4 days in Vienna

September 2017

Austria’s capital lies in the country’s east, on the Danube River. This city charms with its Imperial sites (like Schönbrunn palace, the Habsburg's summer residence), cultural events, cosy wine taverns, coffee houses and museums (where you can find works by Egon Schiele, Gustav Klimt and other artists). Its artistic and intellectual legacy was shaped by residents which include Mozart, Beethoven and Sigmund Freud.

WEATHER

With an Oceanic climate Vienna experiences warm summers and dry, cold winters. The best time of year to visit Vienna is in spring and summer. July is the warmest month and the coolest month is January. If you don't like too much rain you should avoid June as it's the wettest month of the year.

I visited Austria at the end of September and the weather was pretty good, even we had some rain on our last day.

TRANSPORT

It's really easy to get to Vienna city centre from the airport. You can take the City Airport Train (CAT) which connects the airport with the transport hub at Wien Mitte non-stop in only 16 minutes. You can buy a combined ticket which includes a return ticket (from and to the airport) and a 24 hours ,48 hours or 72 hours travel card that allows you to use all the public transport. For prices check this link CAT. You can buy the tickets at the airport.

If you prefer to book a taxi check this link Vienna taxis.

PLACES TO VISIT AND THINGS TO DO

Day 1

Have a walk around the Prater, an amusement park located in Vienna's 2nd district. We went to Vienna at the end of September-beginning of October and there was such a good ambience at the park as they were celebrating the Oktoberfest.
Go to Stephansplatz and see the impressive St. Stephen's Cathedral. Around this place you will find plenty of shops and restaurants. You will see that there are costumed ticket-sellers that try to sell opera tickets to tourists around this place. If you want to avoid disappointment buy your tickets in advance. You can do it here Vienna Opera Tickets.
Visit Mozarthaus an apartment museum where Mozart lived & composed. Not far from St. Stephen's Cathedral.
Spend the rest of the day at Naschmarkt, a vast market with 16th-century origins, with more than 100 food & vintage stalls, plus restaurants.

Day 2

Visit the Vienna Hofburg. The ticket gives you access to visit the Sisi Museum,the Imperial apartments and the Silver Collection. Worth the price, specially if you are a fan of Sisi.
If you like Gustav Klimt, pay a visit to the Belvedere Museum where you will be able to admire one of its famous paintings: The Kiss. If you want to check what it's on offer at this museum visit this link Belvedere. Even if you are not keen on art, you should still visit the Belvedere as it's a historic building complex in Vienna, that includes two Baroque palaces and a magnificent park.
Unwind at Stadtpark, a large municipal park where you will find statues of famous Viennese artists, writers, and composers.

Day 3

Visit the Schönbrunn Palace which is part of the UNESCO World Heritage together with its gardens. Don't miss it!It's stunning.
Go to see the beautiful Karlskirche, a baroque church located on the south side of Karlsplatz.
Visit Kunt Haus Wien. Even if you don't access the museum, the building itself it's worth a visit.
If the weather is nice, go to the Kahlenberg, located in the Vienna Woods is one of the most popular excursion destinations for the city’s residents. The view from there is amazing and you can get food and wine from Heurigen (rustic traditional restaurants).

Day 4

Visit Rathaus, a massive municipal building built using some 30 million bricks and now hosting balls, markets & events.
Go to see the Vienna State Opera building. If you are interested, they offer multilingual guided tours.
Finish your stay in the city with some shopping. If you like chocolate, don't go without buying some Mozartkugels...They are delicious!!You can also find loads of nice shops where you can buy Christmas decorations.

FOOD AND DRINK

If you are a beer lover, Vienna is one of your destinations. Some of my favourites were: Ottakringer, Trumer and Wieselburger.

Here I mention some typical dishes and desserts that you can try:

Wiener Schnitzel: A thin cut of meat (originally veal) coated in breadcrumbs and fried.
Goulash: Stew or soup made with meat (usually beef),paprika and other spices. This dish is original from Hungary but it's served in loads of Viennese restaurants.
Wiener Würstel: Viennese sausages.
Mozartkugel: Round sugar confection made of pistachio marzipan and nougat that is covered with dark chocolate. Originally from Salzburg.
Sachertorte: Chocolate cake with a thin mid layer of apricot jam, usually served with whipped cream on top.
Apfelstrudel: Strudel pastry stuffed with apples, raisins, sugar and cinnamon.

The Austrian capital is also known for its coffee culture. If you like coffee don't go without trying the Viennesse coffee.

My personal recommendations:

As mentioned above Naschmarkt is a perfect place to go for a drink or nice lunch or dinner.
Cafe 3/4 Takt: A restaurant where you can find many locals. They served one of the best schnitzels that I've tried during the trip. Apparently Johan Strauss lived here and during that period he composed the Danube Waltz. Address: Praterstrasse 54, Vienna 1020.
Café Sacher Wien: Where you can try the famous sacher cake in an elegant atmosphere. Address: Philharmoniker Str. 4, 1010 Wien.

WHERE TO STAY

We stayed at the Arthotel ANA Adlon Vienna, located in the Leopoldstadt area. The hotel is near the Prater amusement park and you can reach the city main attractions easily by public transport. Arthotel ANA Adlon is a really nice boutique hotel which offers spacious rooms with comfortable beds and a really convenient breakfast. You can have coffee or tea at the lobby at any time.

If you are interested in booking this hotel check Arthotel ANA Adlon Vienna for prices and more info.

BUDGET

Around 200€ - 250€ excluding flights and hotel for 4 days.