I've been living in Austria since late 2021, based in the delightful mountain town of Salzburg in the central northern part of the country, just minutes from the border with Germany.
→ Follow along my Austrian adventures on Instagram @JanaInAustria!
And in all that time, I've only managed to make it to Vienna just once last Christmas for a day trip to explore some of the world famous Christmas Markets that adorn the city during the festive season. So it was high time I spent a weekend exploring Austria's capital city!
Vienna is Austria's largest city (and the fifth-largest in the EU), with a population of just over two million, tucked into the far eastern side of the country, close to the border with Slovakia. It is one of Europe's most famous cities, having been the former capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, with beautiful palaces, museums and buildings. In fact, both the historic centre of Vienna and the Palace and Gardens of Schönbrunn are both on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list.
Throughout Vienna's history, many important people have called the city home including Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart (born in Salzburg), Schubert and Strauss; so you can imagine just how key the city has been to classical music! Sigmund Freud, the world's first and most famous psychoanaylst, also called Vienna home.
We spent a delightful summer weekend exploring this fascinating city. Here is everything we got up to:
By flight: Vienna is serviced by the Vienna International Airport, southeast of the city. The airport is very well connected to the city with public transport by the CAT (airport train), train, S-Bahn or bus.
→ Find out how to get into Vienna from the airport on public transport.
By car: We traveled to Vienna by car from Salzburg, where I live, a journey of about three and a half hours directly east via Linz. There are lots of different parking options around Vienna; we parked in the Museums Quartier underground parking garage as it was just a few minutes' walk from there to our hotel.
By train: You can reach Vienna by train, arriving at the Vienna Hbf. Train arrive here from Austria and across Europe; it's a very popular central location in the heart of Europe, with Austria bordering seven countries. The Hauptbahnhof (central station) is south of the city, from which you can take buses, trams, an S-Bahn or the metro to your final destination in the city in about 20-30 minutes.
→ Purchase your train tickets to Vienna through ÖBB.
By bus: FlixBus services Vienna with direct connections from 312 cities!
Linz, Austria
Vienna is Austria's largest city, but don't be intimidated by that! We found that it was surprisingly walkable. The old town, especially the area around the Museums Quartier is best explored on foot so that you can spot the lovely architecture and stumble across pretty gardens and streets as you wander.
You might also want to join a walking tour of Vienna to get insights from a local of the history and learn a bit more about the city.
For further trips, such as out to the Schloss Schönbrunn or if your staying a bit further out of town, you have a couple of options:
By car: We traveled to Vienna with our own car from Salzburg, where I live, so for our visit to the Schloss, we grabbed our car from the parking garage near our hotel.
→ If you don't have your own car, you can rent one in Vienna.
By Uber: Vienna is a great place to grab an Uber and the prices are pretty affordable to get around with the ease and convience of a car.
By public transport: Vienna is connected with a fabulous public transport system including buses, S-Bahns, metros and trains; you're bound to be able to get where you need to go with public transport.
→ Find all the public transport options and routes in Vienna.
There are so many options when it comes to Vienna but as always, I love to choose an independent boutique hotel that offers that attention to detail that big chain hotels might overlook.
We absolutely loved our two-night stay at Hotel Gilbert, an artsy and plant-filled hotel just behind the Museums Quartier, the perfect location within Vienna. I would avoid staying in the old town unless you want to be crowded by tourists on your doorstep. Instead, something that is a few minutes extra walking outside the city is the perfect choice. As they say themselves, Hotel Gilbert is:
probably the most charming hotel in the heart of Vienna
The on-site restaurant offered up mouthwatering meals for dinner and a big spread for breakfast made waking up something to look forward to each day. We spent one night in the suite on the top floor with outstanding views of Vienna including some of the city's most famous icons, and our second night in one of the standard rooms. Both were comfortable and clean and most importantly, quiet!
The staff went above and beyond to make sure we were welcomed and had everything we needed. A cafe, plenty of seating and lounge space, conference rooms and a gym sealed the deal.
→ Book your stay at Hotel Gilbert.
