Although Austria is only slightly larger than South Carolina, Vienna still feels like the capital of an empire. The atmosphere is elegant and serene, miraculously unperturbed by the traffic and tourists of the 21st century. The city is an ideal starting point for a trip through central Europe, including this itinerary down the Danube to Budapest and Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia.
Our itineraries are for your inspiration. Please contact a travel advisor to customize this itinerary to fit your needs.
Arrive and check in at your hotel. Refresh, unpack and have a snack or lunch at Café Sperl.
Walk through the Naschmarkt to the Secession Building, an elegant example of Viennese art nouveau. Klimt’s austere and haunting “Beethoven Frieze” is inside.
Return to your hotel to relax before dinner, or stop at the nearby Gemäldegalerie der Akademie der Bildenden Künste, a small but excellent collection of paintings including Bosch’s monumental and fantastically surreal “Last Judgment.”
Have a traditional Viennese dinner of tafelspitz or wiener schnitzel on the glassed-in patio of Plachutta.
Visit the Kunsthistorisches Museum, one of the world’s greatest art collections. Mr. Harper notes that its highlights include works by Bruegel and Arcimboldo.
Cross the Ringstrasse and tour the old quarter, with high-end retail shops and a moving Holocaust Memorial. The nearby Hoher Markt is the oldest part of the city.
To avoid the crowds while seeing St. Stephen’s Cathedral, head into the treasury (Domschatz) immediately to the right after you pass through the cathedral's main entrance. The organ loft affords sweeping views of the entire interior.
Have a light lunch at the Palmenhaus, set in a barrel-vaulted conservatory overlooking the Burggarten.
Nearby is the Hofburg Imperial Palace’s treasury, the Schatzkammer, with highlights including a 10th-century imperial crown, a birdbath-size agate bowl from Constantinople and the throne-cradle of Napoleon II.
Relax with a slice of torte and a Melange at Demel.
Dine tonight at the traditional Gasthaus zu den 3 Hacken or the innovative and vegetarian Tian.
Start on the far side of the Belvedere Palace and walk through the lush Alpengarten. Tour the palace itself, notable for its baroque interior and astonishing collection of Klimt paintings. Stroll through the palace gardens and walk along the Ring to the Stadtpark.
Lunch at Meierei im Stadtpark, a shady villa on a broad canal.
Visit either the excellent Museum of Applied Arts or the undulating Kunst Haus Wien, home to the joyously colorful (but never saccharine) watercolors of Hundertwasser.
For some early 1950s “Third Man” ambience, pause for a Melange at Café Prückel.
Dine tonight at Vestibül, a traditional restaurant attached to the Burgtheater.
Take a private tour of the Palais Liechtenstein, with masterpieces by Rembrandt, Raphael, Rubens and many others. There’s a leafy café to the right of the entrance.
Take the rest of the day to shop in the old quarter, visit the Leopold Museum’s unparalleled collection of Schiele paintings, tour another wing of the Hofburg or relax with a good book in a café.
Silvio Nickol is an expensive choice for dinner, but it offers extravagantly delicious cuisine and audacious wine pairings.
Make an excursion to Schönbrunn, the summer palace of the Habsburg court. Tour the interior and grounds, and have flawless apple strudel at Café Residenz.
After an early dinner at the Bristol Lounge, one of Vienna’s most beautiful dining rooms, take in a performance at the renowned Staatsoper or Musikverein.
Transfer one hour by car or train to Bratislava and check in at the Arcadia Hotel.
Take a walking tour with a guide, or simply take a walk yourself. Meander through the car-free main square and walk to the cathedral, where 11 Hungarian monarchs were crowned. Take a break at Pinot u Bruna, a wine bar on Rudnayovo Square behind the cathedral, or Café l’Aura, with inviting outdoor seating where the square intersects Panská. Walk up lively Ventúrska, a pedestrian street lined with bars, cafés and restaurants. Stop wherever the mood strikes, and continue to the onion-domed Michael’s Gate, the only remaining medieval city gate (climb to the top for sweeping views of the old quarter).
Your hotel is just two blocks from the tower.
Dine tonight at the cozy and traditional Slovak Pub.
Visit Mirbach Palace, with remarkable stucco ceilings and memorably expressive Messerschmidt busts, and/or the Pálffy Palace, which has more modern and contemporary art.
Lunch at historic Modrá Hviezda, either in the wood-beamed front room or the atmospheric vaulted cellars in the back, dug into the hill under the castle.
