Paris and Austria...or Germany?

[shel]

I need some help in trying to decide between Austria or Germany in addition to France.  Thinking maybe Vienna and surrounding for Austria or somewhere a little less urban in Germany, ideally spending 2-3 days in each.  

 I'm always happy in Paris and surrounding cities, and this would be the 4th time in Paris, so any suggestions for restaurants, things to do other than the typical would be truly welcomed. Since I'm going alone (DH hates travel and most GFs with kids), no need for 'romantic experiences', but love small group tours and restaurants where I can be comfortably solo. 

 

Any opinions, suggestions appreciated.  

[anna7602]

There are tons of nice places to eat solo in Paris. I used to do it all the time during the day while DH was at work and DD was at school. I love the Marche des Enfants Rouges. There is a fantastic West Indian restaurant inside of there as well as a Moroccan restaurant. The whole area around it is nice for going on a long walk, either to shop on Rue des Francs Bourgeois or just to hang out in the Place des Vosges. The Musee Carnavalet and the Jewish Museum are around there and the Nuxe Spa is also somewhere in that same area (I can't remember off the top of my head). I love the Nuxe Spa!

One of my very, very, very favorite solo lunch places was a place in the 5th on the Place de l'Estrapade. I think it's called Café de la Mairie. I also quite like the café inside the store Merci, it's farm to table. (Check out the store, too: www.merci-merci.com/en/) Another favorite is Rose Bakery on Rue des Martyrs in the 9th.

If it's nice out, you can't beat picking up lunch inside the gourmet market of department store Le Bon Marche and taking your lunch to any of the small parks just around it or a 10-minute walk to the Jardin de Luxembourg.

I would recommend just about any of the creperies on Rue du Montparnasse (not to be confused with Boulevard du Montparnasse, although the street intersects it in the 14th).

Wandering the open-air markets is another favorite activity of mine in Paris, like the ones on Place Monge or Boulevard du Raspail. Place Monge is Fridays, I believe, and another day I am not sure of. Raspail is on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Place Breteuil/Rue du Saxe is another nice market, but I am really blanking out on what day that one is. Maybe Thursdays and Saturdays???

Have you been to the big Paris flea market already? To the Musee du Quai Branly? I would recommend both. The restaurant at the Musee du Quai Branly is pretty nice, a little pricey, but beautiful views of the city & the Eiffel Tower and good food.

If you feel like doing some yoga while you're there, Rasa Yoga in the 5th has some classes in English and it's a beautiful studio.

I haven't been to Vienna, so can't comment on it. I really, really like Berlin, however.

[Deleted]

I have been to both Munich and Salzburg this past year and enjoyed them both. I think I preferred Munich as Salzburg was PACKED with tourists.

[alleinesein]

I vote for Germany. What time of year are you going?

[shel]

Thanks so much for the restaurant suggestions, I'm absolutely going to try a few of these. I've only stumbled upon the occasional Paris flea market by accident and never the larger ones, worth planning my itinerary around market days.

I had thought about Berlin. Europeandestinations.com offers a Paris-Berlin package, are there day trips outside of the city that allow seeing a little more of the rural Germany?

Thinking going mid- late September since it's too late now for May, as I'd done before. 2 of 3x in Paris, froze to death with my kir in Luxembourg in May.

[Deleted]

It is the 25th anniversary of the Berlin wall falling this year, so that might be a cool reason to go to Berlin.

I've been to Germany too many times to count. I like Austria better.

[Deleted]

Mar 8, 2014 7:02:41 GMT -5 shel said:

Thanks so much for the restaurant suggestions, I'm absolutely going to try a few of these. I've only stumbled upon the occasional Paris flea market by accident and never the larger ones, worth planning my itinerary around market days.

I had thought about Berlin. Europeandestinations.com offers a Paris-Berlin package, are there day trips outside of the city that allow seeing a little more of the rural Germany?

Thinking going mid- late September since it's too late now for May, as I'd done before. 2 of 3x in Paris, froze to death with my kir in Luxembourg in May.

Mid to late September is Oktoberfest in Munich. That solidifies my vote!!

Actually, if you are travelling solo I don't know if it would be as fun - I feel like that is one of those things you do with a group. I would probably consider Berlin too.

[dearprudence]

I've done Austria and the Bavarian side of Germany, which is what I think you're comparing - and I much prefer Austria. Bavaria is lovely, but there's something really great about Austria. And Vienna is a great counterpoint to Paris. Salzburg is my favorite city in the world.

[mcsangel2]

Mar 7, 2014 21:43:41 GMT -5 @lauriergirl28 said:

I have been to both Munich and Salzburg this past year and enjoyed them both. I think I preferred Munich as Salzburg was PACKED with tourists.

I hope everyone continues to contribute, but I am really interested as DH and I are talking about doing a Munich-Vienna trip in 2015, which has morphed into Munich-Salzburg-Vienna, which is maybe turning into just Salzburg-Vienna.

