us that sometimes the best travel memories come not from checking off tourist must-sees, but from those unplanned moments between the highlights, even if some of those moments involve accidentally falling asleep during world-class performances!
Join us for a candid look at 48 hours in Vienna, where reality meets expectations in the most entertaining ways.