Continue ascending to the castle for panoramic views of the Danube, the Old Town and the block housing of the communist-built Petržalka neighborhood (those with interest in Bratislava’s communist past should consider booking a “Post-Socialist City Tour” with Authentic Slovakia, conducted in a vintage Škoda). Visit the interior of the castle if you must, or descend the hill and stop at one of Bratislava’s most stylish new bars, Le Šenk Craft Beer Café.
Return to the Arcadia and relax in its mosaic-tile spa.
Dine on Italian cuisine at KOGO, with outdoor seating on Hviezdoslavovo Square, Bratislava’s answer to Barcelona's Las Ramblas.
Make an excursion to Devín Castle, perched on a cliff overlooking the Danube. More ambitious travelers should consider visiting one or two of the lesser-known castles nearby. Pajštún and Plavecký castles can be visited on a long half-day tour. Both are in spectacularly picturesque ruins, with no ticket booths or guards (or guardrails) in sight. Both also require 30- to 60-minute uphill walks.
In the afternoon visit the Primatial Palace, with lavish interiors and vibrantly colored 17th-century tapestries.
Wine lovers should visit Národný Salón Vín. Its curated selection of Slovakia’s “100 best wines” are available for tasting, and none of them are exported to the United States.
Or simply relax in one of Bratislava’s many outdoor cafés or beer gardens. Starosloviensky Pivovar draws a mostly local crowd to its shady garden in back.
Have dinner at UFO, a surprisingly stylish restaurant in a saucer perched over a Danube bridge. The views at sunset are sensational.
Take the train from Bratislava to Budapest and check in at the Four Seasons Gresham Palace.
Have a driver take you up Andrássy, Budapest’s Champs-Elysées, to see Heroes’ Square and the elegant City Park. Alternatively, stop at the House of Terror, in the former headquarters of the secret police. The exhibits reflect on the fascist and communist regimes that ruled Hungary in the 20th century.
Just south is Párizsi department store and its Alexandra Book Café, set in a flamboyantly grand Renaissance Revival ballroom. Try the walnut torte with marzipan frosting.
Dine tonight at Aszú, which focuses on the wine and cuisine of the Tokaj region.
Explore Buda — the half of the city west of the Danube — with a guide today, crossing the Chain Bridge on foot and ascending Castle Hill by the funicular.
Tour the National Gallery, focusing on its striking collection of 19th- and early 20th-century Hungarian works, including the darkly luminous works of Mihály Munkácsy.
Head inside the colorfully Gothic Matthias Church, again going up to the treasury for fine views of the interior.
Lunch in the lush garden of Pierrot. In inclement weather, opt instead for Alabárdos.
Do a wine tasting in the House of Hungarian Wines, or simply have a couple of glasses in the café in the Fisherman’s Bastion just behind the equestrian statue of St. Stephen. The views of the Danube and Pest are extraordinary.
Have a light dinner in the hotel’s restaurant.
Meet a guide from Taste Hungary in the Central Market Hall for a fascinating and thoroughly delicious culinary walking tour. Then visit the delightful Museum of Applied Arts, housed in a remarkable Hungarian art nouveau building.
Alternatively, explore the heart of Pest, on the east side of the Danube. Váci utca is the main pedestrian street, and the stretch of Kecskeméti leading to Károlyi utca and Ferenciek tere is pleasant. Mr. Harper notes that Centrál Kávéház is his favorite café in Budapest.
Dine at Borkonyha Winekitchen, a bistro with about 50 wines by the glass.
Continue exploring Pest with a guide, visiting the neo-Gothic Parliament Building. Also explore the Jewish Quarter, including Europe’s largest synagogue. Kosher cafés and restaurants still dot the neighborhood. Take a break in the over-the-top neo-baroque New York Café.
Return to the hotel to relax in the spa. Have dinner at opulent Onyx. Mr. Harper recommends the “Hungarian Evolution” tasting menu (a vegetarian menu is also available).
Those interested in wine should consider spending a few days in Tokaj, one of the world’s greatest regions for white and sweet wines.
Alternatively, head south to Hertelendy Kastély, a wonderful château surrounded by orchards and wheat fields — you can use it as a base for day trips or just stay on the property. Go for a horseback ride, take a cooking class, shoot clay pigeons or relax in the well-appointed spa.
Contact a travel advisor to book your custom itinerary. Fill out the form or call (630) 734-4610.
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