VIENNA
After finding a return flight for £40, I went on my first ever solo trip to Vienna!
In May 2019, I was having a little nosey at Ryanair's cheap deals page and I stumbled across a £40 flight to Vienna so of course I booked it! I did have a very brief visit to Vienna a few years before this on a family cycling holiday but I felt like we didn't get to see much of the city.
I set off to Stanstead Airport bright and early for my flight feeling very excited and nervous as I had no clue what travelling alone was going to be like. When I landed, I had one of my first-ever double-decker train experiences and I have one question...Why do we not have them in the UK?! I was very proud of myself for navigating the city by myself however I did end up at the wrong hostel so back on the underground it was to the right one this time!
Since it was my first solo trip, I did pay extra for my own room because 18 year old me was very socially awkward and was incapable of talking to strangers. As soon as I checked in and went out to explore the surrounding area.
I cannot lie, I was very unorganised with my itinerary as I just sort of did whatever I felt like each day.
I stumbled across the Hofburg and ended up seeing somebody important (possibly the president) arrive! There were soldiers marching and trumpets being played...it was pretty cool to witness, especially by accident!
I was very nervous about communicating with people as I spoke (and still don't speak) zero German apart from "hello", "goodbye" and "thank you"...Thanks Duolingo for that! One thing you must know about Europe though is that most people do speak English, or at the very least can get the jist of what you are saying so travel without fear...please!
I climbed up a tower with many, many steps and got a beautiful view of the city which only cost a couple of Euros! I found that walking around and getting lost was actually a great way to discover places and find landmarks as well as hidden streets with pretty buildings!
Since Vienna is right next to the border, I took an hours train ride to Bratislava for the day to explore somewhere else. I think I spent about 3 or 4 hours here and then decided...it was not for me so I got an earlier train home! I had to sprint for it and ended up faceplanting in the station which earnt a lot of concerned looks...oops!
I would go back to Vienna in a heartbeat! It is one of the more expensive places I have visited but it's totally worth it!
