Vienna, Austria

My last post was in 2019. Since then I’ve been really caught up with work and haven’t really had the time to sit down and write about my travels. I’ve also seem to lost my passion for photography which I’m pretty upset about. But it’s 2020 and this year I’m going to try to slow things down and keep my travels going. Starting with this post! –> First time in Austria

City

If someone told me today, that Paris is the most romantic city in the world, I’d tell them no. Perhaps 10 years ago it’s true but Paris now is filled with so many people these days that in my opinion, just takes away the romance. Vienna being slightly undiscovered, has so much beauty that lies within the city, invoking a feeling of love and passion. This proves to point as some of the world’s greatest composers / artists originated from Vienna. Mozart, Schubert and Gustav Klimt just to name a few. What I loved about Vienna city is that many parts of the city is still very raw and untouched which leaves a lot to be discovered.

Dubbed the music capital of the world, Vienna was the place some of the greatest artists came and wrote immortal music. It is also where opera experienced its golden age and when one of the world’s most prestigious opera house was built, the Vienna State Opera House. I did not get a chance to see for myself how grand it was inside, as I’m not a huge fan of the opera but I’ve seen pictures of it’s beautiful staircase and auditorium. I can only imagine how incredible it must have been on it’s opening night with the first performance of Mozart’s “Don Giovanni”. Vienna being also the birthplace of Waltz, this impressive building is also the venue of the world’s famous Vienna Opera Ball (Wiener Opernball), Austria’s leading high-society event. Who’d thought that balls still exists huh?

Culture

To this date, Vienna has proudly kept their music legacy, continuing with concerts and opera shows throughout the year. The music culture is evident everywhere in the city with countless orchestral performances and buskers on the streets. One of the must visits in my opinion in Vienna is the Haus Der Muzik. It was one of the best experience for me, really informative and interactive. It houses the history of some of the world’s greatest composers and grants you a chance at being one, virtually.

Coffee is also a big part of Viennese culture – where it is common to spend hours at a coffeehouse. As a coffee lover, I was eager to try all the coffees and the number of coffee houses can be a little bit overwhelming but they are pretty much all equally good. The coffee list is extensive but if there are a few that I’d recommend you try, it would be “Cafe Maria Theresia” and “Mozart”. Both coffees are served with liquor, I guess we know where my priorities lies ;)

The language spoken here is German, not too difficult to pick up – after all, the English language is largely Germanic. When visiting Vienna, I found it useful to stay within the old city, Innere Stadt, surrounded by the Ringstrasse. Ringstrasse is a circular road lined with grand buildings, monuments and parks. A great way to really explore Vienna is to walk from one end to another along the Ringstrasse, which would take you about 2 hours to cover at your most leisure pace. If you do take this route, some where in the middle you will come to the Museums Quartier. This is one of my favourite places in Vienna. The large area is a cluster of classic and contemporary exhibition spaces joined together around a public piazza.

Experience

I spent close to 6 days in Vienna which was just enough to cover enough landmarks of this beautiful city. Though, I would love it to be longer enough for me to really see some of their galleries and attend orchestral performances. Overall I think Vienna city is pretty structured and easy to get around with a great network of buses and trains.

I really like that the city is also surrounded by well kept parks and gardens. I love a good balance between green grass and grey buildings. I think Vienna is lovely, but I must admit sometimes I do feel a bit dull. There isn’t enough colour in the city and not much of a nightlife.

I’ve read that some of the things we needed to try were the apple strudels, pork knuckles and the Viennese Schnitzel, “Wiener Schnitzel“. I did like the apple strudel very much but didn’t find anything too spectacular about the other two. I didn’t think there was much to shout about the food here to be honest. Mains aside, they make really good coffee and dessert.

Vienna definitely left an impression on me. I wouldn’t mind coming back here to catch another orchestral performances or a series of choir. Many buildings here were designed with amazing acoustics so you know you definitely won’t get a “bad” show per se.

When I was planning this trip, I found it this guide really useful. It has everything you need to know about Vienna and all the costs for tickets / transport / etc. It definitely made planning much easier.

THINGS TO DO

One of the best Viennese experience for me was the having a typical Viennese snack in one of those Würstelstandl or also known as “sausage stand”. Easy to spot and many to choose from, definitely something to be done in Vienna
I haven’t had the chance to see many orchestral performances, but the one I got to see is the one I really enjoyed. Inside St Charles Church, absolutely stunning both during the day and night.
Definitely do not miss the Austrian National library – it is a gem, extremely well-maintained with some of the earliest drawings of the world maps kept on display
I would highly recommend you visit any one of the museums. Museums in Vienna are pretty hard core and has everything very well kept and preserved. One such unique museum is the Globe Museum
If you are a fan of palaces, Schönbrunn Palace is a must visit. Take the audio guided tour and learn about Maria Theresia, only female ruler of the Hasburg dominions.
Be sure to try a piece of “Sacher Torter” origin from Austria. This “Sacher Torter” is a simple chocolate cake if you have it on its own, it isn’t that great, but pair it up with coffee and violá!
Vienna is a great place if you love classical music. There is just so much of Beethoven and Mozart everywhere. You can easily hear its music, learn about the composer’s life history. etc
A bit of a tourist trap, but I really enjoyed walking along Graben. It gave Vienna a bit more life with more people around and cafes buzzing. It is quite iconic and one of the areas you should take a look.

Off-beaten gems
(every once in a while, I will include some of my interesting finds)

Make sure you save some time from your Schönbrunn palace tour to attend the free 20-minute live Apple Strudel Show and experience first-hand how it’s made.
I had the BEST Maria Theresia coffee in this quaint little cafe called K.u.K. Café-Konditorei L. Heiner.
A pork knuckle is a typical dish you can find in authentic Austrian restaurants. But the one that really made me go “WOW” was the one I had in Melker Stiftskeller