Vienna is Now Only 8 Hours Away from Boston

Boston travelers can now be in Vienna, Austria, in eight hours thanks to the direct route launched in July by Austrian Airlines. Vienna is a popular city for family travelers and a romantic destination for couples with its cozy cafés and rustic wine taverns.

The new flights, which operate six days a week (not on Thursday), depart Boston at 5:10 p.m., arriving in Vienna at 7:25 a.m. the following morning. The return flight leaves Vienna at 10:40 a.m., landing in Boston at 1:50 p.m. Business-class passengers can enjoy a night’s sleep on lie-flat seats, and economy passengers seeking a bit more space can opt for premium economy, with wider seats and a 40-degree recline, greater baggage allowances, and a welcome drink.

Once in Vienna, family travelers will find plenty of things to do. Many of the city’s most popular attractions recall the heady days of the Hapsburg Empire with grand, opulently furnished palaces whose ballrooms seem to still echo with waltz music. The famed Lipizzaner stallions of the Spanish Riding School perform an equine ballet in one of the several buildings of the Hofburg, the Hapsburgs’ in-town imperial palace.

Kids will be enchanted by the gold-embellished salons of Schönbrunn Palace, the equally grand residence where the royal court retreated in summer. In the Children’s Museum, in one wing of the palace, families learn how the royals lived. Kids can practice using a fan and setting a formal table, as well as play with toys of the Hapsburg era and dress up in period clothes. Afterwards, the whole family can explore the gardens and challenge themselves in the restored maze.