Vienna: A Beautiful Winter Vacation

It's easy to be captivated by a city with such cultural sophistication and artistic values.

With the Christmas markets, rich history and gorgeous architecture, opportunities to explore are abundant. Since I was already in Europe at the time, getting a ticket from Italy to Vienna was not only easy, but cheap. We flew out of Linate, the smaller of the two airports in Milan, trying to escape the city's rainy winter weather, and landed in Vienna, welcomed by sleet and snow, a balmy 20 degrees F.

The Vienna International Airport is well organized and so it wasn't difficult to make our way to the CAT(City Airport Train). After a short 16 mins, we were in the city center and walking out into Wien Mitte station! This place is quite impressive. Wien Mitte exists as a train station, airport terminal and mall. It is the largest shopping center in downtown Vienna and boasts a number of stores and restaurants.

Pro tip: You can check your bags in for your flight at Wien Mitte terminal too which is rather unique.

We were able to get a great Airbnb on Singerstraße, not too far from St. Stephen's Cathedral. If you haven't tried Airbnb yet and are curious, I highly recommend it. It enables you to stay in a place where you will be comfortable and there is a range of accommodations available to suit any budget, mainly because it's people like you and I renting out their place for other regular people to stay. For a $35 credit on your first stay, use my link! We were conveniently located right across from a Zielpunkt grocery store and within a short walking distance from the metro.

There were beautiful decorations all over the city so that first night we decided to go walk around a little and get a feel for where we were. It was getting rather dark though so we didn't stay out too long in preparation for the next day of exploring. It gave us a chance to take in a little of Vienna at night, which is buzzing just as much as during the day.

The next day, we set off for Schönbrunn Palace, the Austrian imperial summer residence. This was our first experience with the metro system and all I could say was, wow. It was every clean and fast. It isn't a complicated system, so we were able to jump on the green line and head straight to the palace. This was an interesting experience. I am a bit of a history buff and therefore, I was happy to take the audio tour as we walked though. The stories of the royal family were intriguing, but unfortunately, we were not able to take photos inside. You'll have to take my word for it, that this is a can't miss stop while in Vienna. Afterwards, we walked through the sprawling gardens and I stood at the top of the hill in awe of the view. I really want to return to Vienna specifically for the gardens in the summer.

Schönbrunn Palace

This 1,441-room palace can be rather daunting on your first so there are numerous pass options that range from a tour that reveals the different stylistic eras and the occupants to the grand tour and the Sisi Museum. The gardens are absolutely EPIC. There is a large maze and several areas of the garden to spend your time and that is why you can get a ticket and season pass just for these. It is common to see runners going through the gardens and we saw plenty, even with the cold weather. It will truly be a sight to behold in the summer.

After leaving Schönbrunn, we went to explore a little more of the city. There are a few Christmas markets to wander through, which are perfect places to purchase trinkets to remember Vienna by. Also, you'll find that you never get bored of the sights, like this amazing church we came across not too far from our apartment.

Karlskirche, a stunning baroque church located on the south side of Karlsplatz

It was incredibly cold outside, so we had to make sure to not stay out too long before going in somewhere to warm ourselves up. There are a lot of cafes to run into. I didn't mind too much since this was some of the best hot chocolate I have ever had. If you have a sweet tooth, Vienna won't let you down.

We then proceeded to the Vienna Museum of Natural History, located across from it's twin, the Fine Arts Museum. One thing that you will find while spending time in Vienna is that you will never run out of museums, parks and gardens to visit. The city is teeming with them. The Museum of Natural History is extensive and aesthetically captivating. Take your time and wander through all the floors, you can even stop in the cafe for refreshments.

This is the area in Vienna where you are truly surrounded by museums on all sides, aptly named, Museums Quartier. Nevertheless, wherever you are in this wonderful city, you will run into cultural treasures. A couple of my favorites are the Museum of the History of Music and the Mozart Museum, which tells of Mozart's time spent living there and the masterpieces he created. Music runs deep through the veins of this city and it presents itself everywhere you look. Below is a map of Vienna's museums, even layered on top of each other as you get closer to the city center. You can't see them all in one visit, so you'll always have a reason to come back!

Pro tip: Consider getting the Vienna Pass which gives you access to over 60 attractions, including bus tours, palaces and the zoo. It's a great way to save money while fully exploring the city.

Architecture

Another great characteristic of this city is the spell-binding architecture. The buildings are grand, detailed and spectacular. As you walk through the city, past the parliament building, the Hofburg Palace, the library and much more, you really start to understand the true essence of what makes this city great. It's old meets new in the best way possible. Each building tells a story and I encourage you to see the city both during the day and at night. One of these gorgeous buildings is the Belvedere Palace where "The Kiss", by Gustav Klimt is housed. This painting, made with oil paints and gold leaf, is considered one of the most iconic art pieces of Austria. The palace gardens here are also beautiful, even in the winter. There are tours available throughout the day so you can learn all about the royals that were housed there.

Hofburg Place and Austrian National Library

Memorable Food

Naturally, you must make sure that you don't forget to try the food! A big part of understanding the culture of any destination is getting to know the food. We actually had amazing Greek food to start our culinary adventure (typical of us to have food from a country other than where we currently are), but then started trying more Viennese cuisines, which is more of a meat and potatoes diet with a heavy helping of dessert. Head to the famous Zum Figlmuller for their schnitzel. You will not be disappointed. The beer is cheap and the food will leave you more than satisfied. The schnitzel here is as bigger than the plate and is melt-in-your-mouth tender. Make sure that you leave room for dessert!

We did quite a bit of exploring, but barely scratched the surface of what Vienna has to offer. For this reason, I feel like Vienna should always be on the travel list and I can't wait to go back. It truly is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever been to. The rich history and modern feel is unique and makes you want to discover more. If you are in Europe, make this part of your winter vacation and I bet you'll come back for summer too!

Have you been to Vienna? What did you like most?

Check back soon for more posts on my European travels.