The hotel
The meals
Breakfast
the café
dinner at &flora
Our room
Vienna is a big, diverse city with a foodie scene that reflects that. We had breakfast and dinner in our hotel because the food was just too good not to but we did have a few other yummy meals worth mentioning while out in the city:
Espresso
Come for: the coffee, chai lattes and the cute sandwiches
Located at: Burggasse 57
Laolao
Come for: the mouthwateringly good homemade dumplings
Located at: Herrengasse 6/8
BEAULIEU Épicerie fine & Bistrot
Come for: posh French macarons and bistro snacks
Located at: Herrengasse 14
Gelateria La Romana
Come for: creamy gelato
Located at: Stiftgasse 15-17
Pizza Bussi Ciao
Come for: fantastic pizza - including gluten free options!
Located at: Piaristengasse 15
There are so many fun things to do in Vienna, Austria's beautiful capital city - we already plan to come back because one weekend wasn't enough!
I've also visited Vienna at Christmastime when its world famous Christmas Markets take over the city and can highly recommend Vienna for a Christmas holiday!
Explore the streets of the old town
It's always a good idea to get started in a new city by wandering the streets of the centre to get acquainted.
You might also want to join a walking tour of Vienna to get insights from a local of the history and learn a bit more about the city.
Visit the Justizpalast
Vienna's city courthouse is a grand old building known for its gorgeous 19th century staircase. Unfortunately closed on weekends, so we couldn't get a peek inside, we still enjoyed wandering around the outside and the pretty gardens out front.
Explore the Austrian Parliament
Austria's capital city government building is open for visitors to explore including visiting their library and other cool spots. You need a form of physical government ID to visit, so we'll have to put this back on the list for next time, but it sounded super cool and we're keen to check it out!
Wander through the beautiful Volksgarten
Just across from Parliament is Vienna's Volksgarten, a beautiful green space in the heart of the city home to exquisite roses.
Go shopping!
Vienna has a huge array of shopping, being the largest city in the country with over two million inhabitants. Personally, I love to second-hand shop and there were so many cute gems in Vienna:
- Zweitkleid7
- Burggasse 24 Vintage Shop (pictured)
- Second Time Around
- Humana
- Honest Second Hand
Explore the MuseumsQuartier
There are some incredible museums to discover in Vienna, telling the stories of the city's history and of wider Austria, too. There are also some really great art galleries worth a visit. We didn't have time in our weekend to properly dedicate visits to the museums but plan to come back to visit the exquisite Kunsthistorisches Museum.
Take in the views of Schönbrunn Palace
The impressive former Hapsburg residence is just outside the city. Opened in 1700 as the seat of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, including at one point Franz Josef and Sisi, this palace is the most-visited attraction in Austria!
Wandering the gardens is free, and you should definitely walk up to Gloriette, a viewpoint (and now coffeehouse) specifically built so they could look back down at their palace. You can also visit inside the palace which boasts an epic 1,441 rooms.
Gloriette
Visit Hofburg Palace
Hofburg Palace is the Hapsburg's winter residence in the heart of Vienna. Originally opened in 1279 by Ottokar II of Bohemia, this impressive building houses many of Vienna's most important functions. Its gardens are a popular place for locals to hang out on sunny days.
Visit the butterflies at Schmetterling Haus
At the Hofburg Palace, the Hapsburg's winter residence in the heart of Vienna, you can visit a small greenhouse dedicated entirely to butterflies. We would have stayed much longer but it can get pretty stuffy in there but wow was it magical to wander past so many massive and colourful butterflies!
See the stunning Austrian National Library
Opened in 1368 within the Hofburg Palace grounds, the national library of Austria is absolutely breathtaking. It is also the largest collection in Austria with over 12 million items.
→ Check out all the other beautiful libraries I've visited around the world!
Watch a performance inside the Vienna State Opera
Considered one of the prettiest buildings in the entire city, you can visit the opera house simply on a guided tour but it's much better seen during a performance! As a former ballerina myself, we had tickets to watch the Vienna State Ballet perform Sleeping Beauty; you can also choose to watch opera, music and concerts!
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I visited Vienna as a guest of Hotel Gilbert. All opinions and ideas, as always, are completely my own.
Hi! I’m Jana, a Dutch-German-British-Canadian with a dream of seeing every country in the world. I am a storyteller, photographer and adventurer passionate about documenting and sharing my travels.
