8 Days in Austria – Wine Regions, Old Friends and Traveling Without Hurry

A weeks after returning home, the journey began to settle into its final shape in our memories. No longer as a collection of individual days, but as one complete experience.

Our original plan for Austria was fairly simple: a couple of nights in the wine region around Langenlois, a visit to an old friend in Burgenland and five days in Vienna.

In the end, the journey became much more than a wine trip or a city break. Once again, we discovered that some of the best moments appear when there is enough empty space in the schedule.

A relaxed beginning in Langenlois

The journey from Turku to Vienna via Riga with airBaltic proved surprisingly convenient. After arriving in Austria, we continued directly to Langenlois, a small town surrounded by vineyards in Lower Austria.

We left our luggage at LOISIUM Wine & Spa Hotel and walked a few hundred metres to Weingut Steininger. We had planned only a quick visit while waiting for our room to be ready.

That quick visit turned into a tasting of seven sparkling wines.

Brigitta, the senior lady of the Steininger family, guided us through the wines with warmth, humour and obvious pride in what the family had created. Looking back, that was the moment when the holiday truly began.

It also reminded us of something that would return throughout the journey: we do not travel only for landscapes, cities or wine. More often than not, it is the people who stay in our memories.

Wachau – Landscapes and a small railway adventure

The next day took us to the Wachau Valley.

A boat journey along the Danube from Krems to Melk offered exactly the scenery we had hoped for: vineyards climbing the hillsides, small villages along the river and Melk Abbey appearing above the town.

Some landscapes are difficult to capture in photographs. Wachau is one of them. The scale, changing light and slow movement along the river are best experienced from the deck of a boat.

The return journey became memorable for a completely different reason.

We travelled back by local train through St. Pölten and managed to create a small episode involving three regular tickets, one discounted ticket and a ticket inspector who was not entirely convinced by our arrangement. The situation was eventually resolved with good humour.

Only later did we realise that the same train would have continued directly to Langenlois.

Small mistakes like these often become better stories than perfectly executed plans.

Burgenland – Excellent wines and an old friend

One of the most anticipated days was our road trip to Großhöflein in Burgenland.

The motorway gradually gave way to smaller roads, and our route took us through Baden before arriving at Weingut Leberl.

There we met Alex, an old friend and former colleague whom we had not seen for almost twenty-five years.

The wines were excellent, and there were plenty of them, but this time wine was not the most important part of the visit.

What mattered more was noticing how easily the conversation continued from where it had stopped all those years ago. The day produced enough memories and stories to deserve an article of its own.

It was also a reminder that time and distance do not always weaken a friendship. Sometimes they simply create more stories to share when people finally meet again.

Vienna – A city that does not need to be completed

Five days in Vienna taught us perhaps the most important lesson of the entire journey:

A city does not have to be completed in one visit.

We saw famous places, of course, and took care of a few Austrian essentials. Sachertorte was eaten, Wiener Schnitzel tasted exactly as it should and considerably more than one glass of local wine was enjoyed.

Still, many of our favourite memories came from the spaces between the recognised attractions.

Sitting on a bench at Heldenplatz.

Walking through the wine tavern district of Grinzing.

Looking over Vienna from the vineyards of Nussberg.

Watching a quiet Sunday afternoon in the city’s parks.

And drinking hot chocolate with whipped cream when rain surprised us in Türkenschanzpark.

These were the moments when we were not trying to reach the next destination.

One of the greatest surprises was Light of Creation at the neo-Gothic Votivkirche. We took very few photographs inside. Sometimes an experience is better lived than recorded.

Bratislava – The day we did not know to expect

Our day trip to Bratislava was originally just one possible item on the itinerary.

In the end, it became one of the most enjoyable surprises of the journey.

We travelled along the Danube on the Twin City Liner, took a short bus tour and then wandered through the old town without any particular plan.

That was how we found the Secret Garden, a small courtyard we would probably never have discovered if we had simply moved from one major attraction to another.

Perhaps that was the common thread running through the entire trip:

When curiosity is given some space, it often finds more than we were looking for.

What stayed with us

The final day at Schönbrunn felt like a fitting conclusion.

Hot chocolate on the palace terrace during light rain, sunshine returning over the gardens in the afternoon and, eventually, the journey home through Riga to Turku.

Now, when we think back on Austria, the first things that come to mind are not individual attractions or even the wineries.

What remains is the atmosphere.

There was no hurry.

Perhaps that is exactly why the journey was so successful.

Many places were left for another visit, and that feels perfectly fine. Not everything needs to be seen on a single trip.

Thank you, Austria.

We will meet again.

The complete day-by-day travel stories are available in Finnish in our Austria 2026 travel diary.