Sweden is my ‘Goto’ destination when I want to unwind, relax, and recharge. I’ve been there many times, the last of which was back in Autumn 2018. While Stockholm does have its charms, good coffee, and the royal family who live in the city, it’s Uppsala that calls to me on almost every visit. A University city, Uppsala is a great place to relax, even on a cool autumn day.
I visited Pöchlarn in the Autumn of 2017. I’d passed through the train station many a time when heading to Wieselburg, and curiosity got the better of me. Pöchlarn sits between Melk to the East and Amstetten to the west. It’s around an hours journey time from Vienna and you’ll need to change at St. Pölten for the Amstetten service.
Lindau is beautiful. I know that summing up in the very first sentence isn’t the way these kinds of articles are supposed to go. The fact remains though that Lindau is beautiful. I found myself spending the weekend there a few years ago for work. I didn’t pick Lindau because of its beauty. I picked it because it was cheaper than staying in Friedrichshafen where I was to work, and it was also cheaper than the Austrian City Of Bregenz, just a few miles away. I had no expectations, just that it would make a nice base to head to Friedrichshafen the following morning. So on a Friday afternoon, after a long trip from Wien on a Railjet, and a change at Bregenz, I arrived on the tiny island.
There are times when rather than spending the day somewhere, I find myself with a little time on our hands to explore, before heading off somewhere else. In February 2018, I ended up in the Styrian town of Mürzzuschlag, with just an hour or two to look around. Here’s what I found
Žilina is one of the most beautiful Slovakian cities you’ve never heard of. I found myself there in the summer of 2018 for work, and again in May 2019 for pleasure. The city is around two hours north of Bratislava and sits near the Czech and Polish borders. With a population of 80,000, it’s the fourth biggest city in Slovakia. The city and the region are incredibly old, with their routes dating back beyond the 10th century.
Austrian Rail operator ÖBB has once again expanded its popular NightJet Service, this time with a new Seasonal route to the south. Beginning in mid-June and running until mid-September, the new NightJet, NJ1253/1252 will see two trains a week make the trip from Bratislava via Vienna, Graz, and on to the Croatian city of Split.
Mödling is just a 25-minute train journey from Vienna Hauptbahnhof and has a reputation for being a great place to go hiking. It also has a rich history, dating back to the Neolithic period, though I’m not sure that’s much help today. In more modern times the town has seen its beautifully preserved centre protected under the Hague Convention. With frescos that can date back to the 13th century and many buildings from the 16th century still in use, Mödling is a rather pretty town.
My morning begins early, horribly early. I’m catching the 07.58 train from Wien to Graz. While it’s early, the ticket price was a steal, just €9 each way. The downside to these deal is usually an early or a late departure. My train today is the EC150, a Eurocity service that’s operated by Slovenian railways, and will run on from Graz to Ljubljana. For me its a 2 hour 30 journey through the Alps. I board and settle into a nice single seat, which is very comfortable. departing on time, my journey will take in Wien Meidling, Wiener Neustadt then into the alps, stopping at Semmering, Mürzzuschlag, Kapfenberg, Bruck/Mur and on to Graz. It’s slow going once we leave Wiener Neustadt as the track bends and climbs high up into the mountains. Here speeds drop, even for the Railjets that operate the same route. In a few years, ÖBB will have finished a huge new tunnel system that will cut the journey time by 30 minutes. Today though, in the early morning light, I’m treated to beautiful views and snow-covered mountains.
Having itchy feet is a terrible thing. Despite copious amounts of wandering around Austria, sometimes wanderlust can become all-consuming. In truth, I need a vacation. After moving from the UK to Vienna nearly two years ago, neither of us (I include my better half Lynda in this) have had a holiday together since May 2016, when we spent her 40th birthday with friends in Sweden. So we are in desperate need of a change of scenery. Just a little getaway for the weekend. So shall it be done? May in Austria is a confusing time as all sorts of bank holidays and days off can crop up. This year has brought with it a bumper crop, thanks to an early Easter. The weekend of the 12th of May has Thursday and Friday off, just in time for Lynda’s birthday. So armed with time off and the OEBB app, let’s see where we can go. As it happens, there was a special on over the Christmas break and we’ve bagged two return tickets to the capital of Slovenia, Ljubljana. Total price for us both, €36! That’s just €9 there and €9 back each. Bargain. Sure it takes just over 6 hours by train, but it a trip through some of the most beautiful countryside in the world. So let’s get going.
With the arrival of spring, I decided to strike out and hit the rails running. Christmas brought a present in the form of new train service to Prague and Brno. Regiojet is the Czech Republics number one budget rail and bus provider, offering cheap fares to all parts. Their arrival in Vienna offers direct competition to the Czech’s main rail provider on the route. RegioJet’s prices are incredibly competitive, offering free coffee, water, magazines, wifi and a full in-seat entertainment system. Best of all, it now stops at Simmering, saving me a trip into Hauptbahnhof. Prague is still 4 hours away and way beyond a day’s wandering. Brno however is barely an hour and a half’s journey time. Why not?
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