Wien

Austria is a country that could be defined by hiking. With the mighty Alps offering the chance to get out into nature, and dare I say, Get away from it all, Hiking is very much part of the national psyche. This is great for the people of Salzburg, Stieremark and the Tirol, where finding a mountain to climb is simple. For those who live in the Austrian Capital, things can seem a little more tricky. Vienna sits out on the marches that lead to Slovakia and the Czech Republic. These flatlands differ wildly from the mountainous peaks seen further west. That doesn’t mean there isn’t an opportunity to get out into nature, and even find the odd place to climb. The City of Vienna has a plan, and it’s called the Stadtwanderweg.

For our first wander post Lockdown, I’m heading out to the north of the city, into the 19th district, Döbling, to the largest suburb, Grinzing. Grinzing is just the starting point of today’s wander, and also the endpoint. The middle is going to be challenging but in the best way possible. So let’s dive in.

Ober St. Veit has a special place in my heart. Back in 2017, I stepped out of my apartment, determined to explore my new home in Vienna. We’d been living here just under a year, and as I had some time on my hands, took the first train I saw from Simmering Train station. Below is a write up of that first wander. There are many of these from the very early days of Wiener Wanderland, and we’ll both be revisiting these places with fresh eyes. In the meantime, have a read.

I don’t know Stammersdorf at all. In my many vacations in Vienna and since moving here, Stammersdorf Has never once ‘come up’ as a destination. It really should have.

The 11th is one of Vienna’s bigger districts. Simmering is actually three smaller villages rolled into one bigger district, well that’s the theory anyway. The villages of Simmering and Kaiserebersdorf make up the 11th. The third village of Albern is a bit of enigma, as today the little village is represented by just a small harbour on the Danube. That’s a story for another time. Today I’m heading to Kaiserebersdorf at the bottom of Vienna, and it’s just 10 minutes by tram.