I’m back with another travel guide guys! Life has been so crazy lately since I’ve gotten back from my trip but I wanted to share with you guys one of my FAVORITE cities on my recent Europe trip – Vienna!! Honestly I didn’t expect much from this city when I planned it on our itinerary, it was cheaper to get to Croatia from Vienna than Budapest. HOWEVER!! This beautiful city really blew me away and I would definitely visit again, and hopefully with my parents.
Vienna: What to See
Overall I was impressed with how clean and beautiful the city is – from the streets to the architecture! So if you decide to visit this gorgeous place here’s some places you should definitely stop by:
Stephansplatz – this church is located super central in Vienna and there are lots of cafes and shops nearby. It’s free to enter and they still have service in the church which seems pretty hectic but also pretty cool!
Albertina Museum – After you’ve checked out Stephensplatz, head on over the the Albertina Museum and from the top of the Museum you can get an amazing view of the surrounding buildings especially the opera house!
Palace of Justice – Okay so this place isn’t really a place to see as much as I was led to believe from all the photos online. To get into this building you need to go through a security check and the guards are very serious. Once you get in you see the famous staircase, but I suggest snapping your photos quick otherwise you’ll get yelled at. There’s also a cafe at the top called Justizcafe (v creative name) with great views.
Other activities include:
The Hofburg (pictured above)
Votive Church
Belvedere Gardens
Schonbrunn Palace
Vienna: Where to eat
Okay so for the almost most important part, where to eat in Vienna. I literally had no expectations on what Viennese food was like and just assumed something similar to German food. But once again I was blown away.
If you eat at one restaurant in Vienna you should definitely make it Figlmuller Backerstrabel. They are quite popular between both tourists and locals and are famous for their schnitzel. We ordered the schnitzel, boiled beef with potato salad and their house wine and beer! Needless to say we were very full afterwards. The boiled beef sounds funny but its basically beef stew.
For pretty cafe views go to Palmenhaus, it’s right by the Albertina Museum and a perfect stop to rest and relax in between tourist attractions!
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If you stay at the Starlight Suiten like we did, make sure to grab lunch at Gmoakeller which is right around the corner. We got the schnitzel and potato salad again and it was delicious again! They also serve Viennese coffee which is essentially coffee with ice cream ♥
At night make your way back to the Wiener Staatsoper, but first stop by the Bitzinger stand (right in front of the Albertina Museum) and get the sausage with cheese inside. Or the curry flavored one if cheese isn’t your thing (in which case we can’t be friends) but it has a spicy kick to it.
And that leads me to my next topic!
Vienna: Things to do!
If you walk through the city center (near Stephensplatz) you’ll most likely hear opera buskers singing their hearts out without any mics and I highly recommend stopping a minute to listen and appreciate the skills it takes to project your voice like that. We stopped often to listen and one even serenaded us as we were walking by the Albertina fountain!
And perhaps my TOP TOP TOP suggestion which I briefly hinted at earlier. You MUST head to the Wiener Staatstoper (Opera House) on a evening when they are having a show inside. Like I mentioned before, be sure to grab a beer and snack from Bitzinger and head to the area in front of the Opera House. There will be a huge screen live streaming the opera inside! If you get there early enough you can even snag a free seat they set up in front to watch.
And that’s a wrap for Vienna! I had a short day and half here and wished I could stay longer, so if you’ve been thinking of a trip to Austria, I definitely recommend Vienna as a place to visit.
Safe travels!
#WheresRaychow
