Are you going to visit Vienna for the first time? Or is it your second time? This itinerary contains a mix of key sights and hidden gems to visit on a long weekend.
Writing this guide made me think how much I miss one of my favourite cities. I envy you enormously if you are just about to discover all the incredible places mentioned.
Enjoy!
Cafe Prueckel has been operating in Vienna for over a hundred years - it opened as early as 1904. The interior details, furniture and lighting for the café were designed by renowned Viennese designer Oswald Härdtl. In the 1950s, after the restoration of the peaceful flow of life, the culture of Viennese coffee houses experienced a renaissance and Härdtl worked a lot on interior items used in such places: cutlery and vases, menus and glasses, tableware and tea sets were produced according to his design. The interiors and uniforms for the staff were handled by the designer's wife. Chairs and armchairs according to Herdtl's sketches were made by the Thonet factory.
Add to
Details
A 10-minute walk away is St Stephen’s Cathedral, the symbol of Vienna.
You can also visit museum inside, if you wish to learn more about Austrian history and emperiors
Add to
Details
If you didn't go inside Hofburg or still feel like visiting another museum, consider one of a few option below. If you select Leopold, I would suggest to have lunch at the museum canteen, which is surprisingly amazing.
Smaller collection, but still enjoyable and suits interests of those who already have been to Albertina and Leopold.
Add to
Details
If you stll didn't have a lunch break, head to Nashmarkt, a mile-long gourmet market that boasts more than 120 stands, with diverse options ranging from Viennese classics to Indian dishes and French pastries. There’s also a great flea market every Saturday. Go for oysters to Nautilus, or check Middle East Cuisine at Neni. Don't forget to shop at Babette for the souvenirs from the trip.
For the second half of the day choose to go outside of the city. If you finish your lunch before 2 pm, you can still make it to Ernst Funchs Museum (Otto Wagner Villa) which take 40 minutes from Nashmarkt by public transport. The museum is open till 4 pm. If you are bit behind the schedule and it's your first time in the city, you can opt for more classic destination - Schönbrunn Palace.
The building was once the headquarters of the main bank of Austria-Hungary, and now is the Park Hyatt hotel, which retains Art Deco elements. The restaurant provides one of the most affordable fine dining experiences in the Austrian Capital
Add to
Details
DAY 3: Behind the ring
Start your day with breakfast in Ansari or coffee in Balthasar
Artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser was an opponent of straight lines and Austria’s answer to Gaudi; the nearby Hundertwasser Village, a colorfully transformed former tire factory, acts as a portfolio of his architectural work.
Add to
Details
This is the place for lunch not to miss, if you have to eat out only once during the visit to Austrian capital, that must be Plachutta.
Vienna is Tafelspitz, Tafelspitz is Plachutta, it's simple. Do not even try to try Tafelspitz in other places! This classic Viennese restaurant is mentioned very often in guidebooks, so it is worth booking a table in advance. If you are on a budget and have to choose only one place to get acquainted with Viennese cuisine, then let it be Plachutta. Order one Tafelspitz for two and a glass of wine or beer to get an idea of how and what people eat in Vienna.
Add to
Details
Take a slow stroll through Stadtpark, , while watching out for an over-the-top gilded statue of Strauss.
A lovely green space with many picturesque ponds and bridges
Add to
Details
If you had planned something big for the evening, like going to Opera, you should take some time to get changed and go for quick bite or a glass of wine before the show.
An iconic sandwich shop with a dusty dark interior near the busy Graben Street. Opened since 1902 by a chef from Krakow, the cafe successfully survived the difficult 20th century and acquired several branches by the beginning of the 21st century. Nothing is cooked here except sandwiches on local black bread with various fillings - from eggs and cucumbers to pate and fish. Franz Kafka used to live a couple of floors above.
The best places to have a glass of wine with pannini
Add to
Details
Even if you are not opera lover, this would be probably the only one city, where you have to give it a go. Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, and many others, all lived in Vienna, so this city is one of the great places to experience the opera. Sometimes you can buy low-price tickets just before the show, but I wouldn't count on that if you really wish to visit one of the world’s leading opera houses.
Leading opera house where more than 60 different operas and ballets are performed each year, and a performance is never repeated two nights in a row, Make sure to book in advance on the Vienna Opera House website.
Assuming you have to leave today in the evening, there are few options on how to spend the first half of the day. Start with the breakfast in one of the gourgeous places below.
A historic building complex in Vienna, Austria, consisting of two Baroque palaces, the Orangery, and the Palace Stables.
Add to
Details
OPTION 2: If you would like to get more unique travelling experience, and have a late departure, explore the wine district just outside the city, have lunch at the oldest restaurant in Vienna, where Beethoven himself used to spend time, shop for luxury second hand vintage clothes in the neighborhood.
The oldest restaurant in Vienna, Pfarrwirt is located outside the center, in the green 19th district, and is a classic restaurant with white tablecloths, where the atmosphere have not changed for perhaps fifty years.
I don’t know what I love more: travelling or planning the trips. I love researching and creating detailed itineraries. I lived in 5 countries and travelled across continents through more than 80 counties in the last 15 years. I love to look for opportunities to travel on budget, but I am also well aware of luxurious and fine dining experiences in the places I lived and travelled. I am sharing itienaries I have created for myself, my family & friends, and travel groups.
