Best post cruise stop: Frankfurt, Munich, or Vienna?

[kaymoz]

Our cruise ends in Stockholm, in early September, so we are considering three Continental cities for a stop on the way back to the US East Coast, since we'll need to change planes anyway. Maybe three days? We like art & museums, vibrant public life, old buildings, history, walking tours, etc. Looking for advice!!

[dogs4fun]

Vienna is wonderful - so much to see and do in the city: Schonbrunn Palace, St. Stephen's Cathedral, Belvedere, Hofburg, Spanish Riding School, Opera House, etc.

https://www.wien.gv.at/english/culture-history/tourism/

Munich is also nice & you can easily add a day trip from Munich to Neuschwanstein Castle (easy to DIY via train). Also, if interested, you can visit Dachau - easy to DIY. Within the city: Marienplatz (Rathaus & glockenspeil), Residenz, Nymphenburg, etc.

http://www.muenchen.de/int/en/tourism.html

I would check-out the sights in each city and see which offers the most venues suited to your particular tastes. My personal preference for a first time visit would be Vienna - jmho.

I haven't spent much time in Frankfurt so really can't comment with any degree of reliability.

[hallasm]

Any particular reason for those three cities? Apart from Vienna IMO not the most interesting cities. Vienna does get my vote.

 

 

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[Lewisinde]

Been to all three. Vienna gets my vote. Lots to see, great coffee, deserts. Not so much in Frankfort.

[CruiserBruce]

Been to all three. Vienna gets my vote. Lots to see, great coffee, deserts. Not so much in Frankfort.

 

Agree...same experience, first visit to Munich last month, second visit to Vienna this month. Been to Frankfurt several times.

[afto]

We like art & museums, vibrant public life, old buildings, history, walking tours, etc. Looking for advice!!

 

Don't think you can go wrong with any of these cities, but have you considered Berlin? With these criteria, Berlin definitely fits the bill. We did a Baltic last year and in our northern Germany stop we had a wonderful day touring Rostock and Bad Doberan and riding the Mollibahn steam train down to the coast. Relaxing and low-key, instead of trying to fit in a long day trip to "see" Berlin in a single day from Rostock. Like yours, our cruise ended in Stockholm; we booked an inexpensive direct flight to Berlin and stayed 4 nights there. It worked well for us. You can click on the link in my signature below if you are interested in more details on the tour from Rostock/Warnemunde and the stopover in Berlin.

[Earl Rosebery]

Vienna for sure. Stay within the old city ring and everything is within easy walking distance

[gnome12]

I think those three choices have direct flights home; not an unreasonable choice to avoid the hassles of connections.

 

 

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[kaymoz]

OP here on -- Why These 3 Cities?

 

1. They have non-stop flights to our home airport (Dulles/IAD)

2. We have not already visited them

3. They are on the Continent

 

Berlin is a place we'd prefer to the locations on this list, but it misses on #1. And it is pretty far overland from cities with non-stop flights.

HOWEVER, we could add Dublin to the list if we relax on #3. And maybe we should, since the travel time from Stockholm is comparable to the others.

(and if we relax on #3 some might suggest Reyjkavik but we are planning a trip there in 2019)

[Sauer-kraut]

Leave off Frankfurt -- just a big city (Although there are some interesting museums)

Vienna very interesting, great museums!! The Military Museum is actually in an Army Installation, of course there are the palaces, the zoo, the Museum of Industry, the Hapsburg Treasury (always closed when I am in Vienna!!) The Spanish Riding School tour (get to see the Lippizans) and many art museums too.

 

 

Munich has some fun stuff too. The Alte Pinoakotek has some Albrecht Duerer pieces and some other lovely Renaissance paintings.

[dogs4fun]

We like art & museums, vibrant public life, old buildings, history, walking tours, etc.

Vienna: If you are a fan of Gustav Klimt, the Belvedere (originally the summer palace of Prince Eugene of Savoy) features the largest compilation of his works.

[GradUT]

I've been to them all more than once.

 

Skip Frankfurt -- a big city without much charm.

 

Either Vienna or Munich would be good choices. Lots to see and do and easy to get around.

 

Dublin is a good choice too!

[Desdichado62]

Our cruise ends in Stockholm, in early September, so we are considering three Continental cities for a stop on the way back to the US East Coast, since we'll need to change planes anyway. Maybe three days? We like art & museums, vibrant public life, old buildings, history, walking tours, etc. Looking for advice!!

 

Well, I'd say stay in Stockholm for a few days before flying out, otherwise I'd say go with Vienna.

[toonye]

One more vote for Vienna [emoji106]

 

 

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[kaymoz]

Our cruise overnights in Stockholm, and we plan to stay one additional night at a hotel, so we'll have more than the minimum time there.

But the suggestion about Klimt alone is almost enough to convince me about Vienna!

