East then South
After driving from Bulgaria to Berlin, we still had the second half of the letter ‘X’ to complete. Finishing the letter would involve traversing due east to Lodz before changing direction and driving all the way to Senj (Croatia). The total remaining distance was roughly 1600 km. Despite the distance, Katy and I couldn’t wait to get cracking. The prospect of another beach holiday on the Adriatic coast was seriously motivating.
The Route to Senj via Vienna
Our first stop on the descent towards Croatia was Vienna – our 9th capital city! Employing our tried and tested technique, we first found a central parking spot near The MuseumsQuartier. From here, we launched straight into a walking tour. As with Prague and Berlin, I have put together a little summary of our main stops below…
Our excellent walking tour as designed by Katy
Maria-Theresien-Platz
The Maria-Theresien-Platz is a large public square that joins the Ringstraße with the Museumsquartier. It’s famous for the two near-identical buildings that face each other across the gardens. These striking buildings are the Naturhistorisches Museum (Natural History Museum) and the Kunsthistorisches Museum (Art History Museum). Standing tall in the middle of the square is the Empress Maria Theresia herself…
There are two of these magnificent buildings facing each other…
For Adults, entrance to the Natural History Museum is around €12. The Fine Arts Museum is slightly more pricey at €15.
The Hofburg
A few minutes walk from Maria-Theresien-Platz is the Hofburg. This imperial palace dates back to the Habsburg dynasty and now serves as the official residence for the president.
The Hofburg and the statue of Archduke Charles
The whole area is very open and accessible. We walked under the Swiss-gate (original main gate), through the Imperial Chancellery Wing (Reichskanzleitrakt) and out through the St. Michael’s Wing. The sense of power emanating from this structure was palpable.
Imperial Chancellery Wing
The Swiss Gate
The St. Michael’s Wing
Peterskirche
Our next stop was Peterskirche (St Peter’s Church). This church is rumoured to be the oldest in Vienna (dating back to the Early Middle Ages). Peterskirche is surrounded by tall buildings and can only be seen from the front. Despite being tucked away, it’s easy to find – Jungferngasse street leads directly to it.
Peterskirche
St Stephen's Cathedral
A short walk from Peterskirche, we arrived at our final stop – Stephansdom (St. Stephen’s Cathedral). This Gothic cathedral is impressive. Dating back to 1365, it’s Vienna’s most important religious building and is one of the city’s most recognised symbols.
Stephansdom
Walking tour complete, the three of us were once again running low on energy. To fix this, we grabbed a couple of delicious Vienna sausages (saving some for Betty) and meandered our way back to the van. As night fell, we left the city behind and pushed on towards Croatia. Driving into the sunset, Katy and I reflected on a remarkable day immersed in Vienna’s incredible architecture!
Driving into the sunset