VIENNA CONTINUES TO ATTRACT INDIAN TOURISTS

 

by Shrutee K/DNS

Vienna is becoming a holiday destination of choice for a larger number of Indians, with 32% more Indians visiting this tourist-friendly city in the first six months of this year, compared to the same period last year. Indian families, honeymooners and conference attendees travelled to Vienna for its stately castles, culture, cuisine, music and vast green spaces and helped record 56,000 overnight stays in January-June 2016, a 39% growth over the same period last year.

Vienna is enchantingly romantic and a favourite destination for Honeymooners. The narrow cobblestoned lanes, arcade-lined courtyards and time-honoured palaces enable a brush with the past. The suites at the Schonbrunn Palace, where the nobility once resided, are now open to Honeymooners to stay overnight in a real palace! A walk through the Old City, a boat ride on the Danube or a rest at a heuriger: Vienna has many romantic aspects that wait to be explored.

Also, the Austrian capital, with its legacy of palaces, art, music and romance, caught the eye of Indian film maker Karan Johar who chose Vienna as the setting for his upcoming romantic film Ae Dil Hai Mushkil that stars Anushka Sharma, Aishwarya Rai and Ranbir Kapoor opening on Diwali weekend.

ROMANCE IN VIENNA

Winding lanes, arcade-lined courtyards, time-honored palaces: in Vienna, the city center is especially romantic. In the oldest quarters of the city on the Danube around St. Stephen’s Cathedral, the narrow lanes are paved with cobblestones as they were centuries ago, while a stroll along Schonlaterngasse or Domgasse becomes an encounter with the past. Romantic walks can also be found on Spittelberg, a quarter in the 7th district with beautifully preserved houses from the Biedermeier period.

Vienna is romantic all year round: In spring the chestnut trees blossom in the Prater, 400 types of rose bloom in the Volksgarten, and the fragrance of lilac pervades the city's many other parks. You don't need to walk in Vienna to enjoy the atmosphere - a ride in a horse-drawn carriage has its very own romantic aspects. In summer a boat ride on the Old Danube with a specially prepared picnic basket is very atmospheric, in particular the full moon rides. On the edge of town, the vineyards and the greenery of the Vienna Woods are very idyllic and offer a wonderful view of the city. And in winter over 30,000 lights set the mood for Vienna's Christmas Dream on City Hall Square, and thousands of others create a homey atmosphere as Christmas decorations in Vienna's Old City and shopping streets. At this time romance and enjoyment come together at the Advent markets. Waltzing romantics will feel right at home at one of the numerous balls, which are held in Vienna not just during Carnival. Romantic dance evenings can also be enjoyed on a (private) waltz dancing course. For many people, a candlelight dinner is the very essence of romance. A candlelight dinner for two is offered by the Romantic Crystal Dinner in Vienna's Giant Ferris Wheel. The waggon’s impressive crystalline decoration by Swarovski Vienna creates a romantic, sparkling ambience.

https://www.wien.info/en/vienna-for/wedding-in-vienna/romance-in-vienna

ROMANTIC HIDEAWAYS FOR ALL BUDGETS

Vienna provides more than 400 hotels, guest houses and apartements. Luxurious accommodation in Vienna almost invariably means staying in the heart of the city. You’ll find exclusive hotels especially along the Ring, which, after all, is where most of the elegant former palaces are. Vienna’s city center is home to a wealth of luxury hotels, some of them family run-traditional hotels for more than half a decade. Famous names are Grand Hotel Wien, Bristol, Ritz-Carlton, InterContinental Vienna (with its own Indian chef!) and Marriott Vienna as well as the five-star superior Imperial, Sacher Vienna, Palais Coburg Residenz and Palais Hansen Kempinski Vienna. However, between the two extremes of ultimate luxury and budget accommodation, Vienna also has numerous comfortable family-run pensions and intimate romantic hotels such as the Sans Souci, Altstadt, The Guesthouse, Austria Trend Hotel Wilhelminenberg, Kaerntnerhof, Best Western Harmonie Vienna, Schick Hotels or the Grand Suite at Schonbrunn Palace.

https://www.wien.info/en/travel-info/hotels-accommodations

HIDDEN GUEST GARDENS

In Vienna, there is any number of greens oases tucked away in idyllic courtyards. When food and drink are also served here then nothing can stand in the way of relaxed enjoyment. Since they cannot be seen from the street, it is possible to walk right past some of Vienna's most beautiful guest gardens.

Such as the one on Boltzmanngasse. Right behind the wall surrounding the French cultural institute hides the French restaurant Flein with its charming garden: on warm summer's evenings, guests dine here under old trees, between flowerbeds and herb beds. The Glacis Beisl is not very easy to find, because it is situated at the back of the MuseumsQuartier. The Amerlingbeisl on Spittelberg offers a Biedermeier idyll worth seeing: sit in the courtyard surrounded by old pergolas (courtyard gallery) and under a dense canopy of ivy.

The lush greenery of the dining garden at Tian Bistro in the Kunst Haus Wien is also atmospheric. Vegetarian dishes are served in the ambience designed by Hundertwasser. A green oasis is also hidden behind the walls of Palais Coburg. Guests can experience the magic of the palace garden with its plane trees, magnolias and a babbling pond in front of a historic backdrop on a visit to the restaurant "Clementine im Glashaus". And the inner courtyard of the Ringstrasse restaurant Salonplafond at MAK is purist in style. The dining garden is adjacent to large meadow - a rarity in the city. Guests can also make themselves comfortable here in the loungers arranged in the shade of a large tree.

NEW FLIGHTS TO VIENNA BY AIR INDIA Air India offers a thrice a week direct flight from Delhi from Vienna and back. Those embarking from Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore can reach Vienna after a small stop on Turkish Airlines, Emirates, Etihad, Air India, Swiss, Lufthansa and British Airways.