Vienna
Summary
June 2016: 5 days in Vienna
Day 1 | Tram tour on Ringstrasse and stroll in the city centre
Vienna Airport. We get the public transport pass and go to our accommodation, an apartment in a residence a few steps away from the Margaretengurtel metro station. The apartment is lousy but there’s a small supermarket right downstairs and the city center is just a few minutes by metro.
Vienna’s Ringstrasse is one of the most famous streets in the world. This avenue, about 5 km long, was commissioned by Emperor Franz Joseph and built where the old city walls used to be. It’s a “circular” road that goes around the center of Vienna. Along the avenue, you can see several monuments and understand the greatness the Habsburg Empire’s capital city.
We will start visiting Vienna on the traditional yellow tram, a comfortable and original way of going around the Ring. The ride is 25 minutes and audio guides are available on board in many languages. It’s a nice ride, but unfortunately it’s scorching hot and there is no air conditioning in the carriage…
Vienna’s historic center, a UNESCO heritage site, is among among the most beautiful urban monuments in Europe. The refined atmosphere is given by palaces, theatres, parks and churches, an of course by the imperial residence, Hofburg, the main Habsburgs’ legacy.
St. Stephen’s Cathedral or Stephansdom, is a must-see for every tourist visiting Vienna. It’s the city’s symbol nd the most important Gothic monument in Austria.
Day 2 | Visit to Schönbrunn Palace – the Secession Building – Naschmarkt
An absolute must for anyone traveling to Vienna is Schönbrunn Palace. This famous imperial palace is one of the most beautiful baroque buildings in Europe, seat of the imperial house of Habsburg. It was once located in the countryside, but is now in the city.
It’s the most visited tourist destination in Austria, therefore, we bought tickets for the Imperial Tour (22 halls) in advance, online. The visit is not too long so it’s suitable for families.
Emperor Franz Joseph was born in 1830 in these rooms and spent here his last years of life. Schönbrunn Palace has 1,441 rooms but only 45 can be visited. The interior furnishings are in rococo style. In the Hall of Mirrors, Mozart played at the age of six. Napoleon conferred in the Vieux-Laque room. In the Blue Chinese Salon, Emperor Charles I signed, in 1918, the act that definitively marked the monarchy’s end. The Chamber of Millions, paneled in rosewood and decorated with precious miniatures from India and Persia, is considered one of the most beautiful rococo rooms in the world. The Congress of Vienna of 1814/15 was held in the Great Gallery.
The furnishings are perfectly preserved so it really feels like taking a trip back in time. The wonderful huge gardens surrounding the palace are open to the public, people can walk, jog or take a ride on a carriage, as we did. The gardens host one of the oldest zoos in the world.
After that we go to Secession Building, a large white cubic building, inaugurated in 1898 as an exhibition hall, considered one of Viennese Art Nouveau’s masterpieces, the art movement founded by Gustav Klimt in 1897 named Secession, meaning break free from tradition.
We then have lunch in the area, at Naschmarkt, the largest market in the city, lively and colorful.
Day 3 | Visit to Hofburg – pause at historic Café Demel
In the heart of the city, Hofburg, the imperial palace, was, together with more recent Schönbrunn Castle, the center of Austrian power for more than six centuries.
Built starting from the 13th century, it was expanded over the centuries thanks to the Habsburgs, who governed the Holy Roman Empire, the Austrian Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire from these rooms. Part of the palace is now the president of Austria’s residence and workplace and is one of the largest residential complexes in the world.
The imperial apartments are still as they were at the time of Emperor Franz Joseph and his wife Elisabeth, also known as Sissi, who lived here with their children and the court. All the rooms have the original furnishings, clothes and personal objects that reveal the Empress’s complex personality. The most interesting rooms are the toilette, the bathroom and the gym room. Sissi’s used to start her day here, at 6 a.m., with the daily hairdressing ritual. Her gym equipment, such as the Swedish framework, horse and rings are still perfectly preserved. The dining room is also impressive, with the table set according to the feudal way. The audio guided visit is very well explained and suitable for children.
After Hofburg, we take a break at historic Café Demel, one of the best and oldest cafés in Vienna, an unmissable tourist destination. Café Demel used to be Viennese aristocracy’s favorite meeting place in the 19th century and the place where Sissi used to go to for her favorite dessert, the violet sorbet. The café is on two levels and has preserved its elegant structure with the furnishings and the enchanting shop windows decorated with traditional sugar puppets. Demel is specifically famous for its cakes made by pastry chefs who can be seen through a glass window.
For dinner we booked Plachutta, the best restaurant for meat. Authentic Viennese cuisine is served here. In addition to classic Wiener Schnitzel, we also tried Tafelspitz with roasted potatoes, absolutely excellent. However, bottles of mineral water cost an eye (€ 6.70 for 0.75 l.), it might be better to order beer and ask for tap water.
Day 4 | Art Nouveau at Belvedere Museum – extravagant Hundertwasserhaus and evening in Grinzing
Art lovers like us cannot miss a visit to the Belvedere Museum, Prince Eugene’s summer residence, a Baroque-style palace surrounded by French gardens which hosts Gustav Klimt’s legendary “Kiss” and Egon Schiele and Oskar Kokoschka’s masterpieces.
In Landstrasse district, stands Hundertwasserhaus, one of the most unique buildings in Europe. Designed in 1985 by Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser, this unusual colorful building with roof gardens, irregular floors and windows, looks like a large patchwork. It’s a social housing complex, 50 apartments, each with its own decoration, where about 200 people live. Very special.
Vienna is the only capital in the world where vines are grown (there are about 675 hectares of vineyards) so we will spend the evening in Grinzing, the city’s largest wine-growing community, in a Heurigen, a place where, according to tradition, you drink the season’s new wine. In Heurigens, wine and soft drinks are served with a variety of traditional local dishes, mainly cold platters with cheese, speck, bacon, cold cuts, eggs and different types of bread. The food wasn’t that good but we dined in a very nice garden.
Day 5 | Trip to Prater and a stop at Café Sacher
Prater amusement park once was the Habsburgs’ hunting reserve.
It is said that if you haven’t taken a ride on the Wiener Riesenrad, Prater’s big wheel, you cannot really say that you have been to Vienna. Wiener Riesenrad has been in operation for more than a century and is one of the oldest functioning big wheels in the world. One of the city’s historical landmarks and unmistakable symbols.
And what about Sacher cake? The original recipe is protected by trademark and kept in Hotel Sacher, the only one to produce the 100% authentic one. The hotel pastry shop produces around 270,000 pieces a year.
I find Café Sacher’s cake the best.
You can also buy a whole one in a wooden box to carry in your suitcase!
