So you’re planning a weekend away? A cheeky little City Break? We’ve just come back from Vienna, so come take a look at how we got on!

As regular readers will know, this was our first City Break without the kids. After a trial with one night away, in which nobody died, the grandparents offered to look after Big Boy and Littlest Angel for 2 nights.

2 whole nights of freedom!

And Northern Husband has been banging on about going to Vienna for ages.

(Actually, he’s been banging on about getting a weekend away without the kids for ages too. I’m only just ready for it now as the kids are 7 and 5 and seem a bit more robust.

…and, at 44, I’m finally becoming a little less neurotic.)

..and he’d seen that there was a Mozart Requiem that he was keen on going to.

So, I’ve stopped fussing (largely), grandparents have offered help …. so off we go!

…now all we had to hope was that the Viennese have some vegetarian options for (Slightly Fussy) Empty Nest Mummy.

How we got to Vienna?

As we live in London, this was desperately easy for us.

And we had a BA Companion voucher that needed to be used, so we only paid for one ticket! Hurrah.

…and, with the money saved on that ticket, we upgraded to Business Class. Double hurrah.

Free glass of champagne on the flight?

..don’t mind if I do!

The Hotel

As it was both our first weekend away without the kids, and our wedding anniversary (well, sort of, #milkingit), we decided to splash out on a nice hotel in the centre of Vienna.

We booked a Junior Suite at Hotel Sans Souci. Vienna is literally spoiled for choice on the luxury hotel front. We chose this one as it seemed to have a more boutiquey feel.

If you’re after something central, friendly and where modern luxury holds hand with Viennese antiques, look no further!

The staff were really friendly, without being intrusive, and gave us some great advice on must-sees in Vienna before you die.

Vienna on Foot

One of the reasons we chose Vienna, apart from my husband banging on about it for ages, was that it looked easily walkable. And that’s one of my key requisites for a City Break. I want to be able to trot around a City, uncovering the secrets of hidden side streets, without having to get buses or taxis.

And, without kids this time, this was even more important. Freed from two delightful, but quite meandering, infants, we wanted to take a good stroll around at our leisure.

And Vienna really was great for this. It’s literally brimming over with amazing architecture every which way you turn. The sheer volume of the beautifully preserved historic buildings gives a great insight into the wealth of the Habsburg Empire.

We spent hours strolling hand-in-hand, just chatting, without interruptions and going at our own pace.

…and the sun even shone for us!

The Picture Gallery

As we were only in Vienna for one weekend, we selected a couple of things we really wanted to do, aided by our Guide Book and by the lovely concierge at Hotel Sans Souci.

With two small(ish) kids, we don’t really get to go to galleries much anymore. And, if we do, we generally have one hour max before the kids start to massively lose patience. Thus, the the Old Masters at the Picture Gallery (Kunsthistorisches Museum) was top of the list.

The Picture Collection is largely displayed in rooms following regional schools of painting, and is a veritable treasure trove of delights! So much so that we somehow lost 4 hours in there, feasting our eyes on the works of Caravaggio, Bruegel, Titian, Rubens and more.

Here’s a little sneaky peak at some of my favourites…

There’s also a great exhibition called The Shape of Time over at the Picture Gallery at the moment.

Dotted throughout the rooms, individual paintings of the 14th and 15th century are showcased alongside a more modern piece. The idea is that ‘visitors are invited to look simultaneously backwards and forwards between objects made hundreds of years apart, either of which has the potential to alter our experience of the other’. (lifted entirely from the pamphlet accompanying the exhibition)

…you can see more by joining me over at Instagram @empty_nest_mummy

Bosch’s The Last Judgement

We were also really keen on seeing Bosch’s The Last Judgement, one of the most gory and horrifying depictions of the final days in Christian art. Normally housed in the Academy of Fine Arts, this was temporarily rehoused about 5 minutes’ walk away while we visited.

As I have no sense of direction, I would certainly not have found it. Thankfully, Northern Husband is like a walking talking roadmap, so we got there safely, quickly and in one piece.

And, boy was I glad that we did!

Bosch’s triptych was a truly amazing depiction of Judgement Day, with horrifying tortures inflicted on those who have committed the Seven Mortal Sins.

(Note to self: this is what you’ll get if you don’t stop glugging so much wine. You have been warned….)

Mozart’s Requiem

The only thing we had pre-booked was tickets to a Mozart’s Requiem which was amazing.

With an orchestra, a choir and an amazing location, this was one of the highlights of a great weekend in Vienna.

And, sorry, I can only share you you a picture of the stage just before the performance. But, trust me, it was spellbinding!

And the Food in Vienna?

I have to say that I had very low hopes of the food for me – a vegetarian.

But I’m delighted to say that I was wrong. I had some great, really pretty and super tasty food in Vienna, most of it vegan!

….and sadly for my carnivorous husband, not one wiener was consumed!

Was our City Break to Vienna a success?

I guess that the true mark of a great Citybreak is that recommend it to your friends. Or that you want to go back for a return visit.

And we’ll certainly do both.

With just two full days in Vienna, we barely scratched the surface. Although we were really busy, there’s lots that we didn’t see.

…lots to add to the itinerary for next time.

And, who knows, perhaps next time we’ll bring the kids!

We do also go places with the kids! Click here to see how we got on in Rome.