Vienna - City Guide

Hello everyone,

As I've mentioned so many times before, one of my favourite cities in the world is Vienna. Therefore I thought why not dedicate it another post? Maybe there are people interested in visiting this beautiful city and I might help through this type of post.  I've been three time to Vienna up to now and I wanted to make a post about what to visit, where to stay, where to shop, where and what to eat, etc...some sort of city guide. So, if you are interested sit comfortably and enjoy the ride read :)

Where to stay in Vienna?

I believe that the perfect place to seek accommodation in Vienna is around Museumsquartier. Everything is within walking distance from this area:

- The Kunsthistorische Museum and Maria Theresia Platz are 2 min away from MQ

- The Hofburg Palace is 5 minutes away

- Mariahilferstrasse is 2 minutes away

- the Rathaus (City Hall) is around 10 minutes away

- Stephan's Dom is 15-20 minutes away

- The State Opera is around 10-15 minutes away

- Karlskirche is around 15 minutes away

Another advantage is that you are still in central Vienna but the prices aren't as high as they are near Stephan's Dom for example. Near MQ you can find the boheme streets of Spittelberg filled with restaurants and charming boutiques.

Every time as I was in Vienna I stayed at K+K Maria Theresia Hotel and I can honestly say that this is one of the best if not the best hotel I've ever stayed in. It is a 4 star hotel with an excellent location and even though it is a little pricey, you won't regret spending your money on it. The rooms are quite spacious and modern and extremely clean, the breakfast is beyond generous and delicious; moreover it is located on a quiet street so you don't have to worry about traffic or other disruptive noises. Another great thing about the hotel is the fact that is located 3 or 4 minutes from a metro station, thus facilitating your access to every corner of the city.

Other good areas to seek accommodation are around the Hofburg Palace, the State Opera or around the Rathaus.

Maria Theresia Hotel

What to visit?

In this section I'll try to group the main attractions with respect to their location so that visiting them will be more efficient.

On the first day, you can start your tour from The Hofburg Palace. The palace tour will last around one hour and a half and the price of the ticket is around 10 Euros. After you leave the Hofburg you will reach Stephan's Dom in about 10 minutes. The tour of the Dom can last between 20 minutes and one hour (at most) depending on what you want to visit inside.  The State Opera is located at the end of Kartnerstrasse (an important shopping street which links the Dom and the Opera) so you can stop and admire it on your way back to Museumsquartier (if you wish to return to the same point you started your tour). Moreover, if you are interested, you can go to a beautiful concert at the Opera since the city centre is filled with people selling tickets for various concerts.

The Hofburg Palace

Stephan's Dom

The beautiful architecture from the city centre

The State Opera

In another day you can visit the Kunsthistorische Museum, the Parliament and the Rathaus; it will not take you more than 2-3 hours and thus you will have time to visit the beautiful and relaxing Stadpark in the afternoon (a few metro stations away from the city centre).

Kunsthistorische Museum

Parliament

Stadpark

While you are in Vienna you cannot miss The Schonbrunn Palace (the imperial summer residence) with its sumptuous rooms and gorgeous gardens. Inside the gardens of Schonbrunn you will find the oldest Zoo in the world which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, so be sure to check it out. The tour of the Palace will last a whole day because there are so many things you can visit inside its walls. There are three types of tickets (between 15 and 30 Euros I think, depending on how much you want to visit).

Schonbrunn Palace

The Gloriette

The Roman Ruins from Schonbrunn's gardens 

Another day, other places to visit. If you stay near MQ or the Hofburg you can reach Karlskirche by foot in about 15 minutes. From here it will take another 20 or 30 minutes by foot for you to reach The Belvedere Palace which hosts a beautiful collection of paintings (the ticket is around 10 Euros) and you can take a walk through the palace's beautiful gardens. If you still are in a visiting mood and you have time, go and visit The Albertina Museum on your way back to the Hofburg (if you want to come back to the starting point).

Karlskirche

Belvedere Palace

Therefore, in about 4 or 5 days you can visit most of Vienna's beautiful tourist attractions. You can add another day for shopping and there you have it.

What and where to eat?

The Austrians are famous for their schnitzel and apple strudel so be sure to eat as many as you can during your stay because they are absolutely delicious. In  my opinion, the best place to eat in Vienna is in the lovely Spittelberg. There are plenty of restaurants to choose from, the majority of them with reasonable prices and situated on some charming boheme streets. My favourite restaurant is called Am Spittelberg because they serve the most delicious Viennese Schnitzel.

Where to shop?

Vienna's main shopping street is Mariahilferstrasse. It is pretty amazing since it has almost two kilometres filled with shops: Zara, Forever 21, H&M, Mango, Peek & Cloppenburg (my favourite), Humanic, Deichmann, C&A, Orsay, Promod, Esprit, Pimkie, and many others.

Mariahilferstrasse

Also, Kartnerstrasse is another great shopping street (right next to Stephen's Dom) with many high street brands.

If you are interested in high end brands, you will find them on Kohlmarkt and Graben (the streets which link The Hofburg Palace and Stephan's Dom). Among the famous brands you will find Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Burberry, Hermes, Cartier, to name just a few.  

Wow this was a long post, wasn't it? I really hope you enjoyed reading it  :)

Vienna is truly a beautiful and elegant city, filled with beautiful people and amazing places. So if you have the chance, don't hesitate and go and visit it. It might not be as famous as Rome or Paris, but it has a specific charm which you'll never find in any other city and which will capture you instantly.