Calling all Christmas fans from all over the world…Vienna in December is where you need to visit! You can be munching on a sausage at one of its famous Christmas markets, or warming up in a grand Viennese coffeehouse with a slice of cake, this is a city that not only suits cold weather, but one that totally embraces the festive season.Vienna’s otherwise...
Here at The Travel Tortoise we value hotels with real character and authenticity. We’ve all stayed in those boring corporate business hotels before, with their beige walls, soulless corridors, and monotone staff. They’re all the same, and they add very little value. When I stay somewhere I want the hotel to be part of the experience, and I want to...
Vienna is blessed when it comes to art museums and galleries to visit, but, if like the Tortoise, you’re a bit of philistine when it comes to art, but you feel compelled to one day plug that gigantic chasm for high culture that exists in your life, then this guide is for you! Nobody here wants to give you ‘museum fatigue’ on your precious city...
Hmmm, a post about car rental in Austria…doesn’t sound much like slow travel to me? Well, despite Austria having a truly world-class public transport system, it is rather mountainous, so to reach some of those parts not served by its trains or buses, hiring a car is necessary – especially if you value having absolute freedom to explore off-the...
Having written a couple of posts about Austrian food, we now need something to wash it all down with. So, what better way to start than by introducing Austria’s most important Gruner Veltliner wine. In our sister company, Venture Vienna, we operate wine tours to some of Austria’s key wine producing regions and top wineries, so we’ve accumulated a...
This guide on things to eat in Vienna is definitely for the carnivores out there. As I continue in my vain attempt to lure people away from ubiquitous schnitzels, literally boring the vegetables off restaurant plates across Vienna, I now offer up another alternative: known locally as a ‘Stelze‘, English speakers would call it a Vienna pork knuckle. Yes...
FOOD IN AUSTRIA - A Local's Guide to Avoiding Schnitzel The food in Austria isn’t the main reason why people come here. At the risk of being deported, compared with other national cuisines, Austrian food is really rather boring, samey, and extremely meat and potato dominant. Now to some, this may sound great, as it did to me when I first arrived here, but after...