[Got2Cruise]

Munich you can take a day trip to Neuschwanstein Castle

 

 

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[kaymoz]

We toured Neuschwanstein Castle years ago as part of a trip to the mountains in Germany.

For this September, it is really sounding like Vienna to me -- I looked up the Klimt venues, found the website for the Belvedere, and the first picture that popped up on it was a longtime (non-Klimt) favorite!

[dogs4fun]

We toured Neuschwanstein Castle years ago as part of a trip to the mountains in Germany.

For this September, it is really sounding like Vienna to me -- I looked up the Klimt venues, found the website for the Belvedere, and the first picture that popped up on it was a longtime (non-Klimt) favorite!

I honestly think that you will love Vienna – it seems to tick all your boxes (stunning architecture, history, art, museums, Viennese coffee culture). We are visiting again this coming October & are looking forward to another great time. I love Vienna for many things but mostly for its classical music venues (arguably the classical music capital of the world).

 

To orient yourself to the city, I suggest that you do a ring tour (Ringstrasse is the road that surrounds the inner city) as this area contains some of Vienna’s most famous sights (Opera House, Hofburg Palace, Parliament, City Hall). There are a variety of walking tours available but for a 1st time introduction to the ring, I like utilizing the trams (1 & 2) and my feet. There is also a dedicated tram that just circles the Ringstrasse & provides commentary in multiple languages (https://www.wienerlinien.at/eportal3/ep/channelView.do/pageTypeId/66533/channelId/-47394).

 

Must see (imho):

St.Stephen’s Cathedral

HofburgPalace, Sisi Museum and Imperial Treasury; https://www.wien.info/en/sightseeing/sights/imperial/treasury

https://www.hofburg-wien.at/en/

Schonbrunn Palace

Art: Museum of Fine Arts (Kunsthistorisches Museum) – stunning collection

Albertina

Belvedere

 

Also interesting:

Imperial furniture collection

Freud Museum

 

If you like markets, try Naschmarkt – it is a real lively market (lots of cafes and pubs) and, I believe, Vienna’s most popular market.

 

For music junkies:

House of Music (Haus der Musik)

Mozarthaus– (Mozart’s home in Vienna from 1784-87 & his only surviving residence)

Vienna Opera

 

And, thefood is simply delicious! We visited the restaurant touted by Anthony Bourdain (Wratschko Gastwirschhaft) as the best food in Austria. It was delicious! http://www.wratschko.wien/

 

Great sausage stands abound in the city & do try the oft acclaimed sachertorte.

[GradUT]

We toured Neuschwanstein Castle years ago as part of a trip to the mountains in Germany.

For this September, it is really sounding like Vienna to me -- I looked up the Klimt venues, found the website for the Belvedere, and the first picture that popped up on it was a longtime (non-Klimt) favorite!

 

If you are planning to go to Vienna (or even if you aren't), see the movie, "The Woman in Gold" with Helen Mirren and Ryan Reynolds. It's a true story about a woman trying to reclaim some Klimt paintings that were stolen from her family by the Germans during WWII.

[Earl Rosebery]

p.S. You can’t beat the hotel Kaiserin Elizabeth. Literally steps from St. Stephan’s Cathedral and the subway. You can walk to everwhere within the Ringstrasse.

[dogs4fun]

If you are planning to go to Vienna (or even if you aren't), see the movie, "The Woman in Gold" with Helen Mirren and Ryan Reynolds. It's a true story about a woman trying to reclaim some Klimt paintings that were stolen from her family by the Germans during WWII.

Good suggestion - I loved that movie - great acting & a happy ending! The iconic Klimt painting (Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I aka "Woman in Gold") hung in the Belvedere for years until returned to Maria Altmann in 2006. The painting now has a home in NYCs Neue Galerie.

[kaymoz]

Fanastic suggestions! Will put that film on our cruise countdown to-do list!!

[LondonTowner]

Our cruise overnights in Stockholm, and we plan to stay one additional night at a hotel, so we'll have more than the minimum time there.

 

But the suggestion about Klimt alone is almost enough to convince me about Vienna!

 

 

 

I may be wrong on this, but I'm sure there is a large Klimt exhibition in another European city this summer. That may mean many of his works won't be in the Belvedere.

 

 

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[kaymoz]

Yes, LondonTowner, the exhibit is evidently in Paris.

Now we'll just have to go there to see the exhibit -- and the supplementary light show sounds pretty fascinating.

https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-new-immersive-installation-paris-step-inside-klimts-masterpieces

Seriously, it's only on til 11 November, so not quite enough time for us to fit that in, but we'll have lots to see in Vienna even if the Belvedere has some empty spots.

[LondonTowner]

kaymoz

 

Glad I hadn't been dreaming it. There is plenty in Vienna to keep you occupied. In fact, we are visiting later in the year, but I've been a few times before.

 

 

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