Vienna and Croatia twin centre
Another guest blogger today - courtesy of Michael Greener from Rugby - a summer visitor to Vienna and Dubrovnik who was kind enough to give us a flavour of the 2 lovely cities:
Yes I know it is great to spend time sitting next to a hotel pool or sunning yourself on a beach. Sometimes it is nice to have a bit of variety and that is exactly what we experienced on a fantastic dual city Vienna/Dubrovnik break organised by Zenith holidays.
Vienna has to be Europe's best kept secret it has everything that a culture vulture or casual visitor could hope for. It is steeped in history and the architectural splendour that the Hapsburg dynasty bequeathed is truly staggering. From Mozart, to the beautiful Lipizzaner horses there is never a dull moment.
Zenith offered us a good choice of hotels and we were so pleased to take their recommended choice of the K&K Maria Theresa. It's central location made it perfect for exploring and yet it is quietly tucked away in a side street. The staff were superb and freely gave their time giving us impromptu German lessons(!) and providing valuable tourist information.
A visit to Vienna would never be complete without a visit to the 'Orson Wells' ferris wheel which was made famous in the classic film the Third Man. The views of the city were superb, one word of warning though.......you will be humming the theme tune from the film for days!
The worst thing when you come to the end of an enjoyable stay is going home. Not so in this case, part two of the holiday saw us flying out of Vienna direct to Dubrovnik in Croatia. To say it is the pearl of the Adriatic is probably understating how beautiful this place is. Words cannot do this city justice. You certainly can understand why it is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Again Zenith came up trumps on the Hotel front suggesting the Hilton which is strategically placed just outside the old town and ideal for exploring.
Dubrovnik has history in spades and you can see that it has not changed much in centuries as typified in a warning to boys to stop kicking their football against the church wall, it was dated 1597!
Of course history also has it's dark side and you can still see some of the scars on the buildings from the conflict during the Balkans wars in the early 1990's following the break up of Yugoslavia. The scars on the people may take a bit longer to heal but please do take a tour on the subject from a local guide as you will find it informative and thought provoking.
Views of the city are best seen from a walk along the city walls. One word of advice though, book a course of step aerobics before you go! If physical exertion is not your thing, take a trip up the cable car to the top of the mountain as the view of the old town is spectacular.
The dual city break concept worked a treat and we will definitely do another one and the possibilities are endless. Well done Zenith we thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience and your advice and great service was much appreciated.
copyright:
Michael Greener
Rugby, England
28 July 2011
The Vienna/Dubrovnik tour was arranged as a tailor made solution by Zenith Holidays - if you would like to experience a similar trip, do email us and state the cities that would appeal to you.
If you would like to see some other alternatives, do look at our City Breaks for ideas
Do consider Vienna for a visit at Christmas to experience the Christmas markets - more information available on at the following link - Christmas markets
Vienna and Croatia twin centre was posted on 30 July 2011 by Guest Blogger.
