My first trip on abroad, after the lockdown due to Covid-19 pandemic was in Vienna, the capital of Austria.
Vienna is full of art, museums and castles and it’s one of the most popular places in Europe for tourists, especially during the Christmas holidays.
Public transport in Vienna
Vienna has a well-developed public transport network. Buses, trains, trams and underground lines will take you almost anywhere in the city in no time at all.
I bought the “72 hours Vienna ticket”, which costs 17.10€, almost 3€ more expensive than the “48 hours Vienna ticket”. The card totally worths it, because the single ticket costs 2.40€.
Where to stay in Vienna
Hotel Beethoven Wien
In the heart of the city, just 650 metres away from the Vienna Opera (Wiener Staatsoper) and 400 metres from the metro, you will find the Hotel Beethoven (@hotelbeethovenwien). A dreamy hotel, where every room looks like a palace. Elegant with vintage details. Every room is well-designed up to the littlest detail.
The staff is very polite and helpful. After the check-out they let us to leave our suitcases at the hotel, because we were going to leave Vienna much more late and it was very difficult to wonder around the city with the suitcases.
My favorite part of our room? Undoubtedly the bathtub and the view!
The breakfast had a huge variety of food. You will not miss anything. My favorite were the butter croissants and scramble eggs. If you like marmalades, then you will love their puff pastries.
25hours Hotel Wien
If you looking for something alternative, something colorful but at the same time modern -and of course near the city- then the 25hours Hotel Wien (@25hourshotel_vienna) is the best solution.
The hotel is only 4-minute walk from the metro and it’s located almost next to the Natural History Museum.
The rooms are beautiful, spacious with incredible view.
The hotel has a restaurant with a nice garden (@ribelli_restaurant), but my favorite was their rooftop bar (@dachboden_wien). You can enjoy your drink with the best view.
You will also love the hotel’s breakfast, with a big variety of sausages, cheese, cereals and pastry. My favorites -obviously- were the butter croissants.
Food in Vienna
Figlmüller Wien
You can’t visit Vienna and not try a schnitzel. It’s like visiting Greece and not eat souvlaki.
At Figlmüller (@figlmueller) you will find the best schnitzel in Vienna (at the whole Austria, in my opinion, without exaggeration!). For sure it’s the biggest you will find. Plus, the restaurant is just amazing.
You should also try the potato salad, it’s the best I’ve ever tried! I wish I had the recipe back at home.
Except from the schnitzel, we tried a velvet soup with beef, which is served with a bowl full of dumplings. Everything we tried was so tasty. 1000% recommend for sure. You should definitely visit this place, if you ever visit Vienna.
L’Osteria Wien Bräunerstraße
The best pizzeria in Vienna. You will taste authentic italian recipes, like their incredible lasagna.
The portions are huge and the prices are very affordable. We tried prosciutto pizza, lasagna and garlic bread.
Café Sacher Wien
Very beautiful cafe/restaurant. The staff was very gentle. The truth is, that I was visited this place for its famous dessert, but in my opinion, I didn’t like it. It’s a nice chocolate cake, but nothing more special than this.
It’s worth a visit, but not waiting in a line. Some people are waiting more than 40 minutes just to visit it!
Café Central
We visited Café Central and it was like a palace! Incredible design with very quick service. I suggest you to try the hot chocolate.
Street Food
You will find many canteens in Vienna with street food. I like to eat at these cantees, because I want to see where the locals eat and not just the most tourist places. I tried a hot-dog with austrian sausage with cheese.
Places you should visit in Vienna
Vienna is full of attractions. Every street is literally so beautiful.
Vienna Opera (Wiener Staatsoper)
A beautiful building in the heart of the city. I am not a fan of this kind of music and I didn’t book a ticket for a performance, but it’s a unique attraction.
Tip: If you want to take photos with the Opera, you should go across the street, at the Albertina Museum.
Hofburg Wien
After almost five minutes walk from the Albertina Museum, you will find the impressive Palace. There you will get a first dose of the luxury life of the Austrian emperors (before visiting the next palaces!).
The entrance fee costs around 15€, nut if you don’t want to see the inside of the palace, you can go for a walk at the gardens.
Rathausplatz
After crossing the garden, next to the Hofburg Palace, you will reach the City Hall of Vienna. Very nice building, but unfortunately it was under construction when I visited this place.
The best time to visit Rathausplatz is during Christmas holidays, when a large market is set up in front of it, as well as a huge ice skating platform.
Votivkirche
This neo-Gothic church is surrounded by a beautiful park and is located in the center of Vienna.
Quick history lesson: After the assassination attempt on Emperor Franz Joseph in 1853, his brother decided to build the church to thank God for saving his brother.
St. Stephen’s Cathedral
Vienna has countless – and beautiful – churches. The most famous church is the St. Stephen’s Cathedral in the heart of the city.
The entrance is free to the church, but if you want to go up to the tower, the ticket costs 6€.
Katholische Kirche St. Peter
The St. Peter’s Church is a Baroque Roman Catholic parish church, almost 250 metres away from St. Stephen’s Cathedral. It’s a beautiful church but unfortunately it was under construction too.
Kunst Haus Wien and Hundertwasserhaus
These two colorful buildings are five-minute walk from each other. They are very different from the other buildings in Vienna. They worth a visit, but in my opinion they don’t worth to pay a ticket in order to see the inside of the buildings.
St. Francis of Assisi Church
This church looks more like a castle than a church! A beautiful building to take some amazing shots, next to the Danube river.
The best time to visit it is during the evening and then you should go for a walk near the Danube river, in order to enjoy the sunset.
Belvedere Castle
A great place to stroll through the colorful gardens. You can buy a coffee and spend your time there. The gardens are very well maintained, as are their fountains.
Visiting the gardens is free, and there is an entrance to the palace. The truth is that I didn’t get in, as I had read from the reviews that it wasn’t worth it.
Schönbrunn Palace
Schloss Schönbrunn Palace is one of the most important and historic palaces in Europe – and my favorite attraction in Vienna.
The palace, which is the most beautiful in Vienna, is literally huge, you need so much hours to explore it!
Behind the palace extends a huge area with gardens. I think that it’s impossible to explore the whole garden in one day.
The view when you go up to the hill is breathtaking.
If you want to visit the gardens it’s free. If you want to visit the palace the entrance costs around 22 €. If you don’t want to wait in the line, I suggest you to book your ticket online.
There is also a zoo with an extra cost.
Tip: If you don’t like crowds, I recommend you to visit it before the palace opens. I visit it at 9 in the morning (the palace opens at 9:30). I walked in the gardens with almost no one around, while at 10:00-10:30 it was already full of people.
Prater Wien
If you stay many days in Vienna and you have enough time, I suggest you to go at the Amusement Park, which is very close to the Danube. Admission is free and you will pay only for each game you want to join.
What you should know before visit Vienna
- To be able to see all the attractions of Vienna I suggest you to stay 4 days. I saw them in three days, but I was exhausted, as I was awake from 7am and I was wandering around all day until night.
- Distances are huge, so I recommend you to buy a Vienna Card. Buses and trams routes are almost every three minutes.
- I suggest you to book a hotel with breakfast, because if you calculate how much you will pay in a restaurant/coffee shop in Vienna for breakfast, trust me it will be much more expensive.
- Vienna is an expensive city. Plan your trip early to find better hotel prices. As for food, you can do a search on Google Maps to find stores with good reviews and take a look at the prices to set a budget. You can always find a cheaper solution by trying street food etc.
If you want to see more about my trip in Vienna, visit my profile on Instagram.