What time of year were you there? I hear Salzburg is a must see.

for OP, if you had to pick one, based on my research, I'd add Vienna.

[shel]

Thanks so much for all of the replies. Oktoberfest is still on the bucket list, will convince DH eventually.

Think it's going to be Vienna, the winery bike tour out of the city sealed the deal and my inner/outer nerd wants to see the Freud museum. Checked out hotels and flight schedules and should be good to book tomorrow for mid-September. Have that excited feeling that I always get when I'm about to make it official.

Any one with Vienna must-sees?

[Whitecaps]

Go to Cochem, Germany. Adorable, gorgeous, wine country.

[jennybee1018]

We love Vienna! We went last May, and we're considering going back again this Spring for a quick getaway. We like to drink good beer, so some of these recs are brewery focused :-P But where's what we did and what I recommend!

Let me know if you need a hotel rec, we stayed at a really cute, brand new Best Western that was nice, and close to the metro.

1516 Tavern – Loved this place! Really good beer, schnapps and ribs. We also loved this little Italian place called Salieri. It’s on the street across from 1516 Brewing.

7 Stern Brau – DH loved this place. It wasn’t directly off a metro stop and required a bit of a walk, but it was worth it! (You read German right? Just kidding – there’s a Union Jack flag on the page, click on it for English!)

I believe on our way to 7 Stern Brau – we stopped at the Naschmarket. This place is awesome! It’s like a big open air market with lots of good street food. Get the doner kebab!!!

The other place we really liked was Wieden Brau. Great beer and yummy food (including pretzels!). I love the Ratler – which is a mix of hefeweizen and a sort of lemonade apple drink!

Other fun things to check out are Schronbrunn Palace, Spanish Riding School, and DH loves the State Hall – Austrian National Library, because he likes books

We didn’t get to go when we were there, but I’ve heard great things about the Vienna Opera House. My IL's went to see a performance when we went, and said it was a great experience.

There are a lot of museums and things too, but we didn't spend much time there :-P DH's parents did. We preferred to explore good beer. You have to get Mozart candy when you go! You'll see it in all the shops :-)

Also, a good friend of my sister’s recommended the hot dog cart adjacent to the Opera House. If you can find it, it sounds delicious! (He said: For the best hot dogs in your life, you have to check out this cart, which is adjacent to the opera house, not too far from the main walkway. they dig out half the bread and stuff the hot dog, which is cheese filled in it. )

Oh, we also went to Tichy for ice cream :-) They had these huge robot ads all over the place, so we had to check it out! Good ice cream :-) It was the very last stop at the end of the Red line, I think. So easy to get to :-) 

I wanted to go to Salzburg to do the Sound of Music tour, but it ended up not happening. Next time hopefully!!!

Anyway, Vienna is an amazing city, you'll enjoy it no matter what you do!

[lolo]

I really enjoyed the staatoper in Vienna. It was a beautiful performing space and wonderful to feel part of something with such a rich musical history. Also the old ladies hissing at stupid people who clapped between movements was amazing.

I also went to a very tiny performing space (where Mozart used to play!) to hear a concert. The musicians wore period attire and used period instruments, which was really fascinating. They had champagne at intermission.

Stephansdom is spectacular. I've been to countless cathedrals and this one has a different feel. The roof is a masterpiece--definitely take the lift to see these hand painted tiles.

We also enjoyed the Schonbrunn palace and the adjacent zoo (oldest in Europe).

There was lots more I wish we had time to see. The final thing we enjoyed was just visiting the cafes. Such a fabulous and delicious cultural experience.

[shel]

Thanks so much for these suggestions. All set for 3 days in Vienna in mid-September.

Not a huge foodie so with decent beer and wine, will happily search for Mozart candy and the hot dog cart near the opera house. Seeing a concert there would be wonderful although not on the 1st day. Made the mistake of doing that in Prague with serious jet lag and almost drew blood in pinching myself to stay awake (without snoring or the dread head fall back) until it was over.

No official itinerary yet but planning is always half the fun.

[anna7602]

Mar 8, 2014 7:10:40 GMT -5 @septimus said:

It is the 25th anniversary of the Berlin wall falling this year, so that might be a cool reason to go to Berlin.
 

I can do the math, but seeing this put forth here makes me feel OLD.

[Deleted]

Mar 11, 2014 10:08:26 GMT -5 anna7602 said:

Mar 8, 2014 7:10:40 GMT -5 @septimus said:

It is the 25th anniversary of the Berlin wall falling this year, so that might be a cool reason to go to Berlin.
 

I can do the math, but seeing this put forth here makes me feel OLD.

Me too. I lived in Denmark the year after the wall fell. 

[stever]

I love Germany but have mostly been to the big cities. And though I'm not familiar with smaller places near Vienna, there are several little places near Salzburg - which is lovely in itself. So I'd recommend a few days in Salzburg with a daytrip to Hallstatt or something.