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Three days to visit Vienna in 2024 (part I)
#vienna #austria #centraleurope #travelblogger #3dayitinerary
Vienna is a handsome, lively city, and pleases me exceedingly.
Vienna – a city that never stops improving, showing better atmosphere and sharing higher levels of appreciation for its visitors. Even though Barcelona, Nice and Antwerp are my cities, Vienna will never stop having a very special place in my heart, memories, and a future to grow into. And I know, for a fact, that countless people from all around the world are intrigued with the very epicenter of Europe. Each time someone says they’re going to Vienna, you can see heads turning and people advising what to see, taste and experience. In fact, I got new followers last year, solely for my Vienna post. Some of them were courageous enough to simply follow me, approach, and ask about the Vienna itinerary (and I’ll share about their business if I see that they read this post).
And even though my heart keeps yearning distant places, located at the ends of the world, a strengthening spirit invites back to have another visit to this marvelous place. In 2022, my favorite city was Sarajevo, with an average visit each 1,5 months (even though I visited only twice). In 2023, Vienna was by far my favorite city, with an average visit each just under 2 months (again, with two visits in total, which makes it even more funny). But the fact that I was ready to spend two nights in a bus, just a week before my birthday trip, only to spend not even whole 8 hours in this splendor of a city, definitely does say quite about it.
Anyway, I know you’re here for the itinerary, so let’s go.
Seasonal decorations
Vienna is one of my favorite European cities because, at the same time, it’s the most and the least European city out there. On one hand, all the architecture is strictly European in style. On the other hand, so many non-natives, as well as not very European traditions guide the city’s atmosphere. For example, Christmas decorations, in the holiday season. Sure, you will find most locations around the world decorated during “the most wonderful time of the year”. However, Vienna will resemble New York from the “Home alone” franchise, unlike the remainder of places of the Old Continent.
A special café always brings out this kind of atmosphere. It is called “Sacher” (meaning “sugar”), and it shares the name with the most famous Viennese cake. In fact, it is the owner of the original recipe. Of course, the line in front is normally around 45-minutes long. Naturally, I am not a waiter, so if I can’t get a reservation, I automatically skip this kind of places. According to the words of so many people I know to have been here, I am right to do so. Namely, this place has the most expensive Sacher cake, which is not even the best in the city – only the original. As this post is not sponsored, I will not mention which place has the best Sacher cake. However, I do have friends living in Vienna, so if you are going, feel free to reach out – I will ask them to recommend a good place.
The Opera House and Albertina
You will find countless edifices in this area, just across the center from Schwedenplatz. Although it is a two-kilometer walk (if I remember correctly), you will never get tired of seeing buildings in the same style all the time. If you remember my impressions of Brussels, it is beautiful, but it is just beautiful. Unlike the Belgian capital, the Austrian one is not only beautiful, but will offer something special with each nook and cranny. You probably remember the Rollercoaster restaurant in Prater park, from my trip to Vienna last October. Or the Hundertwasserhaus (The one hundred waters house). These places are most definitely unique, even to the rest of the planet. How frequently do you see horse carriages? I personally don’t recall seeing them outside of Vienna at all. The buildings such as the Opera House or Albertina will be just the regular objects in the same style as their surroundings, and you will see quite a number of similar ones around them, and all around the city. Yet, they are bound to bring in the special spice and the spirit of Vienna closer to you, just because you walked past. In reality, there is something special in this beautiful Central-European capital.
Musikhaus – The House of Music
Can you imagine walking over stairs that produce music? And not being in China, because I’m sure by now every apartment building in China has these nowadays. Well, you can live through this very unique experience in Vienna’s Musikhaus. We all know Austria is well-known for its composers of classical music, and this museum solely pays an homage to their expertise and heritage. Austria in modern-day times is one of the most renowned countries for its classical music, and this is the least that could’ve been done to keep the name still heard loudly across the globe.
The musical stairs are just the most famous attraction. Other than that, the museum is full of paintings of great composers, stories of their lifetimes and biographies, it also serves as a home to countless instruments, as well as quite futuristic ambience and visualizations of sound.
As you can stay in the Musikhaus for several hours, and not get tired of what it offers, you are bound to starve right after. There is a major pub-restaurant nearby, well-known as the place with the best Viennese Schnitzel. It’s called 1516, and I will gladly recommend it.
A walk at nighttime
Vienna is a magical place, that brings completely different atmosphere during different times of day. Unlike some metropoles, especially in Western Europe, it truly never sleeps. You can decide to take a walk during the night, just to see how everything vibes. I must advise, as I’ve been warned not to stay out too late. As an adventurer, I personally don’t listen to this kind of advice. However, especially if you’re a female solo traveler, and staying outside of the city center, you may want to be smarter than me on this. Walk around the city during nighttime, but heed the warning and make sure to be escorted back to your lodging.
Depending on the season, you may want to discover the Christmas markets around Vienna, and you are bound to see tens of those. I am saving the story for one of my following posts, though, as it truly is an amazing tale of its own. Be wary, the fountains, greenery, and other daylight attractions will not be fun during the night. You know, come to think of it, unless you are intending to go clubbing with some Balkanese people, with everything closed at night, I’m not even sure what there is to do in Vienna in nighttime. It may be much better to go sleep, relax, and get up early the following day, to feel more of the city’s lively daily atmosphere.
For now, this will be enough activity to conclude the first day in the Austrian capital. Even though we decided to spend the whole second day in the neighboring capital of Slovakia – Bratislava – there are still countless locations in Vienna that are calling to be explored. In fact, even after two visits last year, the city keeps calling me to come back. Let me know if you feel like joining me. And stay tuned for parts II and III.
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[…] Three days to visit Vienna – part I […]
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