Vienna

VIENNA, AUSTRIA

Time Spent: 48 hours
Time of Year: December
Getting There: Took a train from Munich to Vienna (3 hours)
Hotel: Art Hotel Ana Amadeus (4 star)

TIPS
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MUST DO/SEE
Opera
Hofburg
Christmas Markets
Stephansplatz
Rathaus
Maria Theresien Platz

FOOD
Plachuttas
Sluka
Gerstner (across the Vienna Opera House)
Café Central (reservation recommended, get there early!)
Hotel Bristol
Zum Schwarzen Kameel
Joma

SHOPPING
R Horn Wien: fine handmade leather goods
Christmas Markets

Vienna is what I would call an artful city. Every where you turn you see buildings beautifully preserved or reconstructed to honor the beauty of Vienna pre World War II. Anytime I travel outside of the United States to Europe, I am amazed at how much history is packed in each city whereby the US is still considered fairly young historically. I spent 48 hours in Vienna, however I could have easily stayed a couple more days.

On the train from Munich, I happened to sit with an older local Viennese woman who was extremely helpful in recommending all of the places I must eat at, see and go. She crafted a list and even invited me to her family Christmas dinner she was hosting had I been there more time.

Upon arriving via the Bahn train station, I took a taxi to my hotel located a block away from St Stephen's Cathedral. In the evening my room was illuminated by the Cathedral's lights and woke to the morning bells.

Spent the first day exploring Stephansplatz and stopping for lunch at Plachutta, apparently very famous in Vienna. Since I was alone, I was seated at the bar next to a Romanian businessman who offered recommendations in Vienna and Budapest and then refused to let me pay for my meal. Chivalry isn't dead ladies. I kindly thanked him and we went our separate ways.

Afterwards, I explored and made my way through the Christmas lighted streets to Hofburg Palace. I made a last minute reservation for the Opera (a Vienna must) and stopped for a coffee at Cafe Gerstner. I'm fairly positive I average 2-4 coffees a day when traveling. Coffee is bliss. And it takes less time than stopping to eat for every meal, a biohack I learned long ago.

The Opera was wonderful. An experience I think many Americans never do. Photography was not technically allowed during performances so I don't have much to share but still highly recommend.

Day 2:
Cafe Central: The building is beautiful inside with Venetian inspired moldings and interior and is said to have served some of the best writers and poets but breakfast was subpar. Nonetheless, it was an experience. Reservations definitely recommended.

Afterwards, walked to Rathauspark where you could ice skate and the streets were filled with Christmas markets and local crafts and goods. Volkstheater and Maria Theresien Platz are also nearby hosting Vienna's largest Christmas market.

My favorite find happened by circumstance walking back to the hotel where I came across a luxury leather goods storefront, R Horn Wien. It's a bit pricey but they use the finest Italian leathers and the quality is there.

I walked and explored the Vienna streets when it started snowing so I stopped for a coffee and chocolate cake at Hotel Bristol directly across the Vienna State Opera before going back to Rathauspark to see the Christmas lights at night and do some last minute shopping.

I finished off the evening walking along the Bognergasse and stopped for tea and appetizers at Zum Schwarzen Kameel which has notably been around since the 1600s when Johann Baptist Cameel first opened the business in 1619 offering exotic foods and spices. In 1820, Joseph Stiebitz took over the business and in 1825 the “Zum Schwarzen Kameel” became a supplier to the court becoming a meeting point of nobility, select members of the middle-class, and artists. Napoleon himself is even said to have visited several times if you weren't already impressed with it's history and longevity.

My final morning, I woke and had breakfast at Joma before boarding the train to my next destination, Budapest.