My first trip to Vienna, Austria was for a snowy long weekend with some friends during study abroad. We stayed in a hostel, went to every major museum and famous coffee shop, and then got standing tickets to the opera.
A fall 2022 trip was planned as my family’s first major international trip after having kids. Thanks to COVID we did not get to take a Spring 2020 trip to Portugal with our oldest child, so our first big family trip was with two kids who were one and three at the time of travel. We were excited to be able to get out and travel again after a three year hiatus from international trips, and start to show the kids the joys of new adventures– or at least experience new playgrounds and coffee shops.
Why Vienna?
There’s a nonstop flight from IAD to Vienna, so we thought it would be easy to fly into Vienna, and then take the train into the city center. We wanted to visit museums and coffee shops in between trips to the playground, and then spend time hiking in forests and visiting wineries on the outskirts of Vienna.
Planning:
We thought we found the perfect Airbnb for this two week trip. It was 800 meters from the Wien Hauptbahnhof so we thought we could take the S-Bahn into the city and then walk to our lodging. The pictures of the Airbnb we picked had bunk beds, a crib and even a tumbling mat for play so we thought it would be an ideal home away from home. We had planned our check-in to be the day before our early morning arrival so we could get into our lodging as soon as we arrived in the city center.
We also booked an overnight trip to Budapest, about a week into our travels with the goal of leaving our big suitcases and kid things, like a hiking backpack, at the Airbnb to then spend one night in a Budapest hotel for my birthday.
We did not book activities in advance because we had no idea how a one and three year old would acclimate to the time change.
Experience:
My husband and I got onto the train from the Vienna airport with both kids to the city center thinking we were in great shape. The flight was super easy, and the kids were in relatively good spirits. Little did we know we were about to walk into a horrific Airbnb scam.
We walked the 800 meters from the train station to the Hotspot Museum 5, Airbnb with two little kids and luggage for a two week trip. We packed things like sleep sacks, sippy cups and kid bowls and utensils thinking we would only have to haul everything the days of our arrival and departure.
We made it to the Airbnb and the door code my husband entered did not work. He then texted the Airbnb host Erich who asked if we had arrived the day before. Of course we had previously communicated our arrival plan, and Erich then let my husband know the unit could have bed bugs, but we were welcome to meet him at a park that afternoon where he could then transport us in a van to new lodgings. Despite not sleeping on the overnight flight, we still had enough sense to realize this was an Airbnb scam, and we declined that offer. At this point our luck with the kids ended, everyone started to melt down, and we needed a place to rest, and FAST. We then walked the 800 meters back to the train station area, and found a Hilton. I’d previously run multiple marathons, and that 800 meter walk was one of the hardest of my life.
Y’all, Hilton SAVED us after that painful walk. My husband walked up to the registration counter, explained the situation, and the staff at the Hilton Vienna Park could not have been more helpful and kind. They immediately set us up in two adjoining rooms, and sent up a crib within minutes of us getting into the room. A basic level room was not available, so they even gave us an upgraded room at the standard rate. That level of service has made us Hilton customers for life.
After getting settled into the amazing Hilton, we had to completely re-plan our trip. There were no Airbnb’s in Vienna with ten plus consecutive nights available for the duration of our stay, and Airbnb did nothing to help us find family friendly accommodations. Not knowing what to do, we decided to pivot and book an Airbnb in Budapest for the majority of our trip. You can read more about that Airbnb experience here, but after this trip I will never stay in an Airbnb again.
We did spend three nights at the Hilton Vienna Park before departing for Budapest, and then returned for two additional nights before flying home. While our Vienna trip did not go as planned, we did manage to make the most of our time there once we got our lodgings sorted out.
The Museum of Natural History was a highlight for our young kids. The dinosaur bones were the big draw for them, and they were able to enjoy other parts of the museum on a rainy morning in Vienna. We have some great pictures of them with dinosaur bones and fake cave people. There are also a lot of beautiful gardens in this part of town that we enjoyed. Since it’s been a few years since our trip, many of those park details are a bit blurry since they were overshadowed by our stress in finding new accommodations.
I do remember we also spent a lot of time at Stadtpark. There are multiple playgrounds within the park, so we started each day at the playground before trying to see a museum or other sight.
The night before we flew home we also ventured out to Mayer winery. It was an awesome way to end our travels to Vienna and Budapest. Adventures to the forests and wineries on the outskirts of Vienna were what we had envisioned for the majority of our trip, so we were grateful we got to experience an Austrian winery once before flying home. We were able to take public transportation and walk the remainder of the way to Mayer winery on a beautiful fall evening. We were then pleasantly surprised to find both an outdoor climbing structure and indoor play room for the kids. This made our visit extra enjoyable, because my husband and I were able to take turns enjoying the delicious wine flights we ordered and watching the kids play. Both kids ended up napping for a bit which made for a peaceful wine tasting in a beautiful outdoor courtyard. We also made a pit stop at yet another playground between the winery and train stop to make the journey back to the hotel more enjoyable for the kids.
Lessons Learned:
As previously stated our biggest lesson was to never book with Airbnb again. We had previously enjoyed stays in Paris, the Faroe Islands and Switzerland, but we learned with two young kids you need better lodging guarantees.
Travel Gear:
Our Osprey Poco Child Carrier Backpack was a star of this trip. We were able to carry one child on our back for longer distances while the other child sat in the stroller. This helped while we were out exploring.
Final Thoughts:
Despite our bad lodging experience, I really do love Vienna. It would be nice to go back when the kids can appreciate the museums, opera and coffee shops that made my first trip to the city so memorable.
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